Tampa Bay Rays finding their MoJo?

OK – so I was a game early with my last piece, but I can honestly say I saw the Rays making some good progress towards RaysBall. I'm even seeing some serious energy and excitment in the dugout for the first time in a while. Lots of creative handshake/fist/body bumps, etc. That's the sign that this team is starting to get into it a bit. There is no substitution for good MoJo.

I like what I am seeing from the Rays:

Rays batters are really grinding down the opposing pitchers. In the last 5 games, the Rays have forced the opposing team to through 153, 140, 146, 198, and 142. That’s over 17 pitches per average inning. The Rays are really working the count well and are grinding out at-bats. While this may not always lead to runs, this type of play is the hallmark of a good team. The hits will come if the Rays keep grinding out at-bats like they have been.

Starters are getting it done (even on off nights). Even after Kazmir’s tough night (he was off, but he also got some really tough breaks), the Rays starters are looking better by the game. Garza’s performance goes without saying…a TRUE GEM. Sonny didn’t want to come out and look silly after what Garza did the night before. So, he took the mound and put in a gutty performance. Yeah, he got into some trouble, but never big trouble (didn’t give up the long ball with guys on base). Most innings seemed to go out-hit/walk-out-hit/walk-out. And, that’s OK if you don’t give up extra bases, which he did not. Sonny wasn’t sharp, but the sign of a good pitcher is being able to win when you are having an off night. Sonny did just that (with the help of some stellar defense as well) and let’s hope this builds his confidence and gets him going.

Bullpen is rounding into form. After starting the first 10 games of 2008 as one of the worst bullpens in the AL by ERA, they are now one of the best for the entire season (slow start included; as measured by ERA). In my last post, I wrote about the bullpen’s 3 earned runs over the last 17 innings. Well, they’ve added to that inning total by throwing another 4 2/3 innings with no earned runs. So, over the last 22 innings or so, the Rays bullpen has given up a measly 3 earned runs. That’s an ERA of 1.22 or so. Additionally, they look very sharp. [Side Bar: on paper, these guys are better than 2008. Now, they are starting to prove that to be the case].

BJ seems to be finding his swing. He’s 3-for-8 with 3 walks against the Red Sox in this series. So, his OBP is .500, he’s stealing bases and scoring some runs… and the Rays have won both games. He also looks much beter at the plate. BJ is a key part of the Rays offense because he is so disruptive to pitchers and he has a knack for scoring runs when he’s on base (note Masterson and Beckett in the last 2 games when BJ is on base). It’s no coincidence that BJ was on base against Beckett when Carl drew the walk to load the bases (before Longo broke the game open with a bases clearing double in Game 1). When BJ is hitting, he makes the bottom of the lineup better (Bartlett and Aki) as well as the guys that follow him. His average is rising as is his OBP (which is still a staggering .150 or so above his batting average). I still contend that if BJ gets it going (and things are looking promising of late), the Rays are going to win a lot of games.

The Rays building momentum now rests with Jeff Niemann. Let’s hope that Rays can string a few together on this run through the AL East.

Getting back to "Raysball"?

Last night was the first night all season where I recognized the team I’ve come to love. No there wasn’t an explosion of home runs (at least HRs that mattered, sorry Carlos and JB) and there wasn’t anything fancy about the way the Rays chipped away at the Twins on offense with regular old timely base hits. The win was a combination of great starting pitching (hey, this Niemann guy sure has quieted down the “where is David Price” crowd with his stellar pitching after the first inning of his first outing), solid defense (no real blunders except the ball that Aki misplayed a bit) and a shut-down bullpen (no runs allowed). Were it not for the icing on the cake homeruns from Carlos and JB, this game, at 4-1, looked a lot like the Rays from 2008 (and that makes me very happy).

I’ve also noticed a couple of very positive trends:

1) the bullpen is really starting to come around - after a rough start, the Tampa Bay Rays bullpen has given up only 3 earned runs in the last 6 games over a total of 17 innings pitched (that’d be an ERA of 1.59 for those of you that are math challenged)

2) The starting pitchers are showing signs of progress. After a slow ramp up to full speed, intentionally done by Joe Maddon given the post-season run of 2008 (oh, the good old days), the Rays starting pitchers have not quite been themselves over their first few starts (you might equate these to what would normally be their last few starts of a normal spring training period).

• Shields looked a little rough in his first start against the Red Sox, came out smoking in his second start giving up only 3 hits in 7 innings, and then gave up 5 runs in his third start. Shields was anything if consistent in 2008. In his 4th start, Shields appeared to have very good control of his pitches, seems to have his velocity back up into the 92 MPH range and was mowing hitters down on his way to a 0-1 loss to Seattle.
  
• Kazmir has actually been pretty good with a few rough innings here and there (remember the 10 straight balls to begin the White Sox on 4/18…ugh). Well, he bounced back with 6 shutout innings against the A’s.
  
• Garza took a little while to get going last year, but his stuff is just plain nasty. I’ve not really seen Garza come around, but I am confident he will.
  
• Sonny has been roughed up pretty good in his first 4 starts. He’s simply not locating his pitches. But, Sonny is a feel pitcher and I’m hopeful that he’ll get the touch back soon.
  
• And, what can we say about Niemann? He has been more than we ever could have hoped for. Despite his record of 2-2, he’s kept the Rays in the game. With the exception of his first, very shaky inning, Niemann has been one of the Rays most consistent starters so far. If he can keep this up, I suspect you will see him in this rotation for a while in 2009.

3) Burrell is starting to hit and he is clearly seeing the ball better. Burrell was brought in to improve the Rays chances against lefties (especially the likes of Jon Lester, CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitt). But, he’s also served as very valuable protection for Carlos Pena, who is currently leading the AL in home runs and RBIs. That’s no coincidence. When pitchers had the luxury of working the black on Carlos, he was not as potent. But, if they have to throw strikes to him, he’s going to make them pay. You could make the same argument for Longoria, who is also off to a very hot start. He's got Carl Crawform on one side and Carlos Pena on the other. Well, despite his .238 average, Burrell has an OBP of .364 for the 2009 season, AND, he’s hitting .272 over his last 10 games with an OBP of .429. Those aren’t eye-popping, but they are up significantly from the .100-something he was hitting in the first 10 games (it was so bad, I don't even want to calculate it). In addition, he’s drawn 9 walks in the last 10 games. When hitters are walking, they are hitting. Burrell is starting to come around and is likely about to break out for the Rays (that’s my prediction).

So, what am I worried about? Well, other than being in last place 12.3% into the season, I am most worried about BJ Upton. He’s been in a severe slump and it makes me wonder if his shoulder is just not quite right, yet. Maybe it would serve him well to hit #7, #8 or #9 for a couple of weeks to take some pressure off. After all, Aki and JB have been very strong in April and have both proven they are able to handle the leadoff spot. BJ is the future leadoff guy for this team and he has the potential to be a Ricky Henderson type leadoff guy (unique combination of power and speed). But, he can’t do it until he gets his head right. If BJ is not hitting, that hurts in a big way. In a lot of ways, the leadoff guy sets the tone for each game. Let’s recall BJ’s first game back against the Yankees on 4/13. He walked on 6 pitches to start the game. He then stole second AND third base! He then scored on a hit by Carlos Pena. That set the tone for a game that ended with the Rays a big winner 15-5 (BJ finished 1-3 with 3 walks, 2 SBs and 2 runs scored). BJ ate up 30 pitches in that game! For comparison’s sake, Game 2 of the Yankees series was a different story. BJ struck out swinging in his first at bat and was on his way to an 0-4 game with a hat trick (3 Ks and he only saw 16 pitches in that game). The Rays lost the game 7-2, collected a meager 3 hits and didn’t score until the 7th inning. Now, I am not blaming that loss on BJ since the bullpen was the real culprit that time, but I make the point that an impactful leadoff guy can get a team going early. BJ has the potential to shape each and every game right out of the gate.

Let’s all hope that BJ gets back into the swing of things soon (or just finds ways to get on base). We should all keep an eye on his progress. With some of the other pieces starting to come together, I strongly believe that BJ is the lynch pin that could ignite a nice run by the Rays in 2009.

Rays Look Impressive in Opening Series Against the Boston Red Sox

After dropping their Opening Day game 5-3 to the Red Sox (and a dominant Josh Beckett), the Rays answered with strong pitching performances by Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza, both of whom picked up a win at Fenway. Lest we forget that it took until mid-September in 2008 for the Rays to pick up a single win on the road against the Red Sox, this was an impressive couple of wins for the Rays and a great way to kick off the 2009 season.

Key take-aways from the opening series:
1) Rays first 3 starters looked very strong. Shields was roughed up a little bit, but he never lost control of the game even though he gave up a few more than we would have liked. The Rays were still very much in Game 1 and could have tied/won the game with one or two timely hits late in the game. Kazmir's fastball was alive and well. He had some crazy movement on his consistent 92+ MPH fastball and was very much on with his change-up. We saw a few good sliders, but I hope to see more of them this year. Garza looked like he hasn't missed a beat since the ALCS. He is really tarting to come into his own. His stuff is just nasty!

2) Rays bats were alive and well after a quiet, 3-hit showing against Beckett. In total, the Rays put up 26 hits (including 13 for extra bases) and scored 14 runs. Notables include Longoria who was 6 for 14 with 2 doubles, 2 homeruns and 5 RBIs; Iwamura who was 5 for 10 with 2 doubles and 3 walks (on-base of .615). Carlos Pena had a rough start to the season going 0 for 5 with 5 Ks, but he contributed a 2-run homerun in Game 2 as well as a single and 3 BBs. His on-base is still nearly .400 even with his very weak start. Finally, Matt Joyce collected his first hit and his first homerun as a Ray in Game 3 when he launched one over the right field fence at Fenway. I like the way this kid looks a lot. As a side note, Edwin Jackson (whom the Rays traded for Matt Joyce) pitched lights out in his Detroit debut (April 7th - pitching as Detroits #2 starter) in what was probably his career best performance. He pitched 7 1/3 innings allowing only 2 hits and only 1 earned run. I hope we didn't let one get away....

3) Rays defense was a little shaky in the outfield, but got the job done. Both Kapler and Joyce had a little bit of trouble in CF. CF at Fenway is no easy task, to be fair, but the Rays will be vastly improved when BJ Upton returns to his post in CF and Joyce and Kapler can spend more time in RF.

Up next for the Rays are the very potent Baltimore Orioles offense (just ask CC Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang). The Rays should not take these guys lightly as they clearly have the ability to put some runs on the board quickly. I will be keen to see how Sonnanstine's new Changeup performs as well as how the back end of the Baltimore rotation holds up. While the Orioles have plenty of offensive fire power, their purported weakness is the starting rotation. Game time is 7:05PM tonight, 7:05PM tomorrow and 1:35PM on Sunday. Happy Easter!

RAYS WIN ALDS, Advance to ALCS!!! Petition to Remove the Tarps!

Wow, what an exciting series. BJ Upton came alive and Cliff Floyd hit a key RBI double to close out the 5-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

What can you say about this team? It always seems to be a different guy. Game 1 was the Shields/Longoria show. Game 2 it was Kazmir battling through a tough start and Aki launching a HR that proved to be the difference. Game 4 was Sonny pitching a gem and BJ Upton coming alive and Cliff Floyd making himself known.

I honestly feel like this team is starting to get things going at the right time. They are healthy (except for Percy, of course) and they believe. Is it just me or does this team believe that it belongs in the hunt? I'm looking forward to the ALCS and will post lots of pictures from those games as well. Stay tuned to 9=8.com as we might have more giveaways on here as well.

On another note, there has been a lot of talk on other blogs about how badly the ALCS ticket sales went (i.e. people that did not get tickets are unhappy). Someone suggested we start a petition to have the Rays remove the Tarps in the upper deck. So, I figured, why not? Here is the petition. If you want to see that Tarps removed for the ALCS, sign it and tell your Rays fan friends!

Credit Picture: [James Borchuck, Times]

Rays Win Game 1 of 2008 ALDS; Set More Records! 9=8.com Was There!

WOW! That is about all you can say. Three generations of the 9=8 boys were there (My dad, me and my son) and it was an amazing experience. I took 40+ pictures and wanted to share them with some of you that either had to work or were not able to get tickets for a wide variety of reasons. I even caught Longo's first home run with a still shot (wanted to get his first post-season pitch on camera and it just so happened that he hit A BOMB!!!

So, please disregard my lack of talent as a photo journalist and enjoy the slide show below. It was an amazing experience, for sure and 9=8.com will be there again tonight (I'll try to post pics from each game if I can find the time).

For a little guidance, here is generally what I took 1) Game opening, national anthem, Rays taking the field, etc. 2) First pitch in Rays playoff History 3) First pitch for each of the Rays first 7 batters (including one of Longo's 1st Home Run! and 4) Various pictures during and after the game (including scoreboard shots).

Watch the whole slide show to experience the game as I did from behind home plate. It is truly an experience to remember! GO RAYS!!!

2008 Tampa Bay Rays Rookie Hazing Pictures & Video

For those of you that have been looking for this, here it is. Actual video of the Tampa Bay Rays players leaving New York in their rookie/first year player hazing outfits. This is classic stuff. Enjoy!

You can view video of the Rays in costume by CLICKING HERE.

Blue Jays Starting Top 3 Pitchers vs. Red Sox on Short Rest

Some good news for the Rays (if you are into scoreboard watching, that is). The Blue Jays announced that A.J. Burnett, Jesse Litsch and Roy Halladay all will pitch on three days' rest against Boston. In addition, the Red Sox are going to have to face the hot LHP David Purcey (at least, he's hot against the Rays having given up 1 run in 16 innings against us in his last 2 starts) in their first game tonight (Wakefield is pitching for the BoSox). This is great news for the Rays for several reasons.

1) The Jays have a top 2 (Rays are #1 in my opinion) starting rotation in the MLB and the Jays are red hot - good opportunity for the Rays to gain some ground if we can take the series from the Yankees (will not be easy, but the Rays can do it for sure).

2) The Jays believe they are in the Wild Card hunt (and they are if they can win or sweep the Red Sox series) and will be playing for their lives. The Red Sox know they needs to string some wins together before coming down to the Trop. That means both sides will be playing some very intense baseball for 3 days before having to fly down and play a 3-game set at the Trop. The Red Sox will not be able to preserve their bullpen as they cannot afford to conserve for the Rays series. Let's hope for some extra innings battles in this series!

3) The Rays/Red Sox series is going to be no picnic for Red Sox hitters either as they will face Scott Kazmir right out of the gate. They also have to deal with the mental block of having lost all games they've played at the Trop thus far. I am not sure how big an issue this will be, but it is something that will be in their minds, for sure.

The Rays do not have an easy task at hand either with their visit to Yankee Stadium, but I believe we have a very good chance to win this series. Here are the Rays matchups for the weekend:

Friday - Garza vs. Ponson
Saturday - Shields vs. Mussina
Sunday - Jackson vs. Pavano

No easy task for sure, but they are all RHPs and the Rays are fired up after the Red Sox series. Perhaps we will see BJ Upton and Evan Longoria in the lineup as well, which would be outstanding news! There is going to be some GREAT baseball for the next week!

WOW: Believe in the Tampa Bay Rays - a Season of Destiny?

First some business - sign up for our blog via email (click here) and you will have a chance to win 2 tickets to see the Rays play the Twins. Drawing will be on Monday, September 15.
Also, let's fill the PIT for the Red Sox and Twins series.

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First it was Carl Crawford (our #3 hitter), the defensive stalwart and key member of the Rays offensive attack. No problem, we have Rocco Baldelli, Ben Zobrist, Eric Hinske, Justin Ruggianno, Gabe Gross, Dan Johnson...

Then, it was Evan Longoria (our #4 hitter and team leader in HR, RBIs and Slugging %). No problem, we have Willy Aybar.

Then, it was BJ Upton (our #2 hitter and team leader in walks, OBP as well as the AL leader in outfield assists), who has been playing with a torn Labrum in his left shoulder, who strained his quad chasing a ball on Monday at Fenway Park (in the biggest series the Rays have had in FRANCHISE HISTORY). He misses Tuesday and Wednesday's games. No problem, we have Fernando Perez, Ben Zobrist, Dan Johnson, Gabe Gross, etc.

Then, it was Troy Percival. Troy has been hurt for months now and doesn't seem to be getting any better (despite what he is telling Maddon and the trainers). No problem, we have Dan Wheeler, and...JASON "the Hammer" HAMMEL!

The Rays just continue to find ways to win. Anchored by the #1 starting pitching staff in the AL and maybe the majors (sorry, Blue Jays, the Rays are the best) and the #1 bullpen in the AL and probably the Majors (if we had a closer), the cast of characters that have scored runs for this team seems to change every night.

Tuesday, it was Dan Johnson, who, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, after hitting a game-tying HR in the top of the 9th inning Tuesday night after being recalled from Triple-A, became the first player in the last 50 years to hit a September home run in the 9th inning (or later) in his first at-bat for a first-place team. I was listening to Boston Sports Radio during the game and the commentators couldn't even figure out who it was that tied the game! Then, it was Fernando Perez who, despite having some serious challenges hitting from the left side of the plate, smokes a near home run off of the Green Monster for a double. Navarro drove him in on the next at bat and Perez ended up being the winning run. Both Perez and Johnson were not even on this team a few short days ago (Perez joined on 9/1).

Last night, Carlos Pena came through with a CLUTCH home run in the 14th inning. Perhaps this was the least surprising hitter to do so as he's the only guy left standing in the heart of the Rays order. But, even this was not routine as Carlos hit the HR to the OPPOSITE FIELD! If you follow the Rays, you know that many teams play "the Shift" against Carlos because he always pulls the ball. Opposite field homer in the 14th inning?

Finally, our mop-up reliever, Jason Hammel, came into the game with bases loaded and nobody out. He promptly notched his FIRST CAREER SAVE with a strong showing against the heart of the Red Sox order (Kevin Youkilis - an AL MVP contender, Jason "should have been a Ray" Bay and Alex Cora). He threw some nasty pitches to "Not a Ray" Bay (first Red Sox player to go 0-for-7 in nearly 10 years) and stayed strong against Youk and Cora. JASON HAMMEL, Rays fans!!!

The only conclusions I can draw from these dramatic events of Tuesday and Wednesday (not to mention a bunch of other amazing comebacks, walkoffs and leaping, game-saving catches (Gabe Gross, Justin Ruggianno, BJ Upton, etc.) are the following:

1) This team has incredible heart. After starting September slow and hearing all the pundits say "I told you the Rays would fold..." this team picked itself up and notched the 2 biggest wins in franchise history! AND

2) This is a team of distiny. The Rays have found a way to win despite not having their #2, #3 and #4 hitters in the line-up and despite having no closer (sorry, Percy, you don't count right now). This is only possible

The Rays still have plenty of baseball left to play, but Tuesday and Wednesday may just prove to be the pivital moment in the 2008 Rays season. GO RAYS!!!

Rays September 1st Call-ups: What Moves Should the Rays Make?

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Maddon said he has met with his coaches and executive vice president Andrew Friedman about the team's September call-ups, and "we pretty much have an idea of what we'd like to do."

I took this snippet from a St. Pete Times online article and thought it would make for some interesting discussion. So, in short, what would you like to see the Rays do going into September to shore up the team for the pennant race (remember, the roster expands on September 1st)?

Here are a couple of possibilities/likelihoods:

1) Add David Price - starter or bullpen? He has looked very sharp in the minors with his smokin’ 98+ MPH fastball, among other things. He would bring a powerful lefty to the starting rotation or the bullpen (what do you think the right answer is for DP?). Of our 5 starters, 4 of them are right handed. In the bullpen, we only have 2 LHPs. So, our pitching staff is very right heavy and DP could provide a boost in this area (and this will be boosted once rosters expand on September 1st). A second LHP in the 5-man rotation could create a very tough setup for the opposition going forward (especially in the playoffs where you don't really need 5 starters). The difficulty with this decision is that the starting 5 have been SO GOOD this year and are getting better (all 5 starters have 10+ wins except our ace - he will get his today ;) ). Edwin Jackson might have been the odd man out, but he’s really heating up (5-1 in his last 6 starts giving up a total of 11 earned runs over 34 2/3 innings. Sonny is also pitching extremely well in August at 3-0 in 4 starts with an ERA of 2.92 (his no decision was actually his best outing giving up 1 earned run in 7 innings). Slotting David Price in the bullpen might be the answer, although that could disrupt what’s he’s got going on. If Troy Percival can't get healthy in September, perhaps Joe will put Balfour in the closer role and Price can assume the "strikeout" situation role that Balfour now fills (Price averages just over 1 SO per inning pitched).

2) Which other pitchers will contribute? Joe Maddon has shown a propensity to call on a lot of bullpen help in match-up fashion. Once rosters expand, it would not surprise me to see the bullpen swell quite a bit so that Joe can exact his match-up magic. It's possible that we might see some of our better talent join the team including Wade Davis, Jeff Nieman or even Mitch Talbot (who made a very brief appearance on the roster in July 2008). Who do you think deserves a slot on the roster, if anyone, and how can they contribute?

3) How much PT will Jonny Gomes get after roster expansion and will he be back? He’s got real power, but he is an all or nothing bet. Regardless, he might provide an emotional lift for the team down the stretch and could give the team a powerful right handed bat if Rocco struggles with his health. However, after starting hot in his first few games at AAA Durham, he’s only hitting .227 with 2 HR and 20 strikeouts in 16 games (ouch). I really like Jonny (he’s a super guy, the fans love him and he brings A LOT of energy to the clubhouse), but I fear he is going to be the odd man out unless he gets things going. Still, I do expect to see him rejoin the team in September.

4) Who plays right field? The reality is that the Rays are going to have some decisions to make once Carl Crawford rejoins the team. Ben Zobrist can play right field (his .250 BA, .345 OBP while only striking out 2 times is not bad), but he's unlikely to see much time with only 1 slot to fill. Willy Aybar is a utility guy, but won't get any work in Septemeber if no further injuries occur (he's got no PT in OF and the infield is spoken for when Longo gets back - it's too bad since he’s had 2 or more hits in 7 of his last 11 games and is hitting over .300 with 3 HR, 5 doubles and 9 RBIs since replacing Evan Longoria). So, it looks like right field will be split by Rocco against lefties (he’s hitting a solid .300 in August and hit his first HR last night), Hinske against righties and Gross against some righties and in defensive situations (e.g. after 7 innings if the Rays have the lead). The reality is, barring further injury, the Rays are going to have to make some decisions when Carl gets healthy, but Joe has a lot to choose from. I suspect we'll see a lot of "match-up" baseball down the stretch with the right field position.

The good news is that these are “high class” problems. The Rays have proven to have exceptional depth at pitching (with a huge potential “wild card” in David Price) and in the field/batters box. All of this depth is underscored by a team that has tremendous chemistry and strong leadership. I like where we stand and trust that Joe, Andrew and company will make the right decisions as tough as they may be.

So, tell me what you think?