HER RAYS!

This scoring runs thing isn’t that hard.  Willy can do it from both sides of the plate. 

I’m not the only one that’s been saying the Rays need to get Aybar’s bat in the line-up, and today he showed exactly why.  He’s got a little pop.  Just ask James Shields if he wants him in the line-up on the days he pitches.

All in all it was a very comfortable game.  Kazmir looked good.  The offense scored early and kept the runs coming.  Hernandez even tripled.  Yes you read that right.  Wins are good.  They make Todd Kalas smile, and he is a strapping lad.

Let’s hope the Rays can ride that high and play some serious ball against Boston.  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!

That was for sure the strangest game of the season.  First it starts off with a line-up problem.  A problem that nobody clued the viewer in on.  So we watched people walk around and huddle up.  All while Staats and Kennedy speculate on what’s going on.  Their first instinct was the Indians pitcher was wrong in the lineup.  Frankly I wanted him to pitch.  He is cute and it was his first game back after being broken.

Alas the problem was actually with the Rays line-up.  They had two third baseman.  The Indians wisely questioned the line-up after Zobrist played the top of the first at third base.  Longo was supposed to DH, but because of the clerical error Sonnanstine would now be batting third.  Longo would be able to come in later.  Total entertainment.

Mr. Maddon this was the baseball gods trying to tell you something.  Longoria should be playing third base.  He does not need a day off.  He is twenty three years old and he’s a stud.  You’re pretty lucky this didn’t bite you in the ass.

He is also very lucky that Sonny is the best hitter in the starting rotation.  This would not have been cool if Niemann was pitching.  Okay it might have worth a couple of laughs.  Sonny stroked an RBI double.  Nothing better than pitchers hitting.  I hope no NL teams were watching they might find Sonny quite attractive.  In a different way than us female fans of course.

I have one serious question from this afternoon though.  If the Indians Francisco consistently pounds Sonny why didn’t they just walk him after Sonny got behind in the count???

Hernia had another big double driving in some runs.  I wonder if Navi’s jealous?

Barty is still hot, in every sense of the word.

CC made a miraculous catch at the wall.  He didn’t really catch it but…  That was a sucky call for the Indians and they were very frustrated.  Rays fans probably understand that as much as anyone.

Just when things were getting dull, the Tribe tries to hit BJ.  Twice.  Then since there was no warning issued Maddon made his displeasure known.  That’s when Victor Martinez started shooting his mouth off again.  Well Carl Crawford wasn’t having any of that so he flew out of the dugout and chaos ensued.

Erik at DRaysbay makes an excellent point.  It’s starting to feel a lot like 2008.  The walk-offs and the fist fights warm our hearts.

Now if someone could please take down those Blue Jays.

(photo Espn.com)

Okay I don’t know if Spring is in the air or what but that was so hot.  Mister Garza was damn near perfect.  The team really needed a charge and boy did he deliver.  He even proved that Pedroia can’t hit the high inside fast ball.  If only Jacoby Ellsbury wasn’t so bloody fast…  Barty made a great play on that ball and a slower man would have been toast.  Oh well it was still fantastic to watch.  Way to rock and fire Matt.

Mr. Hernandez deserves some credit tonight too.  After watching Navi’s horrible performance last night, Michel really looked like a pro.  He helped make Garza perfect, and he hit too.  What a concept.  Hopefully that’s the little prod that Navi needs.

I don’t know what turned these guys around but I hope it’s here to stay.  Everybody was hitting, even Gabe Gross.  I hope they saved some runs for the rest of the series!

Did anyone else notice the music as Josh Beckett was leaving the field?  So ya had a bad day…That cracked me up.

A couple more observations:
The Red Sox catcher Kottaras is very cute.
It still hurts my heart to see Rocco in the wrong dugout with the wrong clothes on.
Every team needs a Van Everything.  Where can we get one?  Can Zobrist pitch?

Hey Rays, how about winning two in a row. 

West coast series wake-up call.

I know I’ve said it before, but I just can’t hang when it comes to these west coast games.  I made it to eleven last night.  The scramble then begins when the alarm goes off in the morning.  Did the Rays win, what happened?  What did I miss?  Sometimes it’s like finding a little present in the morning, and other times well not so much.

The Rays couldn’t pull it out last night.  Tampa 1 – Seattle 2.  They were on the opposite end of a walk-off win.  Little did I know that I saw the Rays only run before I went to bed.  Crawford scored on a wild pitch by Hernandez.  From just looking at the numbers, it looks like Sonny pitched a hell of a game.  Did Maddon keep him in just a smidge too long?

Anyway we all knew last nights game was going to be a tough win if Felix was on.  It’s too bad the offense couldn’t shake him just a little since Sonnanstine pitched so well but…  Let’s hope they can get back on track tonight when I use alcohol to try to keep myself awake a little longer.

There was something disturbing about the game last night.  SIGN LADY WAS IN SEATTLE!  Ugh, she’s like a stalker.  Can we get a restraining order against her??  Word is the Cowbell kid is being avoided?  I would much rather see him than sign lady or worse yet sign guy!

Go Rays!!

The story of the day was Evan Longoria’s debut, complete with pregame interviews and shots of his family cheering him on.  It was all pretty exciting until the Rays lost a downer of a game.  Orioles 3 – Rays 2. 

Here are some of my thoughts:
Rough first inning for Hammel.  Roberts leads off with a double and then steals third easily.  Hammel actually hits the batter and the catcher with one pitch.  Tough start, but he holds them to one run.

Huff gets a double when BJ completely loses the ball?  Hernandez triples to give the O’s a 2-0 lead.  Ok it’s going to be a long night if they score every inning.

In the top of the 4th Pena makes a brilliant diving stop on a ball up the first base line.  He saved a double for sure.

Longoria gets on base his second time up, but it’s ruled an error??

Bottom of the 6th – Pena grounds out.  BJ walks.  Hinske base hit, BJ to third.  Longoria gets his first base hit and RBI! Then Haynes kills the buzz and hits into a double play.  Dammit!  2-1 Orioles.

Hammel gets them in order in the seventh to finish with a nice performance.  He settled down and held them to two runs.  I think we’d all take that every time from him.

Howell pitches the eighth and besides hitting a batter he gets through it.  Longoria looks great in the field by the way.

Bottom of the eighth – Pena ties it up!  Love him!  BJ lays down a nice bunt, but then gets caught in a run down.  Not his fault the pitcher balked but no one called him on it.  Hinske grounds out.  Longoria walks, but we got to see a taste of his swing when he creamed a foul ball.  Haynes strikes out.

And with one out left to go in the top of the ninth.  Wheeler gets behind in the count and lays one in there and Hernandez hits it out.  What a mood killer. 

The Rays can’t get anything going in the bottom of the ninth.  Game over.  3-2 Orioles.

The offense was quiet again today.  I for one wasn’t a fan of the lineup but what do I know.  Longoria had a nice debut.  He looked comfortable in the field and at the plate. 

Let’s hope the Rays can pick up their first series win tomorrow and stay at .500!  Go Rays!!