Slow start, tough finish frame Rays’ 2009
And they looked so good on paper.
Unfortunately for the Rays, a year after winning the American League East and advancing to the World Series, they found out there is quite a difference between looking good on paper and being a championship team.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” James Shields said. “We had some high hopes for this season. To end our season the way we did, it’s not us. We have got to get better. We’ve got to reassess what we did this season and try to get better next year.”
When the Rays left Port Charlotte, Fla., at the end of Spring Training, they looked far more solid than the previous year’s AL championship team. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, some of the players brought in to improve the club did not produce. The most notable of these being designated hitter Pat Burrell, who banked a two-year, $16 million deal, then fell far short of expectations. In addition, there were regular players such as Dioner Navarro and B.J. Upton, whose performances were less than inspiring.
But no one player can be blamed for a 2009 season in which the team seemed out of sync from the beginning. Foreshadowing a season to come, the Rays finished April with a 9-14 record, then spent the rest of the season trying to make up for their less-than-auspicious beginning.
Click here to read the full article – By Bill Chastain of MLB.com
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Finishing strong, Rays get win No. 81
Rays clinch non-losing season with 81st victory
ST. PETERSBURG — There will not be a postseason in Tampa Bay, but there will not be a losing record, either.
The Tampa Bay Rays did take a step back after their magical run to the World Series in 2008, but they didn’t slide back into their sorry past.
Tuesday’s 3-1 win against the free-falling Baltimore Orioles in front of 10,349, the smallest home crowd of the season, guaranteed that.
It was win No. 81 for the Rays. They need one victory in their final five games to clinch only the second winning season in their 12-year history.
“That’s we want to do,” left fielder Carl Crawford said. “We want to at least finish on a positive note and have a winning record. Two winning years in a row with this organization never happened, so that’s good for us as we continue to move forward as an organization.”
Click here to read the full article – By ROGER MOONEY of Bradenton.com
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Rookie trio brightens future for Rays
Because he was pitching against the Blue Jays that day, David Price needed to find someone else to complete his new pregame routine. Price, Tampa Bay’s rookie left-hander and recently appointed lineup card attendee, had to designate someone else to bring the card to the umpires before the day’s first pitch.
Price decided on Wade Davis, his quiet, sharp-eyed, square-jawed fellow rookie starter.
After Davis returned to the dugout, home-plate umpire Mike Estabrook walked to Rays manager Joe Maddon and whispered that he’d never seen anything like it.
“[Davis] didn’t say one word,” Maddon said, laughing in his office after the game.
Such is the deadpan reality of Davis. There are few aspects in baseball he doesn’t take seriously.
As the 24-year-old right-hander has emerged over the course of the past two weeks for Tampa Bay, the seriousness of his pitching ability has also rounded into focus. The fierceness of his breaking ball only matches the looks he gives when squinting over his glove on the mound.
Click here to read the full article – By Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com
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Rays’ rookie starters will finish out year
With an off-day on the horizon Monday, the Rays have not set their rotation past Sunday. But don’t expect a lot of change, particularly where the rookie pitchers are concerned.
Currently, the rotation includes rookies Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis and David Price, but Rays manager Joe Maddon doesn’t believe any of them will be shut down before the end of the season.
“We’re OK with all three right now,” Maddon said. “They’re all on the border, on the top side of the borderline, so we can, but we’re not overtly concerned right now.”
Davis has thrown a total of 168 1/3 innings, Niemann 165 2/3, and Price 144.
Click here to read the full article – By Bill Chastain of MLB.com
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Burrell frustrated by Rays’ recent woes
Pat Burrell allowed Monday that the he let the frustrations accrued during the past 11 games to finally boil over in the Rays’ second game of their doubleheader with the Red Sox on Sunday.
Burrell was sent to the plate to pinch-hit in the eighth inning and tried to check his swing with two strikes, but was called out by home-plate umpire Lance Barksdale. Burrell argued that he had checked his swing, which prompted Barksdale to quickly eject Burrell.
“I was dead wrong, I knew I was out, I swung,” Burrell said.
Burrell is mired in a 1-for-19 stretch during the road trip that has seen the Rays lose all seven games they have played to move their losing streak to 11 before defeating the Orioles, 8-4, on Monday night in Baltimore.
Click here to read the full article – By Bill Chastain of MLB.com
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Niemann’s come long way since debut
On one hand, Jeff Niemann’s first trip to Baltimore this season wasn’t a precursor for things to come, while on the other, it personified why the 6-foot-9, 280-pound right-hander is a leading candidate for American League Rookie of the Year.
Niemann had just won a Spring Training battle with Jason Hammell to be the fifth starter in the Rays’ rotation and he wanted to go out and make a strong impression in his first start to validate the Rays’ faith in him. Instead he got off to the worst of all possible starts. The first seven Orioles hitters reached base safely as Niemann surrendered five first-inning runs, including a grand slam to Melvin Mora.
Click here to read the full article – By Bill Chastain of MLB.com
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Tampa Bay Rays say they’re set to return to top of AL East next season
Of all the Rays accomplished last season, winning the American League East championship was the achievement they were most proud of because it signified they were the best — and thus better than the Yankees and Red Sox — over the rigors of a full season.
Sunday, when they were officially dethroned in being eliminated from the race by the Yankees, they spoke of rededicating themselves to prevail again.
“Our goal coming into this season was to defend our American League East crown,” executive VP Andrew Friedman said. “Obviously we fell short of that.
“With our recent skid I think the focus is going to be much more on how we’ve played the last two weeks as opposed to the body of work and the talent we have on hand.
Click here to read the full article – By Marc Topkin of tampabay.com
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Only thing Crawford hasn’t stolen: Attention
Carl Crawford used to joke with reporters that where attention was concerned, he held a position under the radar and would remain there until one day he would just explode.
For years, Crawford labored in semi-obscurity for the Rays. While the franchise struggled, Crawford tirelessly carved out a name for himself. And while ESPN never seemed to show his daily highlights, including his speedy stealing on the bases, his peers recognized what unique talents the native of Houston brought to the game.
“Carl is definitely one of the most underrated players in the game,” Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said. “That’s probably because of the market he’s in, where he’s played. This guy has five tools. He’s a tremendous athlete. He can beat you in so many ways — with power, average, steals, his glove, his arm.
Click here to read the full article – By Bill Chastain of MLB.com
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Garza aiming for strong September
In Matt Garza’s previous start in Detroit on Friday, he had to deal with the swirling rumors of an impending trade involving teammate Scott Kazmir, who was dealt to Anaheim after the game. On Wednesday, he’ll have to pitch around another mental obstacle: the calendar.
Garza has struggled in his career pitching in September, and Wednesday’s start against Boston will be his first in the month in 2009. It’s not a welcoming prospect for a pitcher currently going through a season-long winless drought.
Garza is 4-7 with a 5.07 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP in 15 starts in September in his career, his worst numbers for any month. And with Garza on pace to log more innings that he has ever before, the potential of fatigue for the 25-year-old right-hander looms.
Click here to read the full article – By Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com
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Pena having a powerful but odd year
Carlos Pena currently owns one of the odder distinctions for a Major League hitter: The Rays first baseman has 37 home runs and 35 singles.
“It’s almost like, ‘How do you do that?’” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s pretty impressive in a way.”
According to Dave Haller of the Rays’ public relations staff, only two players in Major League history have hit as many home runs as singles while hitting a minimum of 30 home runs. Mark McGwire did it four times and Barry Bonds did it once.
Click here to read the full article – By Bill Chastain of MLB.com
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