HER RAYS!

dammit.

 What the heck kind of Mother’s day present is this?  The day was going along fine.  I was excited to finally be able to watch the Rays play a whole game.  That excitement didn’t last long.  Suck-n-A!

Every single dude in the line-up went 0 for 3, which made Dallas Braden perfect.  It also made the Rays the opposite of perfect for the second time in less than a year.

I’ll admit it.  When Buehrle threw the perfect game I was rooting for him at the end.  Uh, not this time.  This time the frustration level was quite high.  First of all, is it just me or does this Braden guy kind of seem like a knob?  Second, no one wants this to happen to their team twice!  Dreadful.

It’s a good thing I wasn’t in the booth today with Staats and Kennedy.  It would not have been pretty since I started to get moody around the fourth inning.  There were many comments like these…
“Yeah, make sure you watch the pitches that go right down the middle”
“Righties, you could stop chasing the one low and away any time now.”
“Could we get a pinch hitter?”
“Anyone?  So the idea is let these nine guys sink or swim?”
“No plans to shake it up?”
“Cool Sonny’s in.  Can he hit?”
“We’re going with THAT catcher in the ninth of a perfect game? (insert many four letter words here)”

The Rays are still off to a great start this season, but man this was crushing.  I really hope they can quickly move past it.  Mr. Garza needs to lift these guys up tomorrow. 

The baseball gods have dealt Rays fans quite a blow today.  Hopefully the Red Sox can find a way to beat the Yankees.  Oh and hopefully we can be on the other end of one of these perfect game/no hitters someday.

It would be nifty if all that pink stuff made a lot of money for charity, because MOTHER scratcher that was an awful way to spend mothers day!

I’ve been pretty busy the last couple of days, so I haven’t been able to sit down and really take in the games.  However I have been doing some drive by baseball viewing.  You know, where you have the game on in the background.  You peek at it every time you walk through the room.  You run in when you hear the crowd cheer or you hear Staats raise his voice.

I feel a little guilty when I don’t give the Rays my full attention but in my defense they are playing the A’s.  The A’s are blah.  I don’t hate them, but I don’t like them either.  I really dislike their uniforms, especially the shoes.  White shoes might look okay with their home white pants, but on the road with gray pants and green socks?  Yuck.  It was nice to see Gabe Gross, and Ryan Sweeney is super cute, but I didn’t know any of the other guys.

How ’bout them Rays?  They just keep rolling along.  The starting pitching has been good and when they make a mistake the offense is there to pick them up.  They even gave James Shields run support.  It’s been a really fun way to start the season.  I’m like the drunk guy at a party going around hugging everyone and slurring “I love you guys.”

See you tomorrow night.  Go Rays!

This game was frustrating because the Rays really seemed to outplay the A’s.  It just felt like they would put that run up there first.  Let’s play the blame game.

James Shields pitched a helluva game, but his offense couldn’t help him out.  They deserve the lions share of the blame.  They had a runner on third in three separate innings with only one out, but there was not one single measly ground ball or sac fly in sight.  The 3 and 4 hitters put up zeros.

Jason Bartlett had a very untimely error in the 11th.  I blame this on Staats and Kennedy for going on and on about how great he is.  Yes he has been supremely awesome this year, but let him quietly go about his business.  Just because I write poems about him…

I guess Nelson deserves a little bit of the blame since he threw the meatball that Holliday put in the seats.

I would also like to give a big fat slice of blame to Joe Maddon.  What possessed him to bring in Navi?  That was the turning point in the game.  Gross struck out, and then all of a sudden Shields couldn’t find the strike-zone.  I understand that those things could have happened with Herny in the game but…I think he messed up the flow you know.

Oh JP and Willy don’t deserve any blame.  JP shut them down, and Willy is really looking good.  The Rays need to find him a starting job.  Oh, and I’ll take Zobrist over Kapler any day of the week. 

Tough loss but they aren’t going to win every game and there are quite a few more.  Go Rays!

Bloody hell mates, what you got against Texas?

It sure seemed like the Rays were doing anything they could to avoid finishing this game and heading to Texas.  Somebody should have called time-out to bribe the boys with promises of big Texas sized steaks and beer and women if that’s what it takes.  I missed the Rays, but not enough to spend 4.5 hour with them today!

So I watched the game in a fly by manner.  Every once in a while I would zoom in and check it out.   Here are some of the things I saw…

The A’s were wearing an alternate jersey.  Much debate followed as to whether they were black or very dark green?  Any fashionistas care to clear this up?

I learn something new every day, and BJ might have too.  Evidently if you round second but then you need to get back to first, you have to touch second again on the way.  I guess this makes sense.  I just never knew it was a rule.  I’m going with the I’m just a girl excuse on this one.  BJ should go with the nobody ever told me that excuse.

Shields faces two batters and gives up a triple and a homerun.  Not exactly the start he was hoping for I bet.

Clifford scores from first.  Two times!

Ruggiano RBI scores Clifford again.  Somebody get that big red dog some water.  I almost said a bone, but figured your dirty minds would wander.  No, just me huh.

Rocco strikes out looking with bases loaded.  That is such a pet peeve for me that even players that I love hear about it.

Chad Bradford, who’s name is really fun to say, got his job done with a little help from  Baldelli who laid out for one in right.  My response to this is holding my breath and covering my eyes by the way.

(photo Yahoo sports)

Howell strikes guys out left and right.  Really, some were righties and some were lefties.

Wheeler held serve too.  Oops too much Olympics.

Upton hits an RBI double off of the invincible Ziegler.  To that point he hadn’t given up a run in 39 innings.  Bossman thought it was time to end that streak.

Percy math.  Walk + ball hog = sprained knee.  To his credit the Rays have yet to lose when he blows the save.  I guess he’s a winner.  I would like to know if he sprained his knee coming off the mound to field the bunt or when he decided to play tag instead of flipping the ball?

Balfour gets a strike out but then gives up a game tying single to Frank Thomas.  I didn’t see this at bat, so I don’t know, but was Balfour in love with his fastball again and left one up?  I’m the only Rays fan that thinks he gets a little too pumped sometimes.  I still love him.

Rocco tried to score on a wild pitch but got a bummer bounce and was out by a mile.  So it went in this endless frickin game.

Someone mentioned the steak to Pena and hit one out. 

Finally the Rays are up by two in the bottom of the 12th.  All they need is three outs.  What do they do?  Error, wild pitch, hit batter but they finally do get the win!  Rays win another series!  Tampa 7 – Oakland 6.  Let’s hope they can keep it going in Texas.  Go Rays!!

Don’t worry Rays, nobody saw your blunders.  Proceed as if they never happened please.

Between the Olympics and no TV coverage of the game does this loss even count?  Fraid so. 

Word is the Rays lost last night.  Tampa 1 – Oakland 2.  Sounds like a tough game, but the real story is they let it get away with mental errors.  Okay boys we’ll give you one, but don’t let it happen again.

CC is having potentially season ending surgery.  He needs to lend his superpowers to someone else, preferably Rocco Baldelli.  That would seriously pump up the Rays world!

Let’s hope the guys can get it back on track tonight, just hang in there until they can get back to their home crowd.  Oh and it would be nice if the rest of the American League could chip in and help the Rays through this little stretch.  The Rangers and Twins gave it a whirl last night, but came up short.  How about pickin up a win tonight fellas?  Thanks.

100 down, 62 to go!

The Rays picked up another series win today.  Sure would be great if they could keep doing that. 

Shields was really good again, pitching into the ninth.  He’s been so solid at home.

Two guys that I have love/hate relationships were instrumental in the big win.  Gomes and Zobrist.  Both of these blokes are pretty bad in the field, and then right when you’re ready to kick them to the curb, they come up with a home run in a big situation.  It’s like picking the petals off of a daisy.  I love him, I love him not.

Then there’s Percy.  Who almost blows the save, but then doesn’t.  His record says I should have confidence in him, but I just can’t do it.  Sue me, girls are emotional creatures.

Rays win!  Oakland 3 – Tampa 4.

Party, Party, tomorrow’s the return of Barty!

The team has been in a bit of a funk since he left, so it will be good to have him back.  Also, it’s better for my eyes!

Go Rays!!

Staats and Magrane storm forecasters on sucky pitcher night.

It was the top of the 4th when the Rays announcers predicted a storm and warned the fans.  Even though it was Sonny, baseballs were being left up in the zone.  They warned us that technically the A’s weren’t power surges, but if something didn’t change, severe weather was ahead.  Sure enough a couple of pitches later the storm hit, in the form of a three run home-run.  Take cover.

Sonny pitched seven innings and gave up three runs.  Rays fans accept that, knowing it could have been much worse.  If the offense would stop sprinkling the hits and put more of them together, three runs is chump change.  Then Maddon decides to make it sucky pitcher night.  Has anyone else ever noticed that he does this?  The non-sucky pitchers like Howell, Balfour and sometime Percival seemed to be grouped together.  Maddon used them when he wants to shut down his opponents.  But tonight his thinking was more like this…

Sonnanstine 7IP, 5H, 3ER  3-1 A’s.
Okay great, Sonny made it through seven.  We’re down by two.  I usually only go with the non-sucky pitchers when we have a lead or a tie.  Let’s throw a sucky guy in there and see how he does.  Miller’s been real sucky lately, maybe he’ll try to prove his worth.

Miller walks the first batter of the 8th. 
Shit, he walked the guy.  Next batter is a righty.  Hmmm.  Let’s leave him in.  He has to get better at some point.

Wild pitch, runner moseys on into scoring position.
That was unfortunate.

Suzuki doubles, runner scores.  4-1 A’s
(slapping forehead)When will I ever learn.  He is super sucky against right handers.

Miller walks the next batter.
Wow, he’s got issues.  Now we’re down by even more, with runners on.  Time to take a stroll to the mound.  I’m not wasting one of my non sucky guys.  Bring in Reyes.

The next batter fouls out to Navarro.
Excellent an out.  Seems like it’s been a while.  Maybe I’ll have some time for wine tonight after all.

Reyes walks the next batter to load the bases.
Eureka, the sucky guys are really suckin tonight.  They’re like Hoovers.

The next batter hits a sac fly and the runner scores.  5-1 A’s.
Well at least there are two outs now.  Let’s see if he can get the third.

The next batter singles scoring a run, and Zobrist can’t catch(but the error goes to CC?) so another run scores.  7-1 A’s.
You got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out!

Reyes gets a strike out to end the inning.
About frickin time.

Top of the 9th, 7-1 A’s.
Perfect time to give Hammel some playing time.

Zobrist biffs two balls hit to short, resulting in a run scoring.
Note to self:  add Zobrist to the sucky list.

Go Rays!!

Wow, good one boys!

Baseball is a game that you can sink into your couch and soak up every detail, but it is also a game that you can multi-task through and still keep up on your favorite team.  There is one thing I can’t do though,  I can’t read and watch baseball.  I’m guilty of that tonight.  I sort of watched the game, but I didn’t appreciate it because I got sucked into a story.

It was a solid game all around.  Excellent pitching and hitting, plus no fielding errors.  They even hit off of a left handed pitcher and even with two outs.

Kazmir, Balfour and Howell combined to pitch a shut out.  How would you like to face them for nine innings?

Kazmir pitched seven innings.  I know, right?

Longo continues to astound.  He’s really smart, and makes a lot of in game adjustments.  That’s hot.

Willy and Aki both drove in runs.  Although I missed Aki’s.  Sorry, it’s a really good book.

I think someone in the Upton camp reads this blog.  BJ was definitely playing with more oompf tonight.  He had two hits, two stolen bases and he scored a run.  Great to see.  Maybe I should give Trevor Miller a pep talk next?

Let’s hope they can pick up another one tomorrow night.  Sonny didn’t have very much fun last time he pitched against Oakland.  He’ll do better at home!  Go Rays!!

UGLY

I didn’t even have to see it to know it was fugly.  Tampa 1 – Oakland 9.

Sonny didn’t have it, and neither did Hammel. 

The Rays had three hits, the A’s had three homeruns.

There weren’t any errors on the scoreboard, but from the sounds of it Gomes wasn’t making any plays in left field.  He hit a homerun later but by that point nobody cared.

Oh well, they won another series, and it gave me the chance to watch some really good soccer.  C’mon home boys, time to crank out the big O’s.  hee-hee.   Go Rays!!

Flu Bug from HELL

For my five readers who’ve been wondering why I’ve been such a slacker, I apologize.  Some how I caught the Rays stomach flu, and let me just tell you it was the anti Jonny Gomes quote.  It totally sucked.

It started about the beginning of the first game against the Athletics.  Why does the stomach flu always happen at night?  And does anyone else get all religious in that pivotal moment?  I won’t gross you out with the details, but it was twelve hours later when I was able to crawl out of the bathroom.  However it would take some time before I was functional again, about a day and a half actually.

Being disconnected from the world is so bizarre.  The Rays took the first two games in Oakland, and since the game today is not on TV, I will essentially miss the whole series against the A’s.  It’s a long season, I’ll survive.  Besides, I know it’s a chick thing, but I don’t care for the A’s uniforms.

So is there anything positive to come out of this?  I probably lost a few pounds.  The Rays keep winning.  If only we could get that Boston team to tank a few games.  What do they think they are World Champions?

Let’s hope for a sweep today.  Go Rays!!