Today's the day

Actually, scrub that and start again. Today is the Rays' day.

No matter which way you look at it, today is all about the Rays. The story is well known by now, but it still trumps all the others, at least in my (biased!) view. No offence to the other playoff contenders, who have all earned the right to take their shot at the ultimate goal, but the Rays are the story. Manny reinvigorating the Dodgers? Meh. Phillies' first playoff win in 15 years? Who cares. Brewers's first playoff appearance in 26 years? Nice, but still. Both Chicago teams in the post-season since, well since before Wrigley (and thats saying something!). Good, but not all that. The Angels and the Red Sox? Pfft, seen it all before.

But the Rays?

10 years of misery, and a break-out like never before. 9 last place finishes and one fourth place. A best of 70 wins, and an average of 97 losses. No fans, no wins, no hope. Right?

Nope.

The past few years, I've watched a couple of hundred or so Rays games on TV (well, the internet). And I've been to one Rays game live (a 4-3 defeat to Seattle at Safeco back in 2003, in case you haven't read my profile!). I've seen a good deal of pretty bad baseball. Sure, I've seen some excitement, some young talent and a few big wins. But mostly I've seen losing. Lots of losing. Lots and lots and lots of losing. With no end in sight.

At least I have the opportunity to turn my computer off and forget about things. If I don't want to know whats happening in the world of baseball, I simply don't go to my bookmarked baseball websites for a while, and I'm completely in the dark.

But the fans in Tampa and St Pete? They've had 10 years of losing. And 10 years of everybody, every newspaper, every magazine, every TV report reminding them of the losing. It doesn't worry me that attendances at the Trop are so low, it amazes me that they're still so high. I've sat through plenty of bad football (soccer) in my time, and I know that watching losing is not fun. So for the season-ticket holders who have sat through everything thats gone on at the Trop over the Ray's first decade have nothing but my respect.

And now they have their reward. For their patience, their belief and their support. As excited as I am about today, I can only imagine what it is like for the good people of Tampa and St Pete. This is their day. They've earned it.

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I haven't written anything since Monday, and for once its not because I've been too busy. Its because I literally don't know where to start. This week I must have read over 100 articles on the Rays combined between the St Pete Times, the Rays' site and ESPN. Not to mention the random ones that crop up in the various other baseball related sites I visit. This is how big this week is - the Rays have even had a mention on the BBC website. Wow.

And now, with 6 hours to go until James Shields makes a little bit of Rays' history, I still don't know where to start. The rotation is set. The lineup is set. The roster is (more-or-less) set. The White Sox are in town. Playoff baseball is about to hit St Pete.

It's a strange feeling that I have right now. I mean, excitement and anticipation are the overriding things, but thats not all there is to it. There's the hope - we could go all the way. There's the fear - what if we fade without a trace. And there's the confusion - what should I be expecting? Should I be reckoning on a month's worth of games, or will it be all over this weekend. I mean, I want us to win it all, I don't think there's any reason that we can't win it all - but at the same time I don't want to be disappointed if we fall at the first hurdle. This is a young team, who have already outperformed all expectations. There's no reason they can't continue to do that. But if they don't, then I don't want to criticise, I want to celebrate them getting even this far. Its not an easy balance to maintain.

So I've decided. When its all over, I'm going to look back on the season as one of triumph and success. But for now I'm treating it the only way that a playoff team's fan (and isn't that an unusually feeling) can. The only outcome is a World Series win. That's what I'm gunning for, because that's what the Rays are gunning for. We're in it to win it.

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And the quest starts with the ball in the hands of James Shields. Of the guys on the Rays rotation, he probably has about the fourth-best pure stuff. But he is the ace. He has earned that mantle. As much as I love Kaz, and as good as Garza is going to be, Shields is the right person to start this all off. Scotty K will get game 2, Matt Garza game 3, and, if we get that far, Andy Sonnanstine will start in game 4. While the first three were no-brainers for Joe Maddon, the last choice was anything but. Both Sonny and Edwin Jackson have been inconsistant at times this year, but for the most part excellent. Ultimately, I think Sonny is the right choice - but that doesn't make it any easier on E-Jax, especially because he won't be in the 'pen either. Missing out on the roster altogether after the huge contrubution he has given this year is a tough pill to swallow. But unfortunately Joe's decided to go with a 6-man bullpen, and Edwin is just a little too inconsistant in relief to be relied on. I feel bad for E-Jax, gutted even, but you never know - fate is a strange thing and he may yet have a role to play for the Rays this year.

Also missing out on a job in the 'pen are (and as I write this is still unconfirmed) Jason Hammel and Troy Percival. Perhaps neither decision is a surprise, but both are tough ones. Hammel could not make a claim to be the most talented pitcher the Rays have. But he has come up big on more than one occasion this year, while playing the crucial mop-up role out of the 'pen. And then there's Perci. I don't have anything that I can really add to the debate on Troy, other than to say that leaving him off (if indeed it is the case) must be about the most difficult decision that Joe Maddon has had to make all year. Perci was awesome in the first half. He was injured and ineffective in the second half. He's looked back to strength his last couple of appearances. But to back him would be, especially in a 6-man 'pen, a huge risk. For the first round at least maybe it was just too big a risk for Joe. Perci is the ultimate pro - he'll be disappointed, maybe even angry, but I'm sure that it'll make him work even harder, just in case he is needed later on.

The hitters missing out on the post-season are less of a surprise. Jonny Gomes, Justin Ruggiano, John Jaso, Dan Johnson. All had a part to play in us getting here, but none can have been expecting to make the final cut. Guys, thanks for your effort, and stay sharp just in case.

The biggest news among the hitters is, of course, the news on our starting leftfielder for game one. Almost defying the odds, it will be Carl Crawford. I cannot begin to tell you how happy that makes me. Not just because, even having a down year, CC is one of the best outfielders in baseball, but because if anybody deserves to be on the field for the Rays' first ever playoff game, it is him. He's been here all through the bad times, and now, just as much as the fans do, he deserves a share of the good. Plus I'm sure that there isn't a manager in baseball who would rather face a lineup with CC in it that one without.

The starting lineup today will be, for almost the first time I can remember, at full strength. Aki (2B) leading off, followed by BJ Upton (CF), Pena (1B), Longoria (3B), CC (LF), Cliff Floyd (DH), Dioner Navarro (C), Gabe Gross (RF) and Jason Bartlett (SS). Its fair to say that I'm pretty confident in that bunch of players right there.

The players on the roster who I haven't mentioned are: Ben Zobrist, Willy Aybar, Eric Hinske, Rocco Baldelli, Fernando Perez and Michel Hernandez (hitters); and Chad Bradford, Dan Wheeler, JP Howell, Grant Balfour, Trever Miller and David Price (pitchers). Yep, David Price. He has come. What role will he play in the post-season? Possibly a big one. I wouldn't have a problem giving him the ball in whatever situation, and I don't think Maddon will either. And in my opinion (one that I am sure is shared with everyone who has watched the Rays in September) keeping Perez on the roster could prove a master-stroke. His speed on the basepaths and in the field is scary, but he's shown a very welcome knack of timely hitting as well. Keep an eye on him.

Right, well thats a long and rambling post even by my standards, but like I said, I'm excited. So I think I can be excused.

I'm sure I will have more to say tomorrow morning, either applauding victory, or staying positive in defeat. In the meantime - James Shields, 2.30pm ET. Watch it happen. 9=8. And, I hope, 9=4.

One is the magic-est number...

Or perhaps even the magic-eAst number.

One win in Detroit (or a Red Sox loss) will do it. One single game between the Rays and the AL East crown. If that doesn't get you a little bit excited, well, I don't know what does.

A four game sweep of the Orioles, including the franchise's first ever sweep of a doubleheader (in fourteen attempts), means that with four games to go the Rays have a three game lead over Boston and the top is within touching distance. Today we have a tough 1.05 ET start time against the Tigers, and, if we can't pull out the win there then we have another shot at claiming the top spot tonight, if the Indians can beat Boston at Fenway.

But I'm pretty sure I know how the team would prefer to win it. For themselves, on the field in Detroit. With all their heroics so far this year, it would be the most fitting way.

How we came to be in this position today is a perfect dichotomy the Rays' season. Long odds, but a never-give-up attitude. Its amazing the results that it can achieve.

I was torn whether to stay up and watch last night's game. I really want to see us clinch the Division live, but I was shattered and having to be up for work at 7am does not make staying up through the night watching baseball the best of ideas in any case. Still, although the chance was an outside one, I thought I would at least see how things started out before I made my decision. After an inning and a half, at 12.40am, I went to bed. The Rays were 5-0 down in Baltimore and the Red Sox were 4-0 up at Fenway. Edwin Jackson had struggled massively in the first (again). The win-loss combination needed to cinch looked very unlikely.

As it turns out, I just about made the right decision. I'm tired enough this morning anyway, so who knows what I would have been like if I'd watched the whole game. Although, I missed out on something special. Another special Rays performance in a season filled with them.

Because, after Jackson gave up another run in the bottom of the second, the Rays bats got to work. 5 runs in the fourth. 2 more in the sixth. And a four-spot in the eighth. E-Jax, after giving up 6 consecutive hits to start the game, got the win. An 11-6 final, and one step closer. Meanwhile, the Red Sox just about held on to win 5-4, meaning I should (hopefully) be good from here on in. Today's game starts at 6pm UK time, so I will probably miss the first inning on my way home from work, but otherwise I'll be watching the Rays every step of the way. How could I not?!

It hardly needs saying, but the series against an O's team that looks like its started the off-season already went as well as could have been hoped for. Monday night David Price made his much heralded first MLB start, and far from being overawed, was simply outstanding. He left with a no-decision after 5 1/3, having given up a couple of runs on 4 hits with three K's. But that doesn't tell the whole story. He held Baltimore hitless through the first four, and looked every bit the big-leaguer. He is, I would think, an absolute lock for the rotation next year. As for this year, he'll pitch a couple of times in relief over the weekend, and how he does will likely determine whether he's on the roster for the ALDS.

Tuesday's double-header was a case of the expected. Certainly in game one. James Shields went his almost metronomic 7 innings, holding the O's to just 2 runs and striking out 8. A combination of Fernando Perez and Jason Bartlett did most of the offensive damage as a 5-2 final gave Shields his franchise record-tying 14th win of the year.

The nightcap wasn't nearly so comfortable, but was refreshingly familiar. Mitch Talbot made his first major league start and went 4 1/3, giving up 3 runs. Then the bullpen stepped in, and although they allowed a couple more O's to score, kept things close enough until the Rays hitters found their stroke. Which, in a bout of deja vu, they did in the eighth, scoring 6 times to equal the final 7-5 margin - the deciding runs coming on a 2-run Dioner Navarro single. Jeff Niemann got the win in relief, and pitching MVP JP Howell picked up his third save of the year.

And so that's where we are. Four games left. Magic number 1. And two games behind the Angels if we want guaranteed homefield throughout the playoffs. That'll be the tough one - but if you can be certain about one thing, its that these Rays aren't going to give up.

The future arrives...but the present is disappointing

First the good.

David Price.

Major league debut, your team's last ever game at Yankee Stadium, in the middle of a pennant race. Nervous?

Price certainly didn't look it as he came out of the 'pen to start the third inning against the Yankees. He retired the first big league hitter he saw, Xavier Nady, with his first pitch, and retired the next five straight before giving up a homerun to Derek Jeter. He didn't let that affect him though, and eventually left after throwing 5 1/3 innings, striking out four and allowing 3 hits.

Not perfect, but given the time and situation, just about as good a major league debut as you could hope for. I think David Price is going to do good things for us.

Still, overall the Rays' final trip to Yankee Stadium was a disappointment. Game one was a solid 7-1 win behind a great outing (8IP, 5hits, 6Ks, 0R) from James Shields. Evan Longoria returned to the lineup with 2 hits and 2RBI, while Justin Ruggiano took advantage of a rare start by going 3-4 with a pair of doubles. Joe Maddon's plan of stacking the lineup with rightys against Mussina (to the point of having switch-hitting Ben Zobrist and Fernando Perez bat right-handed) worked a treat, as he was knocked out after 5, and beaten by the Rays for the first time this year.

The evening game however was not quite so good. It started well, as Ben Zobrist hit his second grand slam in a couple of weeks to give us an early lead. Unfortunately he then turned from hero to villain late on, as his throwing error on what should have been a routine double play let the Yankees get back on terms, and go on to win 6-5.

Then there was yesterday, and as good as it was to see Price, there was a reason why he came into the game to start the third.

Edwin Jackson had, as we say in England, a 'mare. 2 innings (his shortest outing for over a year), 6 hits and 6 runs. A grand slam to Alex Rodriguez in the first and, after Fernando Perez had gotten the Rays back in the game with a three-run shot of his own (a first big league round-tripper for the increasingly impressive centrefielder), he surrendered a two-run blow to Jason Giambi. And that was pretty much it. We had a few chances to get back into the game, but just couldn't capitalise, and so now we head back to the Trop with just a single game lead over Boston.

Which should make the upcoming three game series with them pretty interesting... It kicks off tonight with a fascinating matchup between two aces who can't keep their pitch count down - Scott Kazmir and Daisuke Matsuzaka. I am already tired this morning due to listening to the Seahawks past midnight yesterday, and I'll have to be up early again tomorrow for work, but, never-the-less, I am extremely tempted to stay up and watch that one. If ever there was a time for Scotty K to come up big, this might just be it...

Net lagged: The Rays effect

You know the story. A nightmare start to the roadtrip. More injuries. A struggling offense.

And then the Rays effect takes over.

Due to one thing and another, I've just finished watching Wednesday night's game three of the Boston series. I watched games one and two on Wednesday and Thursday, hence the longer than usual net lag delay. But, in the end, it was worth the wait.

After arriving in Boston, things started with a scare as reliever Juan Salas had an epileptic seizure. He's fine, and back with the team, but its harldly a calming way to start a crucial series. Then the game came, Edwin Jackson gave up three runs in the first inning, and things looked grim. E-Jax knuckled down though, and went 6 more scoreless. Unfortunately, the hitters couldn't get anything going against Jon Lester, and a 3-0 loss was the result. Making things worse was BJ Upton leaving the game with a tight quad - he missed games 2 and 3, and its unclear when he'll be back in the lineup. With a bit of luck, it might be tonight. Also heading for injury central was Shawn Riggans, who has had to have an operation on his knee, possibly ending his season.

Game one over, and things were not looking good.

But thats where the Rays effect kicked in.

To cover the ever-increasing list of injuries, Dan Johnson and catcher Michael Hernandez were called up. Johnson would have made the game 2 start against Dice-K, but arrived in Boston just 20 minutes before gametime.

Still, things started well. Scotty K was pitching nicely, and the hitters knocked Matsuzaka out after just 5 innings. We took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth, where Dan Wheeler faced Jason Bay (1-18 off of Wheeler in his career) with a man on. Homerun Bay was the result, and a 4-3 Red Sox lead. It looked for certain as though we were going to lose top spot in the East.

But, the 2008 Rays bring a different hero every night. And Tuesday it was the turn of Dan Johnson. First Rays at-bat, facing Jonathan Papelbon, pinch hit homerun, tie game. That was followed by a double off the Monster from Fernando Perez, and an RBI-double by Dioner Navarro.

And that was it. Suddenly the Rays had won, and restored their lead to 1 1/2 games. You just can't keep this team down.

And so to last night's game. Andy Sonnanstine going toe-to-toe with Josh Beckett. And Sonny did his part superbly, 7 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 7 strikeouts. His best outing for quite some time.

The game was tied at one when Sonny left, and there it stayed. Through the eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth. Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, Chad Bradford, JP Howell (2 innings) and Trever Miller. One by one they took their turn and sent the Red Sox back to the dug out.

And finally our hitters got the breakthrough. With 2 outs in the fourteenth, and Mike Timlin on the mound, Aki Iwamura lined a 3-0 pitch up the middle for a single. Rocco Baldelli followed with a single of his own. And then Carlos Pena ripped a ball to opposite field, over the Green Monster, a three-run homerun. 4-1 Rays.

Hey, but if you thought the fun was over, you'd be wrong. Because in came Perci for the save opportunity. The previous night he had battled for the save, giving up just a walk. Wednesday, he had nothing. A hit, 2 walks and nobody out was the line when Joe Maddon came to get him with the bases loaded. A stiff back was apparently to blame, but I will repeat myself from last time, and say I just don't trust him out there anymore.

Still, its the Rays, so time for another hero. Enter stage left Jason Hammel. Hammel has not been pitching well of late. He had never recorded a save before.

He has now. A sacrifice fly scored one run, but a strikeout and a shallow fly followed, and the Rays had sealed a 4-2 win, a 2 1/2 game lead in the East, and our first series win at Fenway since 1999.

What a series. The belief is back. The Rays Rotating Hero policy (tm) is back. And we're off to New York tonight. Let's go Rays.

Incidentally, I see that from tonight MLB.tv will be letting you choose between the home and away TV feeds. I cannot tell you how pleased I am (assuming it works properly!) that I'm going to be able to watch the rest of the season with Dewayne Staats, Joe Magrane and Todd Kalas. Awesome.

Ugh.

What a miserable sporting weekend.

Six major events/sports that I followed, and a positive outcome in two of them. Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal to make the US Open final, and the Alabama Crimson Tide beat Tulane, despite a pretty unimpressive display.

But the Seattle Seahawks opened with a miserable loss to Buffalo. Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian F1 Grand Prix, only to be demoted to third because of a steward's decision that can only be described as abysmal. And while the English football team did record a win in their opening World Cup 2010 qualifier, they managed just a 2-0 margin against Andorra, a country with a population (about 70,000) that is barely two-thirds as big as Basingstoke. Impressed I was not.

And then there were the Rays.

Ouch.

Last week they lost 2 out of 3 to the Yankees (the one win coming behind an excellent outing from Scott Kazmir). This weekend they got swept in Toronto. And heading to Fenway, where we've lost 6 out of 6 this season so far, we're just 1 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox.

Now I know that sometimes you're going to lose ballgames. But the manner of defeat, particularly games 2 and 3 against the Blue Jays, has been particularly disheartening.

Yesterday, the hitters couldn't manage to scrape together a single run in support of an(other) excellent outing from Matt Garza, who himself gave up just one score over 7 innings. A 1-0 shutout (against an admittedly hot Jays team), is never a nice way to lose a game.

But even that is a fair way short of the crippling blow that Saturday's loss has the potential to be. Shutout through eight, we trailed 3-0. James Shields had given up a run in the first, second and fourth, before allowing just a single hit over the next four innings. We'd threatened several times, notably against reliever Scott Downs in the eighth, but had come up with nothing.

But then there was that wonderful Rays fighting spirit. With a man on, Rocco Baldelli steps in to pinch hit against closer BJ Ryan, and drills a ball over the fence in left. Willy Aybar walked, and was replaced at first by Fernando Perez. Perez (who has looked impressive so far) stole second, and motored round to score and tie the game on an error by Jays' second baseman Joe Inglett.

Dan Wheeler pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth (with a huge thank you to a stunning piece of defense from Jason Bartlett), and the game headed to extras. 10th inning scoreless. 11th inning scoreless. 12th inning scoreless.

Fernando Perez got on base, showing off his speed to beat out a potential double play ball. He moved up on a John Jaso ground out, and raced home on a Dioner Navarro single to give the Rays the lead for the first time at 4-3. And it stayed at that score going into the bottom half, with Troy Percival coming out of the 'pen.

6 batters later and it was all over. A walk-off Grand Slam by Greg Zaun. A pretty devastating loss.

Now, I don't want to have a go at Troy Percival for making a mistake, for having a bad outing. It's only his fourth blown save of the season, and the first game that he's pitched in that the Rays have lost. For the most part when he's come out of the 'pen with the game on the line, he's got the job done. But since about mid-season, every time he pitches you feel like it's a bit of an adventure. He'll probably get the three outs, but you're almost certain that someone's going to get on base. Probably more than one person. And you feel like there's a pretty decent chance that at least one run is going to score.

Whether or not a team should have one designated 'closer' is a debate for another day. But looking at the Rays' 'pen right now, if someone told me that we had a one-run lead, and needed to get the last three outs, Perci would not be top of the list. Not by a long way. Don't get me wrong, I know he has the ability to do it. But I just don't trust him to do it anymore when the heat is on.

I'd turn to Grant Balfour. I'd turn to Dan Wheeler. I'd turn to JP Howell. Hey, right now I'd feel happier with Chad Bradford or Trever Miller out there.

I'm sure Maddon will stick with Perci. But he must realise the effect that seeing Perci head for the mound has on us Rays fans, and presumably the team. We've got 21 games left, and we cannot afford to blow a lead late on in any of them. Can we trust Perci under that pressue? I just can't anymore.

Sorry.