HER RAYS!

Baseball season is a long winding emotional roller coaster.  After the Rays lost to the Yankees Sunday, this fan was feeling a little depressed.  The Rays only won one game in the series and it seemed like all three games were there for the taking.  I felt this sense of urgency.  Why wasn’t Joe Maddon doing everything he could to win those games?  Where was Soriano?  Andy Pettitte is out after three innings and the Rays don’t find a way to win?

The Orioles are the perfect prescribed medicine for depressed baseball fans.  The Rays bats came back to life.  Wade Davis aka WD40 looked slick.  Rays win, and they’re basically right back where they started before the ugly series with the Yankees.  I should know better than to panic.  It’s a marathon right?  The Rays are in second place and half of their guys aren’t even playing up to their potential.  Yep the O’s were my chill pill.

There is one other minor thing that made this Monday a happy day.  A minor league contract that is.  Rocco Baldelli is a Stonecrab!  I’m sure his goal is to get a September call up.  I would be so stoked if he could contribute this year, since you know I happen to love him.

photo by Dennis Maffezzoli

Well I really didn’t expect the Rays to pull off a win against CC Sabathia, but he was a bit off and they definitely had their chances.  What did they do with these chances?  They squandered them!

The Rays picked away at CC and came up with three runs.  Shields was cruising, only giving up one.  Kapler made a great catch at the wall to save his butt.  Then it all went awry.  James gave up two home runs and the lead.  Bummer but the Rays still had their chances.

In the seventh one of my favorite things happened.  BJ got on base in front of Carl and soon after they were on second and third with no outs.  Can I have more of this please?  The Rays only got one run out of it, but that could have been a game winner. 

Balfour handled the seventh.  So the Rays have a one run lead going into the eighth.  I’m thinking no problem.  Benoit for the eighth and Soriano for the ninth.  Well Benoit was a little off.  I knew he wasn’t going to be perfect, but he picks now to be a little off!  He gave up a home run to Nick Frickin Swisher.  Plus he was super scary getting out of the inning, but he did keep the game tied.

Girardi makes the call to Mo Rivera to come in and shut down the Rays so the Yankees have a chance to win it.  BJ miraculously gets a broken bat single.  However he kills the rally himself by getting picked off first for the gazillionth time.  Not even close.

Maddon does not make the call to his closer and give the Rays a chance to win the game.  Instead he goes to Choate the lefty specialist.  The lefty specialist who let the two lefties he faced get on base.  I think specialist is the wrong term.  I have another term but we try to be nice around here.  Wheeler was then brought in with the daunting task of sitting Derek Jeter down in a clutch situation.  It took him four strikes but he did it. 

So who does Maddon bring in to face Swisher with two outs in the ninth of a tie game.  Lance Cormier.  Wait what?  I like Lance, but he has been struggling this year.  This game must not be as important as I think is?  Yankees win.  Rays fans go home totally confused.  After Mariano Rivera the Yankees bullpen is shaky.  The Rays would have had a chance if they could have gotten that far.  I know it’s not a save situation, but it’s a win situation.  Where was Soriano?

Time to turn it around tomorrow.  Go Rays!

A win is a win right?  Last night I didn’t post anything because frankly it was one of those games where I just didn’t want to talk about it.  Tonight’s game didn’t feel much better.  Niemann wasn’t great but, it was like a study of opposites as far as hitting goes.  The Jays were striking the ball hard and far, while the Rays were pretty much stinking up the joint, again.

Then in the seventh they started picking away at Toronto’s lead.  I’m not really sure why they took Tallet out, but it worked for the Rays.

The way they have been playing lately, I still didn’t have oodles of confidence that a win was in their future.  Enter Kevin Gregg.  He made quick work of BJ Upton, but then the wheels fell off.  He walked Carl, who stole second immediately.  He had Carl picked off but threw the ball into center field, so Crawford took third.  Gregg then walked Longo.  We’ll skip the Pena at bat because it was shitty all around.  He got out and so did Maddon.  So there are two outs.  I didn’t have a lot of hope, but Gregg was the gift that keeps on giving.  He walked Jaso, and then walked in a run with Benny.  Bases loaded for Sean Rodriguez.  I still didn’t have hope, but Sean came up big!  A double in the gap scored three.  The Rays took the lead.  Whoa.

Slowriano came in and saved the day.  A win is a win right? 

A couple of thoughts on the game…

It’s nice to see BJ in the lead-off spot again, let’s hope it sets him off.
Navi had a pretty good night.  Credit where credit is due.
Balfour scared the crap out of me.  Rodriguez sure saved his butt.
Briggy had a tad of a rough game.  He did have an RBI double, but he looked pretty bad in his other at bats.  He has a  bit of Vladdy in him.  He doesn’ t meet too many pitches he doesn’t like.  I still love him even if he had an error in the bottom of the ninth that caused me and many others serious stress.

A win is a win right?  Put this one in the books and let’s hope the Rays can be more convincing tomorrow.  Go Rays!

What do you mean?  I wasn’t worried.  Were you?

After a dreadful first three at bats, the Rays showed us that they can hit a stinkin southpaw if they really want to.  Matter of fact to rub it in they turned it into what seemed like the longest game ever.  They cranked out 12 runs and gave the White Sox a whoopin.

Wade Davis showed us that he is a very valuable asset.  He walked three early and looked a little shaky, but ended up shutting the Sox down for six innings.  He probably would have worked deeper into the game but the offense wouldn’t let him back on the field.  I doubt he minded though since it was freaking cold there.

Sean Rodriguez showed us that his spring numbers weren’t a fluke.  He was 3 for 5 with a home run and 4 RBI.  If he stays hot Mr. Maddon is going to have a lot of decisions when making out his line-up card.

Mike Ekstrom and Andy Sonnanstine showed us that they can keep the shut-out in order.  Oh come on, you know you had your doubts.

Paul Konerko showed us that he is always dangerous.  Last night his bat was on fire.  Tonight he was trying to take guys out.  Our guys.  First he crunched Sean Rodriguez’s hand like a cockroach.  Then he whizzed a ball at the back of Longo’s melon.  Watch yourself tomorrow boys.

So everything I complained about the Rays proved they could do.  Hmmm what should I complain about tonight, maybe BASERUNNING.  Hopefully that will be fixed tomorrow.  Go Rays!

Do we honestly need to worry that every time the Rays face a left-hander, not only will they lose but that there’s a good chance they might get no-hit?!  This is troubling indeed.  Jon Lester is the only lefty they’ve seemed to figure out.  Do you know who pitches tomorrow?  Mark Buerhle.  Anybody have any Rolaids?

Thank goodness Carl Crawford was in the building or this would have been downright ugly. 

A couple of relay throws made me wonder if the Red Sox defensive woes were contagious.  However no defense was going to matter tonight since the Rays couldn’t hit the ball or even work a walk.  You have to tip your hat to Danks, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is troubling.

David Price didn’t seem comfortable all night.  Maybe it’s because he knew in order to get a win he’d have to shut down the White Sox.  He gave up three runs, two of them homeruns.  He threw 95 pitches in six innings and he still looked pissed when Mr. Maddon came to get him.  I think Maddon just realized that if the Rays wanted a chance to win this game they needed to keep it close, and Alex Rios had put good wood on one earlier in the game.  

I think Zorilla needs bananas.  He seems to be missing something, and not just the ball.

Balfour was really good for two innings.  I hope to be able to type that sentence a lot more this season.

Wheeler fell prey to Konerko but I’m pretty sure Cy Young would have been gobbled up by Konerko tonight.

So what’s the plan for tomorrow evening?  I think they need to shake up the line-up.  Bring in the kids.  See how Reid can do against a lefty and give Jaso a shot too.  Wade Davis definitely needs to be careful against those big boppers.  The plan is simple though.  HIT THE BALL.  Go Rays!

The Tampa Bay Rays 2009 season is now in the books, and it is quite a collection of stories. 

Beloved main characters were lost.  Rocco Baldelli defected to enemy territory.  Jonny Gomes found success in a different city, and Scott Kazmir headed to LA to try to become a star.

The team’s story got off to a slow start in April but it picked up the next month.  Different facets did well at different times.  At times the offense was at the forefront.  Other times the pitching was masterful.  Even the bullpen had its moments.  However, the team never seemed to put it all together for any length of time.  This underlying theme is present throughout the 2009 story.

There were many subplots involving individual characters this year, some are joyous and others heartbreaking.  First there were the stories of the five all-stars.

Jason Bartlett had an amazing season at the plate.  He increased his power and got on base routinely, all while playing a not too shabby shortstop.  Plus I shared an elevator with his wife and son, and let’s just say he is a very lucky man.

Ben Zobrist decided to show the baseball world that he’s got this game figured out and he’s not going anywhere.

Evan Longoria started out blazing hot, and eventually cooled.  It’s obvious he has the talent to be an MVP in the future though.

Carlos Pena’s story is hard to classify.  Is it fantasy, he did hit 39 homeruns and didn’t even play the last month of the season.  Or is it tragedy, because he only hit about that many singles and he snapped two fingers?

Carl Crawford’s guide to a great year in left field is a best seller.  Hopefully we’ll get to read the sequel next year.

Jeff Niemann also quietly put together a great rookie campaign.  Let’s hope he can build on it next year.

Then there were the few, the tired, and the weary.  James Shields and Matt Garza didn’t have bad seasons they just were not nearly as sharp.  Let’s hope they get some much needed rest and come back strong next spring.

Now on to the sad stories…

BJ Upton’s was perhaps the saddest of them all.  This kid has enough talent to carry this team if he can find a way to put it all together.  It was very hard to watch him struggle.  I only hope we can watch his epic comeback next season.

Navi also struggled.  That is putting it mildly.  Only he can write the next part of his story.  I hope he puts in the work.

Pat Burrell’s got some ’splaining to do.  I would prefer he does it with his bat in about six months time.  If he can’t, I hope to see his butt on the bench and Willy Aybar’s cracking bat in the line-up.

The most painful story of the Rays season by far was of course the collapse of the bullpen.  It actually caused this blogger to seek therapy in college football, while watching the Rays with my hands over my eyes.

The coaching is hard to summarize.  My personal review is that Mr. Maddon is loyal to a fault, and it hurt this team this year.  It aided to the fact that the team never put it all together.  I understand wanting to encourage guys and show them support, but if it is at the expense of the team??  BJ Upton was left in the lead off spot for way too long.  Andy Sonnanstine was given way too many chances.  Pat Burrell was put in the line-up consistently and never proved that he deserved to be there.  Several relief pitchers were marched out there time and time again even during their own personal suckfests.  This is only my opinion, but I really feel that it hurt the team this season.

The most puzzling story is the one where the hitting coach is let go and the pitching coach stays??

Remember even though this season is in the books there are many exciting stories to look forward to next season.  Young kids who could save the world.  Okay, I might be getting a little dramatic now…

As for Her Rays, this season mirrored the team’s.  After an epic rookie year that was very exciting, this blogger suffered a bit of a let down this year.  Real life seemed to get in the way a little more, and as a result the performance lacked.  I still had a great time, and I have the Rays to thank for that.

I’m not sure what the future will hold for this blog.  Either I will work really hard this off-season and make the team out of spring training or I might be designated for assignment.  Thank you to those of you who stopped by.  I appreciate it.  A special thanks to those of you who were nice.  Yes, I found out these internets can be a cruel place.  Oh, and a very special thanks to the Professor at Rays Index for all of your support.

Have a happy off-season.  If I’m not here in the spring, you can find me at a Rays game.  Go Rays!

It was a little scary there in the beginning, and the end is always scary with the state of the bullpen, but they managed to beat the Orioles and end the skid.

Reid Brignac had a mind to win the damn game himself if he had to.  He went four for four and looked good on defense too.  Really makes me wonder what next season will hold when it comes to the shortstop position. 

Okay Rays fans, I have eight tickets I need to sell. (fundraiser)
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Sun, Sep 20, 2009  1:38pm
Baseline Box Section 134 Rows L &M
$19.00  (less than face value)

If you are interested reply to this post or email me at jessica@herraysbaseball.com.

Six reasons to buy these tickets.
1. You would be supporting youth baseball which might end up helping the Rays someday in the future.

2. Minus the recent slump this hasn’t been a terrible season and the Rays could use our support in their final home games.

3. Aki rattle drums!  Oh good lord, maybe that’s not such a good reason.

4. The kids.  Hopefully Maddon will be playing the kids and we’ll get a look at the future of the Rays.

5. It’s your chance to hold up a sign encouraging Joe to return to the gray.  Make sure to include something about “It’s time”

6. Because deep down you still love them!  Go Rays!

Life has been pretty crazy around here, but last night I made an effort to watch the game as I was tooling around the house getting stuff done.  Kazmir was looking great.  He and Zaun seemed to have things figured out.  The offense was struggling until Kapler decided it was time to take the lead.  Everything was looking ripe for the sweep.

Finally I settled in to watch the rest of the game.  When the second umpire dropped like a fly.  There was quite a delay, long enough to put this girl to sleep.  Zzzzzz.

I woke up in a daze sometime in the eighth inning and thought to myself “I should just go to bed,”  but at this point I was kind of refreshed from my power nap.

In the top of the ninth a couple guys got on, and I was pulling for the Rays to score an insurance run.  No dice.

So JP comes in to do his thing, but instead of shutting them down he gives up a home run to tie the game.  Evidently he doesn’t like to sweep.  No really JP Howell has been awesome for the Rays, but his three blown saves lately cause me stress.  They also cause him stress.  He was visibly shaken after that fateful pitch.  He got squeezed by the umpire, but I might have brought someone else in to try to keep the game alive.  Mr. Maddon stuck with his guy, as he has a tendency to do.

After the final wild pitch a blogger’s exasperated cry was heard “Ugh, I should have gone to bed!”

Yay, the Rays won the opener against the O’s.  Just some quick thoughts tonight.

BJ really likes Berken’s pitching.  He was a double away from the cycle.  Yep, BJ.  Can you imagine what this team could do if he were to get his bat going?  Besides he’s super cute in his post game interviews.

David Price didn’t really have it, but he still put the team in the position to win.  Unlike Mr. Choate who brought his team closer to losing.  Not good.

I’m sorry but I’m really tired of Kevin Kennedy.  I’m sure he’s a nice man, but can I have Brian Anderson back please.  I really like Todd Kalas in the booth, but he’s also a really good rover reporter.  Brian is fun.  Todd just blends in with the game, which is spot on for some people.  Kevin actually takes me out of watching the game because he annoys me.  Could just be me I guess.

Looks like Joe Maddon is going to need more ties.  That’s a joke grenade for all you FSN viewers.

C’mon Jefferson Niemann keep it going.  Go Rays!

As we speak the Rays are in Seattle.  They probably had an excellent cup of coffee this morning.  Now that they are awake, it’s time that we chat.

Rays,

Stellar job taking two from Boston and rockin the Trop.  That was so lovely. 

Now I must apologize in advance.  You see, I will be rooting for you this week, just not like usual.  I suck at west coast games.  I’m very sleepy by the time the game even starts.  So I want to admit to being a big bucket of fail.  That way you know what to expect.  I will however cheer extra hard for you during the afternoon games. 

That doesn’t mean that you can slack off though.  You’ve got these teams right where you want them.  Do not let up.  Got it.  None of the errors.  None of the disappearing bats.  No pitching of meatballs.  Pretend they are Red Sox if you have to.  Just get it done.  Mmmkay thanks.

In parting I would like to leave you with some famous lines from the genius John Hughes that remind me of a couple of you boys.

JP Howell – “The thing is, I’m kinda like the leader.  Kinda like the king of dipshits.”

Joe Maddon – “We’re all gonna have so much fu*king fun we’ll need plastic surgery to remove our smiles.”

Longo – Oh he’s very popular Ed.  The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads – they all adore him.  They think he’s a righteous dude.

Joe Nelson – Long Duck Dong

Go Rays!