Doesn't time fly?! So RAP was a bit AWOL through most of August for one reason or another, not least of which the two week holiday that I've just taken. Having been to the States in February it wasn't anything exciting - rather just a fortnight back at home in Basingstoke, escaping work, seeing friends and family, all that sort of thing.
And while it was a much-needed and enjoyable break, baseball-wise, it was highly frustrating. Because while we do have broadband at my mum's house, it has been pretty rubbish. So for the last two weeks I have been able to keep up to date with everything thats been happening in Rays-world, but haven't actually been able to see any of it. Hence, no writing.
But after getting the train back up to Edinburgh yesterday (6 hours, but cheaper than flying), I arrived home just in time to watch the Rays completely blitz the Orioles for their third consecutive double-digit score, and ninth series sweep of the season. The Yankees are heading to the Trop tomorrow, and I shall get back to proper blogging then (well Wednesday or Thursday, depending on when I watch the game). But for now, for me as much as for anyone else reading, here's a lightning recap of all the action since my last post...
12/8/08 - TB 1 - OAK 2
With Evan Longoria now on the DL, the Rays lose a tight one, unable to capitalise on solid pitching from Kaz, JP Howell and Grant Balfour.
13/8/08 - TB 3 - OAK 2
A twelfth win of the year for Andy Sonnanstine, backed by homeruns from Carlos Pena (his 22nd) and Eric Hinske (17).
14/8/08 - TB 7 - OAK 6 (12)
Runs-a-plenty in the last game I watched before heading south. Cliff Floyd went 1-2 with 4 walks, 4 runs and plenty of hustling around the basepaths. Troy Percival sprained his knee and headed to the DL, Grant Balfour couldn't manage to close the game out, but a twelfth inning homer by Pena sealed the series win.
15/8/08 - TB 7 - TEX 0
Matt Garza threw a brilliant 2-hitter, as Pena, Hinske, Willy Aybar and Gabe Gross all went deep to support him. It wasn't all plain sailing though, as BJ Upton was very publically benched in the 6th for a lack of hustle.
16/8/08 - TB 0 - TEX 3
The shutout tables were turned as the Upton-less Rays managed only three hits off of Texas starter Matt Harrison.
17/8/08 - TB 7 - TEX 4
BJ returned with 3 hits, a homer, 2 runs and 3 RBI to help Scott Kazmir to his 9th win of the year. Carlos Pena belted his 25th homer of the season, but the big talking point is Joe Maddon's decision to intentionally walk Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded in the ninth. Its just the fifth bases-loaded IBB in MLB history, but Joe is vindicated as Dan Wheeler strikes the next batter out to preserve the win.
18/8/08 - LAA 4 - TB 6
A thirteenth W for Sonny, helped by homers from Hinske and Cliff Floyd. The Angels try and mount a comeback, but Balfour, Bradford, Miller, Hammel and Wheeler secure things in relief.
19/8/08 - LAA 2 - TB 4
James Shields gave up just 2 runs in 8 innings of work, and was rewarded with win number 11 thanks to Willy Aybar's 2-out, 2-run single in the eighth.
20/8/08 - LAA 5 - TB 4
No sweep, but another series win, against the AL West pacesetters. An RBI-double by Carlos Pena tied things up late, but the Angels battled for the winning run in the ninth.
22/8/08 - TB 9 - CWS 4
Edwin Jackson became the latest Ray to celebrate win number 10, thanks to some persistant hitting. Carlos Pena hit his team-leading 26th homer, Ben Zobrist went deep as part of a 3-RBI day, and Rocco Baldelli belted his first homer since May 3, 2007.
23/8/08 - TB 5 - CWS 3
Scotty K put up a strong showing early, but left with a 6-inning no-decision as the Rays waited until a 4-run eighth to claim the lead. Jason Bartlett continued his hot August with a 3-4 day, while Aki Iwamura and Carlos Pena drove in 2 runs a piece.
24/8/08 - TB 5 - CWS 6 (10)
Rocco went deep in the top of the first, but the White Sox wouldn't go away, and eventually came through thanks in part to a questionable interference call in the bottom of the 10th.
26/8/08 - TOR 6 - TB 2
The Rays stranded 11 baserunners as Roy Halladay finally managed to record a W against Tampa Bay at the fourth attempt.
27/8/08 - TOR 0 - TB 1
Matt Garza shut out the Jays on 6 hits over 7 2/3 innings, and Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler did the rest. Carlos Pena's 27th homerun of the season was the only score.
28/8/08 - TOR 2 - TB 3
Edwin Jackson allowed only 1 run in seven innings work, while Cliff Floyd and Willy Aybar both homered to secure a 9th consecutive series win.
29/8/08 - BAL 3 - TB 14
The Rays set the Trop alight as they broke out the big bats against the Orioles and secured win number 82, and the first ever winning season in style. Cliff Floyd had a 3-hit, 5-RBI night, but the star of the show was Ben Zobrist who connected for his first ever MLB Grand Slam in the 4th. Gabe Gross and Shawn Riggans also went deep, and Scott Kazmir became the fifth Rays starter to hit the 10 win mark.
30/8/08 - BAL 9 - TB 10
Saturdays game is one that I intend to watch this evening, largely because of the way it ended. Runs, lead changes and hits galore, the win was finally sealed in the bottom of the 9th in walk-off style - the 10th of the year. And it was made even sweeter because the player who laced the game-winning double down the left field line was Rocco Baldelli.
31/8/08 - BAL 4 - TB 10
And so to yesterday's game, which made the long trip back up here seem worthwhile. James Shields gave up just one run in seven innings work, Rocco carried on where he had left off on Saturday, by drilling two more doubles down the line as part of a 3-3 day. Shawn Riggans also hit a pair of two-baggers, but the star was Jason Bartlett who capped a 4-4 day with his first homerun in a Rays uniform.
And so thats it. Up to date. Roster expansion call-ups have started, and for the first time ever, the Rays are making moves with the postseason in mind. The injured Jae-kyuk Ryu was called up and placed on the DL, a small move that could mean big things if we do indeed make it to October baseball. With Ryu and Chad Orvella on the DL, it means that we have two roster spots available to players who weren't in the majors before the August 31st deadline. And that means the possibility that David Price could be here when things are on the line. An exciting prospect indeed.
Catcher John Jaso and outfielder Fernando Perez were also called up, and Troy Percival activated, while Juan Salas was optioned so that Perez could be added before the deadline. Salas should be back on Tuesday.
A 21-7 record in August, with CC, Perci and Longoria all out of action was absolutely fantastic, and I really hope that we can carry the momentum down the stretch run. Longoria should be back soon, but as has been the case all year, when one player is out, you can be sure that another will step in and come up big. Jason Bartlett has been red hot all month, while Ben Zobrist has proven himself to be the utility player that every team longs for. I couldn't be happier about how either of them have done. Then there's Willy Aybar who has filled in admirably for Evan at third, and Cliff Floyd, Eric Hinske and Pena who have taken up the power-hitting and run-producing slack with Evan and CC out. And theres Rocco of course. I reckon a championship ring for him would be a feel-good story that would match even a Cubs pennant!
And lets not forget Joe Maddon. I hope the players don't falter, because Joe has been on top of his game every single step all season. When I saw that he had walked Hamilton with the bases loaded, it actually didn't surprise me. Conventional wisdom isn't what has gotten us this far, and I'm sure that isn't going to change now.
Yankees on Tuesday. The Red Sox next week. The big games are coming up. And I can't wait.
Showing posts with label Angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Angels. Show all posts
Monday, 1 September 2008
Monday, 16 June 2008
2 of 3 from the Fish; next up - Sweet Lou
Blitz recap from the weekend (and last week actually), before I get on with what I'm supposed to be doing... I am going to be super busy at work for the next couple of weeks (boo!), but then super un-busy for the following two months (yay!), so blogging might be a stop-start affair until then.
Right, here we go. The Angels series (and road-trip) ended with a hard-luck loss after another outstanding start from Scott Kazmir. Then it was back to the Trop for a three-game weekend series with the Marlins. Andy Sonnanstine started Friday, pitched fairly well and got the win. Matt Garza started Saturday night, pitched outstandingly and got the win. Edwin Jackson started Sunday night, pitched not great and was tagged with the loss. And Troy Percival made his return from the DL with a scoreless inning on Friday and a another to pick up the save on Saturday.
That was the story of the pitching.
At the plate, Jason Bartlett was the star of the weekend, going 5-9 with a handfull of RBIs and a couple of stolen bases. Jonny Gomes marked his return from suspension by hitting the first pitch he saw for a homerun and then, in true Jonny style, striking out his next three times up.
On the basepaths, we ran amok, with BJ Upton (2), Willy Aybar, Aki Iwamura, Justin Ruggiano (his first ever) and, magnificently, Cliff Floyd joining Bartlett in swiping bags over the series. Floyd's was particularly sweet, not just because he can hardly run, and not just because he was (apparently) wearing a pair of Carl Crawford's shoes, but because he drew a wild throw from the catcher, allowing him to make it all the way to third. Beautiful. Actually, speaking of which, I also caught some of the Cincinnati-Boston game on Saturday where Brandon Phillips was thrown out trying to steal two bases on one pitch. It was beautiful - although it would have been even better if he had made it!
In the field we were, save for one flyball that Upton and Gross left for each other, brilliant. I've been saying ever since he arrived, but Evan Longoria is just a joy to behold playing at third. Some of the plays he made are simply outstanding - on Saturday he made possibly his best yet, diving across the foul line behind the bag to grab a hard-hit grounder, and making the long throw across the diamond from his knees in time to make the out. Class. In fact, even when we weren't getting outs we were playing sparkling defense - two cases in point from Saturday, in the first inning Justin Ruggiano, making the start in left, chased down a fly ball that was twisting foul, and chased it hard. All the way to the low wall where the party area is at the Trop. And he didn't stop there either, barrelling over the wall and into the fans in an awesome effort to make the play. The second was later in the game, when Dioner Navarro somehow managed to stay with a towering pop that had bounced around in the catwalks high up in the roof to make the catch. Of course, as the ball had hit the catwalk in foul territory it was already dead, but it was a quality catch none-the-less.
Day off today, but tomorrow the Chicago Cubs will be making their first-ever visit to the Trop, meaning the return of Sweet Lou Piniella. If that wasn't enough anyway to make it a series worth watching, its going to be a real test of our potential play-off hopes, to see if we can match it with the best team in baseball. Scott Kazmir is on the mound first up, so we shall be giving them the best we have to offer. Should be a fun series.
Right, here we go. The Angels series (and road-trip) ended with a hard-luck loss after another outstanding start from Scott Kazmir. Then it was back to the Trop for a three-game weekend series with the Marlins. Andy Sonnanstine started Friday, pitched fairly well and got the win. Matt Garza started Saturday night, pitched outstandingly and got the win. Edwin Jackson started Sunday night, pitched not great and was tagged with the loss. And Troy Percival made his return from the DL with a scoreless inning on Friday and a another to pick up the save on Saturday.
That was the story of the pitching.
At the plate, Jason Bartlett was the star of the weekend, going 5-9 with a handfull of RBIs and a couple of stolen bases. Jonny Gomes marked his return from suspension by hitting the first pitch he saw for a homerun and then, in true Jonny style, striking out his next three times up.
On the basepaths, we ran amok, with BJ Upton (2), Willy Aybar, Aki Iwamura, Justin Ruggiano (his first ever) and, magnificently, Cliff Floyd joining Bartlett in swiping bags over the series. Floyd's was particularly sweet, not just because he can hardly run, and not just because he was (apparently) wearing a pair of Carl Crawford's shoes, but because he drew a wild throw from the catcher, allowing him to make it all the way to third. Beautiful. Actually, speaking of which, I also caught some of the Cincinnati-Boston game on Saturday where Brandon Phillips was thrown out trying to steal two bases on one pitch. It was beautiful - although it would have been even better if he had made it!
In the field we were, save for one flyball that Upton and Gross left for each other, brilliant. I've been saying ever since he arrived, but Evan Longoria is just a joy to behold playing at third. Some of the plays he made are simply outstanding - on Saturday he made possibly his best yet, diving across the foul line behind the bag to grab a hard-hit grounder, and making the long throw across the diamond from his knees in time to make the out. Class. In fact, even when we weren't getting outs we were playing sparkling defense - two cases in point from Saturday, in the first inning Justin Ruggiano, making the start in left, chased down a fly ball that was twisting foul, and chased it hard. All the way to the low wall where the party area is at the Trop. And he didn't stop there either, barrelling over the wall and into the fans in an awesome effort to make the play. The second was later in the game, when Dioner Navarro somehow managed to stay with a towering pop that had bounced around in the catwalks high up in the roof to make the catch. Of course, as the ball had hit the catwalk in foul territory it was already dead, but it was a quality catch none-the-less.
Day off today, but tomorrow the Chicago Cubs will be making their first-ever visit to the Trop, meaning the return of Sweet Lou Piniella. If that wasn't enough anyway to make it a series worth watching, its going to be a real test of our potential play-off hopes, to see if we can match it with the best team in baseball. Scott Kazmir is on the mound first up, so we shall be giving them the best we have to offer. Should be a fun series.
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Net lag: Monday Night Rays go back-to-back-to-back
Tampa Bay Rays 13 - Los Angeles Angels 4
Tampa Bay Rays 1 - Los Angeles Angels 6
I hope that no-one will mind that I am only mentioning last night's defeat to the Angels in passing - I didn't watch it live (with a 3am start time, I think I am excused that), and I won't have the chance to watch it tonight. But its another road loss for James Shields, and it sounds like a tough one, where he was making his pitches, but just got beat by good hitting a couple of times. Thems the breaks.
Monday night's game, on the other hand, I did watch, and so saw all the breaks going the Rays way. Actually thats underselling things a little, because against the in-form Joe Saunders our hitters really found their swing.
It all started in the second inning, when Evan Longoria led off with another mammoth homer to left field. He was followed to the plate by the hot-hitting Willy Aybar, who I must admit has surprised me since he rejoined the team. He followed Evan exactly, belting another ball clear over the head of the leftfielder, and into the bullpen. Step forward Dioner Navarro. Navvy works a 3-2 count and, on the pay-off pitch connects just like Evan and Willy have done before, over the fence in left, back-to-back-to-back homeruns for the first time in franchise history.
Still, things are often interesting with Edwin Jackson on the hill, and indeed by the time the fourth was over, the Angels had moved into a 4-3 lead.
Still, not to worry. From there on in, it was all about the Rays hitters. 5 runs in the top of the fifth. 2 in the seventh. 1 in the eighth. And, just for good measure, 2 more in the ninth. The charge was well and truly led by Navvy, who with a 2-run double, an RBI-single, and another double continued his mighty form at the plate. That 4-5, 4RBI, 3-run day was almost matched by Evan though, who added another homerun in the ninth (his tenth of the season), as well as an RBI-double, to go 3-4 with 3RBI and 4 runs scored.
Indeed, nobody wanted to be left out, with all nine starters getting at least one hit, for a team-total of 18. Everybody except Aki Iwamura and Justin Ruggiano picked up an RBI - and Ruggiano, making the start in centre to give BJ Upton a rest at DH, made up for that by collecting 2 outfield assists. We turned three double plays, CC stole two bases, Edwin settled down and pitched a scoreless fifth, sixth and seventh, and all was right in Rays-world.
The loss last night though meant that we missed out on the opportunity to move back level with the Sox atop the East, and guaranteed a losing road-trip. Still, if we can win tonight's finale, we will have won 2 of the 3 series, which wouldn't be too bad at all. Trying to make it happen on the hill will be Scotty Kazmir, and he's going up against John Lackey, in what should be a cracking pitching matchup.
Tampa Bay Rays 1 - Los Angeles Angels 6
I hope that no-one will mind that I am only mentioning last night's defeat to the Angels in passing - I didn't watch it live (with a 3am start time, I think I am excused that), and I won't have the chance to watch it tonight. But its another road loss for James Shields, and it sounds like a tough one, where he was making his pitches, but just got beat by good hitting a couple of times. Thems the breaks.
Monday night's game, on the other hand, I did watch, and so saw all the breaks going the Rays way. Actually thats underselling things a little, because against the in-form Joe Saunders our hitters really found their swing.
It all started in the second inning, when Evan Longoria led off with another mammoth homer to left field. He was followed to the plate by the hot-hitting Willy Aybar, who I must admit has surprised me since he rejoined the team. He followed Evan exactly, belting another ball clear over the head of the leftfielder, and into the bullpen. Step forward Dioner Navarro. Navvy works a 3-2 count and, on the pay-off pitch connects just like Evan and Willy have done before, over the fence in left, back-to-back-to-back homeruns for the first time in franchise history.
Still, things are often interesting with Edwin Jackson on the hill, and indeed by the time the fourth was over, the Angels had moved into a 4-3 lead.
Still, not to worry. From there on in, it was all about the Rays hitters. 5 runs in the top of the fifth. 2 in the seventh. 1 in the eighth. And, just for good measure, 2 more in the ninth. The charge was well and truly led by Navvy, who with a 2-run double, an RBI-single, and another double continued his mighty form at the plate. That 4-5, 4RBI, 3-run day was almost matched by Evan though, who added another homerun in the ninth (his tenth of the season), as well as an RBI-double, to go 3-4 with 3RBI and 4 runs scored.
Indeed, nobody wanted to be left out, with all nine starters getting at least one hit, for a team-total of 18. Everybody except Aki Iwamura and Justin Ruggiano picked up an RBI - and Ruggiano, making the start in centre to give BJ Upton a rest at DH, made up for that by collecting 2 outfield assists. We turned three double plays, CC stole two bases, Edwin settled down and pitched a scoreless fifth, sixth and seventh, and all was right in Rays-world.
The loss last night though meant that we missed out on the opportunity to move back level with the Sox atop the East, and guaranteed a losing road-trip. Still, if we can win tonight's finale, we will have won 2 of the 3 series, which wouldn't be too bad at all. Trying to make it happen on the hill will be Scotty Kazmir, and he's going up against John Lackey, in what should be a cracking pitching matchup.
Monday, 12 May 2008
Two from the Jays, and an Angels sweep
What is it, a week since I last wrote something? Well, while I basically haven't seen the Rays play in that time, we have, I think it is fair to say, had a good week.
It started with the Rays taking two of three up in Toronto, the third game a 13-inning spectacular that, despite Troy Percival blowing his first save of the season, saw the players keep on battling, finally being rewarded with the win thanks largely to a grand-slam from Dioner Navarro (who is still swinging a hot bat).
Then the AL West-leading Angels came to the Trop. And, well, they're not leading it now they've left. Here's the game highlights, in reverse order.
Game three last night saw Andy Sonnanstine struggle a bit on the hill, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings. But our hitters seem to appreciate that the pitchers have been keeping them in the game when the bats have been cold so far this year, and saw yesterday as an excellent opportunity to pay them back. Cliff Floyd, back off the DL, went 2-4 with 2RBI, and Aki Iwamura, Carl Crawford and BJ Upton all rapped out 3 hits a piece. CC was the star of the show, stealing 2 bases and belting a sixth-inning 3-run homerun to put the Rays on top for good. JP Howell pitched 3 innings of scoreless relief to get the win, and Perci picked up his 9th save of the season to seal an 8-5 win.
Game two on Saturday was more in keeping with most of our wins of late - great pitching complimented with just enough offense to get us over the line. And the guy throwing strikes for the the good guys was Scott Kazmir, which just makes things even sweeter. Kaz put his shaky season debut behind him, and threw 6 strong shutout innings, giving up only 3 hits while striking out 6. He was backed up with some outstanding relief from Trever Miller, Troy Percival and, in particular, Dan Wheeler, who really continues to impress. All the runs that the pitchers needed came on an Evan Longoria groundout in the first and a Carlos Pena sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Now game one, and this is the game that I intend to watch this evening. Because if James Shields' previous start at the Trop was outstanding, then this one was simply phenomenal. Shields took just 92 pitches to throw his second consecutive complete-game shutout at home. Having allowed 2 hits last time round, this time he gave up but a solitary single in the third. Only one other batter reached base, a hit-by-pitch in the fourth, but he was then wiped out on a double-play, meaning Shields faced only 28 batters in his gem, one over the minimum. He racked up eight strikeouts, and moves his record to 4-2 on the year.
He was made to sweat on the win though, and was getting ready to pitch the tenth when Evan Longoria came to the plate with a man on in the ninth. Jon Garland had pitched 8 shutout innings for Anaheim, but reliever Speir threw a pitch that Longoria liked the look of, and one-swing later it was game-over. Evan's first walk-off homerun. I saw a great stat in (I think) the St Pete Times - apparently it was just the 4th time in MLB history that a pitcher has got the win thanks to a walk-off homerun in the ninth after allowing no more than one hit. And he deserved it.
All that takes us 2 1/2 games clear of Baltimore and New York in second place in the East, and at 21-16 just a game and a half back of Boston. We are 5 games over .500 for the first time ever. And I know its still early, but it sure is fun to be winning!
The test though comes to town tonight in the shape of the Yankees. Matt Garza gets the nod for the Rays, and he will go up against Andy Pettitte. I probably won't watch the game until tomorrow, because while I would like to stay up, I am feeling pretty dreadful with a good ol' case of man-flu, and I don't think a late night would help that much!
It started with the Rays taking two of three up in Toronto, the third game a 13-inning spectacular that, despite Troy Percival blowing his first save of the season, saw the players keep on battling, finally being rewarded with the win thanks largely to a grand-slam from Dioner Navarro (who is still swinging a hot bat).
Then the AL West-leading Angels came to the Trop. And, well, they're not leading it now they've left. Here's the game highlights, in reverse order.
Game three last night saw Andy Sonnanstine struggle a bit on the hill, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings. But our hitters seem to appreciate that the pitchers have been keeping them in the game when the bats have been cold so far this year, and saw yesterday as an excellent opportunity to pay them back. Cliff Floyd, back off the DL, went 2-4 with 2RBI, and Aki Iwamura, Carl Crawford and BJ Upton all rapped out 3 hits a piece. CC was the star of the show, stealing 2 bases and belting a sixth-inning 3-run homerun to put the Rays on top for good. JP Howell pitched 3 innings of scoreless relief to get the win, and Perci picked up his 9th save of the season to seal an 8-5 win.
Game two on Saturday was more in keeping with most of our wins of late - great pitching complimented with just enough offense to get us over the line. And the guy throwing strikes for the the good guys was Scott Kazmir, which just makes things even sweeter. Kaz put his shaky season debut behind him, and threw 6 strong shutout innings, giving up only 3 hits while striking out 6. He was backed up with some outstanding relief from Trever Miller, Troy Percival and, in particular, Dan Wheeler, who really continues to impress. All the runs that the pitchers needed came on an Evan Longoria groundout in the first and a Carlos Pena sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Now game one, and this is the game that I intend to watch this evening. Because if James Shields' previous start at the Trop was outstanding, then this one was simply phenomenal. Shields took just 92 pitches to throw his second consecutive complete-game shutout at home. Having allowed 2 hits last time round, this time he gave up but a solitary single in the third. Only one other batter reached base, a hit-by-pitch in the fourth, but he was then wiped out on a double-play, meaning Shields faced only 28 batters in his gem, one over the minimum. He racked up eight strikeouts, and moves his record to 4-2 on the year.
He was made to sweat on the win though, and was getting ready to pitch the tenth when Evan Longoria came to the plate with a man on in the ninth. Jon Garland had pitched 8 shutout innings for Anaheim, but reliever Speir threw a pitch that Longoria liked the look of, and one-swing later it was game-over. Evan's first walk-off homerun. I saw a great stat in (I think) the St Pete Times - apparently it was just the 4th time in MLB history that a pitcher has got the win thanks to a walk-off homerun in the ninth after allowing no more than one hit. And he deserved it.
All that takes us 2 1/2 games clear of Baltimore and New York in second place in the East, and at 21-16 just a game and a half back of Boston. We are 5 games over .500 for the first time ever. And I know its still early, but it sure is fun to be winning!
The test though comes to town tonight in the shape of the Yankees. Matt Garza gets the nod for the Rays, and he will go up against Andy Pettitte. I probably won't watch the game until tomorrow, because while I would like to stay up, I am feeling pretty dreadful with a good ol' case of man-flu, and I don't think a late night would help that much!
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