Tampa Bay got bopped 9-2 in Baltimore last night, and they will try to solve the Orioles’ puzzle again this evening.  The game will be televised not only on Sun Sports, but also on ESPN2.  Which sort of tells you the importance of the matchup.  The Rays fell four games behind Oakland for the top wild card playoff slot, and are two games behind the Yankees and Baltimore in the A.L. East, as well as in the playoff hunt.  The Angels are only a half-game behind the Rays in the playoff standings.

Last night, Matt Moore couldn’t get past the fourth inning, allowing a pair of earned runs while throwing 94 pitches.  The bats could muster only five hits in thirty-two at bats.  In the meantime, the Orioles got offensive, banging  out thirteen hits to plate their nine runs.

Tonight, the Rays will try to tie the series, sending Alex Cobb (9-8, 4.28) to the hill against Miguel Gonzalez (6-4, 3.62).  Cobb is 5-3 in his last ten outings, with an ERA of 3.65 over that stretch.

• The Orioles have scored fewer runs than they have given up, but have also won twenty-five of thirty-two one-run games.  They might remind folks of the 2008 version of the team they’re playing this evening.
• Tampa Bay has been shut out nine times this season, with six of those coming in August.  But you can’t count them out.  Their pitching keeps them in most games, and they can score runs in bunches.  I’ve said it before:  if they make it to the post-season, no one wants to face them.  While they have lost their share of low-scoring games, they have also won quite a few.  Their staff has twirled fourteen shutouts this year.
• This is the time of the season that a manager earns his keep.  Joe Maddon knows how to keep his club focused without becoming tight.  They’ve made it interesting in the past (see game #162 last year) and know how to close.  And Maddon has a lot to do with that.  Don’t give up on the Rays!

It’s less than a week after the end of the season for the Rays, and I am suffering from withdrawal. Oh, sure, there are the playoffs. Even though Tampa Bay isn’t involved anymore, I will enjoy them greatly.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t miss the Rays on the field until spring training begins. This season, a most improbable season, got right to the heart of the game for me. From an 0-6 start to 91 wins during the regular season, from “No team has ever started 0-6 and made the playoffs” to “Guess who’s the first team to make the post-season after starting 0-6?”

Over this past season, I have written a piece on the Rays roughly once a week, usually on Sunday. Generally, there was a wrap-up of the previous day’s game and a preview of the Sunday game. But I also tried to look at the big picture.

Baseball, like anything else, is about the big picture. With social media, the MLB Network, ESPN, and every other way in which we learn about every subtlety and nuance not only of every game, but also of everything anyone has said or done, plus being told exactly the meaning behind everything anyone has said or done (it amazes me part of journalism today is that the journalist must also be prescient), from throwing a hanging curve ball to tossing out an ill-advised tweet, we sometimes lose the big picture.

Manager Joe Maddon and the Rays didn’t forget about the big picture. After the horrendous start, losing six straight at home, Maddon took out a bottle of whiskey, gave the team paper cups, and toasted the best 0-6 team in baseball. From that point, the Rays faced the uphill climb of a potential post-season that ended with Evan Longoria lining a home run over the short “L” in the left field wall to realize another year in the playoffs for the Rays.

Along the way, Kyle Farnsworth became the closer many always thought he had the potential to be.

Longoria overcame two injuries, missed 29 games, and still played hard on a daily basis and put up 31 home runs along with 99 ribbies. His defense may have suffered briefly while dealing with his ailments, but no one plays a better third base on a day to day basis than Longo, and he constantly made the routine play, and dazzled with many great ones.

James Shields went from “Big Game James” to “Complete Game James” while striking out 225 and posting a 2.82 ERA in what was a remarkable season, Shields showed the mental and physical toughness that defines the best who take the ball every five days.

Ben Zobrist had 46 doubles, 20 homers, scored 99 runs, and generally showed everyone what a true professional he is by playing several positions over the year,and playing them all very well.

B.J. Upton, while enduring being on the trading block, came up with a fantastic September, and was a major cog in the success of the team over the last month of the season. Without his offense, it is highly unlikely the Rays would have made the playoffs.

And what about Johnny Damon, whose soul seemed to keep the club afloat when times were toughest?

» Continue reading “Looking Back To Look Forward”

Jeremy Hellickson (10-5, 3.15) gets the start in tonight’s game against the Royals. The Rays have been concerned about overusing the 24-year-old’s right arm.  Skipper Joe Maddon told mlb.com that the team is taking precautions.

“There’s off days where we can skip him. Things like that. Keep him within a nice number. Right now he’s back on a regular gig. We just have to watch him closely to determine whether he’s getting too high with his numbers, then we have to back off.”

Tampa Bay with face Kansas City’s Luke Hochevar (8-8, 4.95).  They’ll hope to cool off the righty who has been hot since the All-Star Break going 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA since the annual MLB event.

-Rookie Alex Cobb landed on the 15-day DL on Sunday with an injury to his right hand.  The starting pitcher said he had a dead feeling in his hand on Saturday.  Cobb currently stands at 3-2 on the season with a 3.42 ERA.  Maddon discusses the injury in his pre-game interview with Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

-Not too long ago, I was frustrated with the national media and posted an article entitled, “Don’t Tell Me I Don’t Care.”  In this video two Rays fans care a bit too much about retrieving a foul ball that landed in a trash can.  Security had to deal with the grown men who wanted a souvenir that could have been covered with everything from Coca-Cola to nacho cheese.  Get a grip.  I just pray that if the men involved had significant others, those others were on hand or watching on TV and saw a very bright red flag go up.

-Outfielder Sam Fuld, who is a Type 1 diabetic, toured the renovated University of South Florida Diabetes Center today.  I can’t wait to see pictures of Fuld meeting some of the kids he mentioned in his tweet after the tour.  I bet it was super cute.

It only took Alex Cobb 83 pitches to negotiate seven innings as Tampa Bay salvaged the final game of a three-game set in Kansas City. The young righty gave up six hits and struck out two while allowing no walks in running his record to 3-0 on the season. Keeping the Royals off-balance with his second and third pitches, Cobb rolled ground balls, and even when allowing the first two hitters of the sixth and seventh innings, escaped unharmed.

The Rays got the only run they would need when Evan Longoria singled Johnny Damon home in the top of the third. Matt Joyce then knocked in Ben Zobrist, who had reached base on his 31st double of the season, with a sacrifice fly.

In an inning that would drive pitching coaches and manager crazy, the Rays tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. After a lead-off single by Sam Fuld, Royals starter Felipe Paulino and reliever Blake Wood combined to hit three batters and walk one, resulting in an RBI on both a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

Tampa Bay would send three relievers to the hill to close things out after Cobb was forced to leave the game with a blister on his throwing hand. Jake McGee slammed the door shut on the Royals in the ninth, striking out two in the process. The Rays improved to 53-47 on the season, but remain 9.5 games behind division-leading Boston an 6.5 games behind the Yankees in the race for the wild card.

Tampa Bay headed west after their win for a four-game set with the Athletics.  Jeremy Hellickson (9-7, 3.17) will take the hill in Oakland this evening, against Guillermo Moscoso, who is 3-5 on the year with a 2.96 ERA.

» Continue reading “Cobb Dominates As Rays Take Royals, 5-0″