The Hangover: The Rays Claim Kurt Birkins From Orioles

Scottsdale 8, Team USA 6.
Reid Brignac continues to struggle in the AFL. Against Team USA, Brignac went 1-5 with a strikeout and is now hitting .193. Evan Longoria played third and hit clean-up for Team USA, going 1-5 with a run scored. He is now 3-12 with 3 singles in 3 games with Team USA. Justin Ruggiano went 0-2 for Team USA playing left field and batting sixth.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays claimed another player off waivers. This time it was pitcher Kurt Birkins from the Orioles. To make room on the roster, they DFA’d Raul Cassanova. There is a good chance that Cassanova will be retained by the club once he clears waivers. [tampabay.com]
  
• Everybody wants Carl Crawford on their team…until they realize what it will cost to get him there. This time it is the Cubs. Listen Cubs fans…it will take 1) Pitching; 2) Major League Pitching; 3) A young stud Major League Starter; 4) And then throw in a prospect or two. And honestly, we do not see any players on the Cubs roster that fits the criteria. Good luck with the Torii Hunter negotiations. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Bugs & Cranks has more YouTube footage of Elijah Dukes in the Dominican Winter League in their latest installment of “The Redemption of Elijah Dukes”. [Bugs & Cranks]
• Martin Fennelly compares the Rays to the Ugly Duckling now that they are the only franchise that has never made a postseason appearance and they are the only one of the last four expansion teams to not make it to the World Series. [TBO]
• The Austin American-Statesman takes a look at the only four teams never to reach the world series and wonders which one of “The Final Four of Bad Baseball Teams” will be the first to break the drought. They compare the Devil Rays to the Mets of the late 60’s. [Austin American-Statesman]
• The Rays front office released a statement indicating that Jim Hickey will remain with the club as the team’s pitching coach. [TBO]
• Rotoworld ranks the Devil Rays as the 21st most likely destination for Alex Rodriguez. [Rotoworld]

It’d be something if the Rays could upstage Tampa’s other team by bringing in Rodriguez, but there’s been nothing to suggest they’d be willing to double their payroll.

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: So THIS Is What A Major League Bullpen Looks Like

Devil Rays 6, Blue Jays 2.
Thank you Mr. Friedman. Thank you. It’s not the ’96 Yankees or the ’02 Angels or the ’06 Tigers. Hell, it is still not even the ’06 Pirates. But for the first time in two years, it is not the Long Island Ducks either.

So this is what a major league bullpen looks like? We had heard rumors. Apparently there are teams in this league with bullpens that don’t give up 4 runs every night. Apparently other teams have relief pitchers that don’t allow inherited runners to score on a consistent basis. We had heard rumors and now we get to see it with our own eyes.

For the first time in recent memory. Hell, for the first time in our long-term memory, the Devil Rays bullpen dominated a series. The Rays won two of three for the Jays in which the bullpen combined to throw 13.1 innings, allowing 8 hits, 5 walks while striking out 11. But the most important stat was 1. As in 1 run in three games. In the first 4 months of the season, most Devil Rays pitchers allowed a run just walking in from the bullpen.

Thank you Mr. Friedman. There is still work to be done, but we can see the difference already and it is more than the bullpen. The players look more confident. They look like they are having fun again.

Now if we could get a dependable veteran arm in the rotation next season and maybe, just maybe…nah. nevermind. Baby steps.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Jason Hammel was pulled from the game after throwing 3 pitches in the 4th inning. It was originally termed shoulder tightness, and now looks like tendinitis. Hammel hopes to not miss a start. [Devil Rays]
• David Gassko of The Hardball Times analyzes all of the trades from this past weekend and gushes over the deals that Andrew Friedman was able to pull off [The Hardball Times]

[On the acquisition of Dan Wheeler] And the Devil Rays make another spectacular acquisition for their bullpen! Andrew Friedman is quickly moving up the ranks as one of the smartest baseball executives around. Wheeler’s 5.07 ERA this season is deceiving: His xFIP is a solid 3.56, which is in line (actually, a little better) with his xFIPs the previous two seasons.

• It has been a long and winding road for Carlos Pena but he appears to have found a home. [USA Today]
• Raul Cassanova cleared waivers and was outrighted to Durham.

The Hangover: Jason Hammel To The Bullpen…For Now

Devil Rays (off day)
The Devil Rays made an interesting and unexpected move yesterday. With two openings in the bullpen, the Rays recalled Jason Hammel from Durham. Having already dipped into the Durham relief corps and drawing two blanks, Andrew Friedman decided on an alternative solution to the Rays abysmal bullpen. Hammel was having a strong start to the season as a starting pitcher for the Bulls and was considered an option to fill one of the holes in the rotation. Now he is being called upon to shore up the leaks in the ‘pen. And of course by “leak” we really mean holes the size of the Trop.

This move means that the Rays have already seen enough in two starts from Andy Sonnanstine and JP Howell that they will stay in the rotation for the time being. It also means that Edwin Jackson is now officially on notice. If the team truly sees Hammel as a starting pitcher in the long run, they will not want his stay in the bullpen to be an extended one. Moving from the bullpen to the rotation can be a difficult adjustment for some pitchers and for most pitchers it can take several starts before they build up the endurance to be able to pitch deep into games. If Jackson fails to show improvement in his next 2-3 starts, look for Hammel and Jackson to switch roles.

Hammel has proven that he deserved another shot at the majors. Friedman and Maddon needed an arm in the bullpen and they went to Durham and chose the best arm that was available. It just happened to be a starting pitcher.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• To fill the other open spot in the bullpen, the Rays will sign Jay Witasick who was released by the A’s last week. Witasick struggled with his control in Oakland. In 15 innings, he walked 9 batters and gave up 14 hits.
• Surprisingly, Jae Seo has accepted his demotion to Durham rather than become a free agent.
• Dioner Navarro could return to the lineup as early as tonight. And yes, we are aware that Raul Casanova has homered in two straight games, but there is no reason for Navi to worry about his job. Casanova has been a role player in parts of 8 major league seasons. Entering 2007, he had 28 home runs in 960 at bats and a career .233 batting average. That would equate to about 15 home runs over a 500 at bat season. Oh yeah…and he is 34 years old. He is not all of the sudden Johnny Bench.
• Al Keck and Tom Korun of ABCActionNews have a new blog that covers the local sports teams including the Rays. It’s worth checking out. [Sports Talk]
• Scott Kazmir feels that is on the verge putting everything together.
• In two starts Andy Sonnanstine has 15 strike outs and no walks. In the minor leagues he posted a 6:1 strikeout to walk ratio. Only 28 pitchers in the history of baseball have posted a ratio of better than 3:1 with a minimum of 1000 innings pitched. Will The Duke be able to keep up his success as a major league pitcher? Our guess is that if Sonny can stay in the majors for 1000 innings, he will be definitely end his career in the top 30 all-time. Not bad.
• Remember Shinji Mori? The free agent relief pitcher the Rays did sign? We can’t blame you if your memory is a little hazy. He never threw a single pitch in a regular season game. Yesterday he was released by the Rays.

The Hangover: El Gato Strikes Again

Devil Rays 4, Royals 2.
Carlos Pena was 3-3 and hit his 12th home run and his 56th catwalk. How good has Pena been this season?

• Of the 12 players in the AL with at least 11 home runs, Pena’s 131 at bats are at least 56 fewer than any other player.
• He also raised his batting average to .313 which is 70 points higher than his career average coming into this season.
• His .641 SLG and 1.017 OPS would each be good for 2nd in the AL if he had enough at bats to qualify (Maglio Ordonez leads with .681/1.117)
• If Pena had just 190 at bats (many players are already over 200), he projects to 45 RBI, which would be tied for 6th in the AL.

As a side note…Pena has played in the majors for parts of 7 seasons. However, we dusted off our abacus and it looks like his service time was only 4 years heading into 2007 since he has spent much of those seven seasons in the minors (a player is a free agent after 6 years of ML service). If we are reading this right, and we like to think we are, Pena is only arbitration eligible at the end of the year and will not be a free agent unless the Rays fail to offer arbitration. Has anybody heard any differently?

As for James Shields…Well, James the Greater justs keeps on truckin’. Shields moves to 5-0 on the year. Only Josh Beckett in the AL has more wins without a loss. Another outing in which he pitches into the 8th inning. Only 4 hits and 1 walks. He did allow 2 more home runs, which gives him 11 on the season. That is tied for 9th in the majors. However, 5 of those came in his first 3 starts of the season. James the Greater.

Of course the big news today is that Andy Sonnanstine will make his major league debut tonight in Toronto and Thursday the Rays may add a future ace to their already deep pitching pool in the MLB draft. We will have more on the draft later, but tonight all eyes will be on the tele. The rotation is finally starting to come around. We know it is still early for JP Howell, but after one start he has given us hope that the Rays can send out a pitcher with a good chance of winning 3 out of 5 days. Can Sonny make it 4 of 5? We might be able to tolerate another month or two of “Edwin Jackson Development” if he was the only hole in the donut.

Looks like we are going to have a busy day around this here internets, so come back early and often.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• How do you know when you spend too much time neck-deep in all things Devil Rays? When THIS title scares the hell out of you. Too make ammends we are now running to the bathroom with a Maxim magazine.
• No surprise here. Akinori Iwamura will not make the trip to Toronto but should be ready to join the team in Miami when the Rays face the Marlins.
• The Crime Dog played first base for the Devil Rays. Is Carlos Pena El Gato del Crimen…The Crime Cat?
• Shawn Riggans just can’t catch a break (Like what we did there? Aren’t we clever). Riggans was placed on the 15-day DL and the Rays with Josh Paul already on the 60-day DL, were forced to add Raul Casanova to the 40-man roster and promote him to the Rays. To make room, Chris Seddon of Montgomery was designated for assignment.
• Carl Crawford has now tied Aubrey Huff for the franchise record for most hits (870). Fittingly, he did it with a triple.
• Akinori Iwamura is back with the latest installment of his diary. Not often the sentimental types, but we think it is pretty cool that in his first year in the US, Aki’s wife is pregnant and the baby is due on July 4.