World Series

Five hours from now.

Tropicana Field, St Petersburg, Florida.

First pitch of the 2008 MLB World Series.

Scott Kazmir.

Of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Unreal.  

I am very, very excited right now.  Not to mention incredibly nervous.  But, 1am UK time, you can be certain that I will be in front of the TV watching a little bit of history being made.  And hoping that these amazing Rays might just be able to make a little more.

Go Rays!!!

ALCS game 2 - ...But they get up again

Boston Red Sox 8 - Tampa Bay Rays 9 (11 innings)

The old football (soccer!) cliche says that it's a game of two halves. Judging by game 2, baseball may need to adopt it as well.

The game was almost ridiculous in its pattern. So much so that I don't really know where to start. I guess the best thing is to start at the beginning, but you have to understand that by the time the game finished, 5 hours and 27 minutes after Scott Kazmir threw the first pitch, I was already struggling to remember back to that first inning. A (sleep-deprived) day and a half later, and I'm still not that much clearer. But start at the beginning I shall.

Top of the First. 2-0 Red Sox.
Scotty K actually got off to an encouraging start. Unfortunately for him, the Red Sox had an at-bat with 2 outs. Actually they had several. And they score when there are two out. Kaz eventually got out of the inning with just 2 on the board, but after throwing 38 pitches.

Bottom of the First. 2-2.
Before the game, all the talk was about Evan Longoria's hitting slump. Evan turned 23 last week, but he has a maturity of someone who just turned 33. Pressure, what pressure? He promptly answers the nay-sayers by depositing a Josh Beckett offering over the fence in left for a two-run shot, his third of the postseason.

Inning Two. 2-2.
A scoreless inning!

Top of the Third. 3-2 Sox.
Dustin Pedroia belts a solo homerun off of Kaz.

Bottom of the Third. 4-3 Rays.
BJ Upton continues his power renaissance, connecting for his fourth homerun of the playoffs. Three batters later Carl Crawford raps a single to score Evan Longoria and give the Rays their first lead of the night.

Bottom of the Fourth. 5-3 Rays.
Cliff Floyd leads off the inning by mashing a ball off of the front of the batters eye in straight away centre.

Top of the Fifth. 6-5 Sox.
Dustin Pedroia connects off of Kaz for his second homer of the night. After retiring Ortiz, Kaz then gives up a third homerun, to Kevin Youkilis. End of the night for Kaz - his line of 4 1/3 innings, 6 hits, 5 ER, 3 BB and 2 Ks is not impressive. But its not the worst pitching line of the night. To relieve Kaz, Grant Balfour comes in. And promptly gives up just his second longball of the entire year, a solo effort for Jason Bay. He then walks Lowrie, necessitating the introduction of JP Howell, who finally gets the last 2 outs.

Bottom of the Fifth. 8-6 Rays.
Keep on keeping on. RBI single from Carlos Pena. RBI-double for Evan Longoria (his third extra-base hit of the night). Josh Beckett is pulled. He also went 4 1/3 innings, and would be charged with 8 runs on 9 hits with 5 K's. Lopez comes on in relief, and gives up another RBI-single to CC. Manny Delcarmen finishes off the inning.

Top of the Sixth. 8-7 Rays.
Uh-oh. Not safe yet. JP Howell gets into trouble, and in comes Chad Bradford. He promptly allows a RBI-double to Youkilis, but stops the damage right there.

Bottom of the Sixth/Inning Seven. 8-7 Rays.
No runs!

Top of the Eighth. 8-8.
Eights are wild. Bradford allows the lead-off hitter, Pedroia, to get on base. Trever Miller comes in and walks Ortiz. Enter Dan Wheeler, and with the runners having moved up, he sails a pitch way over Dioner Navarro's head, allowing the tying run to score. He finishes of the inning.

Inning Nine. 8-8.
A scoreless frame from Wheeler. Masterson gets two outs for the Sox before Papelbon comes in and sends it to extras.

Inning Ten. 8-8.
Wheeler moves into heroic territory, pitching his third inning, scoreless. Papelbon holds the Rays without scoring though.

Top of the Eleventh. 8-8.
Wheels amazingly comes out for a fourth inning's work. He gets one out, before handing over to David Price. Wheels final line - 3 1/3 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 Ks. His longest outing for something like 4 years. Price walks the first man he faces, but comes back to get the next two and holds the Sox without adding.

Bottom of the Eleventh. 9-8 Rays.
Wheels went 3 1/3, but Papelbon could only manage 1 1/3. So in comes Mike Timlin. Dioner Navarro draws the lead-off walk, and is replaced by pinch-runner Fernando Perez. Ben Zobrist follows, looking to bunt, and he draws a walk as well. Jason Bartlett grounds out to third, but the runners, both moving with the pitch, successfully move up. Aki Iwamura is intentionally walked to load the bases. Up steps BJ. Two strikes on him. A blooper down the line in right. JD Drew has a bead on it, and its not deep. He makes the catch and comes up throwing. Perez has tagged. The throw is up the third base line. Perez flys down towards home slides around Kevin Cash and slaps home plate. The marathon is over, and the good guys have won.

Unbelieveable.

One of, if not the best game I have ever watched. Just pure, unadulterated baseball entertainment. 15 runs in the first 5 1/2 innings. 2 runs in the final 5 1/2. And every single inning as enthralling as the last.

It was an absolutely massive win for the Rays. Go to Fenway at 0-2 down, and the series would have been all but over. Going there at 1-1, and everything is still to play for. We've got to win at least one game there. But we can do that. We CAN do that.

I can barely begin to mention everybody who came up big in game 2, but there is no doubt that the hero was Dan Wheeler. He could so easily have been the villain, allowing the Sox to tie the game on a wild pitch, but he didn't let it get to him. With just Price and Jackson left in the 'pen, he knuckled down and kept pitching. It was a truly amazing effort for any reliever, but for a guy who is pretty much a one-inning man normally, it was phenomenal. If we go on to win this series, there is no doubt that his effort will be looked at as one of the key turning points. Well done Wheels, I hope you enjoyed your off-day yesterday!

This evening, the Rays have their toughest opponent, in Jon Lester. He has dominated the Rays this year, so getting a result against him is going to be very unlikely. That being said, if we could it would be a huge boost to the confidence and belief of the Rays. We're sending Matt Garza to the hill. He faltered against the White Sox last time out, so will want to bounce back with a strong outing this time. Here's hoping he can.

ALDS game 2 - Perseverance, thy name is Rays

Chicago White Sox 2 - Tampa Bay Rays 6

Scott Kazmir was asked in the lead up to yesterday's game which Scott Kazmir would show up for game 2 of the American League Division Series.

"Hopefully the good Scott Kazmir"

Uh-huh. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the first, the good Scott Kazmir was looking like a distant dream. (Just for the record, I don't agree with Harold Reynolds' assertion that Kaz hit leadoff man Orlando Cabrera on purpose in retaliation for Thursday's war of words. I think it was a pure lack of control early on.).

By the time Scotty K had gotten out of the first, he had thrown 37 pitches and faced 8 White Sox hitters. The good (nay, amazing) news was that he had limited them to just two runs, a fine effort given the start he made. Still, things didn't look too good. He struggled again through the second, but this time held the Sox scoreless. David Price and Chad Bradford had both already been up in the 'pen, but Scotty kept going.

A scoreless third. A scoreless fourth. A scoreless fifth. He eventually left having battled through 5 1/3 innings, allowing 8 hits and 2 walks, but crucially just those two early runs. Kaz may not be at his best (or indeed anywhere near it) this year, but he has got a lot of heart, and he really showed it yesterday.

And, by the time he left, thanks to the ever-ready-to-fight Rays hitters, he was in line for the W. Dioner Navarro had pulled one back with an RBI-single in the first, before Aki Iwamura came to the plate with a man on in the bottom of the fifth.

During the regular season Aki had hit 6 homeruns, all of them off of rightys. But yesterday he stayed with a pitch from the lefty Buehrle and drilled it into the seats in left-centre. 3-2 Rays, and I think judging from the reaction in the dugout it was a moment that the whole team enjoyed rather a lot!

From there on in, it was up to the 'pen to protect the lead, and protect they did. With a threat brewing in the sixth, Grant Balfour came in and extinguished it big time, as he has done so regularly. He came back out for the seventh, and gave up two singles before Joe Maddon made another call to the 'pen.

Enter Mr Clutch the Reliever. If Kaz had been hard-working, and Balfour explosive, then JP Howell was simply brilliant. As he has done so often, he stubbed out the threat with the minimum of effort, setting down Thome, Ramirez and Pierzynski with ease. He came back and pitched a scoreless eighth as well. JP Howell is simply awesome out of the 'pen.

And that performance gave the hitters the chance to add some insurance, which they did with style in the bottom of the eighth. BJ Upton opened up with a triple to centre. Carl Crawford follwed with an RBI-single, then stole second and moved up to third on a groundout as Rocco Baldelli stepped in. He duly followed with an RBI-single of his own, and proceeded to steal the show when Dioner Navarro stepped in - demonstrating the epitomy of 2008 Rays baseball. Navvy lifted a blooper into short right, and with two outs, Rocco took off. The ball fell between the three converging White Sox, but as it was picked up Rocco was just approaching third. He didn't stop though as he rounded the bag at full throttle and flew across the plate, scoring on what had become an RBI-double for Navarro that had travelled about 160 feet. Awesome hustle for Rocco, and a four run lead to take into the ninth.

Not that such a big margin was needed though, as Chad Bradford breezed through the heart of the Chicago order, with the help of a nicely turned double play and a called third strike to Jim Thome.

So, a 2-0 series lead heading up to Chicago for Sunday evening's game three. Its a great position to be in, but I'm under no illusions that its going to be easy - US Cellular Field is a tough place to play, and the Sox will be sending another lefty to the hill. We'll be countering with Matt Garza, who I'm sure will be extra pumped up. Let's hope he can use it to his advantage!

9=8

"Its about 9 guys, playing hard for 9 innings, to take one of the 8 playoff spots."

So said Joe Maddon of his t-shirt design, back in Spring Training. And we laughed. Sure, we admired his ambition and his coinfidence, but frankly I think we'd have been happy with a season in which we didn't lose 90 games. A .500 season would have been awesome. And a winning season the stuff of dreams.

Joe Maddon is a smart man. He thinks before he speaks, and he doesn't go in for hyperbole. But he knows baseball.

And I will never doubt him again.

'Cos the Rays are going to the playoffs.

And the win that sealed it was a perfect example of the mantra that the Rays have lived by all season. It saw 5 pitchers limiting the Twins to two consolation runs late on. It saw 6 batters drive in runs. And, of course, it saw a myriad of sparkling defensive plays, from Evan Longoria, from Fernando Perez, from Rocco Baldelli, from Dioner Navarro and from Carlos Pena.

Before the game, the local chapter of the BBWAA announced their team award winners. Their selection of team MVP pretty much sums up the way the season has gone. It wasn't Pena with his 31 homeruns and 98 RBI. It wasn' Longoria with his 25 homers, 82 RBI and spectactular defense. It wasn't Navarro with his team-best .292 average and immense play behind the plate. It wasn't any of our starting pitchers, all with at least 11 wins.

No, it was a guy who has hit .280 with 1 homerun and 33 RBI. Jason Bartlett. A guy who, along with Matt Garza, we received in a trade last winter for Delmon Young. And you know what, without his defense, and without his spark, I don't think we'd be in this position right now. And I guess that makes a pretty good definition for the Most Valuable Player.

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The way this week started though, you wouldn't have been betting on the celebrations that the Trop saw last night. Monday's loss to Boston wasn't just ugly, it had the potential to be mentally destroying. When your ace takes the mound, in a huge game, and gets tagged for 6 hits, 4 homeruns and 9 runs in just 3 innings, you've got a long way to bounce back. By the time the 13-5 defeat was done with, Scott Kazmir's confidence was shattered, and the Rays were in a virtual tie for first place in the East for the first time since the All-Star break.

So how do you come back? You send your number 5 starter to battle with your rival's ace. As it turns out, its a masterplan. For the second time in a week, Andy Sonnanstine went toe-to-toe with Josh Beckett, allowing just a single unearned run in 6 innings. Balfour, Howell and Wheeler did their thing, kept it shutdown, and let the walk-off happen like it has so many times already this year. Tuesday night it was the turn of Dioner Navarro, his walk-off single (it would have been a ground-rule double had he not been mobbed on the basepaths) the margin in a 2-1 win.

So, Wednesday, and a massive game. Heading out, the Rays would either be tied with the Sox, or have a 2-game lead. And, perhaps more importantly, it would decide the season series - a Rays win would seal the matchup 10-8, giving them the edge if the AL East were to go to a tiebreaker. And the Rays would have to deal with their nemesis, Tim Wakefield.

Unfortunately for the Sox, they had to deal with Joe Maddon. After the success of the non-switch hitting switch hitters against Mike Mussina last weekend, Joe had Willy Aybar and Fernando Perez repeat the act against Wakefield. They responded by both hitting homeruns off the knuckleballer - according to Elias, the first pair of switch hitters to both hit homeruns from the wrong side (ie righty v righty) in the same game since division play started in 1969. Gabe Gross went deep as well, and the Rays coasted to a 10-3 win. Yeah.

After those two feel-good wins, Thursday was another loss that threatened to be disheartening. We knocked the Twins starter out in the first, putting up a 5-spot, but couldn't shake the pesky Minnesota hitters. Evan Longoria became just the second Ray (after Jonny Gomes) to hit three homeruns in a game, but it wasn't enough as closer de jour Dan Wheeler had a rare meltdown, allowing four runs as the Twins fought back to a 11-8 win.

Still, if at first you don't succeed, and all that. Friday night the Rays took until the second to knock the Twins starter out the game, but thanks to a great start from Edwin Jackson (7 IP, 7 hits, 5 Ks, 1 run), this time there were no late game fireworks. Evan Longoria added 3 RBI to his series output, while Carlos Pena had four of his own, three of which came on a history-making homerun - originally ruled a fan-interference double, it became the first ever call to be overturned by video replay. An 11-1 win, and a game away from history.

And, wouldn't you just know it, that it was Scott Kazmir, after getting shellacked in his last start, who came up big yesterday. 6 shutout innings, 5 hits and 5 strikeouts, and the Rays' winningest ever pitcher was rewarded with the W. The win that sends the Rays to the postseason for the first time ever.

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9=8.

Joe Maddon had it right all along.

Well, not quite. The nine innings and eight teams is right. But the number of players, well he was way off. This season has been the ultimate team effort. And its been even better to watch as a result of it. From the mohawk-fever thats sweeping the clubhouse, to the beards for Rocco earlier in the year, to the never-ending stream of shaving foam to the face victims, its been a joy. There was a great quote from Scott Kazmir in the St Pete Times yesterday - "We got Mohawks and everything. We might as well do dugout chants." And you know what, he's right. Rather than the highly-paid professional athletes that they are, the Rays have played more like a bunch of mates playing for some high school team, wanting to win not for themselves, but rather for their friends. Its a great attitude to have, and no small part of the Rays' success this year.

And its architect? Joe Maddon of course.

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...

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.

The rookie marches on

Detroit Tigers 2 - Tampa Bay Rays 5
Detroit Tigers 3 - Tampa Bay Rays 9

So, the Tigers have had to wait until August to get a firsthand look at Evan Longoria. Two games into the series, and I think that it is fair to say that they now believe the hype. He followed up a homerun on Friday night with a 3-5, 3 RBI effort last night, including his team-high 21st homerun of the season, a number that ties Jonny Gomes' team rookie record. He obviously continued his sharp play in the field as well, and swiped his seventh base of the season to boot. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, then seriously, whats stopping you?!

That steal came on the back-end of a double steal, led by Carl Crawford - his first stolen base for 18 games. But while he hasn't been swiping much of late, CC has found his bat stroke a bit more, not to mention his wheels out of the batters box. He tripled on friday night, to make it 5 three-baggers in 6 games, and move his AL-high mark to 10. I've said it before, but there is no play in baseball that is more fun to watch than CC flying around the bases on his way to a triple.

Truth be told, its been a bit of a funny series so far. We've looked reasonably comfortable in winning the first two, thanks largely to some nice, timely hitting. Having said that, the number of runs that we've scored is somewhat down to some slightly wild Detroit pitching. Indeed, Ivan Rodriguez apparently couldn't have picked a better time to get traded, judging by the tough time that Brandon Inge has had behind the plate. So far, we've scored twice on wild pitches, and once on a passed ball - and even with those stats, I'd rate Inge as their best player so far. Without his excellent effort behind the plate, we could easily have scored 4 or 5 more over the two games without ever swinging the bat.

Kenny Rogers yesterday was the picture of wildness. He struck out 8, but threw 109 pitches in just 3 1/3 innings, giving up 6 hits, 4 walks and 7 runs.

It was a performance, actually, that somewhat mirrored Scott Kazmir's start on Friday. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings, thanks largely to 6 walks - four of which came in the first inning, letting the Tigers on the board early without the benefit of a hit. He did settle down, and struck out five, only allowing 3 hits, but his pitch count was already out of control by that point. He was though picked up superbly by the bullpen - Grant Balfour, JP Howell, Dan Wheeler and Troy Percival allowing just one hit between them over the last 4 1/3.

Yesterday's start from Andy Sonnanstine was much better. He's struggled a little bit of late (and not been helped by a lack of run support) but was solid yesterday. He scattered 7 hits over 6 innings, but allowed just two runs, and struck out 6, thanks mainly to an absolutely awesome curveball that he had working. I think it is the best I have ever seen him throw the breaking stuff - he was making the Detroit hitters look simply awful much of the time - Matt Joyce almost swung himself off his feet trying to make contact, while veteran Edgar Renteria took such a wild swing that his bat ended up being fielded at short.

The well deserved W moves Sonny's record on the year to 11-6, and was preserved by Al Reyes and Jason Hammel. Reyes was very shaky indeed, giving up a run on three hits in one inning, but Hammel, making a somewhat rare appearance, was excellent, giving up a solitary single in his two innings.

As of right now, the Rays are 21 games over .500 at 65-44, and are sat 3 games ahead of Boston and 5.5 ahead of New York. James Shields is on the hill this afternoon trying to wrap up a sweep of the Tigers.

The irony is not lost

There's no doubt about it, I'm afraid. The Rays are struggling right now. We are right in the middle of a serious mid-season malaise.

The main reason behind it is obvious for all to see. We can't hit. Our bats are asleep. The biggest culprits (if thats the right word) are Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Carlos Pena, but with the exception of perhaps Evan Longoria (who homered in three straight games over the weekend), no-one has exactly been shining recently.

So don't think that the irony of optioning Ben Zobrist back to Durham has been lost. I'm a big fan of Zobrist, and while he's never going to be a star, his contributions over the last couple of weeks have been important - as demonstrated again last night as he homered to put the Rays ahead, and then added an RBI-single that provided what turned out to be the winning run. Of course having provided that rare burst of Rays-offense, he was then asked to pack up his things and head back to Triple-A. Thanks Ben, I'm sure we will see you back in St Pete before too long.

While it is a shame to see Zobrist leaving, it does mean that Jason Bartlett is back, and not a moment too soon. I had been commenting on the 'spark-plug' qualities that Bartlett brings just before he got injured, and the lack of that has been all-too evindent over our recent struggles. I am certain that it is no coincidence that our season-high losing streak happened when we were without Bartlett. He may not exactly be a huge hitting threat, but on the basepaths, and in the field he has been the absolute stand-out of the season so far.

The encouraging sign though, through the course of this slump, is that we have actually managed to grind out the wins. Despite harldy being able to hit anything, we have won four of six, and both series since the All-Star break, and are still a half-game ahead of the Red Sox.

After winning the first two against Toronto, we lost the finale against the first of four consecutive left-handeders who would start against us. We have struggled hugely against the southpaws, so it was nice that we managed to win the opener against Oakland on Monday. That W came almost entirely courtesy of Scott Kazmir, who was outstanding, throwing 7 innings of 2-hit shutout ball. If he can carry on with that form for the rest of the year, then we will be laughing.

We then put together a very meek performance with the bat on Tuesday, only getting one run (on a sacrifice fly), and going down heavily. Andy Sonnanstine pitched fairly well, but things got a little bit away from him in one inning, and then the bullpen allowed the score to become a little more lopsided late on.

The wrap-up for the homestand yesterday saw James Shields at his best. He actually gave up back-to-back homeruns in the second, but got right back on it from there on in, pitching into the ninth for his ninth win of the year. As well as the contribution from Zobrist, Jonny Gomes got the important hit, belting a two-run shot off one of the catwalks to tie the game. Jonny clearly enjoyed the run of leftys that we faced - getting a few consecutive starts is massive for his confidence, and he showed why - going 3-8 with three walks and the aforementioned homer. He's still only hitting .197 on the year (though with eight homeruns and a .310 OBP), which is below what the team (and Jonny himself, I'm sure) would expect. With the trade deadline approaching, the two big possibilities for deals appear to be getting bullpen help, and a right-handed bat to play rightfield. I think that everybody around the Rays would love that right-handed bat to be Jonny's, but he might just be running out of time to show that he can contribute successfully in a part-time role. I really hope not, because he is a great player to have around, but I guess when you're in a tight race, you need contributions from everyone on the field, as well as off of it.

Personally, and despite the overwhelming success of our 'pen so far this year, I feel that an extra arm could be vital down the stretch run. We've got Perci back now (he got the save last night), and frankly I'm fairly happy having him in the closer role. And JP Howell, Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour are not really showing any signs of slowing down. But beyond that, with Al Reyes, Gary Glover (on the DL at the moment), Jason Hammel, and, most concerningly Trever Miller, things don't appear quite so sure-footed as earlier in the year. Miller in particular has struggled massively since the break - in three appearances he has recorded only one out, and walked six. I'm sure he'll get it back, but its worrying none-the-less. I'm also fine with Hammel in the long-relief role, but I'm not totally convinced whether he could cope well if he had to be moved up into more pressurised situations.

Then there are Reyes and Glover. Workhorses both, and experienced with it, but Reyes is, I fear, past his best, while Glover's best isn't that high anyway. Don't get me wrong, its not like I go and hide behind the sofa when they come in to pitch, but there definitely exists the possibility of an upgrade.

And I think that an uprgrade there would, over the rest of the season, pay the most dividends. The St Pete Times makes a telling point today in discussing our problems against leftys - its all very well looking for a platoon rightfielder (Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Casey Blake are the most oft-mentioned names), but in addition to the limited number of times that we will face leftys over the rest of the season, they point out that Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Carlos Pena are hitting just .233, .262 and .204 respectively off left-handed pitching. Even with the best right-handed bat available, if those numbers aren't improved then we're going to continue to struggle.

An extra arm, on the other hand, would not only take some of the pressure away from Perci, JP, Wheeler and Balfour, but could be a consistant difference maker late on in tight games. And I think that in the last two months of the season there are going to be a lot more tight games than there are games against left-handers.

Anyway, its going to be an interesting week for Andrew Friedman. And I for one am looking forward to seeing what he will make of it.

All-Stars? Really?

I should probably make it clear right away that I'm not a huge fan of the All-Star game. I like the homerun derby, and the general concept of celebrating the best players each year.

But I don't like the fact that the result of the game decides home field advantage for the World Series. Probably not alone there.

And, unfortunately, I think that while the concept is good, the practicality of celebrating the year's best players is where the whole thing falls down. Let me explain.

Ok, giving the fans a say as to who they want to see play is a good idea. To a point. But the simple truth is always going to be that more fans=more votes. This year is a case in point. I'm trying not to be overtly Rays-orientated here, but they are who I know best, and so its easier for me to draw an example from them. Terry Francona said, on the Rays having only two representatives (and I paraphrase from memory), "at some point if the Rays want more representatives, then their fans are going to have to go out an vote."

Its reasonably logical, I suppose. But how many fans do the Rays have? Even including displaced fans (such as your author) and part-time fans and well-wishers, would we ever be able to outvote even that small percentage of Yankee fans who regularly attend 2 or more games a year at the Stadium? I think not. So already that plan has fallen by the wayside.

So what next? Ok, so we need the neutrals, and fans from National League teams to give our guys the vote. There's plenty of them, after all. It is possible that, with a good season, and lots of media attention, that a Ray could pick up enough votes from them to have a serious shot at making the team.

But here's the kicker. You can vote 25 times. Why? Why, oh why, oh why? I challenge anybody to come up with an election where you are allowed to vote for the person you want up to 25 times. Lets face it, its a system that could totally revolutionise democracy.

And it renders the neutral vote more or less useless. Why do I say that? Ok, I'm a Red Sox fan and I love David Ortiz. A big stretch of the imagination, I know. I want him on the All-Star team. What am I going to do? Yep, I'm going to go an vote 25 times. Big Papi 25-Everyone else 0. But what if I'm one of those neutrals. I'm thinking that Cliff Floyd (for example) is more deserving. So I vote for him. But do I care enough to go and vote for him 25 times? No. So its Big Papi 25 - Everyone else 1. Ladies and Gentlemen, democracy in action.

All of that is even before we get to who everyone is voting for. I could live with everyone having 25 votes if someone could guarantee that it was the best players who were being voted for, and not the most popular. But just look at the lineups. Someone please make the argument to me that Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, Ichiro or Ortiz have been the best at their positions so far this season? Someone tell me how Joe Mauer only squeaked home barely ahead of Jason Varitek? Carlos Pena came in the top five for first basemen. Not even I would have voted for him based on his first half (if I had voted). I literally do not understand the point of the All-Star game if it is not the players who are playing best that are selected. Especially not when the result of the game actually counts for something.

Of course, I don't really have an alternative suggestion. The other possibly acceptable one is for the players to choose. But look at their votes this year for the reserves. They voted on Scott Kazmir, who while I think he's great, missed the first month of the season, had 6 awesome starts in a row, but otherwise has actually been some distance off of his best form. And while the fans did eventually manage not to pick Jason Varitek, the players went right ahead and gave him the nod. Yep, the same Varitek who is hitting .220 on the year, and a bruising .133 over the last 30 days. The NL pitchers must be quaking in their boots.

Its a bit sad then, that for all this I am still ecstatic that Dioner Navarro got the nod. He truly deserves to be an All-Star this year. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased for Kaz as well, but I could think of at least 2 or 3 other Rays pitchers who I think deserve it more than him this year. Sorry Kaz.

And I am certain that Evan Longoria is worthy of winning the final vote. He is an immense talent, and deserves the recognition that being an All-Star brings. And I'm enjoying the campaigns that are going on for the various players. Well, some of them. I like the fan-orientated, fun ones. I liked Giambi-tache night yesterday.

But I read this article on MLB.com and it actually made me feel a little ill at the whole All-Star experience. The final vote could be, should be - in fact, probably was meant to be - a way to get the fans really involved in the week, a chance for lovers of baseball to give a reward to a player who would otherwise have just missed out. I could cheer for that. Anyone could.

But sometimes the MLB, and MLBAdvancedMedia are just in their own little worlds. I quote from the article directly -

"...take the Giants as just one example. Their front-office people have been voting non-stop for Rowand online. Employees have been encouraged to vote as often as possible and have their families vote on their behalf. There are contests among employees to see who votes the most. Winners of those contests receive "cash prizes" and "memorabilia." Staci Slaughter, the club's senior vice president of communications, said the first time they counted how many times the employees had voted, some had already registered 10,000 votes."

How is that giving the fans a chance to reward someone who they think deserves it? If I sat at home and voted non-stop for the entire time that I wasn't working this week, could I vote 10,000 times? No. Nobody could. So my vote doesn't count. Your vote doesn't count. But hey, it is a nice job if you can get it, being paid to vote for someone. I believe that, in some democracies, it is considered illegal, but in the MLB it's positively encouraged.

I hope Evan wins. But I can't support a game that is created through this farce. And I can't believe that the MLB's own website is actually praising what I can only describe as vote-rigging.

What a joke.

Net lag: Gold Gloves all round

Chicago Cubs 2 - Tampa Bay Rays 3

Wow.

What a play that was.

So, last night I just about managed to watch the whole of Tuesday night's series opener against the Cubs, and boy am I glad I did. It was a truly fantastic game of baseball that had just about everything. I mean, the first eight innings were entertaining enough, but the top of the ninth... Wow, just wow.

Scott Kazmir got the start, and was pitching pretty well - he didn't allow a hit through the first four innings, but was throwing a lot of pitches. By the time he came out for the fifth, the Rays were 1-0 up thanks to a Cliff Floyd homerun. Unfortunately, Kaz couldn't get out of the inning, allowing three hits and a run, and leaving with two outs and the bases loaded, having thrown 110 pitches on the night.

Thats ok, here come the cavalry. Grant Balfour, who has been solid since getting called up, came in and successfully stranded the Cubbie runners. Then he pitched a perfect 6th, and was put in line for his first W of the season when Evan Longoria snapped an 0-14 skid in the bottom of the frame with a mammoth homerun that hit the side of the Rays tank in centre field. An RBI-single from Eric Hinske in the seventh moved things to 3-1 Rays, and it was up to the bullpen to come through. And it was the three relievers who have been there when it matters all season long who took the responsibility. JP Howell pitched a scoreless 7th. Dan Wheeler pitched a perfect eighth. And Troy Percival came in for the save opportunity.

And that is when things got really interesting. The first hitter (Soto, I think) hit a drive deep to left, over the head of defensive-replacement Justin Ruggiano. And while Rays-world may be spoiled by usually having CC in left, Ruggiano again proved just how much he is willing to give for the team. Over the weekend, I commented on a play where he ran head-long into the low wall in left chasing a foul ball. Well this time, he ran head-first into the left-field wall, making an awesome over-the-shoulder grab to rob the Cubs of extra bases. It was a fantastic play, worthy of the number 1 spot on any best plays list. Normally. Tuesday night, it wasn't even close to being the best play of the half-inning.

Perci was clearly not at his best. DeRosa singled, and Fukudome followed with a pinch-hit double. Runners on second and third, one out. Hoffpauir up to pinch-hit. Perci throws one in the dirt, Dioner Navarro doesn't have a chance. One run scores, Fukudome moves to third, 3-2 game, still only one out.

Perci fights back. He strikes out Hoffpauir. Jim Edmonds comes to the plate to pinch-hit. Perci lets another one get away from him, to the backstop - but this time the bounce goes straight to Navvy, and with Perci getting in position to block the plate himself, Fukudome stays put. But its not over yet, Edmonds draws the walk.

First and third, 3-2 game, 2 outs in the ninth. Reed Johnson at the plate. The Rays coaches notice Evan Longoria playing a bit too deep at third. They try to tell him to move in, but over the atmosphere (yep, you read that right!) at the Trop, they can't get his attention. Johnson has noticed it too, and, first pitch, he bunts it towards third. Fukudome is coming home.

I have lost count of the number of times so far that I have praised Evan's defense. It is truly remarkable. Indeed, he had already flashed the leather with some style several times earlier in Tuesday's game. But this was something special. Perci wasn't going to be able to get to the ball and make a play. Evan comes flying in from third, scoops, barehand and on the run, and rifles a one-hop throw to first. I defy anyone, anywhere in the majors to make a better play on a bunt like that. It was awesome.

But it wasn't complete yet. It was a tricky hop for any first baseman, but for one who only made his first ever major league start there a couple of weeks earlier, it was just plain nasty. But Willy Aybar belied his lack of experience and made a superb play to hold on and get the out.

What a game. Simply amazing.

And I'm telling you right now - if Evan Longoria doesn't end his career with a trophy-room full of Gold Gloves, then the award should be scrapped. He is just about the best defensive third baseman I have seen.

I shall probably be watching last night's game later this evening, but, after Tuesday's barnstormer, I fear it will be unable to live up to expectations. Still, fingers crossed that we did well...

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.

Don't mess with us

Due to various things going on (the most significant being my return to footballing action after a couple of years of not playing - a decision that my leg muscles are still not convinced was a good one) I got to watch exactly five innings of the Rays-Red Sox series. And, considering it resulted in a second Fenway-sweep of the year, thats not a bad things.

But one of the five innings was inning two of game three, perhaps the most significant of the series. I had seen, of course, the highlights of the controversy in game two. Now, maybe I'm biased, but Coco Crisp's slide on Aki was completely unjustified. It was out of order.

Just in case you haven't seen it, let me recap. Crisp had stolen second earlier in the game, a play on which, in receiving the throw, shortstop Jason Bartlett had blocked the bag with his knee. Maybe it was intentional, but Bartlett doesn't strike me as that sort of player, it looked to me more as though he was just getting in position to catch a slightly off-line throw. Whatever. Crisp jammed his thumb sliding in, and did not take it well.

So, fast-forward a couple of innings, and Crisp is stealing again. This time, Aki is covering the bag, and the throw has Crisp out comfortably. But he slides through, taking out Aki with a raised forearm, the sort of slide that would be over-the-top if he was trying to break up a double play. Understandably, the Rays were far from impressed, and Joe Maddon let everyone know when he went out to the mound later, getting in a shouting match with Crisp in the Boston dugout.

Now, game three, and everyone knows whats coming. Even Crisp. At some point, a pitch is coming inside. (This is a part of baseball, by the way, that I find rather childish, and that it is accepted by all does not reflect well on the sport as a whole). Anyway, Crisp comes up in the second inning, and the pitch from James Shields does indeed hit him. Now Shields, even the NESN commentators (who managed to completely overlook the Sox players misdemeaners) acknowledged, did it the right way - he kept it low, well away from Crisp's head. It was intentional, but meant to send a message, and not to injure.

So that should have been the end of it, warnings all round, controversy over, on with the game.

But Crisp, showing himself to be a petulant child, decided that while it was ok for him to take out our (innocent) second baseman, no-one is allowed to come after him in return. He took a couple of steps up the line, and then charged at Shields.

I imagine you've all seen what followed - Shields took a swing and missed, Crisp connected, before being taken down by Dioner Navarro. Then came the cavalry, led by, who else, Jonny Gomes. As he demonstrated in the Shelley Duncan incident in Spring Training, Jonny is not one for letting his teammates get targeted. He led the charge, and along with Aki and Carl Crawford got some shots in on Crisp. Elsewhere, evidently, Edwin Jackson and a couple of Sox got into things, while the Boston third base coach slammed Shields to the ground (an action for which he has escaped punishment).

Now, I'm not one for encouraging fighting, but I for one could not be happier with the way the Rays reacted. It sent a clear message - mess with us, and we will stand up for ourselves, and stand up for each other.

I hope Crisp is pleased with himself though. He turned a minor incident (if you can even call it an incident) into a full blown fight and 8 suspensions. That his is the longest, at 7 games, hardly makes up for that. I would be entirely happy if I never have to speak of him again.

The suspended Rays are - Shields (6 games), Gomes and Jackson (5 games), CC (4 gamess) and Aki (3 games).

That all rather overshadowed the baseball, which as I said I saw little of, so can't really comment on where the Rays came up short. But it is a disappointment - we're going to have to win at Fenway eventually, and with them missing Big Papi, this was a prime opportunity.

Still, on with the action, and while I have been typing this, I have been watching the first game (from last night) of our weekend series in Arlington:

Tampa Bay Rays 12 - Texas Rangers 4

And Scott Kazmir clearly picked up in June where he left off in May. He went 8 excellent innings, giving up 6 hits and 2 runs, striking out 6 and looking really on top of his game. He is just a joy to watch. Al Reyes came in to pitch the ninth, and gave up a couple of runs - but by then our hitters had put the game out of reach.

It was a story of timely offense early on, giving Kaz plenty of room to work with. A massive homerun from Evan Longoria tied the game up in the fifth, before BJ Upton also sent one over the fence an inning later to put the Rays ahead for the first time. The lead was extended when Cliff Floyd scored on a wild pitch, and then further by an Eric Hinske sacrifice fly, and another big homerun, this time a two-run shot from Dioner Navarro.

Things were really blown open though in the ninth, when an RBI-triple from CC, a Texas error, a two-run homer from Hinske and a two-run single from Jason Bartlett added six more runs to give the score a far more lopsided final than might really have been warranted.

Still, it was a great way to bounce back from the Boston series, against a tough Texas team. I really don't think I can overstate how good the Rays' team spirit is.

Elsewhere this week, you will have course seen the Rays took high-school shortstop Tim Beckham with the number one overall pick in the draft - and then followed a few rounds later by taking his older brother as well. As always, its a bit of a lottery, but the scouts seem to be very excited about Beckham, so I shall be following his progress with interest.

Tonight, the Rays send Andy Sonnanstine to the hill for game two against the Rangers. I doubt I shall get a chance to see any of it, and I'm not too sure about tomorrow's game either, as I am playing in my work's football tournament - wisely or not. Hopefully I will both manage to last the whole tournament without collapsing, and get home in time to watch some baseball as well. Wish me luck!

Quick links - Mr May

Well done to Scott Kazmir who was yesterday named the AL Pitcher of the Month for May. Its the first monthly award that a Ray has ever won, and it was hugely deserved, as Kaz went 5-1 with a 1.22 ERA and 38 strikeouts.

Kazmir named AL Pitcher of the Month

Meanwhile, down on the farm in Vero Beach, David Price is continuing the torrid start to his professional career. For the third consecutive start he didn't allow a run, and has now pitched 18 scoreless pro innings, giving up only 8 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 19.

Price extends scoreless streak to 18 frames

Finally, here's a story that I read a couple of days ago that just underlines why Jonny Gomes is such a fan favourite. He must be so frustrated at his lack of playing time this year, and the struggles at the plate that it has caused, but he never loses sight of the bigger picture. Good for you Jonny.

Gomes gives young fan special day

Maybe hits are overrated anyway...

Chicago White Sox 0 - Tampa Bay Rays 2

Our series of ever-decreasing hits continued last night, as we racked up only five against the Sox and Javier Vasquez. To be fair, Chicago only managed four themselves, and our five looked as though they would be plenty, thanks to having number 19 on the mound.

Scott Kazmir continued his fantastic start to the season, throwing 7 innings, allowing only 3 hits and striking out six. With the win, he becomes the first Ray to win five in a month, and moves his record on the season to 5-1 with a 1.22 ERA. In fact, excluding his first, shaky start off the DL, he has pitched to a ridiculous 0.55 ERA. And you know the scary thing? He's still not quite at his best - yesterday he was plagued by foul balls, ramping up his pitch count prematurely. When he really gets his slider going, he's...well, I can't wait.

The last six outs to complete the shutout of Chicago came courtesy of five pitchers in the temporary closer-by-committee. Actually, I somewhat suspect that Joe Maddon would have preferred to use fewer, but both Al Reyes and Dan Wheeler were a little shaky, getting one out, but allowing baserunners. Trever Miller and Grant Balfour (making his first appearance since being recalled, and earning his first save) got the final two outs, following Wheeler in the ninth, but the key effort was from JP Howell in the eighth. He came in with a runner on second, and struck out Jim Thome and Carlos Quentin to end the threat.

Thanks to the great effort by the pitchers, the two runs that our hitters put on the board were more than enough. The first scored on a groundout from BJ Upton in the third, and the second on Cliff Floyd's second homer in as many games in the fourth.

That moves us 12-over, at 34-22, still a game ahead of the Red Sox. Tonight, Andy Sonnanstine is on the hill against Mark Buerhle. Sonny needs to put in a good display after two consecutive weak outings - with so many pitchers on good form, and more waiting in the wins, the pressure is on in every start. Its a great situaion to be in!

Net lag: K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-Kazmir

Texas Rangers 3 - Tampa Bay Rays 7

Well, its Wednesday morning, which must mean that its about time to talk about Monday night's game.

Which, I think it would be fair to say, I enjoyed a lot. And that is in no small part down to Mr Scott Kazmir. I said a week or so ago that, despite racking up three straight wins he still wasn't at his best. Well, last night he was.

His fastball was not only up to speed, but had some unbelieveable late movement. And his slider was simply devastating. The Rangers had no answers. He struck out 7 of the first 9 hitters he faced, and 10 overall in a 7-inning outing of brilliance. He gave up only three hits, and one run in the sixth, the only inning in which Texas threatened him even marginally. The run actually scored on what became a sacrifice fly thanks to (yet another) superb running catch by Carl Crawford, saving a sure-fire extra-base hit. The win makes Kaz's record 4-1 on the season now, with a 1.50ERA.

After Al Reyes pitched the eighth, Gary Glover came in for the ninth and had his second successive implosion, allowing two runs and only getting a single out - necessitating Trever Miller to come in and finish the job. Which he did nicely.

It was a cracking day for our batters as well - every starter picked up at least one hit, with Carlos Pena and Dioner Navarro leading the way with 3-4 days. Pena thought that one of his was a homerun, but after selling it to the umpire, he was ordered back to second with a ground-rule double when the final resting place of the ball was discovered - atop the B-ring catwalk. It was only the second ball ever to not come down from there, following a Jose Canseco shot back in 1999.

The only real downside at the plate was the fact that we left 15 men on base - but we did at least get 7 home, the key effort being Eric Hinske's ninth homer of the season, a 3-run blast in the 5th. That stretched the lead at that point to 5, and with Kazmir throwing bullets, it always looked like it would be enough.

The win meant the Rays held (temporarily at least) the best record in all of baseball at 31-20 - the first team in modern MLB history (since 1900) to have the best record through Memorial Day having had the worst record the previous season. Impressive. Trying to improve that record even further last night was Andy Sonnanstine, and more on that will follow tomorrow...

Two games, and another game

Tampa Bay Rays 3 - Oakland Athletics 2
Tampa Bay Rays 1 - Oakland Athletics 9

Last night I managed to watch two baseball games, without seeing the end of either. Or, for that matter, really paying much attention to what was going on. Because, you see, I was watching the Champions League Final, and a belting good game of football it was as well.

Still, I saw enough of the baseball to know that on Tuesday Scott Kazmir made an excellent start (7IP, 4H, 1R, 8Ks and the win), and that yesterday Andy Sonnanstine did not. In fact, pretty much the only highlight yesterday for the Rays was an eighth inning homer from Jonny Gomes.

That means there was no sweep of the A's to take back to St Pete, but still a 27-20 record and second place in the East is a pretty good place to be. The Orioles are coming to town over the weekend, after an off-day today, and Matt Garza will be getting the ball first up, looking for his third win of the year.

Getting used to the view

New York Yankees 2 - Tampa Bay Rays 1
New York Yankees 2 - Tampa Bay Rays 5

So it wasn't quite a sweep of the Yankees this week, but despite losing on Wednesday, last night's win makes it three straight days that the Rays have been looking down on the rest of the AL East. And you know what, I like the view.

So, it might not last. Who cares when you're playing such good baseball. And I'll tell you something for nothing - if the Rays actually start hitting, then we are going to be unstoppable.

Take Wednesday's game. One solitary run, on a seeing-eye single from Navvy (who's hitting .387 right now), but that was almost enough to beat the Yankees. Now how often can the Rays have said that over the years? Of course it helps to have James Shields on the hill. Unfortunately he couldn't manage a third-consecutive Trop shutout, but 9 times out of 10, 7 1/3 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs allowed and 6 strikeouts is going to get you the W. As it is, Shields slips to 4-3, albeit with a solid 3.05 ERA. Compare that with Wednesday's winning pitcher, Mike Mussina, who is 6-3 with a 3.99 ERA, and sometimes you feel there's no justice. Not that Mussina didn't deserve the win. He was outstanding.

Having watched that game as a warm-up, I moved on to yesterday's main event, Scotty K's third start of the season. And he started paying the team back for his new contract right away with a solid outing. Kaz still isn't quite at his sharpest, which, judging by the results yesterday, is very exciting indeed. He went 6 innings, gave up just 3 hits and no runs, striking out 3, and despite clearly not having his best stuff, really didn't give the Yankees much of a chance.

Following Kaz, Gary Glover was responsible for a rare bullpen-blip, giving up 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning - but the threat was soon shut down, by Trever Miller, Dan Wheeler (of course) and a tenth save of the season from Troy Percival.

The Rays themselves only managed 5 hits, but pieced at-bats together to tally five runs to earn the win. Aki Iwamura led off the game with a homerun, and later doubled and scored on a CC sacrifice-fly. He was joined having a two-hit day by Shawn Riggans, who was, thanks to Dioner Navarro's hot-hitting, making his first start behind the plate in over a week. He didn't waste any time either, lacing the first pitch he saw for a single, and then belting the second way over the fence in left for a two-run homer. Cliff Floyd went hitless for the first time since coming off the DL, and Ben Zobrist made his first appearance of the season, getting the start at short.

All of which gives us an AL-best 24-17 record going into interleague play tonight. To start, the Rays will be making their first ever visit to the new Busch Stadium to take on the Cardinals. Andy Sonnanstine is starting tonight, and, I have to say that as much as I would be looking forward to watching him, and the game in general, the real excitement is definitely getting to see the pitchers hit. Sonnanstine has a lot to live up to, having gone 2-5 last season to lead the Rays' pitchers at the plate.

Best. News. Ever. Plus, Net lag: of Perci and E-Jax

The first thing I do every morning when I get in to work is, as I'm sure is the case with most people, check my e-mails. And then delete most of them. Including the one from the Rays saying 'Postgame alert for the Tampa Bay Rays'. I mean, I don't want to know what happened in last nights game until I watch it!

But this morning there was a second e-mail from the Rays. And its subject made me very happy indeed.

'Rays sign Kazmir to four-year deal'

Oh yes.

Honestly, regardless of what the score in last nights game actually was, I don't think I could be much happier about baseball-related things this morning. Because no-matter how good we are getting, the gaping hole in the long-term plan was the signing of Scotty K. We'd locked up James Shields, CC, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena et al. But our crown jewel, the pitcher that every team would like to have, the pitcher that the Mets traded away for Victor Zambrano (what?! Thats always worth a mention!!) had not been signed up.

Well, not any more. A deal worth up to $39.5 million will keep Kaz in Rays blue until 2011 guaranteed, with a team option for 2012. And just think what our rotation could be like then. Kaz, James Shields, Matt Garza, David Price, Mitch Talbot, Jeff Niemann, Andy Sonnanstine, Edwin Jackson... Look out baseball.

Which brings me nicely on to:

New York Yankees 1 - Tampa Bay Rays 2

And I'm afraid there is not much I can say about the game. Not because it was boring or anything, but rather because, for some reason, it still hasn't been archived on MLB.tv. No idea why. Last night's game is up already - I checked - but Tuesday's still isn't. Oh well, thems the breaks.

Still, I don't need to watch to know what happened - Edwin Jackson was outstanding, again, allowing just 5 hits and no runs while striking out 5 in 7 innings work. But, once more the Rays gave him minimal run support - this time just a solitary score in the fourth. And, once more, Troy Percival blew the save - two consecutive E-Jax starts, two consecutive Perci blown saves. Tough break, especially considering how lights out Perci has been the rest of the time. Jackson has now thrown 15 scoreless innings without getting a decision. Lets just hope that doesn't frustrate him.

But, as you will know by know from reading this blog, the Rays are nothing this year if not battlers. Two scoreless innings from JP Howell followed, and, as Mariano Riveira, unscored-upon in 2008, started his second inning of work, Cliff Floyd steps in. He belts a single. Jonny Gomes pinch-runs, and swipes second base (his third steal in 2 games). And Gabe Gross laces a single, sending Jonny hustling round to home - another walk-off, another win.

And first place all on our own in the AL East.

Last night, James Shields made the start, and I intend to watch that (or as much as I can) after work tonight, and before the series finale starts at 4.10 EST (9.10 BST). I assume that Kaz is on the hill tonight. Shields and Kaz back-to-back? What a treat for me. I think I could get used to it...

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!

Some people believe football is a matter of life and death...

So goes the famous old quote from Bill Shankly, "...I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that."

Well, while I might not go so far as the Liverpool legend, football (yes, yes, soccer) is a very important thing indeed. And it is the reason why, after work on Friday, I took a seven hour train ride from Edinburgh back home to Basingstoke. Sunday, you see, was a big day for Southampton - the team that I have supported, and, up until my move north, been a virtual ever-present at home matches since the age of 6. It was the last match of the season, and the Saints, as Southampton are known, needed to win and hope that other results went their way in order to avoid being relegated to the third level of English football for the first time since 1960. Such importance, I felt, warranted a second trip home in a week (I am already flying down this coming weekend for my grandfather's 70th birthday).

Anyway, 90 minutes of tension, agony and, ultimately ecstasy started at 2pm on Sunday, during which I shouted so much that not only did I get a sore throat, but I also gave myself a headache. But a 3-2 win was enough to keep the Saints in the Championship, and it was all worth it. A 20,000-fan pitch invasion followed as celebration, and my ridiculous 14-hour round trip was not it vain.

I tell you this not because I think that a Southampton match will be of a great deal of interest to anyone reading a Tampa Bay Rays blog, but more as an explanation of why I didn't see any of the Rays series with the Red Sox over the weekend. Well, actually thats not entirely true, as I did half-watch some highlights from game 3 when I got back last night.

It doesn't seem like I missed an awful lot, three distinctly underwhelming performances, and three defeats. Still Scott Kazmir made his long-awaited return, and while he only lasted 4 innings and got tagged with the loss, it sure is nice to have him back on the mound again.

The Rays have now headed off to Canada for three against the Jays, and then return home for 3 against, I think, the Angels. I have another travel-filled week ahead, so I doubt I will be able to watch more than one of the six, and I doubt that will be live. Still, normal service will be resumed just as soon as I am sure what is normal anyway.