Rays Index

Down On The Farm: Elliot Johnson Back From DL

The Professor — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:31:50 +0000

Durham 5, Charlotte 1. Wade Davis only allowed 1 run but needed 96 pitches and was pulled after just 5 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 2…Three relievers combined to pitch 4 perfect innings…Justin Ruggiano and Ray Sadler each homered for the Bulls…Reid Brignac went 1-5 with 3 strikeouts…Elliot Johnson was activated from the DL and made his first appearance since May 5th. He went 1-4…Matt Joyce did not play.

Birmingham 5, Montgomery 3. Heath Rollins dropped to 7-7 after giving up 5 runs (3 earned) in 6 innings…Desmond Jennings went 0-4…Matt Fields was 1-3 with 2 RBI and Joe Gaetti hit his 3rd home run.

Charlotte 5, Sarasota 2. Jeremy Hall allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings…Shawn O’Malley went 2-3 with a walk and his 30th steal…Cody Cipriano was 0-2 with 2 walks.

Augusta 4, Bowling Green 3 (gm 1). Joe Cruz allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings…Tim Beckham was 0-3 with a strikeout. He also committed his 28th error…Jake Jefferies hit his 6th home run.

Augusta 3, Bowling Green 1 (gm 2). Tyree Hayes allowed 2 runs in 3 innings and Chris Andujar backed him up with 3 scoreless innings…Tim Beckham had 2 of Bowling Green’s 3 hits, going 2-3 with an RBI.

Hudson Valley 5, Vermont 1. Kyle Ayers allowed just 1 hit, a home run, in 6 innings.

Princeton. (ppd. rain)

Notes from Down on the Farm…

Heath Rollins was pulled from yesterday’s game after being hit in the pitching hand with a line drive. It is thought to be a “minor injury” but he will have x-rays today. [Montgomery Advertiser]

The Sunburst Player Of The Game Pick ‘Em

The Professor — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:00:45 +0000

Up until first pitch, use the comments section to predict who you think will be the Sunburst Player of the Game. (be sure to use a valid email address while leaving the comment). The commenter that correctly predicts who we will name the Sunburst Player of the Game the most times prior to the all-star game, will win two tickets to a second-half game. Runners-up get their choice of a t-shirt. [Click HERE for rules]

Check Marc Topkin’s blog for the starting lineups.

The Sunburst Player Of The Game Pick ‘Em

The Professor — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:00:55 +0000

Check Marc Topkin’s blog for the starting lineups.

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss A Sputtering Offense, Skipping Starters And JoeMa On Twitter

The Professor — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:56:25 +0000

Time to bring back the GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

click above image for boxscore

THE GOOD: The Bullpen. 3 more shutout innings…Savvy Navi. He didn’t score, but with 2 outs, a base runner on first base should always try to get second. And Navi knows this as well as anybody. In the 5th he stole second base to get into scoring position. Navi has 6 career steals with the Rays, 5 have come with 2 outs and nobody else on base.

THE BAD: Scott Kazmir. Not terrible and his defense let him down, but 3 of the 5 leadoff hitters got on baseAnd of course he was out of the game after 5 innings. Not good…Offense Has Gone South. The Rays, the highest scoring team in baseball, have now scored 1 run in the last 19 innings…It’s Not The Home Run. It is the batter before the home run. This time a Jason Bartlett throwing error turned Hank Blalock’s home run in to a 2-run shot…All In The Name Of Sales. MLB wants to be “patriotic”? We are throwing up the bullsh*t flag on that one. They already wore the red caps on Memorial Day. That’s fine. nice gesture. But now they have to wear them this entire series? THEY LOOK HIDEOUS.

THE TELLING: The Rays got 3 hits and 1 run off a guy with zero major league wins.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Grant Balfour.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

The Rays will skip Jeff Niemann’s next start with Matt Garza going tomorrow…It is not surprising that Garza is going tomorrow, as Joe Maddon likes to keep him and James Shields on normal rest. But it is surprising that JoeMa is skipping Niemann completely (who will be available out of the ‘pen). We are struggling to remember the last time JoeMa skipped a starter completely. [Rays Report]
BJ Upton was named the AL Player of the Month, joining Evan Longoria who won the award for April. [Rays Report]
Remember the “Ball-Less Baseball” promotion we told you about a coupld of days ago? Some people are less than thrilled…We are shocked! And notice that Marc Topkin never actually uses the name of the promotion in his write-up. [The Heater]
@evanlongoria is 100% fake, but @RaysJoeMaddon is apparently real. Go figure. However, Marc Lancaster writes that Joe Maddon “began authorizing short messages to be posted.” In other words, these are his thoughts, but he is not the one actually Tweeting. Meh. That seems no different than catching his quotes in the Times or Tribune. [Tampa Tribune]
We don’t drop a lot of FIPs around here, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the stat. And it doesn’t mean we don’t shake our head in shame when Patrick Reusse writes “Apparently, FIP stands for Fudge I’m Pathetic among bloggers.” Sad. Oh yeah, and appreantly the only reason the Tigers are ahead of the Twins in the standings right now is because the Tigers ripped off the Rays and the Twins didn’t. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
In honor of the 4th of July, Rays the Stakes has written a Constitution for the Rays. [Rays the Stakes]
David Chalk is up to #76-73 on the top 177 Devil Rays Ever. [Bugs and Cranks]
Joe Smith has some quotes from Andy Sonnanstine on his recent demotion. [The Heater]

Down On The Farm: Brignac Goes Deep Twice

The Professor — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:00:24 +0000

Durham 3, Charlotte 2. Jason Cromer pitched 6 innings and picked up his 2nd win, while Dale Thayer earned his 13th save…Reid Brignac was 2-4 with his 5th and 6th home runs. He drove in all 3 runs.

Jacksonville 5, Montgomery 3. Jeremy Hellickson gave up 5 hits in 5 innings, but 2 were home runs as he allowed 3 runs…Desmond Jennings went 0-4 while Matt Fields was 3-4 with a double.

Ft. Myers 2, Charlotte 1. Darin Downs gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings…Shawn O’Malley and Cody Cipriano each went 0-4.

Bowling Green 2, Rome 0. Matt Moore struck out 9 in 7.2 shutout innings. He gave up 5 hits and 2 walks…Tim Beckham went 1-4 with a double.

Hudson Valley 2, Vermont 1 (gm 1).

Vermont 4, Hudson Valley 2 (gm 2).

Princeton 3, Danville 2.

Notes from Down on the Farm…

Chris Nowak has been demoted from Durham to Montgomery. [Biscuit Crumbs]

The Sunburst Player Of The Game Pick ‘Em

The Professor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:00:21 +0000

Check Marc Topkin’s blog for the starting lineups.

One Year Ago On Rays Index

The Professor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:30:51 +0000

One year ago on Rays Index we told you that many in Red Sox Nation were unhappy about the Rays use of “Sweet Caroline” after the Rays swept the Red Sox. However, we thought it was a slightly different song the Rays played.

Sweep Caroline…Good Times Never Felt So Good [Rays Index]

The Daily Poll: Rookie Of The Year

The Professor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:46 +0000

Who do think will finish higher in the AL Rookie of the Year voting?(surveys)

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Some RI Love, A Minor Trade And Howell As Hoffman

The Professor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:09:36 +0000

click above image for boxscore

The image at right comes via National Geographic (thanks Jordi).

For those that missed the Twitter update, Mrs. Prof planned an anniversary trip for us to Big D to catch some Rays. I am not even lyin’. Totally her idea. The schedule here is a bit up in the air. But we will be sure to keep things updated on the Twitter feed.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

Some Rays Index Zorilla t-shirt love from Ted Keith at SI.com. Guess that is one way to keep us from jumping on his back for his low ranking of the Rays. [SI.com]
There is a new Rays blog. Stop on by and welcome them to the neighborhood. [Dock of the Rays]
The Rays traded Winston Abreu to the Indians for minor league reliever John Meloan. Abreu had been designated for assignment last week and had to be traded or released. [The Heater]
Marc Lancaster looks at JP Howell and how he is becoming the de facto closer. Joe Maddon likens Howell to Trevor Hoffman. [Tampa Tribune]
Joe Smith writes about the Gabe O’ the Day platoon and how it is finally starting to click. [St. Pete Times]
Dick Scanlon of the Lakeland Ledger notes that the Rays are winning in a diffent way as compared to last season. [Lakeland Ledger]
Chad Orvella has signed with the Royals and been assigned to double-A. [MLB Trade Rumors]
Joe Maddon Sucks now says Joe Maddon is managing “like a winner.” Our head just exploded. [Joe Maddon Sucks]
BJ Upton and Carl Crawford…the best duo in baseball? [Fox Sports]
Joe Smith also looks at the havoc created by having BJ Upton and Carl Crawford at the top of the order. [St. Pete Times]
Some wishful headlines for the Rays. [Trop It Like It's Hot]

Down On The Farm: Matt Joyce Homers In 4th Straight

The Professor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:00:53 +0000

Durham 8, Charlotte 6. Andy Sonnanstine, in his first start for Durham since 2007, allowed 2 runs in 6 innings on 7 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 3…Dale Thayer picked up his 12th save…Reid Brignac went 0-4…Matt Joyce went 2-3 with a double and his 10th home run. It was the 4th straight game in which he homered and 5th in the last 8.

Montgomery 5, Jacksonville 4. Desmond Jennings was 1-3 with 2 walks and his 29th stolen base…Joe Gaetti hit his 2nd home run.

Brevard Co. 9, Charlotte 4 (gm 1). Cody Cipriano went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI…Henry Wrigley drove in 2 with a single and a double in 4 at bats.

Charlotte 2, Brevard Co. 1 (gm 2). Austin Hinkle allowed just 1 run in 5 innings…Cody Cipriano was had a single and 2 walks in 3 plate appearances.

Bowling Green 5, Rome 0. Nick Barnese allowed just 2 hits in 6 shutout innings. He struck out 3 and walked 3…Tim Beckham was 1-5 with a triple and an RBI.

Vermont @ Hudson Valley. (ppd. rain)

Danville 5, Princeton 4.

Notes from Down on the Farm…

Reid Brignac has been named to the IL all-star team. [Triangle Offense]
Albert Suarez is going to need Tommy John surgery, joining Wade Townsend and Jake McGee as top pitching prospects that needed the surgery. [Rays Prospects]