“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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Tampa Bay Rays MLB 2009 Replica Home Jersey

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Although they had their best offensive season in club history, statistically, scoring a franchise-high 783 runs (782 in 2007), the Rays won’t be returning to the playoffs partly because their bats were too inconsistent, or “clumpy,” as manager Joe Maddon said. And Thursday night’s 3-2 loss to the Orioles was a perfect example.

The offense picked up two hits through the first eight innings but had three in a late rally, putting the Rays’ record in one-run games at 20-25.

The Rays have scored seven or more runs in a game 41 times. But they’ve tallied three or fewer in 70.

“It’s just there’s been days where we just really poured it on and other days where we couldn’t get it going, kind of like (Thursday) up until the last inning,” OF Ben Zobrist said. “It’s hard to find the rhyme or reason that makes it what it was. But hopefully that consistency will be there next season.”


Click here to read the full article – By Joe Smith of Tampabay.com

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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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“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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Below are links to memorabilia available for Carl Crawford.