Rays Round-up: Sox beater edition

As soon as the game started yesterday, I had a feeling the Rays were going to take care of business. It wasn't the pitching match-up.  It wasn't the fact that Kevin Youkilis was out of the line-up.  It wasn't the fact that the Rays have owned the Red Sox all season.  In fact, the reason I really was sure the Rays were going to beat the Red Sox... the "Sox Beater Shirts."

Once I saw B.J. Upton trot to the plate in his blue alternate jersey, I knew the Red Sox were in for it.  When the Rays don the blue jersey they mean business. No messing around like the night before. Instead, pure focused energy on beating the Sox to a pulp.  Evan Longoria immediately showed the power of the "Sox beater" jersey with a 2-run-homer. Red Sox nation should've headed for the Fenway exits right then.

Great game. But, the Rays cannot afford to take the Red Sox lightly today.  They need to take this series and keep pace with the Blue Jays.  Maybe I should send an e-mail to the Rays front office asking for the "Sox beater" jersey again tonight.

Here's a round up of some the Rays links from this morning.  As always, my comments are in italics:

- The Boston Herald breaks down Evan Longoria's 2 big at-bats yesterday.  It was a nice look inside the thought of the batter and pitcher in that sort of situation. Don't miss the comments on this one.  Red Sox Nation thinks the pitchers need to drill Longoria to break up his comfort level at the plate.  I think that would just give Pena another RBI opportunity.

-The Boston Globe says starting pitching, not Julio Lugo is the culprit behind the Sox troubles. Boston is still ahead of the Rays in the standings.  I think the Sox will be fine as long as they don't have to face the Rays.

- MLB.com writer Bill Chastain actually calls Longoria the Sox nemesis.  Is there any question that the Rays fans are truly blessed to watch Longo come of age?

Rays Round-up: Time to turn it around

From the comfort of home, to the teeth of the beasts of the East.  The Tampa Bay Rays head up to New York for a 2-game set in the new Yankee Stadium, followed by a 3-game weekend series against the Boston Red Sox.  In reality, this is the time the Rays really need to turn the corner. This road trip could mean the difference between participating in the playoffs or watching from home.

Here's today's Round-up. As always, my comments are in italics:

-Times columnist John Romano says Maddon is staying true to the course even though "early" is running out.  Romano talks about the numbers and how tough it's going to be for this team to claw its way out.  I'm not completely buying those numbers because of the weighted schedule. Outside of Boston, the Rays have plenty of games against AL East teams.  Win those and the standings will take care of themselves.  One note, Maddon pointed out that he has to keep in mind that guys like Upton and Nararro aren't even in their prime, yet. They're pre-prime.  Messing with their head too much now could hurt later down the road.

-In case you're headed to Yankees Stadium today, remember not to leave or you won't be allowed back in.  Hundreds of fans couldn't get back in after a rain delay.  They claim they were told the game was rescheduled.  It wasn't. I enjoy anything that makes the Evil Empire look more evil. And denying Yankee fan a chance to watch the game qualifies. On a side note, interesting how the Red Sox own the Yankees the same way we own the Red Sox.

-Matt Garza gets a tough assignment. He gets to sit next to Heroes star Hayden Panttierre during a Town Hall meeting on preventing teen pregnancy.  Garza was invited because he fathered a child in High School. Bristol Palin, the daughter of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will also be on the panel.  Anytime I can put a picture of Panttierre on this website, I will do it. Matt Garza, you are a lucky man!

Rays Round-up: Owning Boston Edition

Sunday's game was fine end to a great series by the Rays.  This is the team we remember from last year.  Of course, I had to go to Saturday night's game and watch Red Sox fan act like they have the greatest team in the world.  But, the Rays took a big steps to getting back in this thing by winning this series.  The next step is to keep the momentum going against the Baltimore Orioles before heading to the new Yankee Stadium.

Here are some of the links this morning.  As always, my comments in italics.

Carl Crawford's stolen base record has Red Sox nation concerned.  Interesting article on the Rays running game from the Boston perspective.  Terry Francona points out on one of the stolen bases Brad Penny and Jason Varitek got the ball to second in 3.18 seconds and Crawford still outran it!  They say the only way to keep Crawford from stealing is to keep him off base because they don't want to throw flat slide step fastballs with Evan Longoria at the plate.


Times columnist John Romano says the Rays are brining the stolen base back in style.  Carl Crawford didn't even know that he had broken the record until Todd Kalas told him afterward.


Evan Longoria and Joe Maddon had to issue a fan etiquette reminder after a person in Rays garb interfered with Longo trying to catch a foul ball to end the game.  If you're at the game and your guy has a chance to catch it, let it go.  The last thing you wanted in that situation was to give the Red Sox a different out.  

Rays Round-up: Owning Boston Edition

Scanning the Boston papers this morning made me feel like a kid on Christmas.  I enjoy nothing more than reading how Red Sox fans are reeling with their team.  Let's face facts: The Rays have owned the Red Sox since the middle of last year.  For some reason, the Rays really get it going against them.  

Tonight, I'm headed to Tropicana Field for game 3 of this 4 game set. I'll get to see Jeff Niemann pitch in person for the first time as he takes on Tim Wakefield.  I'll have my white jersey on over my "Beast of the East" T-shirt.  I'll bring my cowbell and some attitude.  I'm sure I'll have plenty to say tomorrow.

Here's this today's Round-up. As always, my comments are italics.

-The game wrap-up article from the Boston Herald sounds just like the Rays writers did following the Minnesota series.  Fortunes seemed to have turned, but the Rays need to keep it up.  The difference is that the Red Sox still have a record over .500, the Rays do not.

-Red Sox writers have seen enough of Longo already.  The Red Sox really don't like the prospect of seeing Evan Longoria 18 times a year.  After last night, I guess not.

-They're also calling the Trop a house of horrors.  This article sums up pretty much what I've been thinking about this Rays team.  They really zone in when they play the Red Sox.  Now, if they can only focus that energy against teams like Seattle, Oakland, and Minnesota.... they could do some damage.

-Rise of the Rays say we need to play the Red Sox more than 18 games a season. He also talked about Red Sox nation still showing up at the Trop.  Luckily for me, I'm sitting among a group of local fans.  So, I won't have Red Sox fan nearby.  At least he got the chance to watch Red Sox fan realize the power that is Longo!

-And Matty from St. Petersburg pointed out this site:  JoeMaddonSucks.com.  Lots of good pessimism against the manager on this blog. I'll have to keep an eye on it even though I don't agree. 

Garza has us feeling good about the Rays again

7-1, .254 ERA in 10 career starts that includes 2 wins in the ALCS and an MVP trophy. That's Matt Garza's line against the Boston Red Sox. Last night his grit and determination came through and helped create a role-reversal between the defending AL East Champions and the team that wants to dethrone them. For one night, the Rays took us back to 2008. For one night, the Rays made the Red Sox tough lineup look not-so-tough. For one night, the Rays showed us that when they get it together, they're tough to beat.

The Rays offense seemed to thrive off of Garza's performance. They weren't going to let his start get wasted. Everyone got in on the action, including the Greatness that is Michel Hernandez. Even as he was helping guide Garza behind the plate, Hernandez had his own career night at the plate.  The rest of the offense made sure Josh Beckett wasn't going to repeat his performance against them earlier this year.

The Rays need to keep it going tonight.  We saw a career performance from Matt Garza last night, we're going to need to see it again from Andy Sonnanstine tonight.  This win needs to be followed up.

Here's today's Round-up. As always, my thoughts are in italics.

Sliced and Diced.  Those are the words the Boston Herald used to describe Matt Garza and the Rays performance last night.  Just like the game, this article is the polar opposite of what I read yesterday morning from the Minnesota papers.  In yesterday's article, the Rays were described as listless and in this article their performance was described as overkill.

Boston.com called Garza a bulldog for the Rays.  One thing I like about Red Sox fans and Red Sox beat writers is they can appreciate when another team does something special.  Very complementary toward Garza and what he did.

St. Pete Times columnist John Romano implores Rays fans to have more faith in the plan.  I'm going to have to agree with Romano on this one.  I still believe there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this team's talent.  They're just going through a funk.  However, Romano, I'm not buying all the hype you're selling in the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers regime.

Friend of Rays Revolutionary, 10 Connects Multi-media journalist Grayson Kamm did a great piece on some of the rough spots when the Rays raised the banner against the Yankees.  When I first saw the story, I was concerned about "banner karma."  But, now that Rays took care of business, I can share this story.  Even former local TV sportscaster Dick Crippen (now Rays advisor) made an appearance in this piece.  He said, "he couldn't imagine Evan Longoria or Carlos Pena getting hurt by repelling soldiers."

Rays Round-up: Monster is here!

The Monster is here.  The Rays are coming off of a horrible road trip to battle what could be considered one of the toughest parts of their schedule. Over the next two weeks, it's all divisional battles with 7 games against the Red Sox, a couple against the Yankees, and 4 against Baltimore. This could be the make or break stretch run for the 2009 Rays.  If they're going to shake off the funk, they're going to have to do it starting tonight.

The optimist in me says a good series against the Red Sox will erase the bad memories of this road trip.  Just remember, the Boston Red Sox know the Rays are struggling.  They're going to do their best to put them away, right now.  On the other hand, maybe the Rays just need some home love to get them going.  I guess the real question is:  Did the Rays play above their talent last year or are they playing below their talent this year?

Here's a look at the morning round-up.  As always, my comments are in italics.

According to the Heater, Bartlett doesn't see any fire in the team.  It's hard to argue with that. This team just feels different than last year's squad.  The guys aren't picking each other up like they did last year.

In case you're wondering what the 1st place team in the AL East is doing.  They have career minor-leaguers hitting game winning homers for them.  When you're on a roll,  things go your way.  Reading that article brought back memories of last year's games.

Sluggish. Listless. Lathargic. Three words the Minneapolis Star tribune used to describe the defending AL Champions.  There's no doubt about that.

Rays Round-up: Monster is looming edition

One night. That's all the Rays really have to turn it around before the monster that is the Boston Red Sox arrives at Tropicana Field. The Rays are doing what everyone was waiting for last year... choking under pressure and higher expectations. The little things that went right last year are going wrong. Small mistakes that were overcome last year are instead magnified. This team needs a spark. I don't know what it is or what can be done, but right now they're on life support... back in the AL East cellar.

Here's a look at some of what's going on around the Rays blogosphere (I couldn't bring myself to read the Minnesota papers). As always, my comments are in italics:

Rays the Stakes has put Dioner Navarro on notice and is threating B.J. Upton. I'm with him on that one. I feel ready to hurl whenever I see Bossman and Navarro's batting average. That's why I'm going to keep track of their average right there on the right of the blog.

Rise of the Rays is also questioning Bossman's position at the top of the order. He's really killing the team's offense at the top of the order. However, as a big fan of Joe's Vicious Circle line-up, I'd rather just see Bossman hit the ball.

Rays Index is trying to cheer everyone up with a community project: Tampa Bay Rays WAGs. If Zorilla's homer had led to a win, I was going to download Julianna Zobrist's CD and listen to it all day today. Then, I was going to write a review and put links all over the place. However, thanks to JP Howell, Mrs. Zobrist didn't get the benefit of my promotion today.

DraysBay bad Rays baserunning is getting tiresome. I haven't zoned in on that as one of the bigger problems with the Rays. I think the Rays are just pressing too hard to overcome hitting deficiencies.

The Rays Party is preparing for their draft coverage. May be the only thing exciting going on around June.

Trop Talk described last night's game in one word: Heartbreak. I have many more colorful adjectives I could use to describe last night's game. I wasn't really heartbroken about the game itself. I seem to feel it in my gut that they wouldn't win. I'm more heartbroken about the reality that this team is now what it was last year.

9=8 Blog made a rare (for this season) post about the return of Raysball. It's just sad that one day later that post doesn't hold up when the Rays go back to DevilRaysball. I do like his layout, however.

Rays Round up: Bossman's middle finger edition

Tonight's a pivotal game for the defending American League Champions.  Just like they did against Oakland, they rather easily took game one of the series.  However, this time they need to use that first victory as a spring board to a series win.  They got the 1st win they need to start a streak.  Tonight they can get a streak going while beating a tough lefty pitcher.  I would prefer to not think of Steve Carlton at all while watching the game.  I would prefer to think of Boss man figuratively flipping off the entire Twins fan base (see below).

Don't forget to let me know what you think of my new header at the top. You can leave a comment below.  Also, subscribe to my RSS feed to get all of my Rays rumblings delivered right to you or your inbox.

Here's the Rays Round-up.  As always, my comments in italics.

- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire says Jeff Niemann "has a little funk to him, a little hitch to his giddy up."  I really have no idea what that means, but it sounded complimentary in a strange sort of Gardenhire way.  Maybe I'll have to call him funky Niemann.

- In case you're wondering, the Twins believe it's a bit of a victory that their starter Scott Baker didn't allow any home runs.  I'm glad the Rays were still able to beat him. Now, I just want to see the Rays beat a lefty tonight and win 2 in a row.

- One Twins fan  says he's waiting on BJ Upton's apology. Here's what he had to say from the Star-Tribune's comment section:

My wife, 16 year old son and 10 year old daughter and I were perched in our favorite seats in section 103, row 5, seats 1-4 enjoying, albeit begrudgingly because of the loss, a Monday night at the Dome. During the bottom of the 5th inning, some fans choose to, as home run porch fans will do, start to chide B.J. Upton, center-fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays. In defense, there was no malice of intent in any of the comments directed at Mr. Upton. My family and I have been to more than out fair share of games in the very seats we were in tonight and have witnessed the standard chide to any centerfielder not currently employed by the best team in Major League Baseball, the Minnesota Twins, and, never has the reception been met with what happened tonight. Mr. Upton, as I use the term loosely, decided it would be a good idea to provide the multiple families in our section with a constant use of his middle finger gestured towards us. Maybe I'm making a mountain out of mole hill; but, isn't there a standard by which MLB players should conduct themselves off AND on the field? I await your apology, Mr. Upton.

I'm not completely defending Bossman here.  But, if you're going to insult a man at his place of employment, you can expect a little retaliation.  Twins fan needs to get a grip and blame his fellow fans for yelling Bossman's way.

Rays Round-up: Josh Freeman edition

The Rays have the Gabes and now the Bucs have the Joshes.  If you missed it yesterday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded up to get Kansas QB Josh Freeman.  For me, it was a sad day in the history of the Tampa Bay sports.  The Bucs seem to have returned to the legacy left behind by Richard Williamson.

What does this have to do with the Rays?  Not much, except I would've rather seen them get a victory to improve my mood.  Of course, it was TV blackout day and we couldn't watch what was going on without going to Oakland and getting tickets.  But, from what I heard on the radio I didn't miss much.  Another run-of-the-mill lefty terrorizing Rays' hitters.  Garza having control problems. And a new problem: The inability to mount a comeback.  Like I said before, I'm not ready to push the panic button.  A West Coast road trip is never easy.  I would consider a .500 record when they return to St. Pete a bonus. I'm anxious to see how they're going to play against the Red Sox.

Here's a look at today's Ray's Round-up.  As always, my comments in italics.

-The Oakland Tribune highlights Jason Giambi's homer as part of the catalyst for the A's breaking their 5 game losing streak.   Uhhg... the Rays should wipe the mat with these guys every day of the week.  I really think they need to win today's game.

-Maddon defends his decision to hold back the starters in Spring Training.  I'm not really that upset about the pitcher's spring training workload.  Yes, they are making some mistakes. But, if the Rays offense would produce a little more consistently those mistakes would not be magnified. 

-Rise of the Rays breaks down the numbers against today's lefty of the day Dan Eveland.  I would really like to add a win in my Steve Carlton Syndrome counter today.  This is the perfect pitcher to break out of the lefty slump with.

-Rays the Stakes has a poll asking which announcer you like better Kevin Kennedy or Brian Anderson.  I really liked Brian Anderson when he filled in last year... for about 2 games. His analysis and anecdotes seem to get repetitive after that. I think it's mostly because he's inexperienced, but I think he can grow into the roll. Maybe Kennedy is only here for the short term and they're giving Anderson some practice.  I think the producers must like him too. He was an AFLAC trivia answer and then they showed footage of Griffey going yard on him.  As for Kennedy, his experience still makes him my choice.

-The Rays Party has a new poll to rank the Rays versus the rest of MLB.  Honestly, so early in the season, it's really hard to get a good sample of what a team looks like compared to the rest of MLB.  So, I went the easy way out and ranked them by their record.  Of course, being a homer I kicked it up a couple of places. :)

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.

Rays Round-up: Power of postitive thinking edition

After a loss like Thursdays, it's hard to think anything but negative thoughts about your team. It's easy to get into a rut and decide that your team is just garbage. But, you could be harming your health!  According to the Mayo Clinic, studies show that keeping a positive attitude is important for your long term health.  Instead of giving in to negative self-talk, you need to weed out misconceptions and irrational thinking and then challenge those thoughts with rational, positive thoughts.

So here's my list of Rays negative self-talk and ways to put a spin on it:

Negative Thought:  The Rays offense is horrible!

Positive Thought: The Rays offense has faced some really good pitchers that last week that have brought their "A" game.  The Vicious Circle lineup is still talented. They just need to put it together for a few days in a row.

Negative Thought: The Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays are already pulling away from the Rays leaving them in the dust.

Positive Thought: You win the division in head-to-head matchups.  The Rays still have 48 games against those 3 teams. That's plenty of games to catch-up.  Those teams also still have to play each other. Only one can win at a time.

Negative Thought:  The starting pitching is not as good as it was last year.  We need David Price. We miss Edwin Jackson.

Positive Thought: The Rays starters are keeping them in the game. If they continue to do that all year, they'll win more games than they lose.  This team is too talented.

Negative Thought:  The Rays are a one year fluke.  Now, they go back to the cellar where they've always been.

Positive Thought: This is a talented team who can compete with anybody in baseball.  They need to just get some things going their way and they'll be on a roll before we know it. It's only April, there's plenty of games left to play.  These last 2 weeks will become a distant memory like that losing streak the 2008 Rays had in July.

Here's a look at what other people are saying. As always, my comments are in italics:

- Rise of the Rays says Maddon's post-game comments about the shadows at Safeco field make him sound a little whiny.  The manager said after the game that he thought the roof should've been closed for the 3:40 game.  I really hate Safeco field.  It's not just the shadows. It's the way that the field holds balls that should be homers up in the air.  It's a weird place. I hope that the Rays don't create nothing like that if they build a new stadium.

- The Rays Party points out the Rays lack of sacrifices this season. Honestly, this one doesn't bother me as much as it does others. For example, I don't think there was any context in yesterday's game to lay down a sacrifice bunt.  When you're moving runners over, you have to have faith that the next guy can get them in.  With the way the Rays are hitting, I can see why Maddon won't give up any outs too easily. He's working to get his team hitting.

- TBO had a good wrap-up of yesterday's game. I found Pat the Bat's quote the most interesting part: "It's real simple. If we don't score, we can't win. And we've got to score." That's right, Pat. It's embarrassing to get beat 1-0 on a first inning homer.  Maybe the guys will finally be embarrassed enough to take it out on the A's.

Rays Round-up: Begin the Streak Edition

It starts with one game. Whether you are ending a losing streak or beginning a winning streak, it must start with one game. The Rays got the first half of the equation started last night with a dominating performance over the Seattle Mariners. They looked like the 2008 Rays last night with their foot firmly on the gas pedal. They made the Mariners look like they really didn't belong on the field with defending American League Champions and they didn't let up.  Now, they just need to do it again this evening because this win will seem so much better if it begins a streak.

Here are some things I noticed:

The Rays hitters got it going early.  Unlike the night before the Rays weren't content to just jump out to an early lead, they kept tacking on runs. They scored every inning but the 7th and 8th. That type of offense is the sign of a great team.  You never let the other team chip away at your lead.

Who's Edwin Jackson?  Jeff Niemann's performance was remarkable last night. He retired the 1st 12 batters he faced, and looked dominant doing it.  The only blip was a rough 5th inning in which he was tagged for a 3-run homer after an error and a walk.  Sonny better keep an eye on Niemann. If he keeps pitching like that, Maddon's going to be hard pressed to pull him out of the rotation for David Price.

Dioner Navarro's struggles continue at the plate. He went 0-5 last night and was unable to break his slumb.  But before I go too hard on Navi, I would like to say I saw some strong emotion coming from him after one of his early fly outs. He looked upset with himself.  That's what I like to see, guys holding themselves accountable.  Navi's an important part of the Vicious Circle line-up. His bat was a big reason behind the Ray's success last year and he's going to need to get his mojo back.

I'm now officially part of the Zorilla fan club. Last night was the first night I was able to watch a game and not say to myself, "Oh no, here comes one of the Gabes."  Zorilla is really playing himself into a full time right fielder.  Who would've guessed last year that the answer in RF was our starting shortstop from opening day 2007?

Here's a look at what people are saying in our Rays Round-up. As always, my comments are in italics.

Carlos Pena called a players-only meeting before the game to get the team on track. It's good to see Pena really taking control of the leadership position for the Rays.  Last year, guys like Hinske and Uncle Cliffy Floyd were there to run the clubhouse, but the Rays needed a guy who can assume the role for years to come.

Longo is an RBI machine.  They pointed out on last night's broadcast that Evan Longoria became the 3rd fasted active player to reach the 100 RBI mark. In typical Longo fashion, he didn't know he reached the mark.  Longo is still playing MVP caliber baseball.  He seems to be so unstoppable that the Mariners actually walked him to take their chances with Carlos Pena and Pat Burrell. That's respect.

The Seattle Times' Mariners Blog points out some of the Mariner's deficiencies last night.  I agree with this blog that Ken Griffey's time may be up.  I've been watching that guy play since I was in High School, but he looks like a shell of his former self.  He's really hurting that order in the number 3 spot. It may be time for Junior to let go.

Rays round-up: Internet Outtage Edition

I had plenty to say this morning, unfortunately an internet outtage took away my thunder. I could go on about Maddon's defense, lack of hitting, and uninspired play. I expected a lot of from the Rays last night, instead I sit here this morning wondering if I should hit the panic button.

Here's today's Rays Round-up. As always, my comments are in italics.

Rays Index touches on the touchy subject of outfield defensive alignment. I'm still pretty upset about the fly balls going over Kaplar's head. However, it would be a moot point if the Rays could score some runs.

Just in case you didn't get enough discussion on Kaplar's position. Even Mariner's fan blogs picked up on it. Okay, I'm done beating this dead horse.

The News Tribune calls Washburn the hero last night. Can't argue that.  The Rays are going to continue to see a steady diet of lefties until they show they can hit them. That means Aki, CC, & Pena.  Pat the Bat, Gabe Kaplar, and Longo all did their jobs last night.

Rays Round up: It's gonna be a long night edition

Today begins the dreaded "West Coast" trip. For those of us who are glued to the Rays every night, it means late nights and less sleep.  I find myself rooting for 2 1/2 hour pitching duels on these nights.  I'm also less likely to stick around for a blowout either way.  I believe whoever invented the DVR did it for nights like this.  Because before DVR's, we were stuck wading through some of the crap on SportsCenter to see what our team did in the middle of the night.

Here's today's Rays Round-up. As always, my comments are in italics.

Larry Stone from the Seattle Mariners asks What will the Rays do for an encore? Very good read. It gives an excellent perspective of the Rays from the outside looking in.  The Mariners (and many other American League teams) are trying to become "this year's Rays." He also points out how difficult it is for teams, like the Rays, to recapture magic from one season to the next.  

Joe Smith from the Times points out that the Rays bench must play key role if team is to succeed. The Gabes, Zobrist, Aybar and others who may still be in AAA will have to once again step up in key situations. 

An off-day debate popped up on Rays Index over Maddon's aggressive defensive alignments. I'm going to continue with my take that he's getting a little too cute. But, if they start winning, I'll probably forget about defensive shifts.

Rays Party takes a look at 2 former Rays pitchers: Edwin Jackson and Jason Hammel.  I know plenty of Rays fans who think trading Edwin "less" Jackson was a mistake.  I think that they'll change their mind once Matt Joyce gets going.

Rise of the Rays breaks down some of the Rays batters against Mariners pitcher Jarrod Washburn. 11-3 record versus the Rays. Uh oh.

Maybe the Rays could use this guy.  Patrick Schuster of Mitchell High in Trinity became the first high school pitcher in Florida to toss four consecutive no-hitters. He struck out 17 in a 5-0 victory. He's signed to play with the University of Florida, but maybe the Rays will give him a look!?

Rays Round-up: Wheels coming off bandwagon

With no frame of reference for Rays fans, some are already beginning to question whether this team will make it out of the cellar this year.  It's tough to watch a team with so much magic last year, look so awful to begin this year. But, as Maddon and others will point out, a 162-game baseball season is not a sprint, it's a marathon.  The creme will usually rise to the top. You just hope the top doesn't get too far away from you.  

The Rays have the day off today before playing a late night game tomorrow night in Seattle. Here's today's Rays Round-up. As always, my comments in italics.

-Times columnist John Romano says it's not time to panic, yet.  He works to calm down a frustrated fan base after a frustrating home stand.  Romano make some good points about the Rays home stand. He breaks down both the good and the bad without being a complete cheerleader for the team.

-TBO says it's the perfect time for the Rays to get out of town.  They're leaving behind all of the pomp and circumstance from championship week for a west coast trip.  Maybe this week will humble the team into a good road trip. If Maddon is correct and the batters are "trying too hard" then this trip may be just what the doctor ordered.  We'll see quickly.  

-After a red hot start, the Seattle Mariners are cooling down a bit. Like the Rays, they've lost 3 of their last 4 at home.  This team does already own a 6 game win streak. The Rays will have their work cut out for them.  

-The Chicago Tribune give a good account of how the Sox dominated the Rays this series.  They did a good job of pointing out just how huge Brent Lillbridge, Chris Getz, and Brian Anderson were.  The Yankees and the White Sox both had no-name role players come up big against Rays pitching. I'm not sure what it means, but it's definitely a trend I don't want to see. Successful pitching keeps those three off base all weekend.

-Rays manager Joe Maddon made an interesting observation after yesterday's game:

 "When you don't get off to a good start, you don't get off to a good start," Maddon said. "If it happens in the middle of the season, you're in a slump. And if you do it at the end of the year, you're choking. It just happens to be happening at the beginning, which makes it even more glaring." That's why I love Joe Maddon.  No matter how bad it looks, he can always look at the glass half-full.

-For entertainment value only, a feud is brewing between Ozzie Guillen and Nick Swisher. I can't get enough Ozzie entertainment.  Go get 'em!

Rays Round-up: Zorilla vs Gabes

Judging Rays' fandom reaction to last night's game, one of the biggest concerns is why Friday night's hero Zorilla didn't get the start.  There's really not much positive to take away this game. At least Pena, Bartlett, and Longo are still hitting. Tonight, Matt Garza will get the chance to give the Rays a split against the White Sox.  This is an important game. If the Rays are going to be contenders, they're going to need their big 3 to get at least 2 wins each time through the rotation. So far, so good. But, tonight Garza has to pick up Kazmir.

Here's today's Rays Round-up. As always, my comments are in italics.

- For those of you concerned about Gabe Kaplar's start of Zorilla, TBO got some answers from Maddon. Basically, he's trying to get Kaplar going and he can't do that from the bench. Kaplar and Pat the Bat were both brought in to help the Rays against lefties. So far, it's not working out so great. The Rays still look like they did last year against the Rays. I'm not too concerned, these guys will come along. For those of you who hate the Gabe, I wrote a little trivia contest for you to play. It's called Gabe or Gabe.

- Busy day in Chicago sports, so not much coverage from Chicago rags.  In case you're wondering, the Chicago Bulls beat the Celtics in their NBA Playoff Game, the Blackhawks won their playoff game and both the Cubs and White Sox won.  As for the Rays/White Sox game, they provided your basic Chicago-skewed look at the game.  It's good to see Chicago sports fan is on cloud 9 this morning.  Hopefully, they don't forget how both the Sox and the Cubs made early exits from the playoffs last night.

- The Southside Bronx blog breaks down Ozzie Guillen's decision to start Brent Lillbridge as a right handed bat against lefty Scott Kazmir.  He drew 3 walks and scored 2 runs. This guy has .067 batting average and he was walked 3 times. Unacceptable. To quote the Rays radio team, "they were pitching him like he was the second coming of Ricky Henderson."

- Marc Topkin of the Times has a little blurb on the added shifts this year.  I still say Maddon's getting a little too cute with these shifts. Sometimes you have to play to prevent doubles instead of trying to turn a single into an out.

Rays Round-up: Hand off panic button edition

The hand was on the panic button until the bottom of the 6th last night. It was looking bad. Even after, Zorilla's grand slam, I was on the edge of my seat until Percy finished the game off.  Now, the Rays need to keep the momentum going into tonight's match-up. The Kazmanian Devil is warmed up and ready to blast his way through the Sox line-up.

Here's today's round-up. My comments, as always, in italics.

The Chicago Tribune's write-up this morning points out an interesting trend between the Rays and the White Sox.  The Rays have come from behind six out of their last seven wins over the Sox, including the 2008 ALDS. I'd much rather see the Rays just jump out on top of these guys and put them away early. No need for the late inning heroics.

Maddon explained in the TBO game summery that he just "felt" Zorilla was swinging the bat better than Willy Aybar and Gabe Kaplar.  That's why he used him as a pinch hitter against Matt Thornton. The Times article this morning even says Zorilla was in the clubhouse batting cage and everyone had to yell back to him that he was up.  Zorilla came up big in key situations at the end of last year and it looks like he hasn't missed a beat.  For the Rays to be successful Zorilla, both Gabes, and Aybar are all going to have to have big at-bats like that.  That's what got them to the World Series last year, that's what can get them back this year.

The Rays Party calls Zorilla the Slump Buster and presents a nice chart of Big Game James' pitches from his last two starts.

Rays Index pointed out that it's been around 3 years since the cowbell campaign began at Tropicana Field. Funny, I can't imagine going to a game without a cowbell or my obnoxious horn.

Rays Round-up: Ozzie bulletin board material

The steak must stop. It must stop today. Last year, the Rays did *not* lose three games in a row at home... so, four would be a bad real bad omen at the start of the season.  Maybe the return of Evan Longoria or some good old fashioned bulletin board material can get the boys fired up. Here's today's round-up. As always, my comments in italics:

Ozzie Guillen is still irked at the Rays domination over the White Sox last year.  He says, "we should have swept them the way we played." Really, Ozzie? That's not the way I remember it. But, it goes to show that even the manager that got beat in the playoffs by the Rays still lack respect for the team.  The Rays need to show Ozzie tonight just who's boss. 

Meanwhile, the St. Pete Times Notebook writes that Ozzie says the Rays are no fluke. Here's what he said: "A lot of people think it's a one-year thing. I think the ballclub will be here for many years. The talent they have there … now they have the confidence. Now they know they can beat anybody." Okay, I get it. Ozzie's comments are open to interpretation depending on who he's talking to.

Keeping with the theme, here's a couple of YouTube Ozzie Guillen clips. The first is some sort of White Sox/ Wrestling crossover.  The second is a good old fashioned Guillen meltdown.

Morning Round-up: Bullpen edition

Rough way to end the series for Rays fans.  Losing to the Evil Empire two games in a row.  The bullpen looks like crap. The bats cooled off after Monday. And the only team with a worse record in the AL East is the Boston Red Sox.  Couple of interesting notes in the morning round-up especially the connection between Lou Piniella and Rod Blagojevich's connection. Also, some fan photos from yesterday's game.  The theme: Yankee fan at the Trop. 

-Most of the New York writers were busy setting the stage for tonight's big opener for the new Yankee stadium. However, NY Daily News writer John Harper glows about the emergence of Brian Bruney as a set-up man for Mariano Rivera. He went as far to say "the bullpen could be the one area where the Yankees have a significant edge over the Rays." Can't say I disagree with him. Coming into the series, the eighth inning seemed to be a real problem with the Yanks bullpen especially after the blown opportunity against the Royals. But, these two games have shown us that the Yankees bullpen (and starting pitching for that matter) has the ability to shut down the Ray.

-The Yankees say they're happy to finish up their nine game road trip with a win against a good team. The Yankees are good. If Rays fans had any doubts that the Rays were in for an AL East dogfight this year, this series should erase those doubts.  On a positive note, this series is eerily similar to what happened when the Yanks visited the Trop year. The only difference was that was 4 game set and we split.

-The Chicago White Sox actually altered their rotation so Ray-killer John Danks can face a team he loves pitching against. This is why Pat Burrell is on the team. He needs to step up today and earn his check.

-Completely off-topic, but amusing nonetheless, former Rays manager Lou Piniella got advice in 2007 from ousted-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.  The former governor gave Sweet Lou some line-up changes he'd like to see. The Chicago Tribune has the hand written note.

And finally, Rays Revolutionary contributors Jeff from Auburndale and Bud from Spring Hill were at the Trop yesterday. This is the first in my series of themed fan pics. I asked them to take some pictures of Yankees' fans so we could get a sense of how many invaded Rays territory. They say it looks like there are less Yankee fans than in years past, but there will still a few.

AT THE GAME FAN PICS

Theme: Yankee Fans at the Trop

Photos by Jeff & Bud

As you can see, this was 1 Yankee fan among many Ray fans in the outfield.

What Yankee fan does best. Get tanked in the early afternoon.

I'm not going to make a clever comment about this guy because I don't want him tracking me down and kicking my ass.

This guy wasted no time jumping on the Teixeira bandwagon.  You can get the same shirt in Rangers, Braves, and Angels colors.

Strawberry. Really? Is that the shirt you're wearing?

Morning Round-up: I miss Longo already edition

It's never as fun reading the news paper the day after a tough Rays loss. And today was no exception. It was compounded by the little blurb that MVP in waiting Evan Longoria will miss a couple of games.  Here is a round-up from this morning as usual my comments are in italics. And don't forget to follow me on twitter or subscribe to my RSS feed on the right.

- As quickly as it began, it ends. The Vicious Circle line-up Maddon's been waiting for loses one of its biggest contributors for the next 2 games.  The St. Pete Times is reporting the Evan Longoria is leaving for California for a "family matter." He will be out for 2 days, replaced by Willie Aybar in the line-up.  This will be an early test for the team. Last year, Aybar and other roll players were able to step-up big time when the main line starters went down. Aybar, in particular, did an excellent job filling in for both Longo and Pena at different times.  Let's hope that carries into this year.

- The New York Times doesn't mince words when they talk about how AJ Burnett and the Yankees "humbled" the Rays last night. I wonder if Joe Maddon will play Brett Gardner differently the rest of the year. Twice, last night, he burned the Rays late in the game on what should've been routine fly balls for Carl Crawford and Bossman Jr.  Instead, both went over their heads leading to doubles and contributing to the Yankees surge at the end of the game.

- In case you were wondering, you still have time to vote today in the weekly poll before this afternoon's Web Wednesday telecast. C'mon Fox Sports/Sunshine Network. Get a new poll already. Is "What team will win the A.L. East?" the best you can come up with?  What do you think the answer will be when you ask that question to Rays fans? Here's a hint: I bet you'll get a different answer from New York, Boston, Baltimore, and Toronto

- Rays and Yankees are all wearing number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson day.