Continue reading "Nobodys perfect"

Now I assume most of the Boston fans are screaming and their faces are steaming with team colors and pride.  But we have to look at match ups in the remaining schedule.  The Red Sox have a tougher remaining schedule than the Wild Card leader Texas Rangers and the only other team with an outside chance in Tampa Bay, has a tougher remaining season schedule than either and it would be one of the more amazing stretch runs if they make it.  The Red Sox have 20 games left against teams that are trying to make the playoffs, this of course comes with 6 games against all of Boston's beloved Johnny Damon and the New York Yankees, 6 games against newly acquired division rival Tampa Bay, who play tough at home, and 3 games with the Angels.  Out of the 20 playoff type team games left, there are 8 interesting games between the White Sox and Red Sox.  I'm not going to predict any winners from these games {insert 2005 playoff flashback here} but will be some of the most intriguing match ups of the season as Chicago has bolstered their hitting and pitching with the addition of Alexei Rios and SP Jake Peavy.  Peavy has been rumored for a late August return or early September return and could be a factor.  The White Sox are doing everything they can to try to win the Central this season.

Continue reading "Boston Red Sox to MISS Playoffs in 09"

Reports say that Joba went home to Oklahoma during the All-Star Break. He didn't even think about baseball. He just spent quality time with his family. He only had a couple of throwing sessions and that's it! Nothing complicated. No pressure. No nothing. Just basic throwing. No Joba rules to worry about.

As a family man with 2 kids, I can relate with how Chamberlain can come back and have success on the mound his first 2 starts back . Joba was grinding it out in the first half. He was working hard with coaches trying to figure things out. This is a lot like a student grinding it out with his schoolwork; grinding it out with his schoolwork, getting pressure from his teachers to do better, getting pressure to keep their GPA up, but oh, when the semester is over, they go home, hang out with family and friend, and just breathe. When the new semester starts, they're fresh minded and ready to go.

Continue reading "How Joba Got His Groove Back"

Continue reading "Much love for Don Zimmer at Yankee Stadium"

And if 4 All-Stars wasn't enough, Carlos Pena is in the running for the final fan vote, battling it out against Ian Kinsler, Brandon Inge, Chone Figgins, and Adam Lind. Pena, leads the American League in homeruns, but sports just a .230 average. If Pena fails to makes the team, he would become just the 9th player since 1951 to lead the AL in homeruns, but not make the All-Star team. However, if he does make the team, it would add to the record breaking number of Rays to make the All-Star team. In attempts to get him in, the Rays and the Tampa Bay area have launched a "Vote Los" campaign to get Pena the final roster spot.

Continue reading "Rays send 4 All-Stars to St Louis look to send a 5th"

Matt Garza pitched 8 strong innings, giving up only 3 hits, striking out 7 and giving up 1 earned run. His only mistake was a ball Werth hit out of the ballpark for a solo shot. Equally as impressive, Joe Blanton matched Garza as best he could, going 7+ allowing 6 hits, striking out 10 and giving up 2 earned runs. He also only made one mistake the whole game, the only difference was Carlos Pena was on first base when he left a 0-1 fastball over the heart of the plate. Pat Burrell didn't miss it and launched it into the left field seats for just his second home run of the season.

Continue reading "Burrell goes deep against his former team Bartlett extends his streak Rays win"

Burrell blasted a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning of the Phillies-Rays World Series rematch from last year, at Tropicana Field, scoring Carlos Pena and giving the Rays (not to be confused with the "Devil Rays" of extinction, formerly) an early lead that would bulster.  The wheels came off in the bottom of the 8th when middle reliever JC Romero gave up 4 hits, a walk & a hit batter in his outing.  

Jimmy Rollins continued to struggle with the bat. He went 0-4 tonight, lowering his average, to .211- barely over the mendoza line.  He'll look for another chance to pick his game up, tomorrow night vs. Andy Sonnanstine. 

Continue reading "Mistakes Made and Pitching Counts Phillies falter to Rays giving up 5 in the 8th"

Among the highlights:

I saw Evan Longoria hit home runs – his 15th and 16th - on back-to-back nights.  The first shot got the Rays on the board in the first inning on Tuesday en route to their 12-4 win over the Rockies, whose 11-game winning streak came to an end.

I watched Rays’ phenom David Price pitch against Aaron Cook, who in my opinion should have been the MVP of last year’s All-Star Game.  (People have a hard time voting for a player from the losing team, but Cook was more valuable to the N.L. than J.D. Drew was to the A.L.)  Price got knocked around for four runs in the second inning, but recovered to last seven innings while allowing five runs.  He was outpitched by Cook, however, who went seven innings and gave up just three runs.  Each surrendered two home runs, but the ones hit off Cook were both solo shots (including Longoria’s).  In addition to a solo homer, Price served up a three-run bomb.

Continue reading "Mile High Baseball"

 Apart from his 4 run second inning, which included back to back base hits and a three run homer, David Price's outing last night was decent. He was finally able to go deeper into the game, something he was determined to do after several of his previous starts fell short. He gave up 5 earned in 7 innings of work. Unfortunately for the Rays, the couldn't match that offensively. Solo blasts from Crawford and Longoria and a RBI single by Burrell was the only support Price got, giving him his first loss of the season.

 Aaron Cook performed extremely well, pitching exactly the way you need to at Coors field; with a hard sinker and ground outs upon ground outs. Cook went 7 innings, giving up 3 earned runs and striking out 3, putting up the best performance by a red-head since Kathy Griffin on "Celebrity Mole".

Continue reading "Rockies return the favor snap the Rays 6 game win streak"

 When Garza stepped on the hill to start the game, at home, against the Nationals, it felt like an automatic win, however when Garza stepped off the hill at the end of the top half of the first, it seemed like it would be a long night. With little control, he gave up 3 runs in the first while throwing over 30 pitches. But to Garza's credit, he battled through the next 4.2 innings and put up all zeros. And then the inconsistent bullpen followed and finished with 4.1 scoreless innings. So all they needed was 4 runs to pull out a victory.

Continue reading "Rays barely get by the leagues worst team"