Rays Blog

The Skinny:  The Tampa Bay Rays scored three runs in the first twelve innings of the game tonight against the Jays, but put up five in the thirteenth and final inning.  The Rays took their series with their division rival and are now 18-16 on the year.

The Pitching:  Edwin Jackson started for the Rays and was almost perfect.  Jackson threw eight shut out innings, striking out three but only walking one hitter.  Jackson lowered his ERA to 4.04 on the year.  The Rays brought on Troy Percival in the ninth to close it out and he just didn’t get it done.  Up until tonight he hadn’t given up a run all season, but coughed up three in the 9th to allow the Jays to tie it up.  JP Howell threw three scoreless innings to get the win.

The Hitting:  The Rays got homers in the fifth and seventh innings to go up 3-0 heading into the ninth inning.  After allowing the Jays to tie it up in the ninth, the Rays got five runs in the 13th inning.  They went up 4-3 on a Carl Crawford sacrifice fly and then blew it wide open with a Dioner Navarro grand slam to make it 8-3.  Navarro went 3-6 with 4 RBI to lead the Rays offense.

What’s Next?:  The Rays have wrapped up their series with the Rays and are now getting ready to take on the Los Angeles Angels.  James Shields will get the start in the opener on Friday night.  Game time is 7:10pm.

The Skinny:  The Tampa Bay Rays have split their last two games in Toronto against their AL East Rivals, the Blue Jays.  They won on Tuesday 5-4, but lost on Wednesday night by a score of 6-2.  They are now 17-16 on the season.

The Pitching: Andy Sonnanstine started on Tuesday and won his fourth straight decision to run his record to an impressive 5-1 on the year.  Sonnanstine lasted six innings and bent plenty but never broke.  He allowed 10 hits and four runs in his six innings but kept the Jays from getting the big inning.  The Rays then used their top relief combo of Dan Wheeler (two scoreless innings) and Troy Percival (a scoreless ninth inning) to end the ball game.  On Wednesday night the Rays handed the ball to Matt Garza to try to get back to back wins.  Garza was very sharp but took the loss.  He pitched 6.2 innings and gave up only 1 ER.  Garza struck out two and allowed six hits in his outing.  The bullpen really is what let the Rays down.  Dohmann, Miller, and Hammel combined to give up five runs in 1.1 innings, cementing the fate of the Rays.

The Hitting:  On Tuesday the Rays got two hits a piece from Iwamura, Upton, and Erick Hinske.  Carlos Pena had a rough night as he went 0-4 with 4 strike outs.  Hinske had a double and home run on the night and his home run came in the sixth the put the Rays up 5-3.  On Wednesday the Rays didn’t pick up their first run until the 9th inning, when BJ Upton hit a two run double, but the game was pretty much out of reach.  The Rays mustered only four hits as a team on Wednesday as they struggled against Jays starter, Shawn Marcum.

What’s Next?:  The Rays and Jays will play the rubber game of their series tomorrow night in Toronto.  Edwin Jackson will start for Tampa Bay.  Game time is 7:07pm.

The Skinny:  They are still off to their best start ever, but the Rays got a reality check this weekend against the Boston Red Sox.  The Rays fell in their final game of their series against the Red Sox by a score of 7-3.  The sweep at the hands of Boston left the Rays at 16-15 on the season.

The Pitching:  Even though they lost the game, the Rays got some good news today:  Scott Kazmir is back in the Rays rotation.  Kazmir was handed the loss today in his first start of the year as he is returning from the disabled list.  He went only four innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits and three walks.  The powerful lefty did rack up five strikeouts.

The Hitting:  Trailing 4-0 in the sixth inning, Carlos Pena hit a solo home run to close the gap to 4-1.  The Rays got RBIs in the seventh inning from Akinori Iwamura and Carl Crawford to put their final two runs on the board.  Iwamura and Jason Bartlett each had two hits for the Rays.  While Carlos Pena did homer, he struck out in his three other plate appearances.

What’s Next?:  The Rays have a day off for travel tomorrow as they head to Toronto.  On Tuesday the Rays will start a three game series against the Blue Jays.  Andy Sonnanstine will start the game on Tuesday.

The Skinny:  The Rays were looking to rebound in Boston behind their ace, James Shields, but it just didn’t work out.  The Rays lost in Boston to the Red Sox 12-4 on Saturday and dropped to 16-14 on the season.

The Pitching:  Shields had been very sharp all season but he just didn’t have it on Saturday.  He lasted only 3.2 innings and gave up 7 ER.  He also allowed 10 hits and gave up three walks.  The bullpen provided no relief for the Rays as they went 4.1 innings and gave up 5 runs to a tough Red Sox line up.

The Hitting:  Trailing 3-0 in the second inning, Gabe Gross took a Josh Beckett pitch over the wall for a two run homer, that made it as close as the Rays would get.  Akinori Iwamura hit a solo shot later in the game to tack on another run for the Rays.  Dioner Navarro had a pair of hits for the Rays.

What’s Next?:  The Rays “real” ace, Scott Kazmir will make his much anticipated debut on Sunday against Boston.  Kazmir will likely not throw too many pitches as the Rays look for him to work his way back and stay healthy in the process.

The Skinny:  The Rays and Red Sox met on Friday night, in a virtual tie for first place in the AL East.  The Rays, coming off a series win over the Sox earlier, fell on Friday night 7-3.  The Rays are now 16-13 on the season, one game behind the Red Sox.

The Pitching:  Edwin Jackson started for the Rays and didn’t have his best stuff.  He struggled with the patient Boston hitters and lasted only 4 innings before getting pulled.  He gave up 6 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks.  The Red Sox seemed to be on base constantly while he was on the mound.  Jackson took the loss and is now 2-3 on the year.

The Hitting:  The Rays were down 6-0 before they were able to put some runs on the board.  They scored their first run on a wild pitch in the 5th inning.  They tagged on two more runs in the 7th inning on sacrifice outs by Crawford and Iwamura.  Crawford, Pena, and Bartlett had 6 of the Rays 7 hits.

What’s Next?:  James Shields will start Saturday night at Fenway Park against Josh Beckett of the Red Sox.  Shields has been very good early in the season and the Rays will look for him to keep that up as they look to even the series at a game a piece.

The Skinny:  The Rays took out of three from the Orioles to take over first place in the AL East.  They got some quality starting pitching once again and were able to get some timely runs to win the game 4-2.  The Rays are now 16-12 on the season.

The Pitching:  Matt Garza started for the Rays and helped prove that he deserves a spot in their starting rotation.  Garza threw six strong innings giving up only two runs and striking out 3.  Garza allowed only three hits.  Dan Wheeler threw a perfect seventh and eighth inning and Troy Percival threw a perfect ninth for his sixth save.  Wheeler’s ERA on the season is only 1.20 while Percival has yet to allow a run this season.

The Hitting:  The Rays took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when Jonny Gomes hit a solo home run, his third of the season.  The Orioles came back to tie the game at 2 but the Rays came charging back in the seventh inning.  With runners on base, Carl Crawford singled to center field and scored two runs, putting the Rays up 4-2.  Crawford had two hits on the night and had a run scored to go with his two RBI.

What’s Next?:  The Rays will open up a three game series in Boston against the Red Sox on Friday night.  These two teams are tied for first in the AL East.  Edwin Jackson will start on Friday night.  Game time is 7:05pm.

The Skinny:  The Tampa Bay Rays finished April with a winning record for the first time in franchise history.  They ended the month with an 8-1 victory over the first place Baltimore Orioles.  These two teams are now tied for first in the AL East.

The Pitching:  The Rays got another great performance out of a starting pitcher, tonight it was Andy Sonnanstine’s turn.  Sonnanstine went 8 innings, giving up the lone Baltimore run while striking out five hitters.  Sonnanstine lowered his ERA to 4.42 in the win and improved his record on the season to 4-1.  Kurt Birkins appeared in mop-up duty, pitching a scoreless 9th inning to end the game.

The Hitting:   This game was actually pretty close up until the seventh inning.  Heading into the 7th the Rays held a slim 3-1 lead.  They put up a five spot in the 7th to put the game well out of reach.  In the fourth with the game tied at one, Eric Hinske hit a two run homer to put the Rays up for the rest of the game.  All five runs in the 7th inning were scored on RBI singles.  Along with his home run, Hinske also walked three times.  BJ Upton and Dioner Navarro each had two hits for the Rays.

What’s Next?:  These two teams will play the rubber game of this series tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards.  Matt Garza will start for the Rays as he looks to get on track this season.  Game time is 12:35pm.

The Skinny:  The Rays saw their winning streak end and saw their rally fall short tonight against the first place Baltimore Orioles.  The Rays fell behind 7-0 tonight but put up four runs in the seventh inning to get within three.  However, that’s how the game would end, with the Rays falling to 14-12 on the season.

The Pitching:  Jason Hammel started for the Rays and couldn’t get out of the third inning.  He really struggled with his control, walking four men and giving up six hits in 2.2 innings before getting pulled.   JP Howell came on for Hammel and gave up two runs in three innings and Scott Dohmann gave up two runs in 1.1 innings.  The Rays pitching has been so good this season it was strange to see an off night.

The Hitting:   The Rays got two more hits out of Dioner Navarro, he is now hitting .400 on the season (he was out with an injury) and he continues to swing a hot bat.  BJ Upton hit a two run homer in the seventh inning to close the gap from 7-2 to 7-4 and gave the Rays a chance.  Carl Crawford, who has been hot as of late, went 1-5 and left a team high five men on base.

What’s Next?:  The same two teams will go at again tomorrow night with Andy Sonnanstine going for the Rays.  Sonnanstine is 3-1 on the season with an ERA over 5.00.  Even though he has pitched well lately, Sonnanstine is likely to be the odd man out when Scott Kazmir returns to the rotation from his injury.

The Skinny:  The Tampa Bay Rays continued the best start in team history by sweeping the defending champion, Boston Red Sox 3-0.  Over the course of the series the young Rays pitching staff kept at bay one of the top offenses in all of baseball.  The Rays are now 14-11 on the season and have six straight games.

The Pitching:  James Shields went up against Josh Beckett of the Sox and came out on top as he threw a complete game shut out.  The Red Sox could muster only two hits (both singles) against Shields who needed less than 100 pitches to get through the nine innings.  Shields also struck out seven and walked only one batter.  He is now 3-1 on the season with an ERA of 2.54.

The Hitting:  The Rays managed only five hits today but managed to turn it into three runs which was more than enough for Shields.  Leading 1-0 in the seventh inning, Rays rookie third baseman slugged a solo home run off of Josh Beckett to put the Rays up 2-0.  They tacked on another run in the 8th on a Carl Crawford double.

What’s Next?:  As of right now the Rays and Orioles are tied for first place in the AL East.  The two teams will face off in Baltimore for a surprisingly big three game series.  The Rays have a day off on Monday and will send Jason Hammel to the hill on Tuesday.

The Skinny: The Rays have kept up their hot streak as they took two straight close ball games from the defending champion Boston Red Sox.  The Rays won a close on in extra innings on Friday 5-4 and won in 9 innings on Saturday in  pitchers duel 2-1.  The Rays have now won five straight games and are 13-11 on the season.

The Pitching:  Since the Rays are taking on the highest scoring team in the AL, their pitching needs to be at it’s best, and it has.  On Friday Matt Garza started for the Rays and kept the Sox in check by allowing three runs over five innings.  The bullpen then went the final six innings of the game and allowed only one run to the very powerful Red Sox line up.  Scott Dohmann got the win as he got the final two outs for the Rays in the top of the 11th inning.  On Saturday night Edwin Jackson looked to get back on track against Boston.  Jackson threw seven innings of impressive baseball allowing only one run and striking out four hitters.  Scott Dohmann got one out in this game to pick up the win (that’s a total of 1 inning for two wins for him).    Troy Percival threw a perfect 9th to pick up save number five on the season.

The Hitting:  Carl Crawford went 3-6 on Friday as he continued to swing a red hot bat and raised his average to .314 for the year.  The Rays were patient at the plate as a club as they collected eight walks total in the game (Tim Wakefield was responsible for five of them).  With the game tied at 4 in the bottom of the 11th inning, Nathan Haynes hit an RBI single that scored Carl Crawford and  won the game for the Rays.  The game winning hit came off of Mike Timlin.  On Saturday night the Rays hitters were baffled by Clay Buchholz for most of the game.  Through seven innings tonight the Rays only had one hit off of the young pitcher and no runs.  However, Dioner Navarro singled in the 8th and Akinori Iwamura drove him home with a two run homer to put the Rays up for good at 2-1.

What’s Next?:  The Rays will look to sweep the Red Sox tomorrow behind the arm of James Shields.  The Rays hitters will have their work cut out for them as they will face Josh Beckett of the Red Sox.  Game time is 1:40pm.