Tagged: JP Howell
It’s Been Awhile, but the Trade Deadline is Here!
Kids take alot of time. Totally worth it…
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So what will the Rays do as the trade deadline looms?
It seems that the Tampa Bay franchise is best when it avoids the big deal at the deadline. The deals that make this team what is has been for the last four years or so are the deals that go unnoticed by the MLB public at large. The Rays will likely end up picking up a guy off the waiver list and stand pat with what they have.
But, just in case…
WHO IS LIKELY GOING?
BJ Upton has already called the trade rumors about him “comical.” It’s true. A trade rumor about BJ is like all of the foreclosed houses in the area–omnipresent and depressing.
He’s a big talent, of course. But he hasn’t utilized that talent at all, which makes him expendable. Plus, he’s apt to make about $7 million in arbitration next year.
That REALLY makes him expendable.
The best rumor I’ve heard is that he would go to the Nationals (they are doing things right in DC, aren’t they?) for their SS Ian Desmond and a catcher. I’m a big fan of Desmond–of his speed, his power, and his youth. Not many teams have strength at the SS position, so brining him to St. Pete would be great.
Let’s not forget that the Rays have Desmond Jennings, who is hitting .500 right now, primed to take BJ’s place.
Oooooo, things do not look good for the underachieving Upton.
LIKELIHOOD: Medium
James Shields has had a TON of rumors about him. The Reds seem to be the frontrunners in the “Big Game” sweepstakes. However, I do not see the Rays, a team who is so shrewd when it comes to storing pitching, moving him. His price next season will be $7 million, just like BJ, but that money for a solid #2 pitcher is much smarter to use than on a center fielder.
LIKELIHOOD: Miniscule
JP Howell has made a nice comeback from Tommy John surgery a few years ago, but he is not all the way back. Nevertheless, there are suitors for the left-handed reliever. They say that the Royals might want him back, but who wouldn’t want a strong lefty with a wicked curve in their bullpen?
LIKELIHOOD: Could Happen
Kyle Farnsworth has had a renaissance this season, becoming the closer the Rays thought they had lost when Rafael Soriano left town for the New York Yankees last season. He would fetch a pretty penny on the market. With the Rays falling out of the race, they can afford to experiment in the closer department. Since Farnsie would ask for much more money next season, the Rays likely would not be able to afford him. So…
LIKELIHOOD: Gone
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The bottom line is that the Rays listen to deals on all of its players. Jeremy Hellickson has been mentioned in trades, but there is no way he’s going anywhere. That doesn’t mean the Rays won’t listen.
Tomorrow will be a big day. 4 pm Eastern Time is the drop dead time, and it will be fun to guess about who is going where. Unfortunately, for Rays fans, anyway, no matter what deals are done they will not lead to October.
But next season, who knows…
How Will the Rays Carry on without Howell?
News came out today that one of MLB’s most dominant and reliable relief pitchers of the last three seasons won’t throw a pitch until Opening Day 2011.
2011!!!
Yep, the Rays have just lost JP Howell.
As some of you may know, JP had been on the DL for the duration of this season. He was rehabbing a shoulder that had extreme fatigue in it–not surprising considering his overuse the last three years.
Rays fans were told that he would be back possibly at the end of April.
Then it turned into a mid-May return.
Then an early-June startup.
However, after a setback during a simulated game yesterday–a game from which Howell removed himself after 12 pitches–it was decided by the Rays’ braintrust that the southpaw would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
Ouch.
Yes, pain with the surgery, for sure. But suddenly the Rays bullpen looks a little weaker.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that the Rays’ bullpen had been beyond dominant as of late. In their last 28 games they had a collective ERA of 1.29. Can you believe that!? 1.29!!!!
But there have been two things on the minds of Rays fans and, more than likely, Rays skipper Joe Maddon.
1–Randy Choate could not continue to be the lone lefty in the ‘pen.
2–Howell will have a HUGE impact when he returned because, after missing the first two months of the season, he would be fresher than anybody else when the Rays made their playoff push in late September.
It appears that #1 will continue to be the case and that #2 is irrelevent at this point.
Choate has been solid this season after a rocky start. In fact, he has given up one run in his last 16 outings (don’t let the high-5 ERA fool you). Lefties are hitting just .145 against Choate this season but righties are mashing him for a .545 batting average.
What that means is that Choate is a 1- or 2-batter pitcher at best. Howell was able to get righties out as effectively as lefties, which allowed Maddon to save some arms in his bullpen and keep that second lefty in the ‘pen for later in the game.
Make no mistake, while the Rays’ bullpen has had great success thus far this season, they were hoping to get a 100% JP Howell back soon. With that not happening, we might see a callup of a lefty or a garbage heap hire to help Choate in that pen.
Howell The Bullpen Survive (Get It!?)
Ok, corny puns aside…
Who’ll be the new JP?
When lefty JP Howell went down with an arm injury a little while ago, the season passed through all Rays’ fans eyes. The Rays’ plans for 2010’s bullpen were about to fall apart. And, with it, the season.
In 2010 the bullpen was going to be perfectly put together. The 6th and 7th innings would be manned by a combination of Lance Cormier, Grant Balfour, and Dan Wheeler. In the 8th Howell would make hitters look silly just as he has done the last two seasons, providing a knee buckling curve and low-key fastball to contrast with new acquired closer’s Rafael Soriano’s slider and blistering heat.
But a twinge of pain in Howell’s elbow caused the lefty, and the Rays, to shut him down for the time being. While the initial fear was season-ending Tommy John surgery, it turns out that Howell will just need some rest. That rest could take as long as a few months into the regular season, but better to work without Howell now than lose him, as the Rays pretty much did the last month last season, at the end of the year.
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In House, or Out House?
It would seem that the Rays might need another left-hander to fill out the bullpen and compliment the in-house lefty, Randy Choate. Who that lefty could be is up for debate.
The Boston Red Sox recently dismissed one of last year’s delights in the Rays bullpen, Brian Shouse.
Why they let him go only to sign another slightly older lefty (Scott Schoenweis) is up for debate. The veteran lefty only put up a 0.96 ERA for the Sawx and even earned a win in 10 games (9 1/3 innings). Last year for the Rays he got into 45 games and provided key lefty relief.
Certainly, Shouse could be gotten for a song right now as teams often shy away from 42-year-old arms, lefty or righty.
So who else could it be?
I would argue that a great choice would be a suddenly relevant Heath Phillips.
Phillips’ numbers have been decent this spring, though not outstanding. His ERA is not great (5.62) but he has shown durability, pitching about 2 innings per appearance.
However, what makes him an attractive option in the Rays’ bullpen at the start of this season is simple:
HE’S A LEFTY!
He has had an outing this spring against the Twins vaunted lineup in which he pitched 3 scoreless innings. No doubt, this performance has made his case for a spot in the bullpen much stronger than it was before Howell’s injury.
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Lefty Impression
Remember, it was another long-shot lefty a few seasons ago who broke into the Rays 25-man roster after an injury occurred right around the start of the season.
It was 2008.
The lefty in question was Carlos Pena.
‘Nuff said.
The point is, that the Rays seem to have a run of success with lefties filling in for their starting counterparts.
Let’s hope that, should Phillips win the job, the Rays’ streak will continue.
Never Finished–Rays Republic Stands Tall
VS 
Nice finish, guys.
After a game that had Rays fans doubting the sincerity of their team, and others doubting the sincerity of the team’s fans, the Rays came out and blasted/shouted/ran/dove/gutted their way to a big victory.
The outcome was in doubt late, but, as usual, the Rays were able to put on the finishing touch with a flurry in the 8th that helped restore faith across the republic.
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Garza Guts
He was not sharp tonight. His off speed junk was weak and his fastball was spotty. He threw near 30 pitches in two separate innings and went to a full count 4 TIMES in the 4th inning alone.
But he kept his team in it by slowing down one of the best teams in the league.
Can’t ask much more.
Matt Garza gave his team 6 strong innings, throwing 119 pitches, before being pulled in the 7th. He left with a 5-3 lead and had a chance to be the victor in another big game against the Red Sox.
He didn’t get the win, as the ‘pen was not a strongpoint tonight, but he did get greater respect than ever for being a big-game pitcher and being able to shut down teams when his own team needs it.
Without Garza’s gutty performance, the Rays do not win tonight.
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Key Inning: The 8th
The 8th was crazy.
The entire game was a battle. No team could really pull safely ahead.
Rays were up by 3, then up by 2, then 3, then 2, then 1.
The the top of the 8th came and the bullpen decided it had had enough. Randy Choate walked Ortiz, Grant Balfour walked two guys to load ’em, and JP Howell–what has happened to our splendid JP?–threw another wild pitch to tie up the game.
Jeez! I yelled at the plasma! (Actually, I had some other words of choice but I don’t like to print that stuff)
Game tied at 5.
The Rays fans were keeping the faith, though.
In the bottom of the frame Carlos Pena–the only reliable guy these days–knocked a double.
Ah, that NEVER QUIT Rays spirit.
Boston’s Ramon Ramirez seemed rattled at that point as he struggled to keep the game tied.
The cowbells were ringing, the fans were cheering, I was screaming at the tv. I could see fans banging the too-many-empty seats in front of them. Anything to make some noise!
It worked.
Pat “The Bat” Burrell lined a single to right to score Pena and give the Rays a 1-run lead. It was nice to see Pat contribute. He’s got that average up to a ******** .240 now.
In all seriousness, though, Pat homered early in the game and then drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run. I’ll take that.
But it wasn’t over.
Evan Longoria, batting 6th in the lineup (and I hate it, by the way), launched a long ball over the wall to increase the Rays lead to 8-5.
And the Republic rejoiced.
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3 Keys to the Game
1– Don’t chase Beckett’s junk. NOPE The first two Rays hitters of the game chased off speed stuff that either bounced or was in the dirt to strike out. Beckett got touched up, but his stuff was not that bad.
2–Garza’s gotta show that savvy. YEP!!! Matty showed that he is the real “big game” pitcher on this team.
3–The ‘pen must stop the Sox hitters. YEP/NOPE The bullpen did allow the Sox to tie it, but when they had to shut the door to end the game they were able to do so. Not terribly impressive, though.
1 1/2 OUT OF 3 “YEP” = RAYS WIN!?
OK!
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The Rays’ pitching staff was far from dominant tonight. Garza did well, but even he had to leave the game under duress. The bullpen bent heavily, but it did not break.
The offense was a big hero tonight. We kind of had to outscore the Sox.
Ok, sometimes you have to do that.
The end result is that the Rays got back to being 5 games out of the wild card and have given them a chance to win the series, something they desperately have to pull off.
Tomorrow’s going to be a big one.
A chance to get to within 4.
I’d like an easier win tomorrow night, but I have to admit…
This is just too much fun!
Detroit Disaster
Things seem to be blowing up a big in MoTown.
It isn’t end-of-the world type stuff, but it sure feels bad.
Today’s game seems indicative of a team that is losing that killer instinct that playoff teams must have.
The Rays had this one wrapped up.
Then the Tigers unwrapped it.
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Bal-FORE!!!
Jeff Nieman had just completed 7 solid innings. His performance paired with Saturday’s game from David Price gave the Rays back-to-back 7+ inning, quality start outings in Detroit–not the easiest place to win.
While there were runners on, the Rays still had a 3-1 lead and were ready to hand the game over to our awesome Aussie, Grant Balfour.
He got two guys out.
It was the third one that was a little tricky.
Placido Polanco teed off and launched one over the wall to give the Tigers the 4-3 advantage. Fernando Rodney made it hold up in the 9th.
No, it wasn’t a 9th-inning wild pitch, but it was just as jolting.
Aren’t these games the ones we used to win?
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Good Starts, Bad Finishes
Today’s game seems to fit in well with the way the Rays have played recently.
Sure, the starting has been somewhat spotty, but it is the relieving that is killing us. And I thought that the bullpen was one of our strong suits in recent weeks.
Uh-oh.
Today it was Balfour.
Wednesday it was old reliable, JP Howell.
I know we’re talking about two games here, but these are two games that the Rays HAD to have.
Instead, these two wins were transformed into losses, making the Rays playoff squad slowly looking like they are transforming into also-rans.
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Unlucky 7
The Rays came into the last 7 games having gone 6-1 in their previous 7 games.
Things were good. Really good.
Our guys were starting to get hot just when they needed to and no team in the league wanted to play them. They were a playoff team. Taking the wild card was just a formality.
Then something happened when Texas shut us out on a Sunday.
Since then we are 3-4.
What is worse is that up to last Sunday we were in the wild card hunt. We had narrowed the gap to 3-3.5 games.
Now?
The Rays stand 5 full games behind the Red Sox in the wild card race, and 2.5 behind the Rangers.
October might be a mere 4 weeks or so away, but it has never felt so far out of reach.
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Kazmir Update
I read the recent MLB.com article about Scott Kazmir and how he felt about being with the Angels. It was a nice fluff piece profiling the newest left coast acquisition.
He sounded happy. He sounded excited. He sounded like he had already forgotten about his time in St. Pete.
When he reference the Rays, he did so to springboard into what he thought his current team could do.
“I got a taste of it last year. You want to go all the way. The Angels are a team that can do it year in and year out. It says a lot about the organization.”
Maybe it says alot about our organization too.
Pizza and a Donut
Just wait, it’ll make sense in a minute….
The Rays were set up perfectly.
All of the elements were there.
Big series win, wild card contenders in tight games.
The Rays were in an ideal position.
To fail.
Luckily our guys ignored all the warning signs and focused on playing the Raysball we are all used to, coming away with a dramatic win against the lowly Baltimore Orioles.
Whew!
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Pizza: The Pitching
The Rays’ pitchers put out a decent performance. While they allowed 4 runs to score, they struck out 10 O’s and prevented the big inning from occurring.
The 10 Ks gave everybody in attendance a free pizza Wednesday. It’s a promotion the Rays have going with a local furniture store and a well known pizza joint.
David Price looked both really good and really shakey.
The Good: He struck out 5 and allowed only 2 runs.
The Shakey: He threw 102 pitches in only 5 innings. His WHIP for the game was a balky 2.00 and he threw only 59 strikes in the game.
He did pitch well enough to earn his 6th win of the year (6-5), which is what the Rays need. W’s are what will get them to October.
The bullpen did a well-enough job. They did permit 2 runs, but it could have been worse.
Grant Balfour was a stud tonight.
JP Howell was just great in the 9th. I know he gave up a hit and walked a guy, but he also struck out the side.
For the last out of the game he made Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters look just silly with his breaking stuff. He was dominant as always.
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Donut: A Win is Worth Its Weight In Dough
Or is it D’oh!?
After every win Rays fans can go to Dunkin’ Donuts to get a free donut. Not too bad. I’ll be picking mine up tomorrow morning with a coffee on the way to work. Deeelish!
The Rays have now put together a 3-game win streak. They haven’t done that in a while. In fact, the last 3-game win streak came about 2 weeks ago. Then came more losing than winning.
With two more against the O’s you have to get kind of giddy about the Rays’ chances. They might be able to sweep this squad heading into the HUGE weekend series against the Rangers.
The wild card leading Rangers.
A collapse the next few days will ruin that, so let’s hope that Gregg Zaun’s pregame ear-drum rupturing music in the clubhouse will continue to keep our guys sharp (it’s a tradition Zaun started Sunday, and look what happened there!).
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Just For Men
Rays manager Joe Maddon did something unthinkable for a dude before today’s game.
He dyed his hair.
Jet black.
He certainly looked younger, and maybe it rubbed off on oldie but goodie Pat Burrell because that old guy launched a ball that could have put a hole in a tin shed.
In fact, all of the Rays’ bats caught fire as BJ Upton and Gabe Gross also went deep. The Rays pounded out their 5 runs on 12 hits and looked impressiving doing it.
Guess we should be glad Joe didn’t go for the “Touch of Gray” dye. (Is that funny? I don’t know what I meant by that, but it seemed to fit…)
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Overall, this was a great win. The Rays could easily have let down against a far inferior team. Instead they came out and put the pressure on the young O’s pitcher.
The Rays bats were alive.
The Rays pitchers were focused.
Pizza and Donuts for everybody!
Perfect Follow-Up for the Rays
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The Rays got a hit and a walk in the first inning.
So that drama is over now.
What is more important is that they got a bloop single from Evan Longoria in the 10th inning to drive in two runs and give the Rays the final margin in a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and Roy Halladay.
It was perfect.
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Good Ol’ Fashioned Shootout
Both Halladay and the Rays’ Matt Garza fought hard throughout the game. Their stats were nearly identical, with both guys throwing 9 innings, giving up 2 runs, and only giving up a handful of hits. Garza walked none and struck out 9, earning the win, while Halladay struck out 10 and walked 3 in a no decision.
It was like a shootout at the OK Corral, as Doc Halladay and Garza stared each other down, waiting to see who would blink first. Neither did.
But Scott Downs did. He took the loss after giving up a hit to BJ Upton, walking Carl Crawford, and then allowing a bloop hit to Longoria.
Longo had been worked into a 2-strike count at the time, but he put good wood on the ball to drop it in front of a diving Joe Inglett.
Sometimes I think that Longo literally has ice water in his veins. He does not get rattled. He is one cool cat when it counts.
(This guy is cool)
JP Howell dominated the bottom of the 10th to get his 10th save in his first game as the Rays’ official closer.
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Curtains for the Doc?
The entire game played out as if it were the last for Halladay in a Toronto uniform. He received standing ovations after every inning and the crowd would cheer him on in every big–and medium, for that matter–situation that arose.
While nobody knows the fate of Halladay right now, there was plenty of speculation during the broadcast and plenty on the blogs and websites out there.
Lots of people were holding signs.
Every tv shot of General Manager JP Ricciardi on the phone was met with thoughts of what deal he might be listening to.
To his credit, none of it fazed Halladay. He went out there and threw an amazing ballgame. However, it may very well be these types of ballgames that are the impetus for his desire to leave. How often can you throw 9 innings and strike out 10, giving up only 2 runs the whole time only to walk away with a no decision?
(I hope that you are taking notes on this Rays, ahem James Shields!)
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Where’s the Offense, Guys?
The Rays have been struggling mightily in the run-scoring department.
In the month of July, the Rays have scored more than 3 runs only 7 times in 19 games! That is beyond inept.
During that time the offensive stalwarts of the team have been beyond horrible:
–Evan Longoria has managed to hit only .179 with 3 homers
–Carlos Pena has hit .183 with 30 strikeouts and 2 homers
–BJ has hit .223 with 2 homers
–Jason Bartlett has hit .262 while riding high around .350 and up most of the year
This will not get it done down the stretch, no doubt.
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Final Thoughts
The Rays got a nice win tonight, but so did the Red Sox and the Yankees. That leaves Tampa Bay still 6 1/2 out.
The pressure on our guys will only get worse with every passing game, and if the offense does not get in gear they will find themselves watching the playoffs on tv instead of from the field.
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Next Up:
The Rays play Saturday at 1:00 pm. Early game. Kind of different for our guys.
We will send out David Price, who owned the Blue Jays the last time he saw them.
He will be opposed by Brian Tallet, who was owned by the Rays offense.
Hmmmmm, should be interesting.
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Odds and Ends
–According to MLB.com the Rays may be interested in shipping Scott Kazmir in order to free up their money situation for the acquisition of Indians pitcher Cliff Lee.
–Another rumor has the Rays inquiring on the availability of Indians C Victor Martinez (this deal would make sense considering the extreme lack of offense coming from behind the plate these days–Sorry Tribe Chick).
–The Rays are giving away t-shirts to the first 10,000 fans wearing Rays gear to 5 games during the next home stand. I am really excited for Monday’s game against the Yanks because I need me one of these:
“O” No? “O” Yes!
For three games now, the Rays Offense took its time showing up to the ballpark.
For three games now, the “O” hasn’t been able to really kick in until the 6th, 7th, or 8th innings.
For three games now, the Rays Offense has been able to beat the Royals bullpen on the way to a series sweep of Kansas City at Kaufmann Stadium.
Better late than never.
The Rays improved upon one of baseball’s best records since the end of April (43-23) and closed the gap in the AL East to 4 1/2 games by biding their time against the Royals’ effective starters and demolishing the Royals’ terrible bullpen.
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The Pitching
Matt Garza told reporters that he wanted to get back to “dominating” opposing teams. That he was tired of talking about it and was ready to do it.
Guess we’ll wait til next time to see that, huh Matt?
Garza was plagued by walks (5) in his 5-inning stint today, giving up 3 runs and 6 hits along the way. He wasn’t fooling anybody today and was lucky that the damage wasn’t worse. His walks led to a bases loaded 1-out jam early in the game that he was able to escape by inducing a double play grounder.
In this series, the Rays’ starters were pretty poor, with the exception of Scott Kazmir (that’s for you, Ginny).
The Royals’ starters were solid, today being led by Luke Hochevar. He made the Rays look silly at times, flailing away at pitches that were near the zone or watching pitches in the zone go right by. He struck out 9 Rays, something that our guys had better improve upon if they want to succeed in their playoff hopes.
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Bullpens Were the Story
The Rays had it, the Royals didn’t.
Poor Royals manager Trey Hillman must have been getting tired near the end of this game, as he had to continually change pitchers from one batter to the next, seeing little success each time.
It was the same line of relievers for the Royals in just about every game: Ron Mahay, John Dale, Ramon Colon, Juan Cruz, and Jamey Wright. Cruz took the loss in two of the games with Wright getting saddled with today’s loss.
The Rays, on the other hand, saw alot of success from its ‘pen.
Sure, Joe Maddon made more pitching changes than Hillman did in the series, but his relievers were far more effective. Plus, his selection was more varied. Only two Rays relievers, Randy Choate and JP Howell, saw action in each of the three games. JP Howell was most impressive, saving each of the Rays’ three wins.
The Rays relieving corps managed to get the win in each of the games in the three-game set, get a hold in each of the games, and, as mentioned, save each of the games. What is more incredible is that they allowed only 8 hits and only 1 run in the series.
Not too shabby.
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Rays Hitters
For the second game in the series, the Rays did not go deep–they didn’t have to. Timely hitting and good baserunning led to the sweep.
Ben Zobrist has been hitting the cover off of the ball lately, extending his hitting streak to 9 games with an early-inning single.
What is most impressive is that he has a streak of 5 games in which he has gotten 2 or more hits! Don’t forget he missed a grand slam in the 9th by about a foot and a half. This guy totally deserved that All Star spot and might get some more recognition before the season is over.
Carl Crawford did his usual damage today. He is really on a tear since the All-Star Break, and understandably so.
He scored the tying run after a series of events that typified what CC can do in a game. After ripping a single into left field, Crawford scared pitcher John Bale enough to get a few throws over to keep him close. One throw went into right field, allowing CC to motor around to 3rd base. Carlos Pena’s single scored him and tied the game.
Carl’s 46 stolen bases this season have been a real catalyst for this team. In fact, he has more steals than 7 MLB teams do as a whole!
Impressive. Most impressive.
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Walkin’ Yes Indeed
One of the keys to the Rays’ success in this series against an improving Royals team has been the team’s propensity for walking. The Rays did not score runs easily in the series, which makes every little move more magnified. When hits and run opportunities are at a premium, the team must utilize another method for getting on base.
Walks.
The Rays coaxed 15 walks from Royals pitchers in the series! Whenever you looked up, a Rays hitter was on base. That can help to offset the large amount of Ks the team had.
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The Wrap-up
In all, the team put together a decent series. It was a sweep after all.
The walks and timely hits along with the relentless pressure put on opposing pitchers on the basepaths led to some very exciting games.
This was Rays baseball at its finest.
Now it is off to the Windy City (though I can tell you from experience that it isn’t so windy these days as much as it is hot and gross) to play 4 games against the second-place Chicago White Sox.
Let’s hope the Rays play their game and keep this winning streak alive.
Stellar and Resilient, Rays Beat a Good Greinke
The theme of this Rays squad the last three years under the tutelage of Joe Maddon has been never to give up.
No matter what the score, the Rays always work on getting a good count to hit in, moving runners over, and throwing the best inning they can.
The result has been many come-from-behind wins such as we have seen the last two nights.
Last night the Rays fought back against the Royals bullpen from 4 runs down to take an 8-7 victory from the jaws of defeat. Tonight, the Boys in Blue came from being down–and dominated, by the way–to earn a 4-2 win.
They improved to 3-0 against the league’s best hurlers (Roy Halladay and Zack Greinke).
The secret?
Never giving up on the game, no matter what the score.
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The Pitching
Who could have guessed (ok, Ginny could have guessed) that the Rays would have been able to count on #2 guy Scott Kazmir to give them a solid start?
Kaz went 6 innings, giving up only 1 run on only 4 hits with three Ks before being lifted in the 7th due to a mild strain of his left forearm (Rays reporter told us during the game that the injury is not considered serious). Ok, he walked 4 guys, but tonight’s Kazmir has been so much better than the Kazmir we’ve seen to date.
He was able to outpitch no less than Cy Young candidate and All Star Zack Greinke.
The Royals hurler went 7 and gave up 1 run, but he allowed 9 hits–very un-Greinke-like. He continually kept the Rays hitters off balance, but was forced to leave the game because of a moderate–for him–pitch count.
That was when the Rays rebounded
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The 8th Inning
John Bale entered the game to relieve Greinke for the Royals, and the Rays were only too happy to have somebody new to hit against.
And hit they did.
I thought that things were looking good when Carlos Pena coaxed a walk to start the inning. The Royals immediately brought in the goat from last night, Juan Cruz.
With one out, Pat Burrell did what he has been doing the last few weeks, he went the other way into right field, lacing a double down the line to score Pena and tie the game!
It was great!
Then Willy Aybar (a guy who could contend with Gabe Kapler for best bench player of the year) came to the plate and ripped his own double down the line, scoring Burrell. Aybar did something he had done only 3 other times in his career: he went 4-4! He had the RBI double and three singles.
3-2 Rays.
Just to show that they had more in the tank, BJ Upton grounded a single up the middle off reliever Ramon Colon, scoring Gabe Kapler.
4-2 Rays
That was it. Dan Wheeler pitched the bottom of the inning to get his 11th hold and JP Howell put the Royals down in order in the 9th, striking out two, to earn his 8th save in 12 chances.
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The Breakdown
The Rays showed that they can be patient in a game where the starter dominates. Last night they did it against Brian Bannister, waiting until he left the game to unleash their offense on the bullpen.
Tonight, the Rays dominated the Royals ‘pen, scoring their runs off of three relievers in the 8th. They bided their time, waiting for the right moment to strike and take the other team down. In fact, their behavior the last two nights has been downright predatory!
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Stats of the Night
They entered the 8th only 1-6 with runners in scoring position. In the 8th inning alone, they went 3-3, driving in their 3 runs. That was clutch. That was what a winning baseball team does.
Also, Dwayne Staats mentioned an unbelievable number. In order to illustrate the patience at the plate the Rays displayed on the evening, Staats told us that of the 108 pitches Greinke threw, 46 of them were seen by only two Rays hitters: Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria.
Staggering!
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Three Keys to the Game
—Be aggressive with Greinke. NOPE. The Rays hitters were very patient–almost to a fault. They took many first-pitch strikes and were constantly hitting behind in the count. It showed, as they scored only 1 run against the guy.
—Kazmir needs to keep the Royals on their heels. YEP. Kaz turned in one of his best performances of the season, throwing for strikes (63/101 pitches for strikes) and moving the ball around. He would have pitched the 7th if not for the injury.
—Do the little things to score. YEP. In the 8th, the Rays pinch hit, pinch ran, walked, hit the ball to the opposite field, and showed great poise. Those are winning traits.
Two out of three=WIN
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In all, tonight’s game was fun. F-U-N. Wins usually are, but tonight’s was special.
We got to see Kazmir act like the Kaz of old, perhaps showing what The Pitcher’s Duel was saying about getting extra rest over the All Star break and coming out gunning.
Plus, the Rays took this game without hitting a ball out of the park. I like that. Too often this season, and at times last season, the Rays rely on the long ball. They won tonight’s game by waiting for their time and not missing opportunity.
The Rays picked up a game on the losing Red Sox and keeping pace with the Yankees. Right now they stand at 5 1/2 out of first and 3 1/2 behind New York.
It was quite the STELLAR game and definitely a happy night.
Rays Win Ugly
The All-Star Break was tough. On all of us. There was nothing to do!
(This is Daisy taking a nap with her Rays collar on)
Tonight’s game made waiting 4 1/2 days for meaningful baseball totally worth it.
The Rays made a dramatic comeback against the Kansas City Royals tonight, overcoming a 4-run deficit to take an 8-7 win in game one of this suddenly compelling series.
The Rays were led by their typical studs (Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford) and an emerging one (Pat Burrell).
Our Boys by the Bay went out of their way to lose this one, giving the Royals offense plenty of opportunities to score runs. If not for their resilience, the Rays would have lost big tonight.
The Pitching Performances
James Shields was not sharp tonight, giving up 7 runs in 5 1/3 innings. He threw 105 pitches in his shortest outing since May 14th and only his third start in 20 that he did not go at least 6 innings. He allowed 11 hits in the contest–this to a Royals offense not known for its hitting.
He had some flashes of dominance, though. In the bottom of the 2nd inning Shields gave up a leadoff double to Miguel Olivo. He then induced three straight ground balls, one of which was fielded masterfully by Ben Zobrist to strand Olivo at third and allow no runs.
It was the bottom of the 3rd that did the most damage. Shields struggled with his command (I’m sure he’ll say he was rusty, and rightfully so) all night, and in that frame he allowed a two-run single and a three-run home run to Mike Jacobs. Five runs in all came around to score, and the Rays were in trouble.
Brian Bannister was equally shakey, giving up 4 runs (2 earned) in his 5 innings of work. He walked 4 and gave up 7 hits. Obviously the break did some damage to each team’s starter’s control.
Then the fireworks started in Kaufmann stadium.
The Hitters
Pat Burrell (ie the struggling Pat Burrell) took Jamey Wright deep in the 7th, bringing in both he and Zobrist. That cut the deficit to 7-6.
In the 8th, the Rays looked dismal, getting caught on two quick outs. But Carl Crawford–who had a great game–singled to left, bringing up a scuffling Evan Longoria. Longo had been very selective up to that point in the evening. Almost to a fault. He worked several 3-2 counts, only to fly out each time. He was taking pitches that he typically would park over the left field fence.
Not this time.
He jumped all over fireballer Juan Cruz to rip a huge home run to left field. The crowd was silent–my house was not! I celebrated with my Rays as Longo rounded the bases and did his very strange home run dance with Willy Aybar in the dugout.
SIDEBAR–I want to comment on CC really quickly. He had a great game at the plate, going 3-5 with an RBI and 3 runs scored. He also had a steal. But what he did best was keep the pitchers worried. They continually checked on him, something that at one point caused Juan Cruz to throw a wild pitch. Cruz worrying about CC also led to Longo getting a FAT fastball down the middle that he parked into the left field bleachers.
I’m telling you, this guy is our MVP.
JP Howell did his thing in the 9th, shutting down the Royals in order. Two groundouts and a strikeout ended what was a very entertaining–and heartstopping–ballgame.
Took Them Too Lightly
The Rays–and, admittedly, this Rays fan–totally overlooked what is an up-and-coming Royals ballclub. Instead of bearing down on the Royals pitchers, the Rays appeared a little timid. Too timid. They were taking pitches they usually mash, and swinging at poor pitches on 3-2 counts.
Shields finally got more than his typical 3-run output from his offense, but his poor perfomance put the Rays in position of having to score 8 runs just to have a chance to win.
This was not the Rays baseball we were used to, and to have success in the second half the Rays must not take teams such as the Royals lightly anymore.
Three Keys
—The Rays needed to be mentally ready. NOPE. They were not ready for this game until around the 5th inning.
—The Rays must be selective at the plate. YEP. They coaxed four walks from the starter and worked deep counts all night.
–The Rays must give Shields 4-5 runs. YEP. But they needed 8 to win the game. So this one is kind of a wash.
Moving On
This is one of those garbage wins that, strangely, Joe Maddon loves. He always says that ugly wins are fine by him. That his team needs to know how to win ugly games.
Well, this one was one of the ugliest and best wins of the year.
Let’s go get another one tomorrow.
More Cowbell--A Rays Blog 
