If you’ve watched MLB Network or ESPN or local news in the Tampa Bay area today, you’ve seen the video of outfielders B.J. Upton and Desmond Jennings colliding. If you want to see it again, or hear Upton and Jeremy Hellickson talk about the incident, click the photo below.

Apparently, Upton and Jennings only heard the other call for the ball at the last second which gave them both a chance to brace for the impact. Upton and Jennings were carted off the field after the collision, which resulted in a three-run, inside-the-park homerun for Miami’s Austin Kearns.

The Rays lost 4-2, but the good news is that Upton and Jennings are expected to be okay.

According to the Tampa Bay Times:

Upton said he has lower back soreness, but it won’t impact him more than a couple of days, and Jennings believes he can play today.

Jennings said:

“That’s something that can end people’s career. We got to do a better job of avoiding that situation. It’s a pretty scary situation to be in.”

Yes, Desmond and B.J., you need to do a better job of avoiding that situation.

You may have heard some form of a speech about communication from a woman in your life, but I don’t want to have to tell you to call early, and loudly, for a ball again.

-What real-deal rookies do I speak of? Jeremy Hellickson and Desmond Jennings, of course. They were each named to the 2011 Topps All-Star Rookie team. With the way their Major League careers have started, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the MLB All-Star game sooner rather than later.

-Jim Holland, general manager of the Princeton Rays, Tampa Bay’s Rookie Affiliate, gave an interview to Rays Digest. It’s worth a read if you’d like to learn a little bit more about where some of our guys get their start in the Rays’ organization. If you’re the tweetin’ type, you can give the P Rays a follow on @PrincetonRays.

-Bullpen coach Bobby Ramos is the odd man out. He was the only coach who did not receive a deal for next year. Stan Boroski, who filled in for Ramos while he was sick for a good part of last season, will take over the ‘pen. Skipper Joe Maddon has one year left with the team and I am praaaaaying that he signs an extension.

-Speaking of the ‘pen….James Phillip Howell might be the odd man out of that group. DRaysBay takes a look at the recent disappointing years we’ve seen from JP. Please note: The graphic to the right represents how JP might feel about this. Watching Howell made me so nervous last season, I’m inclined to agree with DRaysBay.

 

What a week.

I am so thankful that Twitter exists so I can feel at least slightly in touch with my favorite team during the offseason.

Elise Myers isn’t the only one who uses Twitter as therapy when there is no MLB baseball to be had, I just can’t draw nearly as well as she does so you’re stuck with screen shots.

-I’ll kick this thing off (pun intended) with some tweets about the trip several members of the Rays took to Tallahassee last weekend for the Miami v. FSU game since I happen to be heading up to my alma mater this evening.

 

First off, let me say that knowing several of the Rays were at Doak cheering on my Seminoles makes me pretty ridiculously happy. Secondly, how sweet is Reid? For those of you who don’t know, Candie Fisher (@canfish16) is the wife of Jimbo Fisher, the head football coach at Florida State.

Reid wasn’t the only tweetin’ Rays player to publicly thank Mrs. Fisher.

And now, I need to go grab some tissues before I talk about this next one.

» Continue reading “Tampa Bay Rays: TWIRT-Tallahassee, Team Love, And Tim Tebow”

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 lulled Seattle’s bats to sleep, and Tampa Bay’s bats came to life as the Rays shut out the Mariners 8-0 Saturday evening. While Hellickson allowed only one walk and scattered six hits over eight innings, the Rays put up crooked numbers in the first, third, and eighth innings.

Johnny Damon tripled in the first, and came home on Evan Longoria’s 20th home run of the season, which gave Hellickson all the support he would ultimately need. It was Longoria’s fourth consecutive season with twenty or more homers, tying the club record, held by both Aubrey Huff and Carlos Pena.

The Rays added three more runs in the third. Desmond Jennings singled and stole second and was attempting to steal third when Johnny Damon singled him home. A sacrifice fly by Casey Kotchman and an RBI single by Sean Rodriguez closed out the scoring, with Tampa Bay leading five to nothing.

The Rays added another three-spot in the bottom of the eighth, as Elliot Johnson plated Kotchman on a ground ball single to right. With two outs, Longoria lined a single to right, scoring Kelly Schoppach and Johnson Joel Peralta took over for Hellickson and pitched a scoreless ninth to cement the shutout.

Hellickson raised his record to 11-8, while lowering his earned-run average to 3.04 on the season. Charlie Furbush took the loss for Seattle, falling to 3-5. Today, the Mariners will send rookie Michael Pineda to the hill with a 9-7 record to face off with James Shields, 11-10. Pineda is 1-2, 7.64 over his last six outings. Shields has nine complete games and four shutouts for the year. » Continue reading “Rays’ Bats Wake Up; Hellickson Puts Seattle To Sleep”

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″