Red Sox moves help them get the thorn out of their side

I guess things are right in the universe of the AL East this morning. Boston Red Sox fans are finally celebrating getting that thorn out of their side. It's a thorn that's been bothering them for a little over a years.  A thorn that showed up quickly, but is now petering out.  With a 6-3 victory over the Rays, the Red Sox all but ended the Rays chances of returning to the playoffs for a second year in row.

It was painfully obvious last night the difference between the "haves" and the "have-nots." The Red Sox moves during the trade deadline seemed aimed at stopping the Rays. They shored up all the positions that caused them problems with the Rays last year. They made huge upgrades at the shortstop and catcher position. The addition of notorious Rays' killer Victor Martinez was like icing on the cake.  In the bullpen, Danial Bard and Billy Wagner are both guys who got Rays out without a problem last night.

The lesson to be learned here: The Rays have to get at it early if they want to make the playoffs. Like it or not, the Rays are still chasing their slow start in April. They're learning this year that it's much easier to be the team looking down. Maybe it's a lesson they'll carry into next year.  As for Boston, they've made the moves to beat the Rays... but, their's a giant elephant staring down at them from the Bronx. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Carlos and the Rays remind me why I love this team

I know I've been spewing a lot of negativity on this blog since the Scott Kazmir trade. But right now, I'm putting all that aside in honor of last night's beating of Boston and Carlos Pena's emergence as the true leader of this team.

For a few moments last night, things looked a little hairy.  J.P. Howell came into a base-loaded situation in the eighth and threw a wild pitch that scored the tying run. It looked like the 2009 Rays were going to come up just short again.

But here comes Robo-Los.  With a strength unmatched, Robo-Los picked up the team and put it on his back. He started the bottom of the 8th with a double, followed by a Pat Burrell RBI single which was in turn followed by an Evan Longoria homer.  Three runs, no outs, bye-bye Boston. It was a beautiful reminder that the Rays are still the thorn in the side of the Boston Red Sox.

The Rays did a good job of turning it around last night. Let's see if they can ride the momentum into tonight's game.

Here are some things I noticed in the Rays 8-5 victory over the Red Sox:

• Evan Longoria, Red Sox Slayer. In case you're wondering, Evan Longoria absolutely feasts on Red Sox pitching. He's batting .362 with 8 homers and 26 RBIs. Sick.
  

• Bullpen Moves. I heard more than a few Red Sox fans questioning Joe Maddon's match-up pitching changes over the last two nights. But, one big difference between Tuesday and Wednesday was Boston's bullpen.  Terry Francona used Jonathan Papelbaun 2 innings on Tuesday, making him unavailable for Wednesday.  That probably changed the dynamics of the 8th and 9th for both teams.
  

• Getting to Beckett early.  The Rays did a good job of getting to Beckett early before he settled it. Unfortunately, the Red Sox offense spent the evening chipping away at the lead the Rays built.
  

So, where is that "pitching depth" you were talking about Mr. Friedman?

No pitching depth here!. Photo courtesy of RaysRenegade via twitter.

I'm still  looking for that pitching depth Andrew Friedman said allowed the Rays to make a move during a playoff run. It was nowhere to be found. Instead, I saw a starter who is nothing more than a generic righty and a team that looks like it's playing without a hope.

How else would you expect the players to respond?  Across the field in the other dugout is a team that goes and gets what they need. They have a new catcher.  They have a new shortstop. They have a new middle-reliever.  The Rays? They replaced one of their most consistent starters with a guy who had trouble getting AAA guys out.

Of course, management will point to the stands and say that's why they had to move Scott Kazmir. But, isn't that putting the cart before the horse? This is only the Rays second winning season. It's only the second time games in September have actually meant something. You expect us to believe that Rome was built overnight? Last night's attendance was a referendum on the Scott Kazmir trade. If the Rays management doesn't think the Rays are making the playoffs, why should the fans? We know that the walk-ups are your bread and butter. Who's going to walk-up to watch a team playing the rival with one hand tied behind their back?

In the end, all of the Red Sox fans and all the Yankee fans were right. The Rays are nothing more than a farm team for the big boys.  For one magical year and a half, I was able to suspend that disbelief and think that this team may be something different. But I guess in the world of major league baseball, there will always be haves and have-nots. The Rays will always be the Yankees and Red Sox pesky little brother. The boy that every once in awhile gets one over on the big guy, but later learns his lesson.

Here are some of the things I noticed in last night's 8-4 loss to the Red Sox:

• Errors, errors, errors. I'm not sure who gave the Rays the dropsies, but they sure looked bad out there. If you want to contrast the difference between the Rays and the Red Sox this year and last, look no further than the defense.  Jacoby Ellsbury made to big stops in center field to prevent runs, while the Rays spent all evening giving the Red Sox extra outs. Last year, that wouldn't have happened.
  

• Robo-Los. I've got to tip my hat to Carlos Pena. He's single handedly trying to carry this team. I fear, however, it may be to little, too late. 

• Andy Sonnanstine. I'd really prefer never to see him pitch a game in a Rays uniform again. It looks like the league has figured him out.  But, I guess management thought he had enough left to trade last night's scheduled starter.

• Pitching depth, part 2. I misspoke early when I said I couldn't find any pitching depth. I found it in the bullpen.  Joe Maddon seemed to have a pitcher for every batter in the Red Sox lineup. We got to see all of them.
  

• Sean Rodriguez from the Angels. People tell me that's a good pick-up. I guess I would be more impressed if he played for the Rays last night.
  

• Attendance Woes. This will be talked and talked about today.  Fans will be called out. Management will use it to justify the Kazmir trade.  Don't worry, I'm sure the Rays will draw well on Saturday for the Beach Boys concert.
  

• Red Sox fans. I really dislike many Red Sox fans. At least Yankees fans were humbled a little by last year. Not so for Red Sox fan, who seems to think this one win justifies all their theories on how the best team did *not* go to the World Series last year.  Keep telling yourself that, Red Sox fan. I hope it makes you sleep better at night. In case you're wondering, you're no different than the Yankees. The only difference is that the Yankees signed their big guns before the season. You picked yours up during the season.
  

So, you had a bad day!

I'm guessing the person who was driving this car in Brandon today wasn't enjoying themselves too much today. Ha! Go Rays!

Rays send message to AL: We're not going away

For Boston Red Sox fan, Tuesday and Wednesday was going to be the chance their team needed to finally put away the pesky Rays.  It was a chance to show that the standings are correct, the Red Sox are a better team. It was a chance to show that last year was a fluke and those "Devil Rays" in Tampa were still the little brother of the AL East. It was a chance to show off their new 1B/DH/Catcher. A chance to show off their new bullpen phenom.  A chance to right, what to them was wrong.  

But, the Rays had other plans. The Rays showed the Red Sox and their fans that they're not going anywhere. They're in it for the long haul. They showed that the Red Sox are not going to cruise their way into the playoffs this year. They're going to have to battle, every night, with the Rays right on their tail.  Tuesday night was a marathon test of wills.  Wednesday night was the shorter sequel. In both cases, the Rays prevailed.

The series when was nice and provides the perfect momentum going into a 6 game west coast swing.  For the Rays, it's all about the game in front of them. Win today's game and worry about tomorrow when it get here.  The Rays have had some other momentum swings during the season, but failed to take advantage. Let's see how they play this one out.

Here are some things I noticed in the Rays 6-4 victory over the Red Sox: 

• Starting pitching.  It looks like the starters are beginning to bear down.  David Price looked like a veteran last night, cutting through the Red Sox dangerous lineup with precision. He really did a number on the reigning AL MVP, Dustin Pedrioia. He retired him 3 times and got him to strand 3 runners. That's the kind of performance that's going to win games in August. 
  

• Answering the call. I was very impressed how the Rays offense was able to answer back every time the Red Sox scored. Jason Bay hit a solo shot in the top of the 2nd and Carlos Pena answered with a 2-run shot in the bottom of the inning.  Victor Martinez homered in the 6th. Pat Burrell answered with his own solo shot. And when the Red Sox scratched one across in the 7th, Jason Bartlett answered.  The Rays offense never left Price out to dry.  They picked him up each time he gave a little. That will go a long way in helping the starters' confidence.
  

• "He-who-must-not-be-named-closer" It's real refreshing to see JP Howell embrace his new roll with such success. It's amazing how easy the end of the game becomes when you got a guy who can go out there and get outs.  His emergence as "he-who-must-not-be-named-closer" has swung the advantage toward the Rays in close games.
  

• PtB answers his call.  Joe Maddon repeated what I've been saying: The Rays need PtB to get hot to be successful here in the endgame.  Last night, PtB did his job... getting a solo shot to answer a Red Sox run. If PtB and Carlos Pena can both get hot, look out! This team's going to do some serious damage.
  

• Yankees or Red Sox? With no game tonight, you may want to turn on the Red Sox vs the Yankees on the MLB network tonight.  The question is: who to root for?  My gut instinct is to say root for the Yankees because the Red Sox are the team directly in front of us. However, the Rays seem to play better against the Red Sox, so it might be beneficial to see the Yankees lose ground and get closer. Either way, the Rays must take care of their own business. It doesn't matter who wins that series if the Rays lay a west coast egg.
  

• 35 games. That's how many games I believe the Rays have to win to get to the playoffs. It's not going to be easy, but it will sure be fun.
  

Caught on Tape: @RaysUpdates catches some fans sharing some "choice" words

Our buddy @Raysupdates on Twitter posted this video today. It's an argument between a Red Sox fan and a Rays fan. While it doesn't come to blows, it's always fun watching these kind of altercations... in a "train wreck" sort of way. 

WARNING: Video does contain foul language. Watch at your own risk.

Longo brings spark Rays were looking for

All night, I was looking for the spark.  Something that showed me the Rays realized how precarious their situation was getting this year.  For the most part, I didn't see it.  Up and down the Rays went. Striking out. Grounding out. And flying out.  In the 8th, Evan Longoria looked like he had the spark... hitting a homer to tie the game.  But, then the Rays offense continued to putter and got no runs even with a bases-loaded, no out situation.

Then comes the bottom of the 13th.  By then, the game had become a battle of the wills.  Neither the Rays nor the Red Sox were giving an inch.  Each team was deep in their bullpen. The Rays had cleared their bench.  The rally energy was gone. Every one was looking for the big hit to end the game.  

It's moments like this that are the difference between good players and great players.  The great ones know they have to put their team on their back.  The great ones know that it's up to them. They know what they did before wasn't enough. They know they have to shake off their earlier failures and live for this moment. And that's what Evan Longoria did last night.  He responded. With his arms raised watching the ball go out of the park, Longoria once again showed what makes him so special. Longo showed why, at 23, he's one of the most popular players in the American League. He showed why he's the bane of Red Sox nation. Now, let's see how the rest of the team responds to that kind of leadership.

Here are some things I noticed in the Rays long 4-2 victory over the Red Sox:

• Run Prevention rules. Before Longo's heroics, run prevention was the rule of the day.  The Rays pitchers and defense did a real good job of keeping the Red Sox from getting a rally going. Their 2 runs came off of solo shots from the normal Rays killers: Kevin Youkillis and Dustin Pedroia. But, other than that, the Rays kept them at bay with good pitching and solid defense.  If the Rays are going to be successful in catching the Red Sox and Yankees, run prevention is the key.
  

• Line-up changes.  Joe Maddon kept his Sunday line-up intact for last night's game.  Jason Bartlett led off and B.J. Upton went down to the 7 spot. Meanwhile, Willy Aybar got the DH duties and Pat Burrell came off the bench. I'm not sure that the switch provided the "spark," I was looking for. The Rays entire offense looked listless against Jon Lester.  Bossman couldn't get anything going and Aybar's big play was a ground-rule double error (more on that later).  
  

• The case of the equipment bags in the bullpen.  Although I don't like it, the umpires made the right call according to the rule book.  The fact remains that the Rays needed to push those runs across, regardless of the play before.  Not only that, the equipment bags shouldn't have been there.
  

• The Red Sox upgrades aren't really that intimidating. The Red Sox were active at the trade deadline, getting Victor Martinez from Cleveland. But, to me, the Red Sox lineup was just as intimidating with a healthy Mike Lowell at 3rd and Youk at 1st.  Judging from last night's game, these teams are still pretty evenly matched.
  

• Send the Red Sox to New York beaten and broken. The Rays have the opportunity to send the Red Sox up to New Yankees stadium beaten and broken.  Hopefully, they can keep that spark going tonight and finish them off.
  

Rays Round-up: Gross Swing Path edition

One of the great things about Joe Maddon's managerial style is when he does stuff like writing a line-up based on "swing path."  That's what happened last night when Maddon went for Gabe Gross over Ben Zobrist in right field.  We all know that Zorilla has the hot hand, but Maddon went with gross because he his "swing path" matched up better with A's starter Trevor Cahill.  What did Gross do? He rewarded Maddon by going 2 for 2 with a homer and a double of Cahill.  Wow!

As for the rest of the game, the Rays did much like they did Wednesday night.  They feasted on a young, inexperienced pitcher early and went for the jugular.  Carlos Pena had 2 homers... racking up his 14th multi-homer game of his career.  Jason Bartlett continued his hot hitting going 4-5 at the bottom of the order.

The Kazmanian Devil got his 3rd win of the season last night, giving the big 3 at least 1 win in the go through the rotation.   Matt Garza gets the ball tonight in a Steve Carlton Syndrome game. The A's are sending lefty Dallas Braden to the mound. The Rays hitters will have to show the can get the bats going against a run-of-the-mill lefty tonight.

Here's some of what others had to say this morning. As always, my comments are in italics.

TBO talks about the Rays racking up K's and says Maddon would like to see the Rays batters strike out less often.  I'm sure that's something we'd all like to see.  If the Rays would just take strikeouts and short pop-ups out of their arsenal, they'd be unbeatable.

The Oakland Tribune has last night's game from the perspective of their rookie pitcher.  The Rays did a good job of taking advantage of the young pitcher's mistakes.  At least they're beating the righties they're supposed to. Now, if they can only take down some of those lefties.

In case you're wondering, the Boston Red Sox are hot... real hot. They won their 8th in a row last night in a dramatic come-from-behind victory of the the New York Yankees.  The Sox have only lost 2 games at home all year, both against the Rays.  This series against Oakland is important so the Rays can gain some ground while the Sox/Yankees battle each other.  The Rays need to return home following this series and the next against Minnesota on a roll to battle this hot Red Sox team.

Bench clearing brawl and whacky unis

Nothing like a good bench clearing brawl from our division rivals. No love lost between the Red Sox and Angels. The Angels went on to take the game and the series. It's good to see the Red Sox pressing so early in the season. 

Boston Red Sox - Benches clear in Red Sox-Angels game - Boston.com
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Speaking of division rivals, your Tampa Bay Rays were the only team in the AL East to win on Sunday. Toronto lost to Cleveland and the Yankees blew a lead to the Powder Blue Royals.  Off topic for a second, I really like the Royals' light blue shirt and white pants combo. It's a throwback without being a throwback. But, for a absolutely hideous uniform, look no further than the San Diego Padres camos.

Kansas Cityng its three-run eighth-inning rally. (Reed Hoffmann/AP)


Chase Headley powers a two-run homer in the third inning. (Denis Poroy/AP)

Morning Round-up: Edge of your seat Percy edition

That's it. The Rays started the season much the way they ended it... handling the Red Sox in Fenway. It used to be a house of horrors for them until a Dan Johnson home run changed the balance of power.  Now, the Rays seem to know how to get it done.

He's a round-up of what they're saying around the web:

Times writer Marc Topkin gets some quotes from closer Troy Percival and manager Joe Maddon about yesterday's wild 9th inning.  To sum it up: A save is a save is a save.  I agree with the manager on this one, for now.  I thing there's really not a better alternative until Izzy gets healthy.  The business of closing baseball games is a bottom line-buinsess. It's all about the saves and blown saves.

Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe wrote an article reminding Red Sox fans "Just in case you forgot who carried the banner of the American League into the 2008 World Series . . ."  Nice article.  I'm not sure people around baseball are yet convinced that the Rays are still for real. But, I will say that there's no doubt in the minds of Red Sox nation that the Rays will be around all year.  Honorable mention for the Sox fan who commented after the story that "We'll show these Devils a thing or two once we get our SS back and the weather warms up." The weather warms up? Really?

The Boston Herald's John Tomase acknowledged the Rays defense as a big reason for the series victory. The Rays defense will only get better with Upton back in the lineup.  But, Carl Crawford looked absoulely sick during this series. It's good to have him back healthy.

Looking ahead Baltimore Sun columnist Rick Maese sums up some of the Orioles' bullpen concerns in this article following their series victory of the New York Yankees.  I didn't watch too much of the Orioles/Yankees series except for the final game.  The big key for the Rays will be not to overlook this team ahead of the home series against the Yanks.  The Rays will get their 4/5/1 pitchers.  Hopefully, they can get to the bullpen early.

Morning Round-up: Kazmanian Devil Edition

Here are some thoughts about the Rays victory over the Red Sox last night.  As always, my comments are in italics:

- The Boston Herald ran a poll: What was the Red Sox' problem of the game on Wednesday? As of this morning, it's split pretty evenly between poor Red Sox pitching (39%) and Tampa Bay's pitching was too good (41%). As much as I like to hate on the Red Sox, I have to give their fans credit for really knowing the game. Even the most die hard, chowdah-head can acknowledge a great performance by the Kazmanian Devil. 

- Herald columnist Steve Buckley tries to calm Red Sox Nation down with this column: Two sides to this loss.  I like the guy's optimism. He breaks down the fifth inning and tries to absolve Lester a little bit.  But, no matter how you slice it, Lester's walk of Kapler and Pena's home run ball both fall squarely on Lester's shoulders. You can nit pick all you want about what happened in between.

- Boston Globe writer Adam Kilgore wrote this nice description of the Pena's homer:

Lester tried to sneak a cutter past Peña. "He pretty [well] knows what's coming," Lester said. "We're not going to screw around with him there. Threw it middle, middle" - over the plate's heart and at Peña's belt. Peña unleashed a vicious swing and then posed for a moment, sending the ball through the pitch-black night and into the first row above the triangle. A taut game had suddenly become a 5-1 beating.

That speaks for itself!

Kaz is back! Rays win 1st game of the season.

It seems like it was just a year ago when the Rays couldn't buy a game at Fenway. Now, it seems like they just go up there and take a workman's approach to grinding out a win against the Red Sox in their own crib.  Scott Kazmir looked like the ace from 2007.  He easily out dueled Jon Lester giving up 5 hits with only 2 of them being legitimate.  It was nice to see him go without worrying about pitch count from the 2nd inning on.

On the offensive side of the ball, a little small ball and a little long ball was all the Rays need to keep the Sox at bay and win their first game of the 2009 season.  Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria both went deep.  The Aki/Bartlett show proved once again the genius that is Joe Maddon.

Full Story:

MLB.com

Here are some of my post-game observations:

• Scott Kazmir is the ace of this team. If you had any doubts, tonight's performance shows it. He went into hostile territory and put the game on his shoulders.  It seemed like he wasn't pressing as much for strikeouts tonight as he was last year.  That's a good sign. Get the outs and the "K's" will come.

• Carlos Pena's 2 out home run was huge for a number reasons.  It knocked Lester out of the game (more on that later), it took almost all the energy out of Fenway and the Sox, it got Pena out of his 0-6 slump to start the season, and it pretty much put the game out of the Red Sox reach.

• Maddon continues to show his managing genius.  The safety squeeze to score Kapler in the 5th was a perfect way to really get that rally going.  But, it was the hit and run with Kapler on 1st and Aki at the plate that was key to that inning.  Aki was able to punch the ball into left field in the spot Jed Lowrie had just vacated to cover 2nd.  Great way to manage base runners in a game where runs could be at a premium.

• On the other side, Francona's decision to keep Lester in to face Pena came back to haunt him.  I can see the reasons why Francona wanted to keep Lester in, but he probably should've pulled the plug.  It just goes to show that Francona's still concerned about early middle relief against the Rays lineup (their achilles heal last year). 

• The Red Sox/Rays match-up is still one of the best in baseball right now.  These teams have truly become rivals over the past year.  It's good to see that the Rays didn't forget how to win at Fenway over the winter.

Bring it on! Opening day thoughts from around the web.

Surfing around the internet this morning, here are some of reaction to yesterday's opening day loss to the Boston Red Sox (my comments in italics):

- Boston Herald columnist Mike Silverman says Josh Beckett and Dustin Pedroia have the Red Sox thinking big. It's only one game, but I do have to agree that Beckett looked filthy yesterday. I also wish some would plunk Pedroia for me, just once.

- Much of the same from the Boston Globe. Vintage Beckett.  Both Boston papers went a little overboard with the poetry about opening day and the pre-game ceremonies. But, I guess that's what I get when I'm reading those rags.

- John Romano from the St. Pete Times talks about "Big Game" James Shields' struggles on the road.  I think this is the year that some of the newer Rays fans get a look at Kazmir as the true ace of this rotation. No offense to Shields, but when Kaz is on it doesn't matter where he is playing. As for Shields, he'll be fine.  He loves pitching in the Dome.  And he should have a little easier go of it on Sunday in Baltimore.

-And finally, MLB.com's game report was pretty vanilla... until you got to the comments. One game into the season and already the Yankee and Red Sox fans are verbally battling it out on any message board they can find. My favorite? The one where Yankee fan calls out Red Sox fan for getting excited about the beating their "little brother" the Rays.  Maybe he forgot that the Yankees lost to a less-than-steller Baltimore Orioles team on Monday.

Today's Game @ 7:05 on Sun Sports

What I'm looking for:

• Production from the 3/4/5 batters, especially Mr. Carlos Pena. Four strike outs is unexceptable. I know hitting lefties isn't always your thing Pena, but you've got to come with the stick tonight.

• The return of Kaz. A lot of talk in the rags about Beckett's redemption to 2007 form. I'd like to see Kaz get sick tonight on that Red Sox lineup.

• Rocco Baldelli in a Red Sox uniform. Hopefully, the Rays have enough scouting information on him to keep him from going wild.

Rays lose opener. Top of 6th sums up game

You can't ask for a better situation in a baseball game.  Second and third, nobody out, and your 3-4-5 batters coming to the plate. That was the situation the Rays found themselves in the sixth inning on opening day. Down 4-1 against Red Sox ace Josh Beckett, the Rays finally seemed to be getting through.  Aki Iwamura walked and Carl Crawford followed that up with a double.

Now, it was time to get to work. This was the chance the Rays had been looking for all day.  This is the chance you have to jump on when you're playing the Red Sox at Fenway. But, it wasn't to be: a fly out to the catcher, a strikeout, and grounder to third ended the Rays chances to get to Beckett.

Look, I'm not asking for much. While I would've loved to see Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, or Pat Burrell go yard, I would've been happy with just a sacrifice fly.  Instead, the meat of the order meekly gives in to Beckett and gives the Red Sox the opening day win.

The Rays 3-4-5 batters looked horrible today. At least Longo came up with a 2 RBI hit in the 8th to make it closer.  Pena didn't even sniff a hit... striking out all 4 times.  As for Burrell, we'll give him a pass today because he was playing in his first game in the American league battling a tough righty. My biggest concern is Pena. He's going up against a lefty tomorrow in Jon Lester that could give him all kinds of problems.  Just make contact, Carlos!

Other things I noticed

• The umpire was a little friendly on the outside calls against the Rays.

• The bullpen did an admirable job in relief of James Shields. It was good to get our first look at Cormier and Nelson.

• Matt Joyce didn't impress me too much at the plate today.

• The Rays don't play well in chilly weather.  I wonder if Shields first inning would've been different in a warmer environment.

• I'm looking for the Kaz of old tomorrow. If the bats come through, we could get a W.