The Hangover: Sweet Fancy Moses! What Has Gotten Into The Devil Rays?

Devil Rays 3, Blue Jays 2.
Earlier this year we witnessed stretches of good offense and even a stretch or two of decent pitching (we are yet to see decent fielding). We wondered aloud on many occasions how good this team could be if both the hitting and pitching clicked at the same time. Of course, by “wondered aloud” we really mean screamed obscenities at the TV and stuck needles in our Chuck LaMar VooDoo doll. Well the Rays are 22-18 in their last 40 games, which marks the best 40 game stretch the team has experienced under Joe Maddon. The exciting news about all this, as pointed out in the comments this weekend, is that for the most part, this is our 2008 Tampa Bay Devil Rays. We can expect a new shortstop. Maybe a veteran starting pitcher and one or two bullpen arms to be added to the mix. But this is it. And it is looking pretty good.

“We’ve been saying this from Day 1: As soon as we start clicking, it’s game on,” Shields said. “It’s game on. … I think we’re going to be able to compete. We know it. I think teams are starting to figure it out. All it took was for us to have some good chemistry and click out there. Once we click, this is what we’re all about.”

One intriguing question for spring training will be whether or not Jeff Niemann will make the rotation. At the beginning of this season we all expected Niemann to be part of the Rays staff by June or August at the latest. Now it looks like we may not see him at all this season. With Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnanstine and Jason Hammel pitching more effectively the last month, it is no longer a forgone conclusion that Niemann will break camp with the parent club next spring.

Many scouts believe the magic number for starting pitchers is 400. As in most pitchers need approximately 400 innings pitched in the minors before they are ready for the majors. College pitchers may need a little less and high school pitchers may need a little more, but for some reason, 400 seems like a benchmark that many teams shoot for. Sonnanstine had 495. Shields had 554. Edwin Jackson had 556. Kid K only had 228. With the amount of time he has spent on the sideline, Niemann only has 240.

If we had to guess right now, we believe that Niemann will start 2008 at AAA Durham. 10 starts there will get him above 300 career minor league innings and he will be the first option when a starting pitcher is needed.

This time, Rays insist, it’s for real [tampabay.com]

Playin’ a lil’ pepper with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (quick random thoughts from the weekend)…

• The Rays are now 60-83 and have been officially eliminated from playoff contention
• The Rays now trail Baltimore by 1.5 games for 4th place in the AL East (2 in the loss column), and are 1 game behind the White Sox and the Marlins for the worst record in baseball.
  
• With 19 games remaining the Rays need only finish 3-16 to avoid 100 losses.
  
• An 11-8 finish will give the Rays 71 victories and the best record in franchise history.
• A 13-6 stretch and the Rays will avoid 90 losses for the first time in franchise history.
• We did unbox the John Lynch jersey for the first time since 2003 and we will not do that again until he retires. Our bad.
  
• Two great scoring opportunities in the first half with the team dominating on both sides of the ball and afterwards you look up and see that you are 1 touchdown away from being behind. There is nothing quite like winning a game you are supposed to lose and yet you are still hanging your head and muttering “here we go again”.
• And this is the biggest difference between baseball and football. In baseball there is a comfort level…A consistency. Even when your team sucks, there is always tomorrow and the next day and hope for something better. Football is much more of an emotional roller coaster. When your team plays poorly it ruins your entire week. And because of that there is a much higher premium placed on every game. More stake riding on every play with higher “ups” and much lower “downs”. And all our friends and loved ones know it. When the Bucs lose we might as well have leprosy.
  

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The equipment staff packed the gear for some guy named Rocco Baldelli, to be included on the team’s road trip. [tampabay.com]
• The 125 runs the Rays have scored in the past 15 games (8.3 rpg), is the 4th highest total in baseball for any 15-game stretch in the past 6 seasons. They also have 29 home runs over that span which is the best in baseball. [Devil Rays]
• Jorge Velandia was called up from Durham and added to the 40-man roster. [tampabay.com]
• At least one person has wondered aloud as to why the Devil Rays picked up Joe Maddon’s 2-year option. OK, many people have wondered, but one actually wrote about it. [Baseball Digest Daily]
• It is often like a broken record, but it seems like at least once every series, the opposing teams broadcasters comment on how the Devil Rays outfielders play deeper than any other team. We have commented on the lack of range of the middle infielders and how that at least contributed to the failings of the pitching staff at times. Well, the outfielders are not without blame as their positioning has certainly led to a number of hits falling in that would normally be caught. Playing deep is usually a sign that a player is insecure in their defensive abilities as coming in a ball is much easier than going back. BJ Upton admits this and feels that the team is letting hi
  m play deeper than they would prefer, but will not change his poor positioning until next season. [Devil Rays]
• Dioner Navarro hit .177 prior to the all-star break and has hit .294 since. The .117 point increase is the largest turnaround in the majors. The .177 prior to the break was at least partially bad luck as his expected BA based on percentage of line drives was considerably higher than his actual batting average. [USA Today]
• Marc Lancaster takes a look at the Rays roster and how it is likely to look in 2008. With so many young players on the roster, there will be very little change from the end of this season. [TBO]
• A little experience can go a long way for a young team and that could be the biggest reason that the team is playing with so much more confidence at this point in the season. [TBO]

Down On The Farm: Montgomery Makes It Three Affiliates In Championship Series

Montgomery 12, Mississippi 5 (Montgomery wins series 3-1). John Jaso got the Biscuits off to a good start with a 3-run home run in the first inning, and Montgomery broke things open with a 7-run sixth inning, to advance to the Southern League championship series for the second straight season. Mike Prochaska was hittable, allowing 9 hits and 2 walks in 5.2 innings, but only allowed 3 runs. Erold Andrus had a 3-run home run in the 6th inning and went 3-5. Reid Brignac was 3-3 with 2 walks and he drove in 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• The Durham Bulls will use he same rotation for the finals that they used in the the first round of the playoffs. JP Howell will go in game 1 on Tuesday, followed by Jeff Niemann and Jae Seo. [Our Sports Central]
• Heath Rollins will start in game 1 tonight for the Columbus Catfish. Will Kline will go in game 2, followed by Jeremy Hellickson. [Ledger-Enquirer]
  

The Hangover: Rays Eliminated From Postseason Contention Despite BJ Upton’s Heroics

Devil Rays 5, Blue Jays 4.
PLAYING A LIL’ PEPPER WITH LAST NIGHT’S GAME…

• My alma mater played a rare night game last night, so I was otherwise preoccupied and did not watch most of the game. Somehow I managed to avoid seeing the final score all night. I got to it this morning on the DVR fast-forwarding through most and watching all of the 9th inning.
• Apparently the wind was blowing out to right field at the Trop last night. First of all, you know the wind is blowing out when Dioner Navarro hits a home run and I didn’t think either of the 9th inning home runs had a chance when they first jumped off the bats.
• The Delmon Young home run showed both his immense power, as he hit a line drive to the opposite field with a one-handed swing, and it showed me that unless he changes his approach, he will never be a 40 home run guy. He is actually too good a hitter to hit a lot of home runs. He hits the ball so square so often, that he rarely gets enough elevation to hit a lot of home runs. Obviously I don’t remember each one, but I am willing to bet that of his 12 home runs this season, 10 were line drives, just like last night. But while he is more likely to be a 20-25 home run hitter each year, he will also be a .330 hitter year-in and year-out.
• When Delmon Young hit his 2-run home run to make the score 4-3 with 1 out, we actually thought that took away any hope the Rays had for winning the game. Home runs can actually be rally killers. Other than making an out (obviously) the worst thing a batter can do with runner(s) on base is hit a home run that makes that only cuts the lead. The home run takes the runners off base. There is no longer any pressure on the defense. The pitcher get a chance to “start over”.
• Papa Joe Maddon is either a genius or he got away with one last night. We were screaming for Upton to pinch-hit for Brendan Harris after the Delmon Young home run. Sure Harris is a decent hitter, but with 1-out and Jonny Gomes on deck, you don’t want to go down with a bullet left in the chamber. Harris is no threat to tie the game by himself. Gomes is. So you know he is not pinch-hitting for Gomes. But after Harris grounds out, there is now the threat that Upton does not get a chance to bat.
• We HATE the “catcher’s indifference” ruling on 9th inning stolen bases. How does that make any sense. If a pitcher intentionally walks a batter, that batter still gets credit for a walk, so why wasn’t Carl Crawford given credit for a stolen base. It is not like they turned to CC and just told him to go to second base.
• In our stuper last night, I definitely would have pulled an oblique if I had watched this game live.
• I truly hope that if Rocco Baldelli ever comes back and plays for the Rays again that A) He never hits a walk-off home run and B) If somebody else hits a walk-off home run that Papa Joe Maddon is smart enough to assign a batboy with the responsibility of not letting Rocco out of the dugout. There is no way Rocco would come out of the celebration without going on the 15-day DL.
• I can’t decide which Bucs jersey to wear today…I am seriously considering dusting off John Lynch and hoping that some good karma comes out of it.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Devil Rays became the first team to be officially eliminated from the postseason contention. Both Baltimore and Chicago won, so the Rays remain 3 back of the O’s in the AL East and 2 behind the White Sox for the worst record in baseball.
• With 20 games remaining the Rays only need to finish 4-16 to avoid 100 losses. You may want to sit down for this next one. A 12-8 finish and the Rays would set a franchise record for wins a season! WOW. It really doesn’t mean much, but who would have thought that was possible at the all-star break. A 14-6 finish and the Rays will avoid 90 losses. A-MAZING.
• Last night’s win was the Rays 9th walk-off victory of the season. [tampabay.com]
• While it is now official that Joe Maddon will be back next season, the fate of the rest of the coaching staff will not be known until the off-season. [tampabay.com]
• We are big fans of yellow-tail sashimi also. [tampabay.com]
• Let’s hope that the mustache is the only thing that Josh Paul has in common why John Holmes. [tampabay.com]
• The Rays payroll will increase considerably in 2008 due to existing contracts and arbitration alone. We will have to wait and see if that handcuffs the team in the free agent market. [tampabay.com]

Down On The Farm: Josh Arhart Gives Biscuits 2-1 Lead

Montgomery 6, Mississippi 5 (11 innings; Montgomery leads series 2-1). The Biscuits trailed 5-2 early in the game but rallied to tie it in the 7th and Josh Arhart came through with a pinch-single for the walk-off victory in the 11th. Brooks Badeaux led off the inning with a walk and Reid Brignac followed with a bloop single that fell in left field. The Braves changed pitchers and John Jaso lined out to the first baseman. Arhart then lined a single to right field with Badeaux scoring from second. Chris Mason struggled from the mound. He was touched for all 5 runs in 4 innings off of 7 hits, including an uncharacteristic 3 home runs. During the regular season, Mason only allowed 7 home runs in 161.1 innings (1 every 23 inn.). The bullpen picked up the slack allowing only 1 hit in 7 innings. Things did get dicey in the top of the 11th when Jeremy Flanagan walked 2 and intentionally walked a third to load the bases. He was able to retire the side when he got the final out on a fly ball to center. Gaby Martinez was 3-4 with a 2-run home run. Brignac was 1-5 with a walk and his second error of the series.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• The Richmond Braves won their divisional series and will now face the Durham Bulls for the Governor’s Cup in the International League Finals. [Richmond Times-Dispatch]

The Hangover: Joe Maddon Back For At Least One More Season

Blue Jays 7, Devil Rays 2.
Just the links today

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• When we first read the headline “Reports: Rays’ Maddon to get extension” we thought “why would the Rays extend Maddon’s contract when they could just pick up the two-year option on the existing contract?” Then we remembered that MLB.com hires editors to write headlines that know nothing about baseball. There is a subtle, but very important difference between picking up an option that already exists and giving somebody an extension and adding years to a contract that do not already exist. A distinction that is lost on the folks at MLB.com. [MLB]
• Of course the headline at St. Pete Times “Maddon back for two years”, is not exactly correct either. Yes, the option is for two years, but Joe Maddon will never see the second year of that option. This is how every pro sports team handles coaches/managers. At the end of 2008 the Rays will either fire Maddon or they will sign him to a new contract. No coach ever enters a season with only one year left on a contract. Players have a habit of not playing hard or listening to managers if they think he won’t be back the next season and they will. When was the last time you heard of a manager that becomes a free agent because their contract expired? [St. Pete Times]
• In another non-story story on MLB.com, Bill Chastain feels the need to inform us that Carlos Pena wants to play for the Devil Rays next year. Of course, Pena has no choice in the matter, since he will not be a free agent. While he was signed to just a 1-year contract this season, Pena is only arbitration eligible and hell will freeze over before the Rays decline the arbitration. [MLB]
• We understand that all players go through cold-spells, but is it us or is Jonny Gomesa little too comfortable with his? [TBO]

“I’ve gone through these slides since T-ball,” he said of his most recent slump. “That’s what you’re getting with me.”

• For those that like to talk about how well the Rays play against the Yankees and the Red Sox, we point you to Doberman on the Diamond. They have listed the most lopsided match-ups in the history of major league baseball. The Devil Rays are on the wrong end of the TOP TWO. The Rays are 54-109 (.331) all-time against the New York Yankees and 56-107 (.344) against the Red Sox. The Rangers are the only other team that has a winning percentage of less than .400 against one team. They are 226-351 (.392) all-time against the Orioles. [Doberman on the Diamond]
• Our guess is that Rocco Baldelli is dating his physical therapist. [Talk-Sports.net]

Down On The Farm: Evan Longoria Powers Bulls To Championship Series

Durham 5, Toledo 2 (Durham wins series 3-0). Evan Longoria just keeps getting better and better. On Friday the Dirt Bag powered the Bulls into the IL championship series with 2 home runs including a 2-out 2-run home run in the decisive 3-run 9th inning that broke a 2-2 tie. Jae Seo pitched 7 innings, striking out 7 and giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. Chad Orvella and Shawn Camp pitched perfect 8th and 9th innings to close out the game.

Mississippi 8, Montgomery 3 (Series tied 1-1). Jake McGee struck out 6 and walked only 1, but was touched for 3 rune (2 earned) in 5 innings. After tying the game in the top of the 8th on a Sergio Pedroza home run, the bullpen imploded and allowed 5 runs in the bottom half of the frame.

Columbus 7, Augusta 1 (Columbus win series 2-0). Jeremy Hellickson pitched the Catfish into the SALY finals with 6 strong innings. He allowed 1 run on 4 hits and no walks. He struck out 5. Three relievers combined for 3 hitless, shutout innings. Columbus scored all 7 runs in the 5th inning. Maiko Loyola had a 2-run home run in the inning and Quinn Stewart had a double and a triple during the inning.

Vermont 8, Hudson Valley 4.

Princeton

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Stacy Long was named Southern League’s Sportswriter of the Year. If you read this feature on a regular basis, you know that we link to “Stacy Long’s Riverwalk Talk” on a regular basis as a source for information on the Montgomery Biscuits. Both the Tampa Tribune and the St. Pete Times have “blogs” that cover the Rays. We read them all on a regular basis and we can tell you, without a doubt, that Long’s writing is far superior to anything that Times and Tribune writers produce. We understand that there are limitations to a “blog” associated with a newspaper, but if the Times and the Tribune want to know how to do it right, they need to look no further than Stacy Long. [Our Sports Central]
• The city of Durham renamed the DBAP following the Durham Bulls second game of the playoffs. It is now known as Goodman Field, in honor of the Bulls owner Jim Goodman. [Our Sports Central]
  

The Hangover: What Has Carlos Pena "Come Back" From?

Devil Rays (off-day)
It just seems like we are in Carlos Pena-bashing mode. Trust us. We love this guy. We have been looking for a replacement for our Rocco Baldelli jersey and El Gato may be the choice. But…

There has been a lot of chatter recently about Carlos Pena for Comeback Player of the Year in the AL. When we think of the CPOY award we think of a player that was once great and fell off the face of the earth for a couple of seasons for any of a number of reasons. In order to “Comeback”, shouldn’t a player have “been there” before?

Pena’s top statistical season prior to this year was 2004 in which he posted a line of .241-27-82. That is a good year, but far from memorable. His second highest HR total prior to this season was 18 (two times).

On the other hand we guess that one could consider Pena as having “comeback” from being a top prospect. Is that criteria enough for winning the CPOY? If that is the case could Josh Hamilton be considered for the NL CPOY as a rookie? We honestly have no idea who else in the AL would be worthy of this award, so Pena may be the best choice by default.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The White Sox and Orioles lost yesterday and the Rays are now just one game back for the worst record in baseball and 2.5 games behind the O’s in the AL East.
• Roger Mooney wonders if the off-day came a terrible time. [Bradenton Herald]
• Having been quoted in the same article as Marc Topkin, we feel a sudden and special kinship with the St. Pete Times blogger. But we have to wonder if the off-day left Mr. Topkin desperate for a storyline. Apparently breaking the Tampa Bay Devil Rays record for RBI and walks would be making “history”. It is not like Carlos Pena is about to break a 80 year old record set by Lou Gehrig. [tampabay.com]
• Carlos Pena is having a hell of a season. It is hard not to imagine that he would at least be considered for MVP if the Rays were in contention. [Yahoo! Sports]
• The talents of Tampa Bay Devil Rays is not lost on American League managers. When asked to name the player with the best individual “tools” (Best outfield arm, best fastball, best power hitter, etc.), Devil Rays made the top 3 in 6 different categories. Carl Crawford was named twice (Fast baserunner, 3rd most exciting player) and joined by Scott Kazmir (2nd best slider), James Shields (2nd best changeup), Carlos Pena (2nd best defensive first baseman) and Delmon Young (3rd best outfield arm). [Baseball America]
• If Carlos Pena hits three more home runs, the Kansas City Royals will become the only team to never have a player hit 40 home runs. [One More Dying Quail]
• The Sporting Orange is all over a story in which a whiny Yankees fan living in Port Richey. Apparently Fred Slaven had his personalized Yankees license plate stolen and his Yankees flag burned. Now he is blaming local residents and selling his house in order to move back to New York. We have two thoughts on this… [The Sporting Orange]
1. There are Devil Rays fans that hate the Yankees (ahem), but we ask. What is more likely. A Rays fan did this or a transplanted Red Sox fan. Or better yet…A newbie Red Sox Bandwagoner?
2. We have spent most of the last several years in New York City. We certainly understand that the chances of vandalism in New York are far less.
• Grant Balfour may have finally found a home, half-way around the world from where he grew up. [Devil Rays]
• Bill Simmons, the writer formerly known as talented, really has it in for Tampa Bay area teams this month. In his latest column he predicts the Bucs to be the worst team in the NFL, with a nice little jab at Coach Jon Gruden. Why is Tampa the sudden punchline for all his jokes? We are betting on either him or his buddy Dufus getting herpes and crabs at Mons Venus (Mrs. Professor likes to call that combination “Crappies”). [ESPN]

Down On The Farm: Justin Ruggiano And Reid Brignac Lead Teams To Playoff Wins

Durham 9, Toledo 5 (Durham leads 2-0). The Bulls scored 5 in the first 2 innings, and eventually had a 9-2 lead after 6 innings. Justin Ruggiano backed up his 2 home run performance in game 1 with a 3-3 night, reaching base 5 times and 2 RBI. Ellliot Johnson homered for the second straight game. Jeff Niemann struck out 7 in 5 innings, and managed to only allow 2 runs despite giving up 5 hits and 4 walks. Shawn Bleepin’ Camp and Brian Shackelford combined to get the last 7 outs without allowing a baserunner.

Montgomery 6, Mississippi 5 (Montgomery leads 1-0). Reid Brignac’s 2-out single in the top of the 9th broke a 5-5 tie and gave the Biscuits the early lead in their first-round series. Tim Corcoran gave up a 1-out double in the bottom of the 9th but struck out the side to pick up the save. Bragnac got the Biscuits started with a 2-run double in the top of the first as Montgomery jumped out to a 3-0 lead. John Jasowas 1-5 and drove in 2 runs. Wade Davis struck out 6 in 4 innings, but was touched for 5 runs.

Vermont 12, Hudson Valley 7. Catcher Mike McCormick hit his 8th home run and drove in 3, but the ‘Gades bullpen allowed 5 runs in the top of the 9th.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Sergio Pedroza and Jake McGee were named to the FSL post-season all-star team. Pedroza, who was acquired along with Joel Guzman from the Dodgers for Julio Lugo has been promoted to Montgomery and placed on their playoff roster. [Vero Beach Rays]

The Sporting News Ackowledges The Agony Of Devil Rays Fans

We have a few big changes planned around these parts during the off-season. We figure if other people are going to start taking us seriously, we might as well start taking ourselves seriously.

In his latest piece, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News explores what it means to be a fan of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In the piece, Deveney interviews beat writer Marc Topkin and some blogger.

Attendance figures suggest most of the nation has been shielded from D-Rays baseball. But Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, one of the team’s beat writers, has no shield. He started covering the Devil Rays when the city was awarded a franchise, and it may be that no one has seen more Rays baseball. “Sometimes,” he says, “I wonder how this became my cross to bear.” You’ve heard of Red Sox Nation? “We have Devil Rays Corner,” Topkin says.

Poke around in Devil Rays Corner, though, and a funny thing happens — you find people who care passionately. There are blogs galore, nine of them… Raysindex.blogspot.com, run from New York by molecular biologist Cork Gaines, includes the Scott Kazmir “March to 300 Wins ” clicker. (He’s at 33.)

This for a team whose coaches once popped champagne to celebrate hitting the 70-win mark for the only time in history. “Remember, we are Tampa Bay fans,” Gaines says. “We went through more than a decade of awful Buccaneers teams. The great thing about that Super Bowl Bucs team is that Tampa fans may have appreciated that championship more than almost every other championship in the history of American professional sports”…If you spend enough time listening to Gaines, you see the Rays differently, not as an eternal failure but as a team whose failure will only make success all the sweeter.

Nine blogs? He must be counting THIS and THIS.

As for this Cork Gaines fella…never heard of him…but he sounds like a swell guy.

Devil Rays fans fight for a lost cause [The Sporting News]

The Hangover: Would Juan Uribe At $3M Be An Upgrade?

Devil Rays 17, Orioles 2.
In last night’s offensive outburst, Brendan Harris hit his first home run since June 18. Teamed with Ben Zobrist and Josh Wilson, the Rays have been sporting below-average hitters and brick-glove defensemen at the shortstop position. With Reid Brignac still at least a year away from contributing at the major league level, shortstop is the one defensive position that the Rays would like to upgrade in the off-season. There are three possible moves for 2008.

The first option is that the Rays will stay with Brendan Harris and/or Josh Wilson for one more season as they await the arrival of Brignac. This is the trickiest of the potential moves. Both Harris and Wilson are below-average defensively, at best. Wilson is atrocious, while Harris is simply blessed with the range of a person with their feet stuck in cement. Offensively, both players are passable as major leaguers with Harris having the potential to break out. After a near-all-star level performance in the first half (.310-8-39), Harris has cooled off considerably in the second-half (.253-1-15).

Acquiring a shortstop via a trade is always possible, but the most difficult to predict. While the team can never assume the future arrival of a minor league prospect, the team would have to view the team’s starting shortstop in 2008 as a one or two year solution at most. It is hard to imagine the team would part with any key pieces to acquire a player that may only be needed for one season.

In the past, opening the checkbook and signing a veteran free agent would seem as likely as Chuck LaMar ever being given another chance to run a major league baseball team. But Stuart Sternberg and Andrew Friedman have promised that money will be spent on the right players and when the time is right. While pitching is the most likely target during free agency, signing a veteran shortstop to a 2-year deal could be a solution to the team’s opening in the middle of the infield.

The Baseball Analysts have compiled a list of shortstops that will be free agents at the end of the year.

David Eckstein      STL
Cesar Izturis       PIT
Ramon E Martinez    LAD
John McDonald       TOR
Neifi Perez         DET
Juan Uribe          CHW
Omar Vizquel        SF

This is your year if you like good-field, no-hit shortstops. Even steroids haven’t helped one of the members of this punchless group.

First of all, please do not let the Rays sign David Eckstein. He looks like he is going to get a hernia everytime he throws a ball across the diamond.

But what about Juan Uribe? He would look to make about $3 million per season. But would he be willing to sign a 2-year deal with a club option for 2010? Is the marked improvement in defense worth the pricetag?

A Preview of This Year’s Free Agent Class: Part One – The Hitters [The Baseball Analysts]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Devil Rays set new marks for most runs (17) and hits (22) in a game at the Trop last night. Carlos Pena had two home runs and now has 11 in his past 17 games, adding more digits to his 2008 salary. His seven RBI are a new franchise record for a single game. [TBO]
• The Devil Rays have scored 101 runs in their past 12 games, tops in the majors. The pitching staff has walked only 28 batters over that stretch, which is the third lowest total. The team is 9-3 in that stretch. [Devil Rays]
• Carl Crawford was suspended for 2 games for his little tirade the other night. Crawford will appeal the suspension. [TBO]
• Carl Crawford has been named as the Devil Rays nominee for the Roberto Clemente award given to a player that “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.” [MLB]
• Andy Sonnanstine is proving very difficult to steal against. He has allowed only 1 stolen base in 439 batters faced. [Roto Authority]