How Do the Rays Keep Winning with So Many Injuries (sorry, Hank, I am not going to whine about it)?
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How can the Rays be in the midst of a 5-2 road trip (3 more games to go) despite losing their #3 (Carl Crawford) and #4 (Evan Longoria) hitters, who were both getting hot right before their injuries (Carl and Evan accounted for a whopping 25% of the team's RBIs for 2008!!!)?
The answer lies in players like Ben Zobrist, Willy Aybar and Rocco Baldelli. Since being recalled on August 5th, Ben Zobrist has a hit in 8 of 9 games played (he's hitting .272 during this stretch - not huge, but respectable) and has an on base percentage of .400 (that's strong for a #9 rookie hitter). Additionally, he's had some clutch hits such as his double in Oakland that proved to be the winning run. For a rookie who doesn't know whether to unpacl his suitcase or not, this is a major contribution to a team at a critical time.
Another great story is Willy Aybar, who has also hit .272 during the same stretch (filling in for Evan Longoria). Not only has he played a very solid 3B having committed 0 fielding errors and turned a healthy number of key double plays, he also had hist first 2 homerun game (August 10th at Seattle) and drove in 2 key runs on August 14th (Rays won the game by 1 run).
Finally, the return of Rocco Baldelli has been an emotional lift for this team. Rocco has been working with the Rays training team for months trying to deal with his medical condition and his return is a true testament to his tenacity and strong will. He has also made a huge impact in the field running down two awesome diving catches in right field (including the #1 ESPN Web Gem on August 14th). Rocco's ability to deal with this adversity demonstrates the heart and character of this team, which is the clear reason they continue to win. Oh, and let's not forget great pitching - giving up about 3.5 runs on this road trip.
How can the Rays be in the midst of a 5-2 road trip (3 more games to go) despite losing their #3 (Carl Crawford) and #4 (Evan Longoria) hitters, who were both getting hot right before their injuries (Carl and Evan accounted for a whopping 25% of the team's RBIs for 2008!!!)?
The answer lies in players like Ben Zobrist, Willy Aybar and Rocco Baldelli. Since being recalled on August 5th, Ben Zobrist has a hit in 8 of 9 games played (he's hitting .272 during this stretch - not huge, but respectable) and has an on base percentage of .400 (that's strong for a #9 rookie hitter). Additionally, he's had some clutch hits such as his double in Oakland that proved to be the winning run. For a rookie who doesn't know whether to unpacl his suitcase or not, this is a major contribution to a team at a critical time.
Another great story is Willy Aybar, who has also hit .272 during the same stretch (filling in for Evan Longoria). Not only has he played a very solid 3B having committed 0 fielding errors and turned a healthy number of key double plays, he also had hist first 2 homerun game (August 10th at Seattle) and drove in 2 key runs on August 14th (Rays won the game by 1 run).
Finally, the return of Rocco Baldelli has been an emotional lift for this team. Rocco has been working with the Rays training team for months trying to deal with his medical condition and his return is a true testament to his tenacity and strong will. He has also made a huge impact in the field running down two awesome diving catches in right field (including the #1 ESPN Web Gem on August 14th). Rocco's ability to deal with this adversity demonstrates the heart and character of this team, which is the clear reason they continue to win. Oh, and let's not forget great pitching - giving up about 3.5 runs on this road trip.
Labels: Baseball, Ben Zobrist, MLB, Rocco Baldelli, Tampa Bay Rays, Willy Aybar
posted by Blogging Man at
12:56 PM
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