Texas Rangers 12 - Tampa Bay 6
Texas Rangers 3 - Tampa Bay 5
Just a quick note on games 2 and 3 of the Rangers series, as I was rather doing other things while I had the two games on, and while Tuesday's loss was very disappointing, Wednesday's was extrememly encouraging.
On Tuesday, Andy Sonnanstine made his second poor start in a row, giving up 7 runs, although only a couple of them were earned, after a rare error by Evan Longoria (on an admittedly tough play). The roll of the ball was off for Evan all night in fact, as a couple of times he let the ball go, almost certain it was going foul, only to see it straighten up and hit the bag at third. Homeruns from Eric Hinske and Cliff Floyd gave the Rays a chance, but the game was put out of reach by - who else - Josh Hamilton, hitting a grand slam. He didn't have an outstanding series by any means, but I'm sure that that hit meant a lot to him. And as someone who has followed his struggles and his comeback, I'm pleased for him.
I was more pleased, however, about Wednesday's performance. Matt Garza was on the hill, and pretty much unstoppable in what must be his best outing for the Rays yet. He was perfect through the first three innings, gave up a couple of runs in the fourth, but then bounced back to stop the Rangers from there on in. He threw 8 innings and allowed just 4 hits while striking out a season-high ten.
The key inning for the Rays was a four-run fifth, in which two of our runs scored on bases-loaded walks. We drew 9 walks in total during the game, matching our season high. With a three-run lead, Troy Percival came in for the ninth, but with two outs felt the same tightness he experienced last week in Oakland, and left the game. Dan Wheeler came in, and after allowing one of the inherited runners to score, got the final out and the save thanks to a fantastic diving catch from BJ Upton.
The win kept us top of the pile in the East, but the bad news is that while scans have shown nothing serious, Perci has been placed on the DL. Its a pretty big blow, not just for his work on the mound (which has been excellent) but also because of his leadership. He should be back as soon as the 15 days are up however. To take his roster spot, the Rays have reinstated Willy Aybar from the DL. Its going to be interesting to see how he fits back in. To be honest I don't think he's needed, while he is solid enough, I don't want him taking playing time away from Evan at third, and as a utility backup Ben Zobrist is a better option, for while Aybar has more pop, Zobrist can play everywhere (he made the start in right on Wednesday) including shortstop. Its going to be interesting to see whether we keep the extra position player, or if another move is going to be made soon to fill Perci's spot in the 'pen.
Last night we started a four-game set with the White Sox, with Edwin Jackson on the hill. News on that will, I'm sure, follow soon!
Showing posts with label Disabled List. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disabled List. Show all posts
Friday, 30 May 2008
Thursday, 10 April 2008
And more...
So now we can add Cliff Floyd to the Disabled List. But of course. That makes it 8 players on the DL, including our starting catcher, DH, and two of the top three in our rotation. Not good.
In Floyd's absence, we lost 7-1 to the Mariners last night in a game that I didn't watch any of. Prospect Justin Ruggiano made the start in right field, having been called up to replace Floyd, and Jae-kuk Ryu pitched an inning and a third in relief on his return. I'm looking forward to seeing Ruggiano, as he seems to be pretty well thought of within the organisation - though I would imagine his arrival could lead to even less playing time for Jonny Gomes. Ok, so Gomes is only hitting .200 right now, but thats the same as Carlos Pena, and better than CC and Aki Iwamura. Our bats are struggling badly, and, with some fairly solid pitching displays, are the main reason that we've slipped from a 3-1 start to the current 3-5 record.
Series finale against the M's this afternoon - a 12.40pm EST start, which is a very reasonable 5.40pm for me, meaning that if I leave work pretty quicksharpish then I should be home in time for first pitch. Good stuff. Edwin Jackson, who put in the best performance first time through the rotation, makes his second appearance of the season for the Rays.
In Floyd's absence, we lost 7-1 to the Mariners last night in a game that I didn't watch any of. Prospect Justin Ruggiano made the start in right field, having been called up to replace Floyd, and Jae-kuk Ryu pitched an inning and a third in relief on his return. I'm looking forward to seeing Ruggiano, as he seems to be pretty well thought of within the organisation - though I would imagine his arrival could lead to even less playing time for Jonny Gomes. Ok, so Gomes is only hitting .200 right now, but thats the same as Carlos Pena, and better than CC and Aki Iwamura. Our bats are struggling badly, and, with some fairly solid pitching displays, are the main reason that we've slipped from a 3-1 start to the current 3-5 record.
Series finale against the M's this afternoon - a 12.40pm EST start, which is a very reasonable 5.40pm for me, meaning that if I leave work pretty quicksharpish then I should be home in time for first pitch. Good stuff. Edwin Jackson, who put in the best performance first time through the rotation, makes his second appearance of the season for the Rays.
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Rays have battle, more bad luck
Seattle Mariners 6 - Tampa Bay Rays 5
Not quite the home opener that the new, improved Rays had been after, methinks. I watched the first 5 innings last night, before tiredness and the thought of getting up for work got the better of me, and while it was an enjoyable game, it was also one of those where you have the feeling that its just not going to be your night.
The bad news first is that Matt Garza had to be taken out in the third with a sore arm, and has been put on the 15-day disabled list. Which is not good. Jae-kuk Ryu has been called up from Durham, but won't be taking Garza's place in the rotation - that is likely to go to either JP Howell or possibly Jeff Niemann. I'm hoping that we finally get the chance to have a look at Niemann.
Good news was the excellent, battling display of hitting off of Eric Bedard. Shawn Riggans homered in the second (his first ever in the big leagues), and Carlos Pena followed in the third. It was the fifth however that showed the all-round game that we need to see this year. Carl Crawford and Pena had excellent at-bats, fighting off pitches really well, which is still all too rare a sight for the Rays. BJ Upton worked a nice walk, and then he and Jonny Gomes showed some great hustle to force an error on a broken bat grounder to short. That set up a play that I just love to see. Jonny took off for second, and had the bag stolen easily. Johjima rushed a throw across to second anyway, and BJ took off from third, stealing home unchallenged. I don't care how its done, there is just something so satisfying about a steal of home. We actually scored 2 runs in the fifth without getting a hit, which is always a nice trick to turn.
That was that though for the hitters, and the Mariners re-took the lead for good in the sixth. The bullpen did a nice job all-in-all though, Troy Percival and Dan Wheeler in particular. Very encouraging sign - Scott Dohmann and Wheeler inherited 3 and 2 baserunners respectively when they came in, and let none of them score.
Meanwhile Kaz threw a bullpen session, and reported feeling good afterwards. Here's hoping he's back soon. Andy Sonnanstine makes his second start of the year tonight, and will be hoping to carry on where he left off in the last few innings of his first start.
Not quite the home opener that the new, improved Rays had been after, methinks. I watched the first 5 innings last night, before tiredness and the thought of getting up for work got the better of me, and while it was an enjoyable game, it was also one of those where you have the feeling that its just not going to be your night.
The bad news first is that Matt Garza had to be taken out in the third with a sore arm, and has been put on the 15-day disabled list. Which is not good. Jae-kuk Ryu has been called up from Durham, but won't be taking Garza's place in the rotation - that is likely to go to either JP Howell or possibly Jeff Niemann. I'm hoping that we finally get the chance to have a look at Niemann.
Good news was the excellent, battling display of hitting off of Eric Bedard. Shawn Riggans homered in the second (his first ever in the big leagues), and Carlos Pena followed in the third. It was the fifth however that showed the all-round game that we need to see this year. Carl Crawford and Pena had excellent at-bats, fighting off pitches really well, which is still all too rare a sight for the Rays. BJ Upton worked a nice walk, and then he and Jonny Gomes showed some great hustle to force an error on a broken bat grounder to short. That set up a play that I just love to see. Jonny took off for second, and had the bag stolen easily. Johjima rushed a throw across to second anyway, and BJ took off from third, stealing home unchallenged. I don't care how its done, there is just something so satisfying about a steal of home. We actually scored 2 runs in the fifth without getting a hit, which is always a nice trick to turn.
That was that though for the hitters, and the Mariners re-took the lead for good in the sixth. The bullpen did a nice job all-in-all though, Troy Percival and Dan Wheeler in particular. Very encouraging sign - Scott Dohmann and Wheeler inherited 3 and 2 baserunners respectively when they came in, and let none of them score.
Meanwhile Kaz threw a bullpen session, and reported feeling good afterwards. Here's hoping he's back soon. Andy Sonnanstine makes his second start of the year tonight, and will be hoping to carry on where he left off in the last few innings of his first start.
Saturday, 5 April 2008
Taking advantage
Tampa Bay Rays 13 - New York Yankees 4
After the frustration of wednesday night, last night's game at Yankee Stadium was a joy to watch for a Rays fan. It wasn't just a question of getting a W in the books against the Yanks (though that is always nice), but it was the way we went about it.
It started off well in the top of the first, with CC stealing second, moving over on a ground out, and scoring on a Cliff Floyd single.
The third was probably the most pleasing inning we'll see for a while - with Ian Kennedy struggling, the Rays hitters properly took advantage. All too often it seemed last year that when the opposition starter didn't have his best stuff we would score maybe one or two, but miss out on a big inning through impatience at the plate. Last night was different though. Aki Iwamura (who reached base all five times he came up) led off with a single, CC grounded out, Pena walked, Upton singled home CC and Floyd walked, loading the bases.
That should have brought Dioner Navarro to the plate, but instead up came backup catcher Shawn Riggans for his first at-bat of the season, and his first ever with the bases loaded. Far from being over-awed, Riggans worked a 3-1 count, and then belted a bases-clearing double out to right centre. That knocked Kennedy from the game, but Eric Hinske greeted his replacement with the first of his two doubles, scoring Riggans and pushing the Rays lead to 6-0 after 3.
Maybe that should have been that, but with the Yanks getting back at the Rays on the bottom of the inning the win was far from secure. Until the eighth that is, when, with two outs, we put the game well beyond the reach even of the big Yankee bats. The inning started innocuously, Cliff Floyd adding an insurance run with his second homer of the year, sandwiched between two groundouts. Then things got fun. Hinske doubled. Haynes singled. Jason Bartlett singled, scoring both. Aki singled. CC singled, scoring Bartlett. And for the final exclamation point, Carlos Pena ripped a three-run upper decker. 13-4, game over. Adding runs when the pitcher is struggling. That has got to become the rule rather than the exception for the Rays.
Our pitching, on the other hand, was a delight. Andy Sonnanstine was quite exceptional - save for a very shaky bottom of the third. Sitting watching our scoring seemed to knock him off his stride as he gave up four runs straight back. But he regrouped, and retired the last 10 batters he faced, ending with a line of 6 IP, 6 H, 4ER, 4K, and the W. In relief, Trever Miller was solid, while Dan Wheeler and Scott Dohmann were superb. Wheeler took just 4 pitches for the three outs in the 7th, and Dohmann was simlarly efficient in shutting down the 9th. Very pleasing all round, and I hope that there will be plenty more to come from them.
The only downside of the night was the bizarre incident that was the cause of Riggans' pinch-hitting exploits. Apparently, Dioner Navarro slipped going into the dugout, badly cutting his throwing hand. So badly, in fact, that he's been placed on the DL, promoting Riggans to starter, and seeing the return of original-Devil Ray Mike DiFelice, after an absence of 7 years, as his backup.
Day game at the Stadium today, Edwin Jackson will be making his season debut for the Rays, weather permitting. Also worth looking out for - Jonny Gomes will be making his first start of the year, while young utility infielder Elliot Johnson will be making his ML debut.
After the frustration of wednesday night, last night's game at Yankee Stadium was a joy to watch for a Rays fan. It wasn't just a question of getting a W in the books against the Yanks (though that is always nice), but it was the way we went about it.
It started off well in the top of the first, with CC stealing second, moving over on a ground out, and scoring on a Cliff Floyd single.
The third was probably the most pleasing inning we'll see for a while - with Ian Kennedy struggling, the Rays hitters properly took advantage. All too often it seemed last year that when the opposition starter didn't have his best stuff we would score maybe one or two, but miss out on a big inning through impatience at the plate. Last night was different though. Aki Iwamura (who reached base all five times he came up) led off with a single, CC grounded out, Pena walked, Upton singled home CC and Floyd walked, loading the bases.
That should have brought Dioner Navarro to the plate, but instead up came backup catcher Shawn Riggans for his first at-bat of the season, and his first ever with the bases loaded. Far from being over-awed, Riggans worked a 3-1 count, and then belted a bases-clearing double out to right centre. That knocked Kennedy from the game, but Eric Hinske greeted his replacement with the first of his two doubles, scoring Riggans and pushing the Rays lead to 6-0 after 3.
Maybe that should have been that, but with the Yanks getting back at the Rays on the bottom of the inning the win was far from secure. Until the eighth that is, when, with two outs, we put the game well beyond the reach even of the big Yankee bats. The inning started innocuously, Cliff Floyd adding an insurance run with his second homer of the year, sandwiched between two groundouts. Then things got fun. Hinske doubled. Haynes singled. Jason Bartlett singled, scoring both. Aki singled. CC singled, scoring Bartlett. And for the final exclamation point, Carlos Pena ripped a three-run upper decker. 13-4, game over. Adding runs when the pitcher is struggling. That has got to become the rule rather than the exception for the Rays.
Our pitching, on the other hand, was a delight. Andy Sonnanstine was quite exceptional - save for a very shaky bottom of the third. Sitting watching our scoring seemed to knock him off his stride as he gave up four runs straight back. But he regrouped, and retired the last 10 batters he faced, ending with a line of 6 IP, 6 H, 4ER, 4K, and the W. In relief, Trever Miller was solid, while Dan Wheeler and Scott Dohmann were superb. Wheeler took just 4 pitches for the three outs in the 7th, and Dohmann was simlarly efficient in shutting down the 9th. Very pleasing all round, and I hope that there will be plenty more to come from them.
The only downside of the night was the bizarre incident that was the cause of Riggans' pinch-hitting exploits. Apparently, Dioner Navarro slipped going into the dugout, badly cutting his throwing hand. So badly, in fact, that he's been placed on the DL, promoting Riggans to starter, and seeing the return of original-Devil Ray Mike DiFelice, after an absence of 7 years, as his backup.
Day game at the Stadium today, Edwin Jackson will be making his season debut for the Rays, weather permitting. Also worth looking out for - Jonny Gomes will be making his first start of the year, while young utility infielder Elliot Johnson will be making his ML debut.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
