Rays of Light

Game #132: Another series win, perhaps?

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in Game Thread  

After last night’s gutty, gritty pitching performance, Edwin Jackson attempts to deliver a series win to the Rays tonight against Jesse Litsch and the Jays. After watching the Red Sox dismantle the Yankees the past two days, you’d love the Rays to pick up another win to keep a leg up.

What to watch for: The Rays have done pretty well against Litsch in the past, so if they can get just a few runs off of him,. Edwin should be able to navigate the Jays’ offense.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Edwin Jackson - Jackson picked up his 10th win of the season Friday night against the White Sox when he allowed just two runs after scattering seven hits and five walks over six innings. Making his outing more remarkable was the fact he allowed the leadoff runner to reach base in five of the six innings he pitched. If Jackson is locating his 97 mph fastball, his other pitches can work well, particularly his slider. Jackson is 1-3 with a 4.20 ERA in nine career appearances against the Blue Jays.

Jesse Litsch - Since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 14, the 23-year-old Litsch has spun 13 consecutive shutout innings over two starts. On Saturday, he picked up a win at home — Litsch’s first victory since June 26 — after limiting the Red Sox to no runs on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks. In his career against the Rays, Litsch has gone 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in five appearances.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Jesse Litsch.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

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Tags: Blue Jays

Game #131: Back on the horse

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in Game Thread  

After back-to-back losses, the Rays try to get back on the horse tonight against a rookie left-hander who has been beat up quite a bit in the early-goings of his career. With Matt Garza going for the Rays, it’s a great night to snap the skid before it gets out of hand.

What to watch for: David Purcey is not very good, but the Rays aren’t very good against left-handed pitching. Something’s gotta give.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Matt Garza - The 24-year-old Fresno State product has arguably the best stuff on the Rays staff, boasting a mid-90s fastball that sinks, a curveball, a slider and a changeup. He is coming off Wednesday night’s no-decision to the Angels in which the right-hander allow four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out seven. Garza is 2-2 in four career starts vs. Toronto, with a 2.77 ERA.

David Purcey - In five starts since joining Toronto’s rotation on July 24, Purcey has gone 2-3 with a 5.33 ERA. Over that span, the 6-foot-5 left-hander has allowed 16 runs on 25 hits, with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks over 27 innings. On Wednesday, Purcey took the loss at home against the Yankees after giving up five runs on seven hits in just four innings. Purcey - in his rookie season — has never faced the Rays.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

8 Comments

Tags: Blue Jays

Blue Jays 6, RAYS 2: Not what the “Doc”-tor ordered

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in Game Recap  

(Box Score)

After three games away from the Trop, the Rays came home and did something they’re not used to doing: they lost. But, considering the relative success the Rays have had against Doc Halladay in the past, it was only a matter of time before he finally stymied their bats.

Ouch:  Dioner Navarro left the game in the 6th inning thanks to cramping in both hamstrings. It’s uncertain whether he will play tonight or not.

On the one hand, it’s a big loss for the Rays as the pudgy catcher has been a big part of the offense and defense this season, but on the other hand, Navi could probably use a few days off. Let’s hope it’s not too serious.

What happened to James Shields? It’s been a while since we’ve seen a vintage Shields performance, hasn’t it? He was very mediocre again last night; 9 hits and 4 runs later, Shields left trailing another game. He’s got one month to get it straightened back out and become a stopper yet again for down the stretch and in the playoffs.

The Whiff: So, B.J. Upton struck out another 3 times in a game. That’s getting kind of old, isn’t it?

Standings Check: After the Red Sox beat the Yankees last night, Boston is just 3 1/2 games behind the Rays.

2 Comments

Tags: Blue Jays

Game #128: National TV!

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in Game Thread  

That’s right, ladies and gents. Our little Rays are on FOX Saturday Baseball today, taking on the White Sox. It’s a nice change of pace, isn’t it?

Apparently, Scott Kazmir is going to stop worrying about pitch counts and just pitch his game. We can only hope, because the Rays really need the old Kazmir from the first half of the season back. That would be nice, wouldn’t it?

What to watch for: All eyes will be on Kid K while the Rays take to the field on national television.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Scott Kazmir - Kazmir picked up his ninth win of the season on Sunday night when he held the Rangers to two runs on four hits while walking four and striking out seven. The 24-year-old left-hander has struggled with his mechanics lately and has worked all season with little luck to gain command of his slider, which has historically been his best pitch. Without his slider, Kazmir has relied primarily on a fastball-changeup combination. He is 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA in four career starts against the White Sox.

Javier Vazquez - On Sunday, for the second straight trip to the mound, Vazquez worked eight innings and dazzled the opposition. The right-hander did not allow a run against Oakland until the eighth inning, ending a stretch of 15 straight scoreless innings. He struck out eight and didn’t issue a walk, giving up four hits in total. Vazquez has yielded a mere nine hits over his past two starts. Vazquez has a 1-1 record with a 2.70 ERA against the Rays this year. He also holds a 6-4 record and a 4.11 ERA in 12 home starts this season.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Javier Vazquez.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

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Tags: White Sox

RAYS 9, White Sox 4: South Side Story

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in Game Recap  

(Box Score)

The offense was plentiful and the pitching good enough as the Rays went into U.S. Cellular Field last night and left with the best record in the American League. Tampa Bay scored 6 runs off of the Chicago bullpen over the final 2 2/3 innings to put this game out of reach, as the power was provided by Carlos Pena, Rocco Baldelli, and Ben Zobrist.

Rocco’s Modern Life: Since his return from the DL, Rocco Baldelli is hitting .300 / .364 / .450. A small sample-size, for sure, but still the kind of numbers you like to see. If he can keep that up, he gives the Rays a good amount of juice in the middle of the order against left-handed pitching.

Bringing the Pena: Carlos has been a house on fire since the All-Star Break, and he clubbed his 26th home run of the season last night just for good measure. Isn’t it amazing that, despite the “disappointing” season he’s put together, he’s still going to hit somewhere between 30 and 35 home runs? You can’t ask for much more from any player.

Edwin works his magic again: Again, Edwin wasn’t great by any means, but he was good enough to get the Rays through 6 innings of 2-run ball. How does he do it? Maybe it’s voodoo magic. I’m not entirely sure.

Grant Balfour… is a beast. What a job coming in when he did to get the two big strikeouts with the tying and go-ahead runs on.

When Jason Hammel throws strikes… he gets guys out. Another scoreless inning in which he threw 11 of 14 pitches for strikes.

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Tags: Rays

Game #127: Playoff Preview, Part 2

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in Game Thread  

After a three-game set against the Angels that could serve as “Playoff Preview, Part 1,” the Rays now take on the White Sox for three games in what can only be dubbed “Playoff Preview, Part 2.” Sure, the White Sox aren’t assured of their postseason spot like the Angels are, but it’s still a potential look at what we might see come October.

Edwin Jackson makes his play for win #10 again this time out, but he’s got a tough task in front of him, as John Danks is one of the better pitchers in the whole league. This could be a tough one for the Rays.

What to watch for: Can the Rays get ANYTHING done on offense against a tough southpaw like Danks?

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Edwin Jackson - Jackson pitched well on Saturday night against the Rangers, but he came away with his eighth loss of the season. The 24-year-old right-hander allowed just one run on five hits and three walks while striking out six in six innings. If Jackson is locating his 97-mph fastball, his other pitches can work well, particularly his slider. Jackson is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox.

John Danks - In his last start, Danks truly battled to pick up victory No. 7 over his last eight decisions. The left-hander threw 108 pitches in six innings, including an efficient eight-pitch sixth to end his afternoon in Oakland with a flourish. Danks gave up one run on six hits, but he also walked a career-high five and had to pitch out of two bases-loaded jams to avoid a setback. He has found great success in 2008 against Friday’s opponent, posting a 2-0 record and a 0.69 ERA. Over 13 innings against the Rays, Danks has fanned 16 and walked one. He has a 4-4 record with a 3.67 ERA at home this year.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against John Danks.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

3 Comments

Tags: White Sox

Off-day for the Rays means off-day for me

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in General  

I’m going to be taking the day off from the site, so there won’t be any updates today unless something major breaks. We’ll be back to normal posting tomorrow.

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Game #126: Wait, what’s the best team in the AL again?

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in Game Thread  

There are many who will still argue that the Angels (or even the Red Sox) are more talented than the Rays, but there’s no arguing that the team with the best record in the league right now is our little engine that could from Tropicana Field. And that’s just fine with me.

Tonight, they try to sweep the California Angels from Los Angeles (Anaheim) of the Pacific Time Zone (again!), and to do it they send the amazingly impressive Matt Garza to the hill. He’s been a phenomenal pitcher at home, and with the way he’s thrown recently, you’ve gotta like this matchup tonight.

What to watch for: Killer instinct. The Rays are one win away from firmly implanting doubt into the Angels’ mind that they can beat the Rays. All season long, the Rays have been out-Angeling the Angels - great defense, good pitching, and timely hitting.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Matt Garza - Garza will be making his 24th start of the season after earning his 10th win on Friday night with an overpowering performance against the Rangers that saw him spin a two-hit shutout. Garza retired 17 of the first 18 hitters he faced, allowing just one walk, before Ian Kinsler got the first hit of the game on a controversial decision by the official scorer. Garza has a mid-90s fastball that sinks, a curveball, a slider and a changeup. He is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in one career start against the Angels, but he is 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA in 11 career starts at Tropicana Field.

Jered Weaver - Weaver didn’t have his best stuff, nor the best command on Friday against the Indians, but he still was able to limit the Tribe to just two runs over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision. A high pitch count accounted for Weaver’s early exit, as the second run he was responsible for scored off rookie sensation Jose Arredondo. Weaver gave up just five hits, but four were doubles. Weaver was impressive in his only outing against the Rays this season, limiting the American League East leaders to just one run in eight innings to pick up the win. Lifetime, Weaver is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two starts against Tampa Bay.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Jered Weaver.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

6 Comments

Tags: Angels

RAYS 4, Angels 2: They did it again!

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in Game Recap  

(Box Score)

You’ve always heard about that implausible Hollywood script that gets rejected because even it is too unbelievable for the land of make-believe?

Welcome to the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays. Despite the lowest payroll in the AL East, a manager who manny dismissed as just “a portly little man with funny glasses,” and a bullpen pieced together from other teams’ cast-offs, has-beens, and never-weres, the Rays keep on inventing new ways to win, and with each passing day find themselves closer and closer to clinching a playoff spot.

Big D: B.J. Upton had not one but two key defensive plays in the 2nd inning last night that might’ve completely changed the complexion of the game. James Shields was struggling through the first couple of innings, and Torii Hunter ripped a line drive to the left-centerfield gap. B.J. sprinted over and cut the all off, firing a strike to Aki at second to hold Hunter and second. Then, a few batters later, B.J. threw an absolute strike to home plate on a base-hit up the middle to cut Hunter down at the plate.

When B.J. first picked up the ball, I didn’t think he had any chance at all to get Hunter and started cursing him for not hitting the cut-off man. Then, the ball is in Navarro’s glove and his swiping Torii for the out. I can’t even begin to describe how great that throw was. One of the finest from center field I’ve ever seen.

Fired Up: Papa Joe got himself ejected - and rightfully so - when B.J. was the center of “controversy” after being tagged “out” after he ran through first base. Apparently, the umpire thought that Upton had turned to run towards second base, which he absolutely did not do, and when he was tagged, the umpire called him out.

Perhaps the worst call I’ve ever seen in my life, and certainly a built-in excuse for the Rays had they lost the game. Good thing this team doesn’t believe in excuses.

Big Willy Style: That’s twice in the past week that Willy Aybar has come up with the big hit in the late innings. I don’t know where he’s going to play when Evan Longoria comes back, but you’ve gotta think that Maddon is going to find a way to get him into the lineup, right?

Settling Down: After two very wobbly innings, James Shields really settled down and gave the Rays (and the bullpen) exactly what it needed with 8 innings of great baseball. Lesser pitchers probably melt-down after getting banged around the park like he did in the first two innings

Another Sweep? Could the Rays really pull off ANOTHER sweep against one of the top-dogs of the American League? Just one more game and that’s exactly what they’ll do.

Now if only the Orioles could beat the Red Sox….

5 Comments

Tags: Angels

Game #125: Playoff pitching preview?

By Scott Caruso  |  Posted in Game Thread  

Every once in a while, you get treated to a marquee pitching matchup in baseball. Tonight would be one of those nights, as James Shields looks to build on his home dominance against one of the other great young hurlers in the game in Ervin Santana. This could very well be a preview of a playoff pitching matchup down the line, so you can bet there will be plenty of interested parties in both dugouts for this one.

For the Rays, this is an important game on multiple fronts: for starters, a win and the team guarantees a win in this series against the Angels. Moreover, the Rays already have built up a psychological edge, having won all 4 games at The Trop so far this season. If (and that’s still a huge IF) the Rays can sweep this series from the Halos as well, imagine the kind of confidence the team will have heading into a potential ALCS match-up against them.

What to watch for: What stupid thing will B.J. Upton do tonight? (I kid, I kid…)

Ervin Santana is 9-2 on the road, while James Shields is 7-1 at home. The difference? Shields’ home ERA is 2.21 compared to Santana’s road number, which is closer to 3.50. I like Shields to absolutely dominate tonight; the Angels’ offense just doesn’t scare me THAT much.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
James Shields - Shields received a no-decision Thursday afternoon at Oakland when he allowed four runs on five hits in five innings. Uncharacteristic of Shields’ outing were the five walks. The 26-year-old right-hander’s best pitch has always been his changeup, but he also has a plus fastball and curve and he’s added a cutter that has helped him throw inside to left-handers. He is 3-2 with a 3.40 ERA in six career starts against the Angels. In 38 career starts at Tropicana Field, Shields is 17-7 with a 3.18 ERA.

Ervin Santana - He didn’t get a win to show for it, but it was another strong effort by Santana, who gave up three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and one walk on Wednesday night against the Mariners. He has yielded only eight walks while striking out 45 hitters in his past six outings, covering 40 1/3 innings. He seems to be getting stronger as the season heads toward the stretch. Santana is 3-3 in seven career outings against the Rays, with a 6.21 ERA. They reached him for nine hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings earlier this year in a no-decision at Tropicana Field.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Ervin Santana.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

2 Comments

Tags: Angels