Down On The Farm: James Houser Named Pitcher-Of-Week

Durham 5, Syracuse 4. Mitch Talbot had a rare strong outing for the Bulls last night. He pitched 6 innings and gave up 4 hits and 1 run. He struck out 5, but walked 3 and hit a batter. Seth McClung picked up his 3rd save despite walking 3 and allowing a run in 2 innings of work. He also allowed 2 inherited runners to score in the 8th inning.

Montgomery 4, Birmingham 3. Jonathon Barratt gave up 2 runs in 5.1 innings. He allowed 7 hits and 3 walks. Dale Thayer picked up his 7th save. Jason Pridie went hitless in 4 at bats to end his 17 game hitting streak. Reid Brignac was 0-3 and his average has fallen to .255. He is 2 for his last 27 at bats. Evan Longoria was 0-4.

Vero Beach 15, Lakeland 4. Big night for outfielder Sergio Pedroza. The 2005 3rd round pick that came over with Joel Guzman in the Julio Lugo deal hit 3 home runs and drove in 6. He was 4-5 and is now hitting .306 with 4 home runs on the season.Erold Andrus added 3 hits including his 6th home run. Wade Davis struck out 5 in 5 innings. He gave up 6 hits and 2 runs (1 earned).

Columbus 6, Charleston 3. Jeremy Hellickson picked up his 2nd win with 5 innings of 2-run ball. He gave up 5 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 4. Nevin Ashley was 2-3 with 2 RBI.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• James Houser was named the Southern League’s pitcher-of-the-week. During the week he won both starts and pitched 11.1 scoreless innings with only 4 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 9.

The Devil Rays Had This Promotion A Few Times This Year Already

The Devil Rays single-A affiliate, the Vero Beach Devil Rays, will hold the promotion to end all promotions tonight when they host “Awful Night”.

Awful night will contain some of the most awful promotions, music, food, giveaways, and entertainment that you will ever see at a Minor League Baseball game.

The first 500 fans to the park will receive an autographed picture of Groundskeeper Jim. The night will consist of chances to win loads of specialty prizes in the awful raffle. You can visit the various awful display tables that feature awful food tasting, free face painting, caricatures, balloon animals, as well as free haircuts by Shawn the Barber. Fans can also meet and greet Dodgertown work horses Bob and Tom who will be signing autographs throughout the night. After the game, fans can stay for our Awful Fireworks Extravaganza that is sure to light up the sky!

If they really want to have an “Awful Night” there are a few things they should consider adding to the agenda:

• Making Vero Beach using the Tampa Bay Devil Rays middle relievers during the game.
• Make Vince Naimoli honorary team owner and Chuck LaMar the honorary team GM.
• Let BJ Upton play shortstop.
• Use Seth McClung as the starting pitcher.
• Let the Devil Rays heckler be the public address announcer during the game.
  

VB D-Rays To Host ‘Awful Night’ [MILB.com]]

The Hangover: Troy Percival To The Devil Rays?

Marlins 4, Devil Rays 3.
Give us a moment. We need to dig into our bag of previous posts. Let’s see how hard it will be to find a previous post that describes yesterday’s game.

James Shields pitches great…Bullpen blows lead..Rays lose…Rays lose series

Let’s just move on and pretend it didn’t happen…again.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Devil Rays are not ready to promote any starting pitchers from Durham.

It’s difficult. It is difficult. I’m not going to deny that. But we’re going to keep looking for answers. When we are ready to make moves based on different things, we will do that. But for right now, it’s not going to happen.-Joe Maddon

• Unfortunately Edwin Jackson will not be removed from the rotation, but he will be pushed back a couple of days due to the off day today. Jackson will now pitch on Saturday in Chicago against the White Sox. Is it too early to put an “L” in the standings for that game?
• Where would the Devil Rays be this season without Al Reyes closing games? Then again, maybe that question is too scary to ponder.
• Supposedly the Rays only have the 8th worst bullpen in baseball. The problem with statistics sometimes, is that they don’t watch the games.
• Unfortunately Al Reyes is the sole bright spot in one of baseball’s worst bullpens. One of Joe Maddon’s former Angels pitchers, Troy Percival, appears ready to make a comeback. Due to his close relationship with Maddon, the Rays may be in the running for Percival’s services.
• The definition of a #1 starter is fairly unimportant past the first week of the season, but Joe Maddon insists that Scott Kazmir is still the Devil Rays #1 starter despite the emergence of James Shields. Kid K maybe the Rays #1 starter, but Shields is currently the teams stopper. We have more confidence in Shields to stop a losing streak than Kazmir.
• More Mock Drafting! And everybody is still thinking that the Rays will pick Vanderbilt left-hander, David Price. Andrew Brackman, the 7-footer, has struggled this season and is no longer considered an option for the Rays.

Down On The Farm: James Houser Wins 14th Straight

Durham 10, Syracuse 3. Andy Sonnanstine picked up his 6th win of the season after allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings. He was supported by 3 home runs including Joel Guzman’s 5th. He was 2-4 with 3 RBI and picked up his 4th stolen base.

Montgomery 5, Birmingham 1. James Houser had his second straight strong start after returning from the disabled list. This time he allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk in 5 scoreless innings. He has now only given up 4 hits and 2 walks in 11.1 innings since being activated. Evan Longoria had 2 singles in 4 at bats, and picked up an RBI. Reid Brignac was 1-4. John Jaso hit his 4th home run and is now hitting .339.

Vero Beach 6, Lakeland 2. Jacob McGee struck out 8 in 6 innings and allowed 3hits, 3 walks and 2 runs. He struck out 5 of the first 7 batters he faced.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• James Houser’s victory on Sunday was his 14th straight. The 2003 2nd round pick, had not lost a games since May 12, of last season, covering 27 starts.
• Derek Feldkamp was removed from the rotation in Montgomery and made his first relief appearance on Sunday. In 2 innings, only 1 batter reached base via a throwing error.
• Rhyne Hughes is just as surprised as everybody else by his emergence this year after struggling last season. He is 4th in the FSL in hitting at .329.
• Evan Longoria and Reid Brignac top the OTB’s list of “Prospects You Need To Keep An Eye On.“
• Shawn Riggans was placed on the DL and Josh Johnson was promoted to take his place.

The Hangover: Are The Devil Rays Ready To Shake Up The Rotation?

Marlins 8, Devil Rays 4.
In baseball, momentum is only as good as tomorrow’s starting pitcher. The adage was never more evident than last night. The Rays came into the Marlins series riding high on a 4-game winning streak, their longest of the season and by the end of the third inning, Edwin Jackson had already exited stage-left after allowing 7 runs. The Rays have had their share of heart-breaking head-shaking losses. This was not one of them. In fact this one wasn’t painful at all. Rather by the middle of the third inning, it was actually laughable at how bad Jackson was. 7 hits and 3 walks. 62 pitches, only 34 strikes. An 0-6 record and a 7.78 ERA.

We are not basing this on anything but a gut feeling, but it would not surprise us if Jackson is removed from the rotation and relegated to the bullpen. Tim Corcoran would then be sent back to Durham with one of the Durham starters called up to take Jackson’s place. The next obvious question is “which one?” We understand there is a groundswell of support to promote Andy Sonnanstine, but that is not likely to happen, despite his 2.05 ERA and 57 to 9 strikeout to walk ratio. Keep in mind that Sonnanstine is not on the 40-man roster. While there are candidates to be removed from the 40-man to make room (cough, cough Gary Glover, cough cough), the team won’t until they have to, and there are other options at Durham that are already on the 40-man.

The most likely candidate is Jeff Niemann. Before last night, Niemann was pitching on the same pitching schedule as Jackson. However, Niemann’s start last night was rained out and his start was pushed back to tonight. Still, with an off-day on Monday, the Rays could still have Niemann slotted into Jackson’s spot and be on full rest for the series finale against the Mariners on Thursday.

Actually, the more we think about it, the more this makes sense. his first start would be at home against a team with a mediocre offense. It is a mid-week afternoon game that would normally have an anemic attendance figure and the debut of Niemann would give ticket sales a boost. Niemann would also not be forced to pitch in Chicago against the White Sox as his next start would come at home against the Tigers.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Hardball Times points out that the Rays infield defense has been horrible and not just because BJ Upton thinks Manute Bol is playing first base.

if there is one thing young pitchers need for their confidence, it’s good fielding behind them. And the Devil Rays’ infield defense is horrid. Compared to the average team, their infield has allowed 29 groundballs to go through for base hits, a staggering amount. If they had an average infield, they’d probably have two more wins on the ledger, and they’d be giving their pitchers a much-needed confidence boost.

• These stats always make us chuckle. On Thursday, Delmon Young became only the third player in major league history to hit 2 home runs in 1 game including a walk-off home run before his 22nd birthday. On a side not, he is the first player in majoe league history to do it in the month of May while wearing a green jersey while the moon was lined up with Aries.
• In Thursday’s victory, Scott Kazmir felt his fastball and slider were finally coming around. Unfortunately, and stop us if you have herd this before, He had to be removed from the game after 4 innings because he had already thrown…Thought you might have.
• Greg Norton had two walks and a single in his first action of the season.

Down On The Farm: Jason Pridie Extends Hitting Streak

Birmingham 5, Montgomery 2. Mike Prochaska gave up 3 runs (1 earned) in 5 innings. He walked 4 and struck out only 1. It has been a rough season for Prochaska. His record falls to 1-4 and his ERA is 4.87. Evan Longoria went 0-3 and is hitting .321. Reid Brignac was 1-4, and committed his 8th error.

Palm Beach 9, Vero Beach 5. In a game that featured 9 errors, the Rays committed 4 which lead to 4 unearned runs out of the 7 that Matt Walker allowed in 6 innings.

Savannah 2, Columbus 1 (gm 1). Wade Townsend was strong in his return from the DL. He struck out 9 and did not walk a batter. He did 4 hits including a 2-run home run in the 5th inning.

Savannah 4, Columbus 1 (gm 2). Josh Butler has his worst outing of the young season by allowing 6 hits and 4 runs in 5 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 1 batter. He is now 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 8 starts.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• The Bulls were rained out last night. The game will not be made up. Jeff Niemann will go to the mound tonight for Durham.
• Jason Pridie extended his hitting streak to 15 with a pinch-hit single in the 9th inning.

Also Known As The 2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays

When we heard that Bugs & Cranks put together a list of players (from the last 24 years) and titled the post “Worst.Team.Ever” we admit we were skeptical. There have been a lot of terrible players in the last two decades, and surely they would overlook some obvious choices. Of course our second thought was they could just title the post “The 2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays”. But when we saw that the ace of the staff was Dewon Brazelton we were instantly sold. Has there ever been a more overrated, under-performing, pile of poo? We seriously doubt it.

Nowadays Brazelton does not anger us anymore. We laughed when hebecame the Padres problem for a short period of time and posted a 12.00 ERA in two starts before being demoted. And of course we receive much joy from his 0-4 record and 7.11 ERA in 4 starts for the Royals AAA team. So we eagerly read what Bugs & Cranks had to say about the former Devil Ray. Surely it would brighten our day…

While Brazelton’s less than mediocre record alone would earn him a place in this rotation from hell, it’s the additional facts that cement his position at the top of the list. The third overall selection from the 2001 Draft, Brazelton was picked before fellow first-rounders Mark Teixeira and former Rookie of the Year Bobby Crosby, as well as current All-Star and MVP Candidate Grady Sizemore and San Diego pitcher Chris Young, both of whom went in the third round. Mix in some serious behavioural issues while with the Devils Rays and you can understand why Tampa’s 2005 Opening Day starter gets the call on this band of miscreants.

Excuse us for a moment. We need to go sit in the corner and cry.

Worst.Team.Ever.[Bugs & Cranks]

The Hangover: Delmon Young Is Heating Up

Devil Rays 8, Rangers 6.
Forgve us for getting all “scouty” on you, but we just want to take a moment to point out how smart a hitter Delmon Young is becoming. Here is the pitch sequence before his walk-off home run in the 10th inning.

1. Fastball up and in…Ball 1
2. Fastball up and in…Swing and miss
3. Slider low and away….foul tip (count: 1-2)
4. Hanging slider…fouled back (count: 1-2)
5. Fastball up…Ball 2 (count: 2-2)

We have a situation here where a young pitcher is pitching to Delmon by the book. Delmon doesn’t walk and loves to swing the bat. He is a first-ball fastball hitter in the classic sense. The young pitcher also knows that Delmon could end the game with one swing and already has one home run on the night. So, all Eyre is throwing Delmon are fastballs up and out of the strike zone and “safe” sliders low-and-away. He gets Delmon to chase one of the fastballs. After the 4th pitch, Delmon is locked in. He now knows that he won’t get a fastball in the strikezone so he adjusts his swing. He knows that the pitcher is either going to try to get him to chase a fastball out of the strike zone or he is going to try and paint the outside corner, where the worst scenario is a single to right and best case scenario is a swing-and-miss or a ground ball to the left side of the infield for a double-play (a batter that tries to pull an outside pitch will hit a weak groundball to the left 90% of the time). Delmon is not going to chase another fastball up. So now he is locked in on the slider away. Sure enough, he gets another slider away on pitch 6. It wasn’t a great slider, but it wasn’t a “hanger” either. Delmon went with the pitch and he is strong enough to get it over the fence down the right field line.

The Rays are now 18-22 and only 2 games behind The Charlie Hough Line. They have reached this point with very little contribution from Rocco Baldelli and Delmon Young, two players that were being counted on to carry this team at the beginning of the season. Rocco is on the DL now, but Young is 6-12 in the past three games. If Delmon can start cookin’, this team will start scoring in bunches.

Speaking of being on fire. Brendan Harris is now hitting 17-41 (.415) over the past 10 games and was 9-14 in the Rangers series. He has his average up to .358 with a .402 OBP. This is a guy that many thought wouldn’t even make the team out of spring training. When the Rays decided to keep Harris and send Jorge Cantu to Durham many thought that Rays management were over-thinking the situation. We don’t hear anybody complaining now.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Jayson Stark is reporting that the Rays are entertaining the idea of promoting Evan Longoria and Reid Brignac before the trading deadline. This increases the likelihood of a position player being traded during the season.
• Rocco Baldelli is back on the DL and Greg Norton has been activated. After an MRI, the injury did not appear to be as severe as first thought. Still, no word on when Rocco may be able to return.
• the Rays current 4-game winning streak was the first of Joe Maddon’s career as manager. The Rays won 4-straight once in 2006, but Maddon was not present for two of those games.
• We agree. Rocco’s home address should 123 Disabled List.
• The third game for the series in Orlando drew the biggest crowd at 9,635 and the set averaged 8,806. Pretty safe to say the Rays will be back in 2008.
• Tonight is “Legends of Wrestling” night at the Trop. At first we hung our head in shame, but then we saw THIS picture. Ohhh Raymond.
• Let’s start the Mock Drafting!

Down On The Farm: Hide The Children…Seth McClung Is Knocking On Rays Door

Durham 11, Pawtucket 3. JP Howell had his best start of the season for the Bulls last night. He struck out 10 in 6 innings with only 2 hits and 1 run. He did walk three and hit a batter. Ruddy Lugo pitched 2 scoreless innings, but walked 3, and Seth McClung pitched yet another scoreless 9th inning. We are starting to get nervous. McClung has only allowed 1 run in his last 10 appearances, covering 16 innings with 21 strikeouts. He has an ERA of 1.54 with 28 Ks in 23.1 innings. We need to accept the realization that we will see Big Red again in Rays uniform and it could be sooner rather than later. Ohhh, the Agida…On a brighter note, the Bulls hit 5 home runs. Wes Bankston hit his 5th and drove in 4. Elliot Johnson hit his 6th and drove in 3. Justin Ruggiano hit his 3rd.

Montgomery 7, Birmingham 4. Chris Seddon gave up 4 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings. He struck out 3. Seddon was cruising through the first 5 innings and then in the top of the 6th he gave up 3 consecutive hits to lead off the inning, capped by a 3-run home run. Evan Longoria returned to the lineup and went 1-4. He is hitting .328. Reid Brignac was 0-3 with 2 walks and is now hitting .267. Brooks Badeaux cleared the bases with a double in the 8th inning that proved to be the game-winner.

Palm Beach 10, Vero Beach 7 (gm 1). The Rays needed a pitcher to start game 1 of the double-header and apparently they needed a pitcher to work a lot of innings and Jeff Kamrath was the sacrificial lamb. Kamrath made just his second start of the year and gave up 9 runs in 7 innings on 13 hits and 4 walks. Erold Andrus was 3-5 with his 2nd home run.

Palm Beach 2, Vero Beach 1 (gm 2). Mike Wlodarczyk struck out 6 in 6 innings with 8 hits and 2 runs allowed.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Fernando Perez who went on the DL with a minor knee injury will now have his return delayed another week due to a hip injury suffered during a recent workout.
• Gerry Hunsicker was in Montgomery to most likely see Evan Longoria.
• Columbus was rained out and will play a double-header today. Wade Townsend will come off the DL and pitch game 1.

Juuust A Bit Outside

If you have been with us for a while, you know that we rarely throw a lot of numbers at you. We know as well as most that numbers rarely tell you the whole story. And while we believe there is a place in baseball for all the new-age sabermetric stuff, you won’t see it on this site very often. It is like food. We are not going to eat it, unless we know for certain what is in it.

Still we like dabble in the numbers every once and a while just to see how our Devil Rays are stacking up against the rest of the league.

One number that is starting to gain steam in baseball circles is VORP (Value Over Replacement Player), a stat invented by Keith Woolner of Baseball Prospectus. Without boring you with all the brain-surgery math behind the number, we will just say that it measures the contribution of a player to the number of runs scored/allowed by the team. The idea being that if you replaced Player A with a fictitious Player B what would the difference in runs be over the course of a season. The replacement player is an average fielder and a below-average hitter/pitcher.

let’s take a look at the eight worst VORP values for starting pitchers in the Major Leagues:

Rank	Pitcher	Team	VORP
1	Jeff Weaver	Sea	-21.8
2	Mark Redman	Atl	-13.3
3	Jae Seo	TB	-11.4
4	Tony Armas, Jr.	Pit	-11.1
5	Rick Vanden Hurk	Fla	-10.8
6	Casey Fossum	TB	-10.5
7	Kip Wells	StL	-10.5
8	Edwin Jackson	TB	-9.8

Three of the eight worst starting pitchers in baseball are Devil Rays. Combined the three pitchers have a VORP value of -31.7. In other words, the Rays could have signed three pitchers off the street before the season. Three pitchers that nobody else wanted, and the Rays would be on pace to allow approximately 30 less runs this season. Three bums from the alley would allow 32 less less runs than 60% of the Devil Rays starting rotation.

And on the positive note, James Shields currently has the 11th best VORP in baseball (+16.9).