The Anti-Pennant Race

And then there were two. Last night the Cubbies beat the Brewers 14-6. Can the Cubs do anything right? It was a bad day all-around for the north-siders. For the last few weeks, it appeared to be a foregone conclusion that Joe Girardi would be managing the Baby Bears in 2007. Now comes word that Girardi wants to remain with the Marlins. Who is running the Cubs front office? Steve Bartman? Then last night, the Cubs win, coupled with the Royals loss eliminated the Cubs from the Anti-Pennant race…Kansas City maintained their 2 game lead by falling to the Twins 3-2. The Twins appear to be still gunning for the Division title as Johan Santana surprisingly worked 8 innings. The Royals have now lost 8 in a row…The Rays kept pace with K. C. by *drum roll please* losing on the road! Surprise! The Rays are now 2-29 on the road since the All-Star break.

David Price is a front-runner to be the top pick of Major League Baseball’s 2007 amateur entry draft. Price is a 6’6″ pitcher at Vanderbilt that some scouts have called the left-handed version of Mark Prior. This past season Price went 9-5 with a 4.16 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 110 innings. For Team USA this summer, Price went 5-1 and a 0.20 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 7 walks in 44 innings. He won Baseball America’s Summer Player of the Year award for 2006. Obviously a lot can change in the next 9 months. He could suck next year…He could sign Scott Boras as his agent…his arm could fall off…he could get abducted by aliens…he could get Matt Leinart pregnant…the possibilities are endless. In the meantime, the race is on! May the worst team win.

The Hangover: Carl Crawford Is The Perfect Storm

Will Carl Crawford be wearing a Devil Rays uniform in 2007? Rumors have swirled all season that Crawford could be traded. At the time it was widely believed that the Rays were not shopping C. C. but may have just been approached by other teams. Now comes the latest report from Joel Sherman’s article in the New York Post that the Rays may actively pursue a trade of Crawford with the hopes of landing some top pitching talent. First, for those that are not familiar with New York tabloids, we need to keep in mind that this is the New York Post we are talking about. They are still a tabloid that will say just about anything to sell a paper. Sherman does not say where he obtains any of his information. He doesn’t even list the usual unnamed sources. So is there any truth to this newest rumor? On the surface, it makes sense. The Rays do have other options in the outfield. Jonny Gomes will return next season from shoulder surgery and could resume outfield duties. The Rays could move one of their infielders to left field. Both B. J. Upton and Jorge Cantu have good bats and subpar gloves and may be better suited in the outfield. Then there is always the free agent market where it would much easier to find a suitable left field replacement than a top of the rotation starter. And of course Elijah Dukes is still in the picture (barely) at AAA.

If Carl Crawford is available, what would it take to pry him off the hands of the Rays? Keep in mind that C. C. is young (25), on the verge of being a perennial All-Star, and is signed to a modest contract through 2010. Carl Crawford is The Perfect Storm for an organization. And that makes him an extremely valuable commodity. MLB Trade Rumors came up with a list of several of the top pitching prospects that could be used to try and obtain Crawford. Would one of these can’t miss prospects be enough to land Crawford? It is hard to imagine the Rays would part with a proven player before his prime for a prospect or prospects. If there is anything we have learned, is that there is no such thing as a can’t miss prospect. Would a team be willing to part with a proven young pitcher for a left fielder? The name that comes to mind for us is Justin Verlander of the Tigers. A young proven pitcher on a team with pitching depth. Jim Leyland has clamored all season for more speed on his team.

The Rays know they have other options in the outfield. More importantly, they know to be a successful major league franchise they need three things, Pitching, Pitching, Pitching. It would not surprise us if the Rays pursued trade options for Crawford this off-season, but it would surprise us even more if he is traded. When the dust settles, we believe that other teams will balk at the asking price, and C. C. will still be wearing a Rays uniform in 2007 and beyond and patrolling left field at The Trop.

• Last night the Rays did what they always do on the road…Lose. Big Papi extended his new Red Sox team record with his 54th home run as the Scarlett Hose beat the Rays 5-1. Maybe Joe Maddon should shift one or two of his infielders into the right field bleachers.
• If the Rays lose four of their last five games, they will become the first team in over 60 years to have a winning record at home and win less than a quarter of their games on the road.
• Jeremy Hellickson was named the top prospect of the New York-Penn league by Baseball America.
• He is a 110 years old and the oldest remaining Negro League player. He played for the Homestead Grays in 1913. He must have the strongest heart ever.
  

The Anti-Pennant Race

And then there were three. The Royals are bringing their ‘A’ game (or is that ‘F’ game?) and have now righted their ship. During one stretch, K. C. went 20-18, but things are back to normal in the other city in Missouri. Last night they rolled over for the Twinkies 8-1, for their 7th loss in a row. Come on! Did any of you guys really think that Kansas City was a .500 team? They are still the Royales with Cheese. The loss keeps their lead at 2 games in the race for the worst record in baseball…The Rays kept pace with a 16-1 loss to the Yankees and made sure the game was out of question early, falling behind 9-0 after three innings…The Cubs bullpen blew a 4-0 lead in the seventh and eighth inning last night and kept their faint hopes alive. They Cubbies remain 4.5 games back but their elimination number is now two and they can be eliminated as early as tonight. Things are so bad on the northside right now that they are writing about the Twins world series hopes. It must be bad when, as a fan, you are living vicariously through another team…Pittsburgh did not play last night, but the loss by the Royals eliminated the Pirates from the race.

So the chase is on. While the Cubs are not a real factor at this point, it is down to two teams. The Rays and the Royals. Both teams have six games remaining, three more in Minnesota and three more in Detroit. Luckily for the Rays, the Tigers clinched a playoff spot this past weekend and the Twins clinched last night. Both of those teams are now only playing for the division title, which may not be incentive enough to play all out the last week of the season. Johan Santana pitches for the Twins tonight, but we would be surprised if he was still in the game in the sixth inning. He has been roughed up his past two starts and may need some rest before the playoffs begin. The Rays have six games remaining, all on the road (two in Boston and two in Cleveland), where they are 2-28 since the All-Star break. Can the Rays make up 2 games in the last 6? Wouldn’t it be great if the league had a Monday 1-game playoff to decide the worst team in baseball? We can only dream.

David Price is a front-runner to be the top pick of Major League Baseball’s 2007 amateur entry draft. Price is a 6’6″ pitcher at Vanderbilt that some scouts have called the left-handed version of Mark Prior. This past season Price went 9-5 with a 4.16 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 110 innings. For Team USA this summer, Price went 5-1 and a 0.20 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 7 walks in 44 innings. He won Baseball America’s Summer Player of the Year award for 2006. Obviously a lot can change in the next 9 months. He could suck next year…He could sign Scott Boras as his agent…his arm could fall off…he could get abducted by aliens…he could get Matt Leinart pregnant…the possibilities are endless. In the meantime, the race is on! May the worst team win.

The Hangover

It was supposed to be just another meaningless home finale on Monday night against the Evil Empire. But something amazing happened. It only took 156 games. 156 games. Well, 154 games if you count the two where Joe Maddon took a mini-vacation with his girlfriend. But, if you missed it last night because your significant other was making you watch The Bachelor, Joe Maddon finally snapped. And its about time. Maddon and pitching coach Mike Butcher were ejected in the first inning after Butcher questioned the locations of Jae Seo’s pitches. It was only the third ejection for Maddon this season (Lou Piniella could get three ejections in his sleep), but this was the most memorable. Butcher had to be restrained after being shoved by one umpire and then returning the favor. By this point Maddon was nose to nose with the home plate umpire gradually moving the umpire backwards until he was nearly pinned against the backstop, at which point the home plate umpire, Alfonso Marquez, appears to shove his head into Maddon’s cap. Either he was trying to back Maddon up or he was trying to make it appear as if Maddon had hit him with his cap. Either way, it was clear that Marquez initiated the contact…Still, the important point is that Maddon apparently is capable of getting in the grill of an umpire. After most questionable calls this season, Joe Maddon seems more inclined to compliment the umpire’s wife on her cooking than to actually argue the call. Most of the time, he is too lazy to even leave the dugout, choosing instead to yell niceties at the umpire from the top step of the dugout…Oh by the way, Jae Seo had his worst outing of the season, allowing 8 runs in 1.2 innings and the Rays lost to the Spankees 16-1. The Rays lone run came on Ty Wiggington’s 24th home run of the season.

• Its a minor point, but last night the Blue Jays beat the Red Sox 5-0. Normally, this game would have little significance for two disappointing teams that have already been eliminated from the playoffs. However, with the win, the Jays moved ahead of the Sox into second place in the AL East. Why is that significant? In every year of the Rays existence, the Yankees have finished first in the division and the Red Sox have finished second. That streak could end this season. Further evidence that the Red Sox have just rolled over and are now playing dead.
• The Rays have six games remaining and need to win three to avoid 100 losses. All six games are on the road where the Rays are 2-26 since the All-Star break.
• The Tampa chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America named Carl Crawford the Rays MVP and James Shields was named rookie of the year.
• Two Devil Rays minor leaguers were named to the all-level minor league All-Star team. Reid Brignac was named as the teams shortstop, and Juan Salas was the only relief pitcher named to the team. In addition, Kevin Witt was named as the DH to the AAA All-Star team and Eliot Johnson was named as the second baseman for the AA All-Star team along with Salas. Along with Brignac, Chris Nowak was named to the High-A All-Star team as a first baseman. Jeremy Hellickson was one of four starting pitchers named to the short-season All-Star team, and catcher Nevin Ashley was named a rookie level All-Star.

The Anti-Pennant Race

We have a new leader and two more teams have been eliminated…Fortunately the Rays have one more game left at The Trop (today versus the Yankees), as they are a decidedly different team at home than on the road. This past weekend, the Rays took two of three from the Yankees and now have fallen two games behind the Royals for the worst record in baseball. After pretending to be a major league baseball team the first part of this month, the Royals have come back down to earth with six straight losses. With seven games remaining, all on the road, all against Minnesota and Detroit, Kansas City is threatening to run away with this race. Still, the thoughts of the team and their fans may be elsewhere…On the northside of Chi-Town, fans are more worried about who will be managing the team in 2007. Speaking of which, when did Joe Girardi suddenly become Sparky Anderson? Yes he has done a superb job with a AAA team, but it is only one season. The Cubs have bigger problems, and we would argue less talent (especially the pitching staff) than the Marlins. As for the 2006 Baby Bears, they have lost 4 of 5 and are hanging on by a thread at 4.5 games out. Still, Chicago is quickly running out of time…The Pirates finally ended their 5-game winning streak, and have now lost four in a row. But like the Cubbies, it is too little too late and the Pirates can be eliminated as early as today…Both Baltimore and Washington were eliminated from the race this weekend.

The Weekend Hangover

Pitching, Pitching, Pitching…It is amazing how good pitching can make a team look good. Yes, the Yankees had already clinched the division and yes they did not play their ‘A’ lineup each day, but it is still the Yankees. The Rays threw three rookies at the Evil Empire this weekend and all three held their own, continuing to look like a different team at home than on the road. Friday night it looked like business as usual for the worst team in baseball as the Rays fell to the Bronx Bombers 4-1. Still James Shields looked solid as he worked 7 innings. It would be Shields last appearance of the season as Joe Maddon has decided that Shields has pitched enough innings this season. The team’s only offense was a leadoff home run by Rocco Baldelli. On Saturday, J. P. Howell went head-to-head with Randy Johnson and pitched 7 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits and 2 walks in the Rays 8-0 shutout of the Yankees. Yesterday, Brian Stokes was knocked out in the sixth but pitched well enough to keep the Yankees in check and the offense did the rest in the 11-4 victory, as Stokes picked up his first major league victory. Ty Wiggnington hit his third home run in the past four games and now has 23 on the season. The Rays scored had two innings in which they scored at least five runs. Those were only the seventh and eighth times this season in which they have scored at least five in one inning. Interestingly, it was the second time this season that the Rays had two such innings in one game (v. Baltimore July 21).

• B. J. Upton hit his first home run since 2004 and will have preventative surgery on his shoulder this off-season.
• Carl Crawford had a two-run triple yesterday, his 15th of the season. It is the first time since 1930 that a player has at least 15 in three straight seasons. Not bad for a guy that has played the entire season with an injured wrist.
• Rocco Baldeli continues to swing a hot back show signs of the great player we knew before all his injuries. Rocco has 14 multi-hit games in his last 26 contests and is hitting .356 (42-for-118) over that span.
• As if we needed more evidence that the Rays bullpen is killing the team…The Rays are 4-16 in their last 20 games decided by three or fewer runs. Of course it would help if the starting pitchers could work deeper into the game. Before this weekend, starters had worked into the sixth inning only six times in their previous 17 games.
• As the Rays march towards 100 losses, for only the third time in franchise history, Friday’s loss marked the 100th loss in franchise history, against the Yankees.
• Chad Orvella and Travis Harper have been shut down for the season with minor arm injuries.
• Reid Brignac was named the Rays minor league player of the year and Andy Sonnanstine was named the Rays minor league pitcher of the year.

The Anti-Pennant Race

Yesterday, they were all giddy over at the Kansas City Star, because the Royals were no longer the worst team in baseball. Should they have to print a retraction today? Yesterday the Rays finally won a game, and the Royals remembered that they suck, as they were shut out by Kelvim Escobar and the Angels. All of the sudden the Rays and the Royals are tied with 10 games remaining. The Cubs refuse to go quietly and pulled back within 3.5 games, but they are still 4 back in the win column and it is hard to imagine that both the Royals and the Rays can win four more games in their last 10. Especially considering the Rays have six games versus the Yankees and the Red Sox, and the Royals have all 10 games remaining against Detroit and Minnesota, two teams competing for playoff spots…Pittsburgh hurt themselves, and ironically they helped Philadelphia, by beating the Dodgers…Baltimore and Washington are competing for the D. C./Baltimore market, but they are no longer serious contenders for worst record in baseball…Finally, Milwaukee eliminated themselves last night in dramatic fashion.

David Price is a front-runner to be the top pick of Major League Baseball’s 2007 amateur entry draft. Price is a 6’6″ pitcher at Vanderbilt that some scouts have called the left-handed version of Mark Prior. This past season Price went 9-5 with a 4.16 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 110 innings. For Team USA this summer, Price went 5-1 and a 0.20 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 7 walks in 44 innings. He won Baseball America’s Summer Player of the Year award for 2006. Obviously a lot can change in the next 9 months. He could suck next year…He could sign Scott Boras as his agent…his arm could fall off…he could get abducted by aliens…he could get Matt Leinart pregnant…the possibilities are endless. In the meantime, the race is on! May the worst team win.

The Hangover

Rays Win! Rays Win! Rays Win! Wow. It seems like it has been two weeks since we were able to utter those words. Wait? Oh yeah, it has been. Once again the Rays blew a late lead and a strong performance by Jae Seo. However, this time they were able to rally late thanks to the heroics of, of course, Ty Wiggington. Wiggy hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to give the Rays a 4-2 win over the Orioles. Seth McClung came on in relief after Seo gave up a 2-out game tying single in the 8th. With two men on, McClung enduced a flyball to Rocco Baldelli. McClung then picked up the save after a scoreless ninth with a little help from B . J. Upton and Tomas Perez. With one man on and one out. Kevin Millar hit a hard ground ball to Upton’s left. Upton fielded the ball awkwardly and fell down. He then flipped the ball to Perez, who bare-handed the ball and threw out the tortoise-like Millar at first base for the second out. It was a good play. It was a heads-up play. But we are not going to say that Upton “dove to his left” as has been reported elsewhere. He fell. And because of that we are not going to get overly excited about it. Still, the play did kill a ninth inning rally, so we tip our cap.

• Carl Crawford stole his league-leading 54th base during his 1-4 performance.
• Leave it to the Rays to make the O’s top pitching prospect look good for the first time.
• Chad Orvella has been shut down for the season.
• Delmon Young is now 0 for his last 8, spanning three games.
• Apparently wins and losses mean nothing to Joe Maddon. Wish the same was true for the fans.

The Anti-Pennant Race

With only 11 games remaining it is starting to look more and more like a 2-team race between the D-Rays and Kansas City. Still, is it possible the race is already over? There are legitimate concerns that the Rays, may not win another game this season. On top of that, teams in second, third and fourth place all have played wining baseball over their last ten. That is just not going to get it done when you are chasing the pathetic struggling Rays. Last night Tampa Bay lost their ninth straight to drop their magic number to 11. The Royals kept pace by losing the opener to the Angels 5-2. After winning three straight the Cubbies got back to their losing ways and remain alive in the race. However, at 4.5 games back, time is running out on the northside of Chicago. The Brewers stayed mathematically alive for one more day, while Pittsburgh, Washington and Baltimore are on their last breath.

David Price is a front-runner to be the top pick of Major League Baseball’s 2007 amateur entry draft. Price is a 6’6″ pitcher at Vanderbilt that some scouts have called the left-handed version of Mark Prior. This past season Price went 9-5 with a 4.16 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 110 innings. For Team USA this summer, Price went 5-1 and a 0.20 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 7 walks in 44 innings. He won Baseball America’s Summer Player of the Year award for 2006. Obviously a lot can change in the next 9 months. He could suck next year…He could sign Scott Boras as his agent…his arm could fall off…he could get abducted by aliens…he could get Matt Leinart pregnant…the possibilities are endless. In the meantime, the race is on! May the worst team win.

The Hangover

Will the Rays win another game this season? Is the question really that ridiculous? Last night the Orioles continued to stake their claim as the fourth best team in the AL East, with a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay. The loss was a season-high ninth straight for the Rays. It also marked the 56th time this season that the Rays have lost a game in which they held a lead. This time they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second only to give back five runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Jason Hammel cruised through the first three innings but couldn’t hold the lead and was pulled with one out in the fifth. It was yet another opportunity for one of the Rays’ young pitchers to step up and make a case for being included in the 2007 rotation. And yet again, that young pitcher failed to impress. The Rays did get runners to third base in both the seventh and eighth innings but couldn’t score and loss number 94 was in the books. And with only 11 games remaining and six of those versus the Yankees and Red Sox, the Rays will have a hard time avoiding 100 losses. They would have to go 6-5 the rest of the way to avoid the dubious mark. This would mark the third time in franchise history that the team lost 100 games, and first since the shitty immortal manager Hal McRae.

• Peter Angelos makes Vince Naimoli look like the greatest owner ever, a good owner, a decent owner, not so bad…Ahhh Nevermind, momentary brainfart.
• If things weren’t bad enough, now it looks like the greatest closer in the history of baseball will be making his minor league rehab appearances against the Devil Rays over the weekend.
• The Rays will open the 2007 season in Yankee Stadium as fodder for the New York Yankees.