The Hangover: And The Hits Just Keep On Comin’ For Evan Longoria

Scottsdale Scorpions (1-10)

thurs
Mesa 6, Scottsdale 2. Reid Brignac led of for Scottsdale, going 2-3 and hitting a olo home run, his first in the AFL. Evan Longoria was 2-3 with 2 doubles and a walk.

fri
Scottsdale 9, Peo Javelinas 3. Evan Longoria was 3-4 with 2 doubles, a home run and 3 RBI in Scottsadale’s first win. It was Longoria’s 4th home run. John Jaso also homered for the Scorpions, going 1-2 with 2 RBI. Reid Brignac was 0-4. Mike Prochaska started and picked up the win, going 3 innings, and allowing 1 run on 3 hits, and a walk, while striking out 2. Calvin Medlock relieved and pitched 2 scoreless innings striking out 2.

sat
Phoenix 3, Scottsdale 2. Evan Longoria went 1-4 and is now hitting .317. He also committed his 3rd error of the AFL.Longoria is 4th in the AFL with a 1.063 OPS. He is tied for the league lead with 4 home runs, is third with 8 RBI and second with 4 doubles. Chris Nowak started at first base and went 1-3 with an RBI. Nick DeBarr and Evan Meek each pitched in relief. DeBarr threw 2 perfect innings with a strikeout, while Meek strike out two, but gave up a hit an a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

sun
OFF DAY

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• 2007 has been unkind to the state of Ohio. [The Sporting Orange]
• Was anybody esle disturbed a little to see a member of the Orioles in the Boston dugout and throwing the first pitch in game 7? [The Kansas City Star]
• We believe the Dustin Pedroia should be and will be AL Rookie of the Year…But Baseball America thinks that Delmon Young was only the 13th best rookie (5th best in the AL)…seriously. [ArmchairGM]
• Yet another blogger that thinks Joe Torre should take a year off and then replace Joe Maddon as manager of the Devil Rays. After hearing Torre refer to the Yankee’s contract offer as an “insult”, we are starting to warm to the possibility if Maddon gets off to a bad start in 2008 or if the Rays fail to reach .500 at the end of the season. It is not a secret that George Steinbrenner considers Tampa his home turf and has never been fond of the Devil Rays franchise. Taking the Tampa job and beating the Yankees could be the ultimate answer from the manager that is a lot more fiery and calculating than his public persona would suggest. [Quick Hits From The Sidelines]
• Keep in mind that Joe Torre and Don Zimmer are close, and Zim was none-too-happy about the way the Yankees handled his pal Torre. [tampabay.com]
• More funky baseball math. This time, Roto Authority suggests that Andy Sonnanstine was the 4th unluckiest pitcher in 2007 which suggests he could be much better in 2008. [Roto Authority]
• Minor-ity Report take a look at David Price and compares his numbers to Mark Prior. Not the first time we have heard the comparison, but Price’s numbers in college were actually better than Prior’s and Price has an extra year of college under his belt. And did we mention that Price is left-handed. We are starting to get giddy. [Minor-ity Report]
• Despite a big dropoff in production in 2007, the Devil Rays still believe that Reid Brignac is their future shortstop. It just won’t be in 2008. [TBO]
• “The only thing that keeps this organization from being recognized as one of the finest in baseball is wins and losses at the major league level.” – Devil Rays GM Chuck Lamar…We are not sure why this is one of “The 35 Dumbest Sports Quotes Ever”. Isn’t it true? [LiveJournal]
• Jon Garland or Jose Contreras for Carl Crawford? Contreras? No. Garland? Not likely. He is set to make $12 million in 2008 and will be a free agent at the end of the year. [Mets Blog]
• Then again, MLB Rumors cites “industry sources” that “The Devil Rays and White Sox have worked over the past couple months on possible deals this off season that involve Jon Garland and Carl Crawford”. Maybe THIS GUY qualifies as an “industry source” [MLB Rumors]
• In the four professional sports leagues in North America, there are 92 teams. Sports Frog ranks the Devil Rays 89th, ahead of only the Memphis Grizzlies (90), Charlotte Bobcats (91) and the Houston Texans (92). See? The Rays don’t always finish last. [Sports Frog]
• RJ Anderson discusses his upcoming book about Chuck LaMar. [The Stat Pack]
  

The Hangover: Will Jim Hickey’s Arrest Open Door For Xavier Hernandez?

Devil Rays (66-96)

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays 68-94 record was only 2 wins less than their expected final record. [Baseball Musings]
• Jim Hickey. We guess being the coach of one of the worst pitching staffs ever would be reason to drink, but it is not reason to drive and it is not reason to take your frustration out on the batboy. By the looks of the mugshot, Hickey lost the argument. [Lion in Oil]
• Jim Hickey’s arrest comes only days before the team is to decide whether he and the rest of the coaching staff will be retained in 2008. Hitting coach Steve Henderson is the most likely coach to come back. Before Sunday, we would have assumed that Hickey was a lock to be given at least one more season to work with the staff. However, after his DUI, the Rays may turn to their pitching coach-in-waiting, Xavier Hernandez, who is highly regarded for the work he has done the last two seasons at Montgomery and Durham and with whom many of the Rays younger pitchers are already familiar and comfortable with. [tampabay.com]
• Its difficult to make an assessment of Akinori Iwamura’s ability to play second base, based on one game and especially one play, but when the opportunity arrived to turn his first double play from the middle infield, Mu-Rah was flawless. [TBO]
• Scott Kazmir finished as the Major League leader in strikeouts. Of course that goes a long ways to explaining whe he led the majors with 6,432,867 pitches thrown. [Bradenton Herald]
• Carlos Pena was named the AL Player of the Week for the final week. [tampabay.com]
• Carlos Pena finished with 46 home runs in less than 500 at bats, which makes him the most underrated first baseman in baseball. “If Pena was a Red Sox or Yankee’s player he would finish second in MVP voting. Instead he was underrated.” Actually, if Pena was playing for almost any other team, he probably finishes second in the MVP voting. That is the mark of being underrated. [I’m smarter than you]
• ArmchairGM makes a case for considering Carlos Pena for MVP. [ArmchairGM]
• Carlos Pena is a finalist for the “Pepsi Clutch” award that goes to the clutchiest player. We agree that he is a worthy nominee, but we disagree with the notion that “few people knew of Pena before the year”. Anybody that follows baseball even remotely, knew of Pena as one of the top prospects in baseball a few years ago. [MLB]
• We have a feeling that Delmon Young will finish second in the Rookie of the Year balloting, but it will not be because of his outburst following Saturday’s game in which Joe Maddon pulled Young from the game for not running out a ground ball. Ballots for the award were due on either Sunday or Monday, which means most writers are likely to have already made their selections prior to Saturday. [Yahoo! Sports]
• It was a disastrous season for Korean baseball players. Of course, Jae Seo, Jae Kuk Ryu and Hee Seop Choi were all member of the Devil Rays at one point, so it is kind of like the Chicken and the Egg argument. [Korean Times]
• Greg Norton will have surgery on his elbow. A case can be made that Norton should share team MVP honors with Carlos Pena. If Norton had not gotten hurt the final week of Spring Training and was hitting well to start the season, it might have taken the team a while to call up Pena. [Devil Rays]
• Some of the players believe that the team is very close to competing. [tampabay.com]

“We don’t need much,” All-Star Carl Crawford said. “Maybe another starter and probably a little more bullpen help. Just three players and we’re right there. We’re right at the tip.”

• Marc Lancaster takes a look back at the 2007 season and hands out a bunch of awards, we like to call the Marckie Marcs. Our favorite category is “Veteran of the Year” for a team that has exactly 3 players over the age of 12. And then there is the “Most Frustrating Season”. He should just rename that one the “The Rocco”. He also looks ahead to what we can expect for 2008. [TBO]
• Marc Lancaster can’t wait for next year. We would take it a step further. We would like to replay this season with the group the Rays ended with. Playoff contender? probably not, but definitely not the worst team in the league and maybe a run at .500 would be in order. [TBO]
• Bill Chastain takes a look back at the 2007 season and calls the second half lineup “one of the best lineups in team history”. He also takes a look forward to 2008. [Devil Rays]
• Hey! It’s the off-season. It is time to start reading a million and one articles about how [Insert Team Name] should acquire Carl Craw
  ford and that the Rays would probably give him up for 20 rusty nickels. The Akron Beacon Journal wasted no time. [Ohio.com]

The Hangover: Devil Rays Avoid 100…In Search Of 70

Devil Rays 9, Mariners 2.
Just the links today as we are still in Austin with Mrs. Professor.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Devil Rays are now 63-87 with 12 games remaining. They trail the Orioles by 2 games in the AL East and the White Sox by 1.5 games for the worst record in baseball. Yesterday’s victory guarantees that the Devil Rays will not lose 100 games. This is the first season since 2000 that will not feature a 100-loss team. [Awful Announcing]
• The Devil Rays need to finish 7-5 to match the franchise record for wins, and 8-4 to break the record.
• A 10-2 finish and the Rays will avoid 90 losses.
• Andy Sonnanstine has now won 5 of his last 7 starts and should at least have the upper-hand for one of the spots in the rotation entering 2008. [USA Today]

“He’s close, he absolutely is close,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s really making a great impression for next season, we can say that.”

• Carlos Pena became the first member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to hit 40 home runs in a season and the 110th player in the history of major league baseball. [tampabay.com]
• Rocco Baldelli has rejoined the team as a cheerleader and nothing more. He and the team are still awaiting the results of some test to try and determine why Rocco has been so susceptible to leg problems. [TBO]
• We will see the regular lineup for the next 9 games, as all those games are against playoff contenders, Angels, Red Sox and Yankees. Joe Maddon may then switch things up for the Blue Jays series. [TBO]
• Well, except for maybe Carl Crawford, as he suffered a groin strain and is listed as day-to-day. [TBO]
• JP Howell and lefty relief pitcher Jeff Ridgway were promoted from Durham after the Bulls’ season was concluded on Sunday. [tampabay.com]
• The Devil Rays now have the largest improvement in team batting average from 2006 to 2007, jumping from .255 to .271. [Devil Rays]
• Delmon Young seemed a longshot earlier this season, but he is quietly posting Rookie-of-the-Year caliber numbers. [TBO]

Young entered Friday leading all big-league rookies in hits (171), doubles (34) and multi-hit games (51) while topping all AL rookies in RBIs (81) and total bases (241). Throw in a .293 batting average, 12 homers and 16 outfield assists

• HardBall thinks that Delmon Young is the Rookie of the Year. [Hard Ball]

Expect a lot of yelping if Delmon Young isn’t named the AL’s rookie of the year. He’s had the best wire-to-wire season among AL rookies but is easily overlooked.

• Statistically Speaking believes that both Carlos Pena and BJ Upton deserve votes in the MVP voting. MVP ballots include 10 names from each writer. [Statistically Speaking]
• We are happy that Marc Lancaster wrote a nice feel-good piece about Brendan Harris who has started 130 of the last 138 games, and how he is “making the most of his chances”. But if Harris starts more than 25 games in 2008 for the Devil Rays, that will not be a good sign. And to say that Harris can “field competently” is being nice. [TBO]
• Marc Lancaster believes there is too much entertainment at a typical Devil Rays game at the Trop, feeling the team is offering too many distractions. We understand the argument to an extent. While this may be a new phenomenon in major league baseball, this is not new to professional sports. Just attend any NBA basketball game and you think you accidentally walked into a circus. As for games at the Trop…I have never felt “overwhelmed” by the amount of distractions. I have always felt that there was a good amount for those that find baseball boring, and not enough to distract those of us who enjoy every single pitch. In the end the Devil Rays want every person that attends a game at the Trop to feel as though they had fun. Not just the diehard baseball fans. It is a fine-line they have to walk, but so far I feel as though they have done a decent job. [TBO]
• Here is a YouTube video tribute entitled “A Tribute to Scott Kazmir“. At first we thought “a tribute to a pitcher?” That sound boring. Every highlight will look exactly the same. Turns out the video is actually a Mets fan crying about Jim Duquette and Victor Zambrano. We laugh cuz it’s funny, we laugh because it’s true. [YouTube]

The Hangover: Dioner Navarro Should Stop Swinging From Both Sides

Red Sox 16, Devil Rays 10.
Thank you Red Sox.

Thank you for reminding us that the team we root for is still the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. They aren’t the Twins, or the A’s or the Indians. They are indeed the Devil Rays. Thank you for erasing that warm and fuzzy feeling we have had for the last couple of weeks. It was starting to go to our heads. Thank you for scoring 16 runs and reminding us that our starting pitchers are not the mid 70s Orioles and that our bullpen is not the mid 90s Yankees. Thank you for reminding us that the Devil Rays do not go into a place like Fenway and sweep the best team in baseball (a thought that may or may not have crossed our minds when the score was 8-1). Thank you for reminding us that we root for a team that has now blown a lead of 5 or more runs 186* times this season. Thank you for reminding us that even if the Devil Rays can score 7 runs in 3 innings off of Tim Wakefield, the baseball gods (for some unknown reason) will not allow Wakefield to lose to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Thank you for reminding us why sometimes we read a story on the Rays and we think the team changed their name to the Lowly Devil Rays.

Thank you Red Sox. Thank you for pissing in our wheaties.

*we don’t have the stomach to look up the actual number

Switch-hitting is naturally a very difficult thing to do anytime, but it is especially difficult for a catcher. We have said it before, that catchers are notoriously slow developers with the bat. This is rarely unexpected. As catchers, they are asked to concentrate on the defensive aspects of their position much more in the early stages of their careers. While other fielders get to spend a large amount of time in the cage, catchers need to work on blocking pitches, footwork on throws to second, sitting in on pitchers meetings, catch pitchers during their bullpen sessions, have their heads rubbed for luck, etc.

So the amount of time spent on the offensive aspect of their game is already reduced. Now take that and cut it in half for a switch-hitter as they need to do everything twice, once from each side of the plate.

For the second straight night, Dioner Navarro was forced to bat right-handed against a right-handed pitcher because of a sore wrist. How did he do? He collected a career-high 4 hits. Now granted, two of those hits came off of Tim Wakefield and one of the other two was an infield single, but at some point it would not surprise us if the coaching staff looks to make Navi a full-time right-handed batter. While his average is similar from both sides of the plate (.220 vs. .221), his OPS is considerably higher from the right side (.703 vs. .599) hitting a home run once every 17.2 at bats as a right hander and once ever 83.3 at bats as a lefty. This is even more pronounced when one considers that most switch-hitters are better left-handed hitters because that is what they do more often.

A switch-hitter can get away with having a “weaker” side if he is still producing overall. While we still believe that Navi is going to be a very good major league hitter he may be hindering himself, and the team, by continuing to bat from both sides of the plate.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The timing of this headline was unfortunate. [Devil Rays]
• The Tampa Tribune is a little late with a story about how the Rays are going to limit their starting pitchers down the stretch, considering the topic was covered everywhere else about 3 weeks ago. And the timing is especially puzzling considering they decided to run the story the day after Scott Kazmir threw a season-high 118 pitches. [TBO]
• Did you know Delmon Young was ejected Monday night? Neither did we. Apparently Young tossed his helmet back on the field from the dugout after being doubled off of first base in the 9th inning. We understand that sometimes an umpire makes a bad call and emotions get the best of you. But if you are going to act like a child at least do it when the umpire actually makes a bad call. Replays showed that Delmon was out. [tampabay.com]
• There has been a lot of chatter about Bill Madden’s comments, comparing Carlos Pena’s breakout season to that of Brady Anderson of the Oriole’s and his suspected ties to steroids. To this point we have left it untouched and for a good reason. IT IS THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. It is a friggin’ tabloid. The only reason it has a circulation is because a) it costs 50 cents while the New York Times is a dollar, b) They write sensational shit like this to try and get us riled up, c) it has lots of pictures, d) lots of New Yorkas like to read garbage. [Rays Talk]
• We felt there were a lot of different directions we could have gone with yesterdays “Hangover” title, but Sports of Boston trumped us. [Sports of Boston]
• John McDonald of the Blue Jays, a free agent-to be, signed an extension with the Blue Jays. So for those of you who desired a shortstop for 2008 with a good glove and the 32nd worst OPS (.604) among major league short stops (minimum 200 plate appearances) will have to look elsewhere. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• For the second time this week, the Rays called up a player from the Durham Bulls who just began the IL Championship series. This time it was Raul Casanova. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays DFA’d Tim Corcoran. Corcoran, who was in the middle of the championship series with Montgomery, said that he will re-sign with the Ra
  ys to finish the series if he clears waivers. [TBO]
• There are some new Boyz in the Rayz Blogosphere. The ninja mask is a nice touch, but we hate websites with auto-loading music (so if you click on the link, you’ve been warned). We also wonder about their choice for a blog name, DRayzBoyz. Next season the Devil Rays will drop the “devil”. Will they need to change the title of their site in 2008? Will DRaysBay? [DRayzBoyz]

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]

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]

The Hangover: Aubrey Huff Takes Title of "Rays Killer" From Chuck LaMar

Orioles 8, Devil Rays 4.
If anybody is still wondering why the Rays struggle against the one team in the AL East that they should be able to compete with, they need look no further than Aubrey Friggin’ Huff. We are here to anoint Huff as Chuck LaMar’s replacement as the official Rays Killer. Some players play better against certain teams but we have never seen a player make an entire season out of playing against one team.

Aubrey Huff	G	AVG	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs TB Devil Rays	17	.373	7	14	.439	.797	1.236
vs other 28 teams	120	.260	8	51	.309	.502	.811

And with one swing of Aubrey Friggin’ Huff’s bat, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays now fall four back of the Orioles in the AL East and more importantly five back in the loss column. The Rays have 23 games remaining while the Orioles have 25. If Baltimore goes 10-15 down the stretch, the Rays would need to finish 14-9 to pull out of the cellar. This will be a difficult task, at best, considering the Rays have two series remaining against the Red Sox, and series with the Yankees, Angels and Mariners, all playoff contenders. The other two series are against the Blue Jays.

Surpassing the Orioles is not impossible but it will be a long shot. If the team wants to have any thoughts of a 4th place finish, the Rays must win tonight’s game.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Not that anybody was holding their breath, but the loss last night guarantees that the Rays will finish with a losing record for the 10th consecutive season. Having already been officially eliminated from the division race, the Rays’ elimination number for the wild card is now 4.
• Marc Topkin thinks Josh Wilson’s fielding problems are “more mental than physical”. We think they are more because he is just not a very good defensive infielder. Either way, Mr. Anonymous is likely to be a one-and-done member of the Devil Rays as the team looks for an upgrade up the middle this off-season. [tampabay.com]
• If Rocco Baldelli does not return this season, he will have played in exactly 138 of the Rays last 486 games. John Romano believes that “it is impossible to know where Baldelli fits in the equation (team’s future)”. Oh. It is possible, because Rocco does not fit in the team’s future. It is clear that the team wants BJ Upton in center field and Rocco in another organization. Still, Romano believes that the team should pick up Rocco’s ’09 option and just cross their fingers. [tampabay.com]
• With 276 hits combined, Delmon Young and Aki Iwamura could become just the 5th pair of rookies in the past 20 years to combine for 300 hits. Also, Young (.297), BJ Upton (.311) and Carl Crawford (.313) could become the first outfield since 1996 (Cleveland) to have all three members hit .300. [Devil Rays]
• Scott Kazmir and BJ Upton both make the list of “Top 25 Under 25″with Delmon Young named as honorable mention. Nick Underhill does bring up a good point in regards to Upton. He may be a better center fielder but will Upton push for a return to the infield where he has a better chance to be a perennial all-star? [Im Writing Sports]
• In a case where “no news is apparently news”, Carlos Pena has yet to be contacted by the team concerning a contract extension. Pena is not a free agent, so nobody should expect any negotiations until after the season. [The Canadian Press]

The Hangover: Break Up The Rays!

Devil Rays 15, Orioles 8.

Just the links today

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays elimination number in the division remains 3, and is 10 for the wild card. With 30 games remaining, the Rays need 11 wins to avoid another 100-loss season. They have a 5-game lead over the White Sox for the worst record in baseball.
  
• The Rays tied a club record with 11 runs in the 8th inning last night. [Devil Rays]
  
• Delmon Young homered for the first time since June 22. [Bradenton Herald]
• Aubrey Huff hit his 5th home run against the Devil Rays. [tampabay.com]
• The Devil Rays may have the best outfield bargain in baseball with Carl Carawford, BJ Upton and Delmon Young who combined, will make less than $7 million in 2007. [TBO]
• How many wins would James Shields have if he were pitching for a contender? Joe Maddon thinks it would be 15. We have a hunch it would be 16-17. [Devil Rays]
• With Ben Zobrist on the DL, Josh Wilson has become the everyday shortstop. [TBO]
• Elijah Dukes met with Cecil Fielder and coached first base for Fielder’s Independent League Charlotte County Redfish. [tampabay.com]
• We are not sure what bananas have to do with peanut butter and jelly or for that matter, what any of them have to do with the Devil Rays. [Phorce Impressive Media]

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]

The Hangover: Devil Rays Seek Relevancy

The Devil Rays open the second half with a four-game set against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. In baseball, momentum is only as good tomorrow’s starting pitcher which doesn’t usually bode too well for the Rays, but this series is huge for both Tampa Bay and New York. The Yankees need to get off to a good start with three or four wins against a last place ball club if they have any hopes of making a playoff run this season. On the other hand, the Rays, losers of 13 of 14 before the break need to two or three wins in this series to gain any confidence for success in the second half.

Losing this series would be a demoralizing blow to the young club and could make the second half of the season irrelevant to Devil Rays fans, or at least until Jeff Niemann and Evan Longoria make their major league debuts. In the meantime we will be forced to unveil our Tampa Bay Devil Rays Drinking Game as a way of coping with another 100-loss season, which will be followed shortly thereafter by a second half full of The Justin Smoak Sweepstakes posts and soiled underwear.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• If the Devil Rays finish with the worst record in baseball (again), they will once again make history for all the wrong reasons. The Rays would become the first team in major league history to have the top pick in the amateur draft two consecutive years. Until recently, the top pick alternated between the AL and the NL. The top pick is now “awarded” to the team with the worst overall record regardless of league affiliation. It will also mark the fourth time the Devil Rays would pick #1 overall, leaving them one shy of the Padres and the Mets for most top selections in the history of the draft.
• Was the home run in the All-Star game Carl Crawford’s “coming-out party”? Personally, we would have rather seen Crawford hit one of his trademark triples and steal second and third after a single. Only then would the rest of baseball have seen the C.C. that we have grown up with…On a side note, is anybody else annoyed by the idea that Crawford’s home run may have helped the Red Sox win the world series this year by giving the AL home field advantage? It has been two days and we still can’t truly enjoy Crawford’s home run. Thanks Fox and Bud Selig. Next time why don’t you just take a dump in our Wheaties. [tbo.com]
• JP Howell was optioned to AAA Durham but will be back for his next scheduled start. Joe Maddon decided to skip Howell the first time through the rotation with the off-day on Monday. Rather than use Howell out of the bullpen, he will make a spot-start for the Bulls. We assume that BJ Upton will take Howell’s spot on the roster. Of course, Maddon may decide to ad an extra arm to the bullpen for the first week of the second half in which case somebody else will need to be demoted. [St. Pete Times]
• David Price had a chat session yesterday at Baseball America. Among the topics that Price covers is modeling his game after Dontrelle Willis, and the adjustments he needs to make in order to jump from AA to the Majors. We may be reading too much into the last quote, but it does seem likely that Price will make a few low-A starts this season (when signed) and will begin the 2008 campaign at AA Montgomery. [Baseball America]
• The bullpen is what it is, and they could get a lot of help of if the rest of the rotation can take James Shields’ lead and work later into games. [DevilRays.com]
• Bill Chastain hands in his midterm report, naming James Shields the first half MVP. [DevilRays.com]
• Delmon Young is not worried about his numbers, but he is quietly building a rookie-of-the-year resume. [Florida Times-Union]
• Kevin brings us “The ‘Top’ 10 Moments in Devil Rays History”. It is demoralizing to think that someone thinks that new uniforms and winning 70 games are two of the top 10 moments in the history of a franchise. It is a kick to the groin when we realize that he is probably right. [MySpace]