The Hangover: Carl Crawford Saves The Day

Devil Rays 5, Blue Jays 4.
It was the type of game that can help a team salvage a little dignity in a lost season. It was the type of game that can remind team that they do know how to win a game.

Andy Sonnanstine allowed 2 runs in the first inning and immediately we assumed it was going to be just another night like most other nights in the last month and a half. The Rays cut the lead to 3-2 in the 5th inning, but Sonny was touched for a 4th run in the top of the 7th and it appeared that the Rays would play just well enough to tease us and just well enough to lose. We envisioned a final score of 7-2 with the Bullpen falling apart in yet another hapless game a the Trop.

We never harbored any hope of a win last night. We had lost our optimism weeks ago. But there were two factors we did not account for. The first was the suddenly revamped Devil Rays bullpen. Last night, five relievers, including two acquired over the weekend and a third that was called up from Durham, combined for 4.1 shutout innings.

The second factor was Superman. Carl Crawford took batting practice before last night’s game and his sore wrist needed at least one more night off. In fact, it now looks like C.C. will battle a sore wrist for the rest of the season. In the 9th inning, Crawford pinch ran for Jonny Gomes after he drew a 1-out walk. Crawford’s legs are just fine and he immediately moved into scoring position by stealing second base. He then moved to third on a fly ball to right field by Greg Norton. A Josh Wilson base hit and the game was tied.

We still assumed the bullpen would implode in extra innings. We can only expect them to hold the opposition down for so long. Al Reyes gave up a lead off double in the 10th but settle down to retire the side. In the bottom of the 10th, Crawford once again factored into the game without even making a plate appearance. With Brendan Harris on second with 2 outs, Delmon Young singled on a ground ball up the middle. With Crawford and his sore wrist on deck, Harris tried to score but was thrown out at the plate.

In the 11th, Scott Dohmann allowed the first two batters to get on base. “Here we go again,” is all we could muster. Yet somehow, Dohmann pitched his way out of trouble.

Superman is due to lead off the bottom of the 11th. Joe Maddon decides not to pinch hit for C.C. despite his sore wrist. Would he try a drag bunt? No. And on a 3-1 pitch, Crawford fouled off a ball on his first swing and winced in pain. Now we wondered aloud if we would not only lose this game, but we would lose Crawford for longer than “day-to-day”. But this is Superman. Crawford took the very next pitch to just left of center field for a walk-off home run.

In baseball, more so than football, fans often root for the players as much as the team. We try not to get too attached to any one player. If a trade is presented that will significantly improve the team, we want Andrew Friedman to make the move no matter what the Rays have to sacrifice. But Carl Crawford is the one player that we hope the Rays never trade. He is the one player in which we make sure we never miss a single pitch in which he is at bat or on the bases. He is the most exciting player in baseball. He can do it all…even with a sore wrist. Superman.

Here is hoping that Carl Crawford is a Tampa Bay Devil Ray for the next 15 years.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Jays fans are not taking last night’s game very well. Great name for a blog, by the way. Before Tampa had a team, we spent much of our childhood in Dunedin for Spring Training and we were just as frustrated as most Jays fans every time Dave Stieb just missed a no-hitter. [THE TAO OF STIEB]
• They really aren’t taking it well. [Drunk Jays Fans]
• Entering last night’s action, the Rays had struck out in 23.7% of their at bats in July. ouch. [ESPN]
• The Rays may not be done dealing, as several teams may be interested in the Rays veteran relievers and/or Jonny Gomes. [tampabay.com]

[Andrew] Friedman said Monday night he “wouldn’t characterize anything as close or even likely to happen,” but acknowledged it could change quickly.

• Andrew Friedman could be actively trying to move Dan Wheeler who was just acquired from the Astros. MLB Trade Rumors offers some scenarios in which the Rays would move Wheeler for younger players. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• Al Reyes may be the Rays most valuable trading piece that remains. While the Rays do have an option on Reyes for 2008, we still believe that trading him is the best move. He will be 38 in 2008 and is only one year removed from his second Tommy John surgery. Now is the time to sell high. [TBO]
• Could the Mets be trying to acquire Carl Crawford? [MLB Trade Rumors]
• With Ty Wigginton gone and Ben Zobrist recalled from Durham, Brendan Harris will likely become the team’s most-days second baseman. [Devil Rays]
• JK Ryu was optioned back to Durham where he will enter the Bulls’ rotation to be a starting pitcher. [Devil Rays]
• Don’t get us wrong, we loved the way Ty Wigginton played the game, but for some reason we never really had such a strong affinity for the player, and were not all that sad to see him go. With Akinori Iwamura and Evan Longoria there was no r
  oom at third base with Iwamura likely to move to second base sooner rather than later. In addition, Carlos Pena looks like a fixture at first base for the next few years. Wiggy was a nice bat. He hit some clutch home runs and he was consistent defensively. Still, he was never going to be any better than a 20-home run, 90-RBI bat with no range defensively. The Rays pitchers have extremely high BABIP numbers and part of that is due to an infield that lets more groundballs through for base hits than would normally be expected. [TBO]

Wigginton was nothing but classy and professional during his time here but he also was soon to be a man without a position.

• Shawn Camp was surprised by his demotion…Shawn: Players have been castrated for less. [TBO]
• What if the Giants did move to Tampa-St. Pete in 1993? What if Barry Bonds was wearing a Tampa Bay uniform instead of a San Francisco uniform? [The Sporting Orange]
• Some bloggers made the trip to the Trop on Friday night and lived to write about it. [Sports Indeed]
• How many titles have the Devil Rays won? Well, since you asked, it is exactly one less than the Red Sox have won in the last 89 years. [the mighty quinn media machine]
• Red Sox fans did not take Sunday’s loss to the Devil Rays too well. [Surviving Grady]
• We are a little late on this, but congratulations to Casey Fossum and his wife on the birth of their third child. [Celebrity Baby Blog]

Down On The Farm: Jeff Niemann Removed From Start With Shoulder Fatigue

Durham 6, Indianapolis 3. Jeff Niemann started but was pulled after just 5 pitches due to an injury. We will have more on this later. Justin Ruggiano collected 3 hits and his 19th stolen base, while Jason Pridie was 2-5 to raise his average to .328. Joel Guzman was 2-5 with 2 RBI, his 51st and 52nd. Calvin Medlock, who was acquired in the Jorge Cantu trade, made his Durham Bulls debut, allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk in 3 shutout innings.

Montgomery 9, Birmingham 3. Fernando Perez broke a 3-3 tie in the 10th with a 2-run single and Evan Longoria was 3-6 and added a grand slam in the 6-run 10th inning. It was his 21st home run of the year. Chris Mason allowed 3 runs in 6 innings, but remains at his league leading 12 wins after his second straight no-decision. Dale Thayer is now 3rd in the SL in wins, moving to 9-0, all in relief, with 2 perfect innings.

Vero Beach 8, Jupiter 6. Jackson Brennan was 2-3 and hit his 7th home run. Patrick Cottrell was 3-5 and drove in 3. Rhyne Hughes was 1-3. He is hitting .329.

Columbus 5, West Virginia 2. Jeremy Hellickson gave up 2 runs in 5 innings on 6 hits and 3 walks.

Vermont 12, Hudson Valley 10.

Bristol 6, Princeton 4.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Jeff Niemann was removed from his start after just 5 innings for precautionary reasons. The injury is described as shoulder fatigue. No word as to whether Niemann will miss any starts. [Durham Bulls]
• In his latest journal for MiLB Fernando Perez discusses what it is like to be a professional ballplayer with the constant threat of being traded. [MiLB]

It’s all very interesting among players. There are conspiracy theories that we air as we stretch and throw, or sit around hotel rooms. I heard someone say once there are probably 10 teams that want you more than the team that owns you. There might be some truth to that.

• Evan Longoria’s grand slam broke Delmon Young’s team record for home runs in a season with 21. [Stacy Long’s Riverwalk Talk]
• Woods Fines of the Columbus Catfish was placed on the DL. [Ledger-Enquirer]

Did We Miss Something? Devil Rays Make Series Of Moves

We are still not back from our self-imposed exile in the sunshine state, so the regular posts will not return until tomorrow, but in the meantime, we heard some rumors that Andrew Friedman may have made a move or two this weekend to improve the Rays relief corps. We have reviewed the wires and consulted our abacus, and this was the final count…

Ty Wigginton traded to Astros for Dan Wheeler [Devil Rays]
In the biggest move from the weekend, Ty Wigginton was sent to the Astros for reliever Dan Wheeler, who will begin his second stint with the Rays after being a Rays a draft pick in 1996. Wheeler has struggled this year with a 5.07 ERA, but being reunited with his former pitching coach Jim Hickey may reignite the pitcher that posted strong numbers as a setup man the past two seasons.

If the Rays decide to move Al Reyes, Wheeler would conceivably step into the closers role and could fill the same capacity in 2008. The one drawback to the trade is that Wheeler is a free agent after the 2008 season. However, seeing the current value of relief pitchers in the trade deadline market, Andrew Friedman may already be looking at Wheeler as a commodity that would be sought after in July of next year. If Wheeler can rebound in the next 12 months and flourish in either a setup or a closer’s role, he could demand additional pieces that are missing from the Rays puzzle.

Seth McClung traded to the Brewers [Devil Rays]
Has anybody else noticed the irony the in the Devil Rays acquiring a relief pitcher with the name “Bal-four”? Seriously, there is no way this can end well. The enigma enema that is Seth McClung, the big red-headed right hander with a power fastball and an inability to throw it anywhere near the strikezone in crucial situations was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for relief pitcher Grant Balfour.

Balfour, an Australian (we thought they only played Australian rules football?), played parts of three seasons with the Minnesota Twins, before getting a cup-of-coffee this year with the Brewers. He is mostly a journeyman right-hander that may eat innings in middle relief. He posted impressive numbers at AAA this season with 47 strikeouts and only 11 walks and 17 hits in 32 innings. He had a 1.69 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. At 29, we will have to wait and see if the AAA numbers were an anomaly and he is just a AAAA pitcher or if he has turned the corner can can be an effective big league reliever.

The Brewers were forced to part with Balfour, who was out of Minor League options, because they needed roster space Friday for reliever Scott Linebrink, whom they acquired in a trade with San Diego on Wednesday…”He was a guy I was thinking about counting on for next year,” said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. “You look at other teams’ bullpens, and that’s the kind of arm that teams get and, all of a sudden, they find it. It clicks.”

Jorge Cantu traded to the Reds [Devil Rays]
And in a move that only surprised us because a team actually gave up a little value, Jorge Cantu was shipped to the Reds for two pitchers and a player-to-be-named-later. Calvin Medlock is a minor league pitcher who dominated at AA but who has struggled in first 13 appearances at AAA. Brian Shackleford has spent parts of each of the last two seasons with the Reds, but is best known for THIS. Maybe the Rays picked him up to mentor Elijah Dukes. The Rays also sent minor leaguer Shaun Cumberland to the Reds to complete the trade. Cumberland is an outfielder with speed, who has struggled this season in his first year above A-ball.

Cantu was not happy being with the Devil Rays any longer, and with limited defensive skills (re: cement feet), and questionable offensive skills (.544 OPS in 2006, .484 OPS in 2007), he no longer had a future with the Rays. The Reds will ship Cantu to AAA and hope they catch lightning in a bottle. In return the Rays received yet another upgrade

Shawn Bleepin’ Camp demoted to the minors [Devil Rays]
This move was so obvious that we were actually surprised when we heard that Shawn Bleepin’ Camp was sent to Durham. We do wonder though who Andrew Friedman has been watching the first 3 months of the season.

Camp is a guy who’s obviously been struggling some recently. When his sinker’s really working, he can help out a major-league bullpen by getting groundballs and he’s extremely effective against right-handed hitters. He’s been in a little bit of a rut lately and we’re hoping that by sending him down and giving him a chance to pitch in Durham that he’ll start pitching a little bit more consistently.[TBO]

Recently? The guy has a 7.20 ERA. He has allowed 6,324 inherited runners to score. HE HAS STRUGGLED ALL FREACKIN’ SEASON. And he is 31, so he is not going to get much better.

Josh Paul activated from DL [Devil Rays]
Josh Paul as on the DL since May 20. Paul replaces Raul Casanova who was designated for assignment and removed from the 40-man roster. The team has 10 days to trade, release or ask waivers for Casanova. Most likely Casanova will not be traded and he will clear waivers and be optioned back to AAA Durham. Joe Maddon stated that Paul will see increased playing time with starting catcher Dioner Navarro continuing to struggle at the plate.

Rays manager Joe Maddon has noted time and again that he thought Paul was playing at a high level when he got injured, and he now plans to play him three to four times a week rather than the normal one or two times a week reserved for most backup catchers.

In additional catcher news, Shawn Riggans had surgery on hi
s elbow. The surgery is likely to be season-ending.

The Hangover: The Ty Wigginton Rumors Start Heating Up

Orioles 6, Devil Rays 1.
Just the links today, with limited posts for the rest of the week as we trek back to the Sunshine State for some much-needed R&R and a 3-game set with the Red Sox and the Pink Hat Nation.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Joe Maddon was openly critical of Carl Crawford for letting a routine pop-up fall in front of him that led to 3 runs being scored in the first inning. [TBO]

Both players have to go after it hard and if the outfielder can get there, the outfielder calls off the infielder.” Maddon added: “That’s pop-up coverage 101. We have to make that play 100 out of 100 times; that wasn’t a difficult play. We have to make that play.”

• Devil Rays hitting coach Steve Henderson was ejected in the 3rd inning for arguing a called strike. [MLB News Blog]
  
• Edwin Jackson may have finally turned the corner. The question remains whether or not Jackson can show consistency and start to pitch deeper into games. [Devil Rays]

“I think he’s starting to show signs of consistency,” Maddon said. “The biggest thing to me has been his demeanor. I really do think that’s primary, to go out there with the right kind of mound presence, because his stuff is that good. If he goes out there and is under control with his emotions, he’s going to pitch well again tomorrow. But I am curious to see how he looks. If we can start getting him into the seventh, if he could touch the eighth or ninth inning, that would really be exciting.”

• Not so fast on the Ty Wigginton for Scott Proctor rumors. More than likely that was leaked by the Devil Rays front office to set the bar for other teams that may be interested, including the Minnesota Twins. [Yahoo! Sports]
• At least four teams have interest in Ty Wigginton. [tampabay.com]

Down On The Farm: Jeff Niemann Makes Case For Spot In Devil Rays Rotation

Durham 3, Norfolk 0. Jeff Niemann pitched 6 scoreless innings, striking out 4 and walking 1 to pick up his 11th win. Three relievers combined to complete the shutout, with Chad Orvella pitching a 1-hit 9th with 2 strike outs for his 14th save. Jorge Cantu was 2-4 and hit a home run. Jason Pridie was 2-3 to raise his average to .330 since being promoted to Durham.

Montgomery 6, Mobile 5. Gabriel Martinez drove in Reid Brignac with a 1-out single in the 10th inning for the victory. Chris Mason struck out 6 and allowed 1 run in 6.1 innings, but failed to add to his league leading 13th victory when Dale Thayer blew a 5-1 lead in the 9th inning. Evan Longoria was 3-5 with a 3-run home run, his 20th, in the 1st inning. He is now hitting .307. Fernando Perez was 2-4, with his 6th home run and he stole his 23rd base. Reid Brignac was 1-3 with a double.

Jupiter 5, Vero Beach 4. Jake McGee struck out 8 and walked 2 in 7 shutout innings. Rhyne Hughes was 1-5 with a double and 2 RBI.

Columbus 3, Augusta 1. Jeremy Hellickson allowed 1 run in 6 innings for his 8th win in 10 decisions. He struck out 4 and walked 2 while allowing 3 hits. Quinn Stewart was 3-4 and hit his 14th home run. Matt Fields was 2-4 with his 21st double.

Mahoning Valley 2, Hudson Valley 1.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Princeton was rained out.
• Chris Mason is 3 wins short of the Devil Rays minor league record set last year by Andy Sonnanstine. [Stacy Long’s Riverwalk Talk]

The Hangover: Devil Rays Lose The Old-Fashined Way

Orioles 3, Devil Rays 0.
It was nice of the Devil Rays to get back to losing in a fashion with which we are more familiar. You know the kind where Scott Kazmir pitches lights out for 5 innings and then wears down in an effort to pitch just well enough to lose. That is of course followed by a reliever throwing gas on the fire. In this case it was Juan Salas pleading innocent of steroids but guilty of being unable to throw strikes with the bases loaded.

All the while the “almighty” Rays offense thought it was “Turn Back The Clock” night as they were shutout by a pitiful Orioles pitching staff despite having runners on base in 7 innings. Entering last night’s contest, the Rays had the 4th highest team batting average since the all-star break (.315) yet, in a game during which the pitchers gave them a chance to win, the offense managed to ground into more double plays (4) than they had hits (2).

When is the Bucs first pre-season game? Maybe we should just start Bucs Index now.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Carl Crawford was back in the lineup last night after missing two games with a minor ankle injury. [tampabay.com]
• Juan Salas made his first appearance for the Rays since being suspended by the league for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. He could instantly step into the role of 7th inning pitcher. Considering he is one relief pitcher with an ERA below 4, maybe he should be the 8th inning guy and closer-in-waiting if/when Al Reyes is traded. [TBO]
• Juan Salas spoke about why he was suspended for the first time. Of course, rather than take responsibility, he took the same low road most players take. He claims he has no idea how he tested positive. We believe him. We think it must have been the invisible steroid fairy that haunts idiot baseball players in their sleep. The fairy looks like Jose Canseco with wings and instead of a wand, it carries a needle to stick in their ass. [tampabay.com]

“It was an accident,’’ Salas said. “I was not aware. I didn’t do it knowing what was going on. It must have been something in a drink. I don’t know.’’

• Jay Witasick believes he will be throwing in a couple of days and will be off the DL when he is eligible. [Devil Rays]
• Casey Fossum should be back with the club on Thursday. That sound you heard was a sigh-of-relief from Devil Rays Red Sox fans. [USA Today]
• Before last night’s game, the Baltimore Orioles honored Cal Ripken, Jr. on his induction to the Hall of Fame. We tip our caps and hope that someday we can have a player half as good and half as classy play 21 years for the Devil Rays. [Baltimore Sun]
• Instead we get to “root” for players like Elijah Dukes. It is like Dukes is trying to get released by the Devil Rays. Why would anyone want to be released by the Devil Rays? [TBO]

Down On The Farm: Ben Zobrist Starting To Find His Groove Again

Durham 7, Norfolk 2. Tony Peguero making just his 8th start for Durham, allowed 2 runs in 6 innings to pick up his 2nd win of the year. Jon Weber was 2-5 an hit his second home run since being acquired by the Devil Rays. He now has 7 RBI in 5 games. After struggling most of the season at Durham, Ben Zobrist was 2-3 and is 14-36 in the last 10 games (.389) to boost his average up to .276. A name we haven’t mentioned much this year, Elliot Johnson was 2-3 with a double and 2 RBI. He now has multi-hit games in 6 of his last 10 (.378) but is still only hitting .217 on the year.

Mobile 9, Montgomery 5. James Houser gave up 6 runs (4 earned) in 5 innings to drop to 4-4 on the season. Three players collected three hits, including Fernando Perez (3-5) and Evan Longoria (3-4). Reid Brignac was 1-5 but did collect his 13th home run, a 2-run shot in the 9th.

Mahoning Valley 13, Hudson Valley 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Bulls catcher Michel Hernandez extended his hitting streak to 15. [Herald Sun]
• The Vero Beach Rays game versus Jupiter was postponed due to rain.
• The Columbus Catfish game versus Kannapolis was postponed due to rain.
• The Princeton Rays had two games postponed due to rain. Their regularly scheduled game versus Burlington, as well as a second game versus Bluefield that was a makeup for a previously canceled game.

The Hangover: The Devil Rays Allowed No Runs Yesterday!

Devil Rays (off day)
The schedule makers must have seen this past weekend coming and mercifully gave the Rays and their dwindling fans base a much needed day off.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• BJ Upton and Robinson Cano were selected as AL co-players of the week. Upton hit .414 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI. [The Sports Network]
• The Devil Rays at their current pace would finish the season 54-108 and become just the 12th team in history to allow 1,000 runs. Since June 12, the Rays are 9-27 and have allowed 7.26 runs per game. [The New York Sun]
  
• Jay Witasick was placed on the 15-day DL and JP Howell was optioned back to Durham. Jason Hammel, who never even left the ballclub is back on the active roster and Juan Salas was promoted back to Tampa for the first time since being suspended for 50-games for steroid use. Hammel who was being sent back to Durham so that he could return to being a starter, will instead take Howell’s spot in the rotation and be a starter for the Rays. [tampabay.com]
• Casey Fossum will miss a couple of games to be with his family after the birth of their child on Tuesday. That sound you just heard was the moan from Orioles hitters. [tampabay.com]
• What happened to James Shields, indeed? We doubt it is a hidden injury. The Rays are going to be extra careful with guys like Scott Kazmir and Shields. An injured arm is usually easy to spot in a young pitcher. They will change their mechanics or they will be afraid to throw a certain pitch. More likely, Shields is just fighting through a “dead-arm” period. [armchairgm]
• A new low for the Devil Rays? How about a power ranking of #32. For those of you that haven’t had your coffee yet, there are only 30 teams in baseball. And frankly, we are in no position to argue. [Chicago Tribune]

Down On The Farm: Jorge Cantu Reports To Durham

Indianapolis 7, Durham 4. Mitch Talbot took the loss allowing 4 runs in 4 innings to drop to 7-8. Jeremy Owens was 3-4 with 3 doubles. Elliot Johnson and Ben Zobrist each hit solo home runs for the Bulls. Jorge Cantu did report to Durham and made his first start at first base going 0-4.

Mobile 7, Montgomery 3. Wade Davis struck out 7 in 6 innings and left with a 2-1 lead, but the bullpen allowed 6 runs in the 7th and 8th innings. Davis had allowed only 1 hit in the first 5 innings before being touched for his only run in the sixth. Tim Corcoran allowed 3 runs in the 7th inning in his first rehab appearance. Evan Longoria was 2-3 with a pair of RBI and Reid Brignac was 1-4 with an RBI.

Jupitor 4, Vero Beach 3. Doug Waechter dropped to 0-3 in three single-A rehab starts. On Monday he allowed 4 runs in 5 innings. He stuck out 1 and walked none. Sergio Pedroza had 2 of the Rays 5 hits including a solo home run in the 5th inning.

Kannapolis 10, Columbus 9. Woods Fines allowed 6 runs (5 earned) in 5 innings. He struck out 4 and walked 2. Desmond Jennings was 4-5 with 2 doubles to raise his average to .327. Matt Fields was 2-4 with 4 RBI including his 20th double and his 14th home run.

Burlington 6, Princeton 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Uh Oh. Jae Seo was named IL pitcher of the week for the second time in three weeks. He has allowed a total of 2 runs in his last 5 starts. [Durham Bulls]
  
• Joel Guzman keeps tantalizing people with his potential but has yet to show any consistency. He started the season very slow but did hit .327 for the month of June. However, since the all-star break he is only 5-35 and is at .249 on the season. [The News & Observer]

“He’s still a kid (22 years old),” said Bulls manager Charlie Montoyo. “He’s one of those guys that gets to Triple-A real quick. That’s what you have to remember when you see a kid like that struggle. Just be patient and he’s going to do it.

• Yesterday we mentioned that Jon Weber was a recent acquisition by the Rays and playing for the Durham Bulls. We failed to mention how and when he was acquired. Weber is a 29-year old journeyman minor league outfielder that was most recently in the Rangers system after beginning the season in the D-backs system. We originally thought Weber was signed as a free agent, but rather it appears as though his contract was purchased from the Rangers. [In Forum Sports]

[THE HANGOVER] We Like The Feel Of A Hammer On Our Heads

Yankees 21, Devil Rays 4.
Why do we keep hitting ourselves in the head with a hammer? Because when we stop, it will feel so good.

With one out in the bottom of the 7th inning of the second game of the double header on Saturday night, Hideki Matsui came to the plate with 2 runners on base and hit a three-run home run off of Brian Stokes. The home run made the score 17-5 and were the 3rd, 4th and 5th runs to score off of Stokes.

At this point, pitching coach Jim Hickey made a visit to the mound. We are fairly sure that we were the only Devil Rays fans that were still tuned into the game at this point. However, if there were other masochists out there they were probably wondering aloud as we were “What in the hell does a pitching coach say to a pitcher in a situation like this?” We imagine the conversation went something like this…

Coach Hickey: How are you feeling?
Brian Stokes: Where is Papa Joe (Maddon)?
Coach Hickey: He is admiring how well you are throwing. He says that you are real close and if your pitches were just in a different spot, you would be doing great.
Brian Stokes: Really? Do you think so?
Coach Hickey: No. Actually, you are really stinking up the joint. Why don’t you get your head out of your ass and get some guys out.
Brian Stokes: I don’t want to be out here anymore.
Coach Hickey: You know this is the second game of a double-header and we only have 9 pitchers in the bullpen this weekend. So, sorry kid. You gotta stay out here.
Brian Stokes: please tell Papa Joe to come out here and take me out. These fans are really mean.
Coach Hickey: Shut up and get your act together.
Brian Stokes: But this isn’t fair. It’s 17-5. Can’t somebody else pitch now?
Coach Hickey: Nope.
Brian Stokes: *fighting back tears*
Coach Hickey: C’mon. You are our “down 12-5 guy”. That’s an important role. It could be worse. You could be our “down 18-3 guy”. That’s Scott Dohmann’s job.
Brian Stokes: I guess that is kinda important.
Coach Hickey: atta boy. go get ’em *Hickey leaves the mound*

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• With Leather summed up this weekend best with the following headline: “THE DEVIL RAYS ARE NOT GOOD.” [With Leather]

It was like watching 55,000 people cheer a snuff film. Troubling. Snuff films should only be enjoyed quietly, and in the privacy of a locked room.

• Marc Lancaster goes through the numbers from the weekend series. He probably broke his abacus. [Rays Report]
• It is hard to imagine than things can get any worse than this, so let’s hope this is the bottom of the barrel. [Rays Talk]
• Carl Crawford injured his foot in the first game on Saturday, but is not expected to miss much time. [TampaBay.com]
• Marc Lancaster thinks the Rays need bullpen help. Thank you Captain Fucking Obvious. In other news, Marc Lancaster reports that water is wet. [TBO]
• We are not sure why Bill Chastain found this move surprising but Jason Hammel was sent down to Durham to become a starter again. Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon made it clear when Hammel was first called up that the team still viewed him as a starter in the long term. [Devil Rays]
• But…Jay Witasick is likely headed to the DL and Jason Hammel may be needed to take Witasick’s spot on the roster. [TBO]
• Tom Jones sits down for a one-on-one with Akinori Iwamura. [TampaBay.com]