HER 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!”

Close, yet so far away.

I got home late tonight, so I didn’t see the first five innings.  The last four innings were pretty eventful though.

Top of 6th – Shields was cruising along but hit a road block when Longo biffed a throw.  He was able to get two outs, but he also walked two.  Result – bases loaded two outs.

Lance Cormier was brought in to take care of business.  Result – grand slam, aka four runs.  This was especially painful for me because Lance is one of my favorites.  That’s impressive because as a Rays fan my favorites don’t tend to come from the bullpen.

Bottom 6th – Barty starts it off with a base hit.  I loved him last year, but I really love him now that he’s all hitty.  Longo doubled.  Love him too.  Then BennyZ hits a three run homer!  The Rays are right back in it.

Top 7th – Cormier walks the first two batters.  I’m a little worried about him.  I hope it’s just an off night.  Springer is brought in for relief, but alas it’s not to be had.  Three runs are what’s to be had, and the Rays are right back out of it.  Grrrr.

Bottom 7th – The Rays go down one, two, three.  Not good.

Top 8th – Choate doesn’t choke.

Bottom 8th – Crawford singles.  Longo grounds into a double play…except Wiggy booted it.  Oh sweet justice.  Pat the Bat singles and moves the runners.  Gross ground in one run, and Pena doubles in two more to make it 8-7.  I thought Zaun and his mighty mullet might tie it up but not tonight.

Top 9th – Choate and Wheels sit them down.

Bottom 9th – BJ, BJ, BJ what the hell was that, and was it your own idea?  He pop bunted to the pitcher.  Bartlett singled, then stole second.  Crawford grounded out and moved him over.  Man on third, Evan Longoria in to save the day.  Not this time folks.  It’s crazy that it was even this close of a game what with the handing out of homeruns with runners on.

Now it’s time to make up that game with a few games of Texas hold’em.  Go Rays!! 

I guess when it comes right down to it, I’m hopelessly devoted to this team.  Although I have been mighty frustrated with them lately.  They are teasing us something terrible.

A losing team is something Rays fans can handle.  They’ve had a lot of practice at it.  Then last year our lovable losers were transformed into miraculous winners.  Now we know what they are capable of, and it is infuriating when they have bonehead maneuvers.  Like that whole trip out west.  Ugh.

Then this weekend they win the series against Toronto.  We’ll forgive them the loss against Halladay, after all they have beaten him three times this year.  Especially since they kept it together for the final two games.  How much do you love Gregg Zaun?  I was starting to wonder if he was bad luck.  That was before he blew sunshine and rainbows off his bat! 

Frankly, I don’t know what to think about this team.  They aren’t out of it yet, BUT it doesn’t feel like they are really in it either.  I guess I just stay hopelessly devoted, and hope they put it all together.  Go Rays!!

Pregame – Sonny vs. Burnett.  John Gibbons looks so mean.  Like Ray Liotta mean.

1st inning – pitchers roll, everyone out.

Top of 2nd – Burnett strikes out the side.

Bottom 2nd – Stairs gets a base hit.  Wells hits into a fielders choice, out at second.  Then the Rays get Wells in a pickle.  Overbay singles too, but Hill pops out to end the inning.

Top 3rd – Navi gets a bloop single past McScrappy.  It’s a start.  Gross gets a walk.  Did he borrow Alex Rodriguez’s purple lip gloss?  Bartlett hits one hard but right to the left fielder.  Damn.  Aki gets a favor from the baseball gods.   Two balls that were clearly off the plate were called strikes, then the gods took it in their hands.  A ball gets away from the catcher Zaun and the runners move to second and third.  Then as a bonus Aki gets a base hit!  Navi scores 1-0 Rays.
Carl Crawford hits a sac fly to score Gross.  2-0 Rays.  BJ base hit up the middle, Aki scores.  3-0 Rays.  Rock on.  Pena of the RAAYS, who likes to call time, strikes out.

Bottom 3rd – Zaun has a nice hit but is held to a single because of Gross and his go go gadget arm.  Eckstein hits one over BJ’s head in center, did they underestimate Scrappy-Do’s power?  Aki’s relay gets Zaun at home, but shocker, the Rays get screwed on another call!  WTF!  Are they aware that the Devil Ray that hit an ump with a bat is no longer a Ray!!  They score another run in this inning on a sac fly, but they shouldn’t have scored any.  3-2 Rays.

Top 4th – Longo strikes out.  Hinske doubles.  Navi pops out.  Hinske steals third.  Shitske my ass.  That sounds funny.  Gross strikes out.

Bottom 4th – Wells hits a triple on an 0-2 meatball.  Overbay hits a sac fly and the score is tied.  Hill and Zaun fly out and ground out.

Top 5th – Bartlett basehit.  Aki doubles and scores Bartlett, but is kinda dumb and tries for a triple, out.  If the Rays lose there is plenty to bitch about in this game.  Crawford pops out.  BJ singles up the middle, then steals second, and takes third on an error.  Pena strikes out again.  4-3 Rays.

Bottom 5th – McDonald singles (he’s in for Eckstein who hurt himself being all scrappy and sh*t)  Rios strikes out again.  Stewart grounds out on a nice barehanded play by Bartlett.  It gets a “nifty” from Magrane.  Rolen gets Sonny’s only walk, but Stairs grounds out.

Top 6th - Longo looks a little lost and fouls out.  Hinske homers! Huge!  At this point ya gotta believe he’s trying to piss off Jays fans.  5-3 Rays.  Navi grounds out.  Gross maims their shortstop with a ground ball single.  McDonald really hurt his ankle? trying to make the play.  Holy Honkin Paramedic Chick!  McDonald gets to ride off on the cart.  Bartlett strikes out.

Bottom 6th – Wells base hit.  Overbay doubles off the wall.  Wells scores, with no throw home???  Aki’s kinda off tonight.  5-4 Rays.  Hill flies out.  Zaun hits a grounder and Pena takes it off the face, but can’t make the play.  Definitely saved some runs though.  Scutaro grounds into a double play.  Whew, that was close.

Top 7th – Brian Tallet pitching.  Aki grounds out.  CC walks.  BJ grounds out but moves CC over.  Pena strikes out hook, line and sinker.

Bottom 7th – Wheeler in to pitch.  Sonny did a good job of keeping the Rays in the game.  Rios notches strike out number three.  Stewart grounds out, and Rolen flies out.  Nice.

Top 8th – Longo walks.  Hinske grounds out but moves Longo over.  Navi grounds out but moves Longo to third.  Gross and his .174 batting average strike out.  Was there any thought about pinch hitting there??

Bottom 8th – Opens with a nice shot of one of the Jays pitchers in the bullpen adjusting his cup with his hand inside his pants.  Stairs grounds out.  Wells grounds out and Bartlett makes a nice bounce pass out to Pena.  Love them both.  Overbay walks, but Wheeler does an excellent job and gets Hill to fly out.

Top 9th – Sean Camp in to pitch.  Doesn’t he owe us a couple?  He gets the Rays in order and makes it look easy.  Insert snarky comment here.

Bottom 9th – Percy in to pitch.  One, two, three. but the best part was Magrane calling one of his pitches a “dipsy doodle.”  Percy doesn’t seem like the dipsy doodle type to me.

Oh Yeah the Rays win!!  Tampa 5 – Toronto 4.  Let’s hope they can make up some ground on Boston tomorrow.  Go Rays!!