Rise of the Rays

What’s Important Now: Rays vs. Orioles, Series Opener

Devon Rogers — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:50:55 +0000

The Rays open up a three game series in Baltimore tonight against the Orioles. The Rays need to do well in this series and hopefully move into first place. The Yankees won yesterday, pushing the Rays 1.5 games back. The Rays will send Matt Garza to the mound to start off this series. Garza has had a great season so far, and has been pitching well lately. Garza is 13-7 with a 3.53 ERA on the season. Hopefully the Rays can get a good start out of Garza and pick up an important win.
The Rays offense will have the treat of facing Kevin Millwood, who has been bad this season. He is 3-14 with a 5.34 ERA this season, the Rays offense is due for a big game, so hopefully tonight is that big game. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a couple of normal starters get tonight off, but the Rays offense is still pretty darn good.

Rays Farm Report for Thursday, September 2

Michael Emdeyar — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:14:01 +0000

Triple-A Durham Bulls (87-53, 1st place) – lost to Gwinnett 7-6

Aneury Rodriguez gave up five hits and five runs over 5 2/3 innings.
RJ Swindle gave up the 7th and decisive run in the seventh to take the loss. He falls to 2-4 on the season.
Chris Richard had a triple in three at bats and drove in two to lead the Bulls.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (32-33 / 68-65, 3rd place) – beat Huntsville 6-3

Starter Paul Phillips pitched well, allowing just one run on threee hits over five innings.
Dane De La Rosa got the win and improves to 9-2 on the season despite allowing two inherited baserunners to score to tie the game.
Henry Wrigley hit his eighth home run for the Biscuits and was 2 for 5 at the plate.

Single-A Charlotte Stone Crabs (32-33/ 71-56) – beat Jupiter 2-1 in 12 innings

Tim Beckham singled in Tyler Bortnick in the top of the 12th with what would be the winning run.
The hit was Beckham’s only hit of the night in five plate appearances.
Frank De Los Santos started and allowed just one run on three hits over six innings.

Single-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (27-38 / 57-74) – beat Dayton 5-1

Kyle Lobstein pitched six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and three walks to move his record to 9-8 on the season.
Julio Cedeno was 4 for 5 with a double for the Hot Rods.
Ty Morrison scored two runs and stole his 56th base.

Short-season Hudson Valley Renegades (37-36, 2nd place) - swept Staten Island 2-1 and 15-1

In the first game, Zach Rosscup improved to 3-1, allowing just one run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings.
The Renegades had only three hits in the game.
In the nightcap, Enny Romero moved up from Princeton to allow just one run and one hit over five innings to get the win. He struck out four but walked five.
Scott Lawson and Nicholas Schwaner each drove in four runs while Mayo Acosta drove home three to lead the Renegades.

Rookie League Princeton Rays (33-35) - season over

The Princeton Rays finished the season two games under .500 and in 4th place in the Appalachian League’s East division.
Kevin Kiermaier led the P-Rays offense, finishing the season with a .303/.380/.431 stat line.
Enny Romero and Braulio Lara will be pitchers to watch coming from Princeton. Lara had six wins and an ERA of 2.18. Romero won four, but finished the season with a 1.95 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings.

Rookie League GCL Rays (34-26) – Beaten by the GCL Phillies 10-4 for the CGL Championship.

I still say the Rays should have thrown Josh Sale and Drew Vettleson into the lineup for the deciding game.
The GCL Rays had four hits and three errors. Second best in the Gulf Coast League. Still, reasons to be optimistic about the Rays minor league system.

What’s Important Now: Price is On

Devon Rogers — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:56:17 +0000

David Price has finally woken up made a great start after throwing for a few starts. David Price gave the Rays a strong outing, going 8 innings while allowing 1 earned on 4 hits for his 16th win on the season. Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his 40th save of the season. Evan Longoria went 1 for 4 with the go ahead single in the 8th. Sean Rodriguez went 3 for 3 with a solo homer, a sngle, a walk, and a triple. Jason Bartlett was 2 for 3.
The Rays have today off after the 2-1 victory last night. Tomorrow the Rays will be in Baltimore to open up a three game series against the Orioles. Here are the pitching matchups for this series.
Friday: Matt Garza vs. Kevin Millwood
Saturday: James Shields vs. Jeremy Guthrie
Sunday: Wade Davis vs. Brian Matusz
The Yankees play today, so if they lose the Rays can get within a game for the AL East.

Rays Farm Report for Wednesday, September 1

Michael Emdeyar — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:01:21 +0000

Triple-A Durham Bulls (87-52, 1st place) – beat Charlotte 4-3

The Bulls scored four runs in the bottom-half of the 8th to come from behind and win.
After the first two batters grounded out to start the 8th, the next seven batters reached base with five hits and two walks to push home the runs.
Elliot Johnson and Angel Chavez were 2 for 4 for the Bulls.
Starter Bobby Livingston allowed just two runs on six hits over 7 1/3 innings.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (32-33 / 68-65, 3rd place) – lost to Huntsville 10-4

Starter Josh Satow was hit for four runs on six hits over three innings as his record falls to 1-4 with an ERA of 6.70.
Rashad Eldridge was 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles and two RBI for the Biscuits.
Familiar face and ex-Biscuit Chris Nowak hit his 12th home run for Huntsville.

Single-A Charlotte Stone Crabs (31-33/ 70-56) – shut out Jupiter 6-0

Starter Joe Cruz pitched six shutout innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 10. His record improves to 13-6 on the season.
Reid Fronk was 4 for 5 at the plate with an RBI and his 9th stolen base.
Stephen Vogt, Tim Beckham and Greg Sexton added two hits each for the Stone Crabs.

Single-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (26-38 / 56-74) – beat Dayton 5-3

Dustin Biell was 2 for 3 including his fourth home run to lead the Hot Rods.
Mark Thomas added a 2 for 4 day with two RBI.
LHP CJ Riefenhauser made first appearance for the Hot Rods after 11 relief appearances for Princeton. He pitched four shutout innings, allowing just one hit.
RHP Shane Minks followed, throwing three shutout innings in his first BG appearance as well.

Short-season Hudson Valley Renegades (35-36, 2nd place) - lost to Staten Island 1-0

Starter James Patterson saw his record even at 3-3 as he allowed just one run on three hits over six innings.
But, the Renegades could manage only four hits in the game.

Rookie League Princeton Rays (33-35)

The Princeton Rays finished the season two games under .500 and in 4th place in the Appalachian League’s East division.
Kevin Kiermaier led the P-Rays offense, finishing the season with a .303/.380/.431 stat line.
Enny Romero and Braulio Lara will be pitchers to watch coming from Princeton. Lara had six wins and an ERA of 2.18. Romero won four, but finished the season with a 1.95 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings.

Rookie League GCL Rays (34-26) – Beaten by the GCL Phillies 6-3 to even the GCL Championship series at one game apiece.

Ryan Brett was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI for the Rays.
These two teams will play the decisive game 3 this afternoon at 12;00 noon in Clearwater.

What’s Important Now: Embarrassing Loss

Devon Rogers — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:54:46 +0000

The Rays no longer find themselves tied at the top of the AL East after last night’s painful loss. Jeff Niemann once again did not have it. He started the game fine, but it all blew up on him in the 6th. Then Cormier came in and could not get anybody out. I think if this continues for Niemann we could see a switch between Jeremy Hellickson and Jeff Niemann as Niemann may need some time in the bullpen to work out his mechanics. The 13-5 loss is tough to take, especially after Niemann’s start last week. The Rays need to turn it around quickly and get the win tonight and hope the Yankees lose.
The Rays offense will face Shaun Marcum, who has been tough this season. Marcum is 11-7 with a 3.61 ERA on the season. Marcum has not pitched well against the Rays this season. He made two consecutive starts against the Rays in June, collecting losses in both. He allowed 10 hits in both with 4 earned in the first and 7 earned in the second game. The Rays offense needs to do well tonight and get back on track.
The Rays will send theirest pitcher, David Price, to the mound tonight. The Rays need a good start out of Price to keep adding to his impressive win total. Price is 15-6 with a 3.01 ERA on the season. The Rays need a shutdown start out of Price, who has not pitched well lately. It is time for Price to get back to pitching instead of trying to blow everyone away with his fastball.

Rays Farm Report for Tuesday, August 31

Michael Emdeyar — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:31:46 +0000

Triple-A Durham Bulls (86-52, 1st place) – beat Charlotte 5-2

The raid on the Bulls roster continues, with Desmond Jennings, Rocco Baldelli and Dioner Navarro heading to St. Pete.
Despite the moves, the Bulls got five shutout innings from Brian Baker who improves to 9-5 on the season.
Jake McGee pitched two more shutout innings, giving him 14 2/3 scoreless innings for Durham. Time will tell if he’s added to the Rays’ roster after the IL playoffs.
Chris Richard hit his 18th home run to lead the Bulls offense.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (32-32 / 68-64, 3rd place) – beat Huntsville 3-2

Alex Cobb improved to 7-5 on the season, allowing just one run and two hits over six innings.
Emeel Salem was 2 for 4 with two RBI for the Biscuits.

Single-A Charlotte Stone Crabs (30-33/ 69-56) – swept a doubleheader from Jupiter, 3-2 and 3-1

Matt Moore struck out 11 over six innings and allowed just two unearned runs to improve his record to 6-11 on the season.
Zach Quate pitched a scoreless 7th to notch his 24th save.
Reid Fronk drove in two to lead the Stone Crabs.
In the second game, Jacob Thompson made his first start for the Stone Crabs, throwing five shutout innings while allowing just one hit and two walks.
Jake Jefferies, Michael Sheridan and Greg Sexton each had two hits.

Single-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (25-38 / 55-74) – beaten by Fort Wayne 13-9

The Hot Rods committed six errors, including three by 3B Julio Cedeno, leading to seven unearned runs.
Yorman Mayora was the loser, allowing seven runs (five earned) on three hits and five walks over 2 2/3 innings.
Burt Reynolds hit a grand slam home run in the eighth for Bowling Green. The home run was his first since being promoted from Hudson Valley.

Short-season Hudson Valley Renegades (35-35, 2nd place) - split with Staten Island, losing 5-2 and winning 3-0.

Nicholas Schwaner provided all of the offense of game 1, hitting his 7th home run of the season in the first inning.
In game 2, Devin Fuller pitched six shutout innings, allowing just two hits to improve to 2-3 on the season.
Austin Hubbard closed it out for his 11th save.
Brian Bryles was 2 for 3 with a triple for the Renegades.

Rookie League Princeton Rays (32-35) – swept doubleheader from Bluefied, 10-4 and 5-0

In the first game, Jeff Malm homered while Todd Glaesmann and Scott Lawson each went 3 for 4 to lead the P-Rays.
Justin Hall won his first game of the season in relief of Andrew Bellatti. Hall allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits over 3 1/3 innings.
In the nightcap, Victor Mateo pitched five shutout innings, limiting Bluefield to just two hits. The win improves Mateo’s record to 2-5.
Kevin Kiermaier was 2 for 4 with three RBI.

Rookie League GCL Rays (34-26) – Beat the GCL Phillies 4-1 to win game 1 of the the GCL Championship.

Luke Bailey homered to lead the Rays to this win. He finished the game 2 for 2 with three RBI.

Rays Farm Report — The All-Star Edition

Michael Emdeyar — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:03:59 +0000

Post-season honors are starting to pour in for the deep and plentiful minor league system of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Durham Bulls have swept the main International League honors with Jeremy Hellickson taking the Pitcher of the Year honor, Dan Johnson getting the MVP award and Charlie Montoyo taking Manager of the Year. To top it off, Elliot Johnson was named an All-Star as the league’s top utility man.

In the Florida State League, the Charlotte Stone Crabs also did well. Four players were named post-season all-stars and manager Jim Morrison was named manager of the year. Those honored as all-stars are pitchers Matt Moore, Joe Cruz and Zach Quate as well as catcher Stephen Vogt.

This probably isn’t the end of it. But, it’s a great start.

What’s Important Now: Rays Win Third Straight

Devon Rogers — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:51:41 +0000

The Rays picked up their third straight victory last night 6-2 over the Blue Jays. This was their 81st victory of the season, assuring at least a .500 season for the third time in franchise history and for the third straight year. Carlos Pena powered the Rays to victory with 4 RBIs on a sac fly and a 3 run homer. Evan Longoria wa 2 for 3 with a run and a RBI. Wade Davis made another strong start, going 7 2/3 and allowing 2 earned on 6 hits. He then handed it over to the bullpen, who finished the game with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Rays collected a pitiful attendence of 11,968 last night. A playoff contender should have more people than that. Honestly, it looked worse. Hopefully the Rays victory last night can get a few more people to the ballpark tonight.
The Rays will look to pick up their fourth straight victory against Ricky Romero. Romero has had a good season, going 10-8 with a 3.58 ERA. The Rays offense needs to keep it going and support Jeff Niemann on the mound. Romero has given up 7 earned runs in his last two games combined, so hopefully the Rays will be able to put upt some runs.’
The Rays will send Jeff Niemann to the mound, who looks to follow up his pitiful outing with a good one. Niemann is 10-4 with a 3.67 ERA on the season. The Rays need Niemann to turn it around and shake off the rust from his last start. We know what the good Jeff Niemann looks like, and that is what we want to see.

Rays Farm Report for Monday, August 30

Michael Emdeyar — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:29:54 +0000

Triple-A Durham Bulls (85-52, 1st place) – beaten by Charlotte 8-4

Brian Shouse did nothing to improve his chances of a September call-up as he allowed three runs on two hits and two walks over 2/3 inning to take the loss. His ERA now stands at 9.00 over seven appearances and nine innings.
Justin Ruggiano was 2 for 4 with his 15th home run for the Bulls.
Leslie Anderson was also 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (31-32 / 67-64, 3rd place) – the Biscuits have the night off

Single-A Charlotte Stone Crabs (30-33/ 69-56) – lost to Bradenton 3-2

Grant Balfour was better in his second rehab outing, throwing a perfect first inning.
Brad Hawpe singled and walked twice in four plate appearances. He is scheduled to join the Rays after tonight’s game.
Greg Sexton was 3 for 4 with an RBI.

Single-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (25-37 / 55-73) – beat Fort Wayne 4-1

Starter Merrill Kelly allowed one run on two hits over four innings.
Relievers Jason McEachers, Alex Koronis and Scott Shuman combined for five shutout innings to secure the win. Koronis improves to 8-4 on the season and Shuman recorded his 14th save.
C Mark Thomas led the way at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI.

Short-season Hudson Valley Renegades (34-33, 2nd place) – beaten by Tri-City 5-4 in 14 innings

Elias Otero had a big game, going 4 for 7, including his first home run of the season.
Starter Miguel Sierra allowed three runs on six hits over six innings.

Rookie League Princeton Rays (30-35) – beaten by Elizabethton 7-2

Starter Eliazer Suero was hit for six runs and seven hits over 2 2/3 innings as his record drops to 1-6 on the season.
C Gerardo Olivares smacked his second home run of the season.

Rookie League GCL Rays (34-26) – Beat the GCL Marlins 1-0 in 10 innings to move on to the GCL Finals.

The GCL Rays scored the games only run on a wild pitch in the 10th to move on to the finals. They will play on Tuesday to begin a best-of-three series against the Phillies.
Anyone else wish the Rays would suit up Josh Sale and Drew Vettleson for the finals?

What’s Important Now: Rays Win Again, Remain Tied At Top

Devon Rogers — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:50:50 +0000

The Rays were able to pick up the 5-3 victory over the Red Sox in Sunday Night Baseball. The Rays are now 80-50 for the season. Their next win will give the Rays their third straight winning season and third in franchise history. Carl Crawford was the star for the game, going 2 for 4 with a game tying 2 run homer, his 100th for his career. Evan Longoria was 2 for 4 with a run and a RBI. Carlos Pena was 1 for 2 with a solo homer. Dan Johnson was 1 for 3 with a RBI. James Shields pitched well, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing 3 earned on 7 hits to pick up his 13th win on the season. Rafael Soriano picked up his 39th save in a scoreless 9th.
The Rays will open up an important series with the Blue Jays tonight at the Trop. The Rays will face Brett Cecil, who is 11-6 with a 3.80 ERA on the season. The Rays need to keep winning if they want to find themselves on top of the AL East in the near future.
The Rays will send Wade Davis to the mound in his second start since coming off the DL. Davis 10-9 with a 4.41 ERA on the season. Davis pitched well in his last time out in LA. Hopefully we can see more of the same tonight at the Trop. The Rays need a good start out of Davis and the Rays offense needs to give him support.