The Hangover: Rays Are Starting To Look Like The Team Joe Maddon Always Wanted

Devil Rays (off day)
The Rays open a three game set tonight at the Trop against the Baltimore Orioles. How bad have the Devil Rays been this season? At the beginning of June, the Rays had thoughts of third place in the division. Now Tampa Bay is 9 games behind the one team they should be ahead of. If the Rays have any hopes of ever getting out of the cellar the Orioles are the one team the MUST beat on a regular basis when in fact the exact opposite is what they have done. Baltimore has won 7 straight in the series and 8 of 9 this season. The Orioles have taken 14 of the last 16 and 38 of 53 since the beginning of the 2004 season.

With a new bullpen and a new-found confidence, the Devil Rays absolutely cannot lose this series.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• It seems like we get another story every day about how happy Carlos Pena is playing for the Devil Rays after failing in five other organizations. This means absolutely nothing to us unless Pena signs a long-term deal for below market value. Otherwise, when he becomes a free agent and signs someplace else for whichever team offers the most money, we are certain that he will “love” that city and that team more than Tampa and the Devil Rays. [Devil Rays]
• Andrew Friedman is starting to put together a team that Joe Maddon has long coveted. A team driven by their 7th, 8th and 9th inning pitchers. It was the formula that the 2002 Angels, a team coached by Papa Joe, road all the way to the world series. We still are not sold on Gary Glover as one of the 7th inning guys, but Grant Balfour (in the 7th), Dan Wheeler (in the 8th), and Al Reyes (in the 9th) is not a terrible lineup. Of course we still prefer the 7+1+1 formula, where the starter gives the team 7 innings and hands-off to Wheeler. [TBO]
• Grant Balfour missed nearly two seasons due to two separate surgeries with two and half seasons between major league appearances. [TBO]

It wasn’t until spring training this year, after the Brewers picked him up off waivers, that Balfour finally felt he was back. He allowed 10 runs in eight Cactus League innings, failing to make the cut for Opening Day, but all the little things felt better than they had in years. He felt like a pitcher instead of a patient.

• Baseline Report has written an open letter to Stuart Sternberg. The premise of the letter is that the Devil Rays should run their organization in much the same manner as a small company trying to compete against giants. You know. The companies that later get purchased by the giant company. We are fairly certain that there are a lot of people that think the Rays should be purchased by another franchise to be their minor league team. As for the outline of suggestions, we hope that the organization has already instituted most of them (ie. emphasize defense in the minors). [Baseline Report]
• Is Joe Maddon the 6th “Crappiest Baseball Manager”? We are not sure, but Maxim thinks so. We still stand by the the old maxim (see what we did there? cool, huh. no? ok) that baseball managers get too much credit when the team does well and too much criticism when the team performs poorly. A manager can’t win the game. They can only put the players in a position to win the game. On the other hand, we also believe that a manager can lose a game, so maybe the criticism is fair. [Maxim]
• The Devil Rays are trying to do something that the Vince Naimoli regime never could. Build a presence in Tampa. The latest step was to open an office in Downtown Tampa. [Devil Rays]

Located on the first floor of the Park Tower Building, the space will feature full mock-ups of a Tropicana Field suite and other featured premium hospitality options. The office will also serve as an outlet for Rays tickets, high-end team merchandise and promotional material for sporting events throughout the Tampa Bay area…”Our intent is to not merely strengthen our ties to the very large segment of the Tampa Bay community located in downtown Tampa, but to become a significant part of that community ourselves,” said Rays Senior Vice President of Business/Chief Sales Officer Mark Fernandez. “To this end, we will also use the space as a staging area for community activities and special events, both inside the office and across the street in Lykes Gaslight Park.”

[THE HANGOVER] Rays Send Message To Elijah Dukes: You Are Not Welcome Back

Blue Jays 2, Devil Rays 0.
If anybody was wondering whether or not we would see Elijah Dukes in a Devil Rays uniform again this season, the team made a very subtle move to indicate that it will not happen this year, and may not happen ever again. Dan Wheeler asked for, and was granted, Dukes’ #35.

How far has Dukes’ status fallen? He was once considered one of the top prospects in the organization, a true five-tool talent. Now? The team has given a middle reliever the jersey right off of Dukes’ back. The best we could tell from looking through old pictures, Dukes has worn #35 his entire professional career, so this is not an oversight by the front office. Wheeler’s stay in a Devil Rays uniform could last as little as a few weeks and is not likely to last more than 12 months. Still, that was long enough, that the team apparently does not expect Dukes to need his number back.

If the team was going to release Dukes, it would have happened by now. More likely, they are waiting until the off-season when the internet-generation’s attention span has waned and will try to move Dukes to another team for something of value. Either way, we have probably seen the last of Elijah Dukes in a Devil Rays uniform.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Yesterday’s trade deadline came and the Rays did not make any additional trades. There is a possibility that Al Reyes and/or Dan Wheeler could still be moved before the August 30th waiver-wire deadline. [TBO]

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]

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: We’re Going Streaking!

Devil Rays 8, Angels 3.
The Rays may have produced their best all-around performance of the year. In doing so, they stretched their winning streak to 1 in a row, matching their fourth longest streak of the season. The Devil Rays now have two shots to pick up a second win against the first place Angels and win their first series since taking two of three from the Dodgers June 22-24. Since that series, the Rays have lost five straight series and are 1-8 in their last nine..

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• BJ Upton was moved up to third in the lineup. [TampaBay.com]
• Al Reyes will come off the DL today and rejoin the team. [DevilRays.com]
• Jon Switzer was optioned to Durham to open a roster spot for Al Reyes. [TBO.com]
• Rocco Baldelli was at the Trop last night and stated that while there is no timetable for his return, he believes that he will return this season. [TBO.com]
• The Yankees have called up Matt DeSalvo to start one game of the double-header on Saturday in Yankee Stadium. The Rays will recall JP Howell for one of the games. Joe Maddon has yet to decide who will start the second game. More likely, they have decided and just don’t want us to know for whatever reason. [Courier News]
• Ryan Wilkins lists BJ Upton and Carlos Pena as two of the five players this season that has greatly exceeded 2007 expectations. [MLB.com]

[On Upton] Of course, none of this means he’s due for an immediate decline. While it’s more likely than not that his average will drop in the second half, Upton features a broad skill-set and impressive wheels — two factors that not only make him unique, but also allow him to maintain higher BABIPs than the vast majority of players. Conventional wisdom might peg him for an imminent collapse, but a closer look at his profile suggests a more mild decline.

[On Pena]it would be foolish to say that he’s a lock to be one of the best players at his position going forward, but at the same time, I’d like to think this breakout is more gold than pyrite. Teams have been impatient with Pena for half a decade; it’s about time he made them regret it.

• When his fellow players were asked who the most exciting player in baseball is, Carl Crawford finished tied for the fourth most votes received. [Bradenton Herald]
  
• The Pirates gave the #4 overall draft pick a $2.5 million signing bonus. No word on how, if at all, this will affect the Rays efforts to sign David Price. [SI.com]
• We have read a lot of dumb things on message boards through the years, but this might just be the most idiotic statement ever. [Doberman on the Diamond]

“Geoff Jenkins is better than Carl Crawford, let’s just stick with him for now if the best we could get is Crawford.” – JoeHova from Brewerfan

• We are sure that Kevin Towers loves his team. And we are sure he would LOVE to have Carl Crawford on the Padres, but acquiring him is a little more difficult than “GO GET CARL CRAWFORD”. Also, we love just about everything about C.C., but to say he has a plus arm is like saying John Kruk has sexy hair. [Sneaky Sports]
  

The Hangover: BJ Upton Is Back In The Lineup Tonight

Yankees 7, Devil Rays 3.
Sorry. Just Webtopia today. Feel free to throw poop at us in the comments.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• BJ Upton will be in the lineup tonight after missing 29 games. [TampaBay.com]
• Marc Lancaster has what he considers the biggest story lines of the second half for the Devil Rays. To which we will add Will Joe Maddon realize that the team is not “moving in the right direction”? [tbo.com]
• Al Reyes threw a bullpen session and it looks like he will rejoin the team on Wednesday when he is eligible to come off the DL. [tbo.com]
• Let’s see. Should the Devil Rays trade Carl Crawford to the Angels for Ervin Santana (5-10, 5.97), Reggie Willits (.312/.408/.368) and some no-name average AA relief pitcher? We know…We know…we are laughing also. Listen people. These trades may work in fantasy baseball, but just because you want to trade away an underachieving pitcher for a superstar, doesn’t mean it is going to happen by just adding in more and more mediocre players to try and “even out the numbers”. Come back to us when you want to include Francisco Rodriguez with Santana. [Halo’s Heaven]
• Tampa Bay Sports Fanatic has a list of changes that the Rays need to make in the second half. [Tampa Bay Sports Fanatic]
• Chris Rahill has his midseason progress report for the Devil Rays. It’s like reading an obituary. [The Sports Network]
• Speaking of midseason progress reports, we wrote one for Sports Projections. It is a little longer than what we usually post on this site, but it is written for the typical non-Devil Rays fan. If you don’t have the time, we will sum it up in two sentences from the article…

We knew the bullpen was going to be a problem before the season began. It was like taking a perfectly good team and smearing it with feces.

• This is just dumb, dumb, dumb, and reading the article took 2 minutes from my life that I will never get back. [TV Squad]

The Hangover: Starring Joe Maddon As The Black Knight

Red Sox 15, Devil Rays 4.

[They fight until Arthur cuts off Black Knight’s left arm]
King Arthur: Now, stand aside, worthy adversary!
Black Knight: ‘Tis but a scratch!
King Arthur: A scratch? Your arm’s off!
Black Knight: No, it isn’t!
King Arthur: Well, what’s that then?
King Arthur: I’ve had worse.
King Arthur: You liar!
Black Knight: Come on, you pansy!
King Arthur: [after Arthur’s cut off both of the Black Knight’s arms] Look, you stupid Bastard. You’ve got no arms left.
Black Knight: Yes I have.
King Arthur: *Look*!
Black Knight: It’s just a flesh wound.
[the Black Knight continues to threaten Arthur despite getting both his arms and one of his legs cut off]
Black Knight: Right, I’ll do you for that!
King Arthur: You’ll what?
Black Knight: Come here!
King Arthur: What are you gonna do, bleed on me?
Black Knight: I’m invincible!
King Arthur: …You’re a loony.

We’re in one of those moments that is not good and there is no way to get around that. But while we are having this difficult moment, I’m looking to see where we are improving, because this is going to go away. And we’re going to be fine and we’re going to turn this around – Joe Maddon

We have long supported Joe Maddon here at RI, even if we have taken him behind the woodshed once or twice. Our feeling has always been that the team is not much worse than can be expected. For most of the first half, three of the Rays starting pitchers were among the worst in baseball. As we near the all-star break, with Al Reyes on the DL, the bullpen consists of five or six guys that would not even make any other team’s 25-man roster. It’s like taking a perfectly good team and smearing it with feces. With an arsenal like that, what could we possibly expect from a second-year manager? There isn’t a manager in baseball that could contend with this squad.

We believe in the baseball axiom that managers receive too much credit when the team is doing well and too much blame when the team is struggling. But now we are beginning to feel the same frustration of many in the Devil Rays Universe.

We understand the need to remain positive when times are bad. It can help when those that you report to, still believe in your abilities even when all the numbers suggest otherwise. But it is also OK to let them know every once and a while that you are disappointed in them. We are not asking Papa Joe to rip the team in the press. We are not asking Papa Joe to lay blame at certain players feet or even at his own. But when a team is in the midst of an 11-game losing streak…

STOP WAXING POETIC ABOUT HOW THINGS ARE FINE. WE ARE SICK OF IT.

All we need, as fans, is to know that this is just as painful for Joe Maddon and the 25 guys that put on the uniform. If it is not, than GET THE HELL OUT, and let Stuart Sternberg find somebody that will feel our pain.

I’m not going to grab any sharp objects…I’m not going to do any of that. This too shall pass – Joe Maddon

Don’t worry about grabbing “sharp objects” Joe. Rays fans everywhere already have a firm grip on them and we are beginning to wonder, that if like the Black Knight, you are a “loony”.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• We are big fans of With Leather. And while many try (often too hard) to come up with witty and catchy headlines, With Leather may have summed up the 2007 Devil Rays best with THIS HEADLINE. Excuse us, while we bang our heads on the desk.
  
• Dioner Navarro was knocked unconscious after a collision with Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett. He was taken to a local hospital for x-rays on his jaw.
• If the Devil Rays ever get a save opportunity while Al Reyes is on the DL, it will likely go to Gary Glover.
• White Sox GM Kenny Williams confirmed rumors that the Devil Rays inquired about free agent-to-be Mark Buerhle. The reason that the Rays would be interested is that they would receive two compensatory draft picks at the end of the first round in next year’s draft when Buerhle signs with another club in the off-season. If the Rays can convince the White Sox to take som
  ething less valuable than those two picks, the Rays would make the deal. Not gonna happen.
• Kevin Gengler believes that both Dioner Navarro and Joe Maddon are not the long-term answers for the Devil Rays. We still believe in Navarro but our thoughts on Maddon have gone from support to uncertain. However, there is one thing we do agree with…

Writing cohrerently [sic] during an 11-game losing streak is tough.

• Jordi at The Serious Tip takes a look at the pattern of All-Star games and notes that in the next 7 years, Tampa Bay and Miami could become the only major league cities not to host an all-star game since 1977. With the Marlins likely to be elsewhere in the next 5-10 years and the Tropicana Field bias, there is little chance of that trend changing before the Rays move to a new ballpark.
• James Shields threw just 15 fastballs his last time out and has only given up one walk in his previous 32.2 innings. Still, his 19 home runs allowed is second in the AL. The home runs are not that alarming. But early in the year, they were mostly of the solo variety. He needs to limit the dingers when men are on base.
• ArmchairGM lists the Devil Rays as “sellers” and believe that the Rays will move Carl Crawford before the trading deadline.
• Marc Lancaster has sold out and is now incorporating musical lyrics, a practice we hope you never see here. An occasional “Anchorman” quote? Sure, but never lyrics.

Men are on base. It’s so hot…Shawn Camp was a baaaaaad choice

The Hangover: No Answer For Rays Recent Struggles

Red Sox 7, Devil Rays 5.
10 straight losses as we near the All-Star break. At one point this season the Devil Rays had three of the ten worst starting pitchers in baseball in their rotation and yet they were only 4 games below The Charlie Hough Line (.500). Since, then two of the three members of The Axis of Evil (Jae Seo and Casey Fossum) have been banished and the third (Edwin Jackson) has pitched better (although he continues to pitch just well enough to lose). The result? The 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays now sit 17 games below .500 with the worst record in the AL and the schedule doesn’t get any easier. In the second half the Rays play 50 of 75 games against teams with winning records or teams named the New York Yankees.

So what happened? Injuries happened (BJ Upton, Rocco Baldelli, Akinori Iwamura). Idiocy happened (Elijah Dukes). And the rest of the lineup appeared to forget how to score runs. The Rays are 10-21 since the beginning of June. But while the pitching has seemed to be better outside of the usual bullpen implosions, the Rays offensive numbers have actually improved since the beginning of June.

In April (5.04) and May (4.27) the Rays scored 4.65 runs per game. Since the beginning of June that number is 4.69. The team batting average has only fallen from .260 in April/May to .259 in June/July. The power numbers are off from 1.18 HR/game in April/May to 0.88 per game in June/July. However, the teams OBP is up slightly with averages of .324 in April, .332 in May, and .333 in June.

If it is not the offense, than it must be the pitching that has gotten worse…right? Well outside of the three occasions in June in which the bullpen blew a 5+ run lead, the pitching has indeed been better. In April (6.78) and May (5.73) the Rays allowed 6.10 runs per game. Since the beginning of June, the number is down to 5.81. Not good, but definitely better.

So why are the Rays suddenly back to being the laughing stock of baseball? We don’t have an answer. Maybe it is a string of bad luck and are better than they have played the past 6 weeks. Maybe the team was playing above themselves for the first two months of the season and are not a team that should have been playing near-.500 ball. This team will play better, but don’t look for the Rays to sniff .500 again in 2007.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• In an effort to break Carl Crawford out of a slump that saw his average fall to .281, Joe Maddon moved C. C. up a spot to #2 in the lineup. An 0-4 outing on Tuesday was followed by a 3-5 performance on Wedensday.
• We didn’t think we would have to experience a bullpen without Al Reyes until at least August when Reyes could be traded. But we are going to get a sneak preview for at least the next two weeks as Reyes was placed on the 15-day DL with a mild rotator cuff strain. Lefty Jon Switzer was recalled from Durham to fill the roster spot. Yes, the Rays now have two lefties in the bullpen after starting the season without any.
• Since BJ Upton, began his rehab assignment, he has been doing his best Rocco Baldelli impersonation. In the span of less than a week, he has been fatigued, experienced tightness in his injured quad and ran a fever. As a result he has only played in 2.5 out of 6 games and is now not expected back with the Rays until after the All-Star break.
• Tim Corcoran was transferred to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Juan Salas who was reinstated following his 50-game suspension. Salas was optioned to Durham.
• Martin Fennelly may have summed up the first half in one sentence although the numbers above indicate otherwise.

This team has shown an uncanny and unfortunate knack of not doing two things well at the same time. When they hit, they don’t pitch. When they pitch, they don’t hit

The Hangover: Ken Rosenthal Is A Smart Guy (Sometimes)

White Sox 6, Devil Rays 1.
just a quick “Hangover” today…we promise to drink more tonight…

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports says it would be a mistake to trade Carl Crawford (we agree):
  

  “I wouldn’t even consider trading him,” the GM (of a rival team) says. “Some might say, ‘Look at all you could get.’ But it doesn’t matter what you could get. You know what you have with that guy…Crawford to me, is like what Kirby Puckett was in Minnesota. When your best player plays harder than anyone on the team, you’ve got something special…Every kid coming up is not going to be as good, but he had better play as hard. That’s pretty unique. When you’ve got it, you don’t let it go. As soon as you move a guy like Crawford, you spend the rest of your career looking for one.”

• John Heyman of SI.com thinks that Al Reyes would be a good fit for the Brewers
  

  Milwaukee would like some bullpen fortification, and this ex-Brewer certainly would do the trick. He’s come out of nowhere to go 12 for 12 in saves with a 1.31 ERA. A far cry from his mop-up days in Milwaukee, when the Brewers were an AL also ran, not an NL Central contender.

• The Devil Rays #2 pick in this year’s draft, William Kline has signed and threw a bullpen session before Turesday’s game. Kline will begin his professional career with low-A Columbus.
• We aren’t sure what Marc Topkin means by “(Josh Wilson) may have played his way into their long-term plans,” but we would be surprised if Wilson is a member of the 2008 Devil Rays.
  

The Hangover: Shawn Camp Found His Inner Nolan Ryan And His Inner Shawn Camp

White Sox 5, Devil Rays 4.
Surprise: The top four hitters in the Rays lineup went a combined 0-12, so it was not a surprise the Rays couldn’t score past the 4th inning.

Not a surprise: A member of the middle relief struggle mightily. Casey Fossum faced 4 batters and allowed 3 hits and 2 runs blowing the Rays 3-2 lead.

Hell Apparently Froze Over Then Again It Didn’t: Shawn Camp gave up a base hit to the first batter he faced. But something happened after that base hit. Camp faced 9 more hitters and struck out 7 of them. s-e-v-e-CAPITAL N…after the game, we imagine Bud Selig showing up and immediately administering a urine test…Entering last night’s game, Camp only had 17 strike outs in 26.1 innings. Of course Camp gave up the base hit that allowed the go-ahead run to score. No surprise there. Camp’s ability with inherited runners is well-documented. It might have been the single most dominating performance of Shawn Camp’s career and yet he still managed to let an inherited runner score to give up a Rays lead. The bitter irony.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Tim of Journeys of Jack Tripper has written and recorded a song titled “Elijah Dukes is My Daddy”. Our favorite line? “I’ve got 1,034 siblings, that’s 2,068 shoes”…If you’ve got a couple of minutes, it is highly recommended and you can hear the song HERE.
• BJ Upton is likely to play for Vero Beach on a rehab assignment on Wednesday or Thursday and could possibly rejoin the Rays this weekend in Cleveland. Upton will initially play second base. Fans sitting behind the first base dugout have been warned.
• James Shields is on pace to be only the third Rays pitcher to throw 200 innings. Normally that would be cause for concern for a young pitcher’s arm. But Shield pitched over 180 innings combined last season between AAA and the Rays and 200 won’t be the huge jump that is usually followed by a drop-off in performance the following season.
• Speaking of innings. We can’t say this stat surprises us…Scott Kazmir leads the AL in pitches thrown (1,734) and pitches per inning (18.1). As a result, the team is monitoring Kid K very closely to make sure he does not struggle or add any undue strain to his arm.
• You may not agree with all of Andrew Friedman’s moves, but it is hard to argue with the idea that the Rays may have made the three of the most valuable free agent signings this past off-season in the form of Carlos Pena, Al Reyes and Akinori Iwamura. He also pulled off a trade that netted the Rays a shortstop with all-star numbers (Brendan Harris) without giving up much in return.
• The Rays offense has been very strong this season. Amazing considering that the Rays have two members of the “All Lost Potential Team.“
• The Rays are hanging on to their second-page status in the latest SI.com Power Rankings.
• Happy Birthday wishes for Elijah Dukes. Lets hope his celebration is muted.