Tag: Tampa Bay Rays (Page 7 of 24)

      Mikey’s MLB power rankings

      June 26, 2010 /

      A lot has changed since last week. The Dodgers have faded and the Rangers have caught fire. The Yankees and Red Sox have been steadily winning while Tampa bas dropped off just a bit. And the Mets and Braves keep battling for first place. Here are this week’s power rankings…..

      1. New York Yankees (46-27)—Not only have they taken over first place in the mighty AL East, but the Yankees are starting to put a bit of distance between themselves, and the Rays and Sox. They just have way too much talent.

      2. Texas Rangers (44-29)—We knew the Rangers would hit the ball, but did anyone expect their pitching staff to be fifth in the AL in ERA, and second in strikeouts? Quick, name me two of their starters…..I know, I couldn’t either.

      3. Boston Red Sox (44-31)—Like the Yanks, too much talent, and too much straight up desire to win. No wonder the chowder heads love their team.

      4. San Diego Padres (43-30)—Don’t look now, but the Padres have the best record in the National League. That is not a typo.

      5. Tampa Bay Rays (43-30)—I’ll give you five reasons why the Rays aren’t going away any time soon—Garza, Price, Davis, Niemann and Shields. It’s almost like a young version of the ‘90’s Braves. But being no-hit again isn’t good, either.

      6. Atlanta Braves (43-31)—Speaking of the Braves, these guys are turning back the clock with guys like Chipper Jones, Derek Lowe, Tim Hudson and Billy Wagner leading the way; and with Martin Prado leading the NL in batting.

      7. New York Mets (42-31)—Seriously, RA Dickey is 6-0 with a 2.33 ERA in 7 starts? It’s like suddenly the Mets can do no wrong, and they just keep winning.

      8. St. Louis Cardinals (40-33)—Raise your hand if you think the Cardinals are afraid of the Reds. I see a few hands up and they’re all in Southern Ohio.

      9. Minnesota Twins (40-33)—Leading a weak division once again, and there’s no reason to believe the Twins will relinquish first place any time soon. Or that Joe Mauer’s average will continue to drop.

      10. Cincinnati Reds (41-33)—They might be overachieving right now, but you can’t count them out.

      External Sports, MLB

      D-Backs’ Edwin Jackson pitches MLB’s fourth no-no of the year because, you know, they’re easy to do now

      June 26, 2010 /

      The year of the pitcher continues.

      Edwin Jackson became the fourth pitcher this season to throw a no-hitter, after he blanking the Rays 1-0 on Friday night. He walked seven of the first 13 batters he faced and threw a career-high 149 pitches, yet still managed to stay in the game in order to make history in the end. Perhaps what’s most amazing about his feat is that he did it against a very good hitting offense in Tampa.

      Just what in the name of David Cone is going on here? It used to be that we would see one or two no-hitters a season, but we’ve already been privy to four this year alone. It’s not even July; we haven’t even reached the All-Star break yet.

      Not since the 1991 season has baseball seen four pitchers throw no-hitters in a single year. The Rangers’ Nolan Ryan, the Phillies’ Tommy Greene, the Expos’ Dennis Martinez, the White Sox’s Wilson Alvarez and the Royals’ Bret Saberhagen all threw no-no’s in ’91, while members of the Orioles and Braves each threw combined no-hitters that year as well.

      Considering there have already been four thrown this season, we could be looking at a potential record-breaking year for no-hitters. It’s almost like fans are expecting them every month now. I saw that Jackson threw his last night and the first thing that crossed my mind was, “Yeah, that’s about right.”

      Not to pile it on, but had Jim Joyce not blown Armando Galarraga’s perfect game in Detroit a couple weeks ago, this year would have already matched 1991’s output. That’s incredible.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Mikey’s MLB power rankings

      June 19, 2010 /

      We’re about 40% through the current major league baseball season. That means we’re about to enter the warmest part of the season both on the field and in the standings. Contenders will begin to emerge and pretenders will begin to fade if they haven’t faded already. So we thought it was a good time to have our first installment of MLB power rankings…..

      1. Tampa Bay Rays (41-26)—Amazingly, the Rays have a better road record (23-11) than a home record (18-15). Also amazingly is how they jumped out of the gate and have stayed in front—with their usual formula of strong pitching (3.55 ERA leads the AL), speed (major league best 76 steals) and defense.

      2. New York Yankees (41-26)—Don’t look now, but the Yankees have caught up to Tampa. They just have too much talent for the Rays to keep them down all season.

      3. Boston Red Sox (41-28)—Struggling to keep pace with the Rays and Yanks, but now just one game back and right in the thick of it. Does anyone else feel bad for the Orioles and Blue Jays?

      4. Atlanta Braves (40-28)—A huge surprise to be leading the NL East on June 19, but not as big a surprise as the Phillies sitting in third place.

      5. Minnesota Twins (38-29)—Ignited by a new ball park and a fat new contract for their superstar catcher Joe Mauer, the Twins are going to run away with the AL Central because no one else wants to.

      6. San Diego Padres (39-28)—Definitely the surprise of the first two months, Bud Black has this Padres team over-achieving. They recently relinquished first place, but took it right back, and the Padres may stay in the hunt because of how well they fare in those close, low-scoring games.

      7. New York Mets (39-28)—Here’s another shocker. The Mets were picked by most pundits to be a fourth or fifth place team. And here they are battling the Braves for NL East supremacy. But the biggest surprise has been the starting rotation, where guys like Mike Pelfrey, RA Dickey and Jon Niese are reminding Mets fans of the Seaver/Koosman/Matlack days. And we haven’t even mentioned Johan Santana.

      8. Los Angeles Dodgers (38-29)—They’ve quietly made their move from bottom feeders to frontrunners, and they have the talent to stay there. But seriously, Manny Ramirez has SEVEN home runs on June 19? Hmmmm.

      9. Texas Rangers (39-28)—Everyone thought the Mariners would be the team to beat in the AL West this year, but they have one of the worst records in baseball at 26-41. Meanwhile, the Rangers are riding a frightening middle of the lineup (Guerrero/Hamilton/Cruz) to the division lead

      10. San Francisco Giants (37-29)—With Barry Zito looking like his old self, this team is extremely dangerous with him, all-world Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez.

      Tie 10. Detroit Tigers (37-29)--A 7-game winning streak has them right here and only a half-game back of the Twins.

      External Sports, MLB

      Price starting to live up to first round billing

      June 10, 2010 /

      When David Price signed a six-year, $8.5 million contract that included a $5.6 million signing bonus in August of 2007, the expectations for the youngster immediately went through the roof.

      After appearing in five games with one start in 2008, Price struggled some in 2009 while also flashing the brilliance that Rays fans were hoping for. He won 10 games that season, but he also gave up 17 home runs in 23 starts and his ERA topped out at 4.42. His main issues were commanding his pitches inside the strike zone and dropping his arm angle when he threw his changeup, which led to hitters taking him out of the yard.

      When the Rays traded Scott Kazmir mid-season last year, they had high hopes that Price would eventually emerge as their ace in 2010. But heading into the season, the club was still unsure whether or not he could be a true No. 1 because he hadn’t shown the consistency that all great front of the rotation pitchers have.

      Until now, that is.

      Price still has command issues, but after dominating the Blue Jays for six innings of one-run ball on Wednesday night, it’s clear that he’s starting to put everything together. To date, he’s 9-2 with a 2.23 ERA and has 57 strikeouts. His six home runs allowed are also down a bit from last season and his WHIP is a solid 1.17.

      Most importantly, the Rays are currently in first place in the AL East, ahead of the defending World Champion Yankees and the always-contending Red Sox. Price leads Tampa in wins and ERA, which is huge for a club that was desperately in need of someone in the rotation to step up and be the No. 1 guy. It’s still early, but both Price and the Rays are off to fantastic starts in 2010.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Rays send down Burrell. Could Dye be their answer?

      May 15, 2010 /

      After hitting just .202 in 24 games and 84 at-bats this season, the Rays have designated the trifling Pat Burrell for assignment. Of course, “Pat the Bat’s” streak of ineptitude began much earlier, from his Rays debut in 2009 until now. At $18 million for two years, the Rays certainly didn’t get what they paid for in Burrell, but the signing didn’t show any promise in the first place. True, Burrell did hit 33 homers and help the Phillies win a championship in 2008, but he also posted a worrisome .250 average and continued to be an eyesore in the outfield. Is that worth $9 million a year, Tampa? Hell no. As it stands, the Burrell acquisition is the worst move of young GM Andrew Friedman’s career.

      Logically, the team is calling up Hank Blalock, who has been tearing it up in the minors, to fill the DH role. Blalock, 29, is younger than Burrell and also offers more upside given his ability to play both third and first base. This gives the Rays opportunity to spell both Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena when needed. The Rays are only on the hook for $925,000 (plus $325,000 in performance-based incentives) with Blalock, so the risk-reward ratio is less frightful than Burrell’s.

      Nevertheless, if Blalock doesn’t pan out (which is likely), why not give Jermaine Dye a shot? All signs point to the White Sox leaving him astray, as Andruw Jones decided he wants to play baseball again instead of spending his days as the Rasheed Wallace of his sport. If Dye can get real and realize he’s not worth more than $3 million a year, he might find a fit with the Rays.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

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