[THE HANGOVER] The Rays Drop $2.9 Million On Seventh Inning Pitcher

Tampa Bay Rays (29 days until pitchers and catchers report)

The Rays came to an agreement with Dan Wheeler on a one year contract for $2.875 million, avoiding arbitration. The salary will give Wheeler the 5th highest salary on the Rays in 2008, behind only Carl Crawford ($5.25 million), Troy Percival ($4 million) and both Scott Kazmir and Carlos Pena whose salaries have yet to be settled, but will certainly be greater than $2.875 million. In 2007, only four players on the opening day roster had salaries greater than $1 million, including Crawford ($4 million), Casey Fossum ($2.2 million), Ty Wigginton ($1.3 million) and Jae Seo ($1.2 million)*.

Wheeler’s deal leaves the Rays with three arbitration-eligible players (Carlos Pena, Scott Kazmir and Jonny Gomes). The remaining arbitration-eligible cases must be resolved by Friday or the player’s 2008 salaries will be settled by an arbitrator.

With three salaries yet to be determined, the Tampa Bay Rays opening day payroll (40-man roster) now projects to be just under $41 million.

*Both Pena and Reyes had base salaries less than $1 million but earned incentives during the season that pushed their salary above $1 million.

RHP Dan Wheeler and Rays agree to 1-year contract. [Yahoo! Sports]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Rays of Light breaks down six things that must happen for the Rays to post their first winning season in 2008. The biggest point is the first and one that we believe too many people are ignoring when they speak of the Rays new and improved bullpen. That is: Troy Percival and Al Reyes are both old and have a history of injuries. To expect a full season out of both is expecting a lot. Maybe too much. [Rays of Light]

There’s no doubt that Al Reyes and Troy Percival can throw, but there’s also no doubt that at ages 37 and 38 respectively and each with a history of injury, they are much closer to their last pitch than their first.

• Baseball Prospectus lists Dioner Navarro as one of their 2008 “Breakout Candidates”. [Baseball Prospectus]

Navarro has been a completely different player since being traded to the Devil Rays in 2006. At the time of the deal, Navarro had a career OBP of .360. With Tampa Bay, his OBP is .292. That kind of drop-off at 22 and 23 is alarming, and deserves investigation. When you look deeper, you see that Navarro’s decline has been concentrated in his strikeout rate, up about 15 percent, with a concomitant drop in his walk rate… Navarro was one of the worst players in baseball in the first half of 2007, batting .177/.238/.254, with a 36/13 K/BB in 229 plate appearances. To the Rays’ credit, they didn’t bury him, allowing him to remain the regular catcher throughout the season. They were rewarded with a significant improvement in the second half: .285/.340/.475, with a better K/BB (31/17 in 209 PA) and the best power of his career…As a switch-hitting catcher with good defensive skills and the ability to post a .360 OBP, however, he’s a tremendous asset. Navarro, still just 24 years old, is in line to be an above-average player, a five-win guy, for the next three seasons.

• Inside Vandy is running a 32-athlete “tournament” to find Vanderbilt’s biggest star. Why do we care here at RI? Because not only is there a “David Price Bracket”, but Pedro Alvarez is the #1 seed in the David Price Bracket. Alvarez is a power-hitting third baseman that may very well be the Rays selection as the top pick in the draft this June. [Inside Vandy]

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: The Ty Wigginton Rumors Start Heating Up

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

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

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

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

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

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

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

The Hangover: Ben Franklin Thinks Joe Maddon Is Insane

Benjamin Franklin said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Today we introduce exhibit #1 that Joe Maddon and the Devil Rays front office are insane…

If we don’t come back after the break better in the bullpen, we’re not. … I’m not saying it has to be new people, I’m just saying we have to be pitching better. We can’t pitch like that and expect to compete on a nightly basis. That’s just not going to happen. [Joe Maddon via St. Pete Times]

1. At what point has the bullpen ever given an impression that they have the ability to “come back after the break better”? This is not a situation where they have struggled recently nor have they been plagued by injuries. This bullpen has been bad since day one and they are not going to pitch better in the second half. We are not going to give you the numbers because we just ate breakfast. To say that the Devil Rays bullpen has been bad is an insult to bad bullpens.
2. If it is not going to be “new people”, then who is it going to be? The same clowns in different roles? If Shawn Camp can’t get a batter out in the 7th inning, he is not going to get a batter out in the 6th inning. The team needs new blood in the bullpen. In the off-season it will need a complete overhaul. But right now it needs one or two new pieces or this team is in real danger of losing 105 games.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• It is a good thing that Joe Maddon gave Carl Crawford the day off on Sunday (he pinch hit in the 8th) because now C. C. is well-rested to attend the super-party hosted by Barry Bonds and Jay-Z. Also of note is a conversation that Crawford had with Scott Boras. Boras is not Crawford’s agent, but would certainly like to represent him. If C.C. does switch to Boras, Crawford will not be a Devil Ray following the 2010 season. Boras clients rarely sign extensions and almost always test the free agent waters. [Tampa Tribune]
• Chicago Flame believes that the addition of Carl Crawford to the AL All-Star squad cost Curtis Granderson a more deserving spot. [Chicago Flame]
• To say Edwin Jackson has underachieved is an understatement of enormous proportions. [NBX Sports Action Blog]
• Vegas Watch says that the Rays defense is just as much to blame as the pitching for the poor first half showing. There point is that the Rays pitchers have consistently high BABIP. It could be a sign of bad luck as more batted balls are finding holes in the defense, but when it is consistent across all pitchers, that means the defense is not performing. This surprises us as the outfield defense has been spectacular (outside of Delmon Young’s recent stint playing in the center field bleachers) and the infield has two gold-glove caliber players in Akinori Iwamura and Carlos Pena. On the other hand, Brendan Harris is steady but lacking in range which is the same that can be said of Ty Wigginton at second base and BJ Upton has range but is unsteady. [Vegas Watch]

What Do You Like Better..Christmas Or Trading Season?

We are now only a little over two months from the trading deadline, but it is never too early to speculate on who the Devil Rays will move before July 31st. This past off-season, the Rays were expected to big players in the trade market with several of their young players rumored to be on the move to any of a number of different teams. When the dust settled, Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Elijah Dukes were all still members of the team and only two minor trades for Brendan Harris and Jae Kuk Ryu were made (Brendan Harris was considered a minor acquisition at the time).

The hesitancy this past winter should not carry over to this season. Expect the Rays to be very active in the next two months and this upcoming off-season. And unlike seasons past, any trades made this season will not involve dumping free agents-to-be for minor league prospects that are 2-3 years away. Without any veterans with expiring contracts, there are a handful of veterans they may choose to move, but all are signed for 2008 or have team options at relatively cheap prices. In addition, the team will be looking for major league talent or players that are very close to being ready for the big leagues.

While the focus will undoubtedly be on acquiring major league-ready pitching, the team will be more willing to accept hitting talent this season. With a number of top hitting prospects already playing at the Trop, the pendulum of talent has shifted to the pitching side as the farm system is heavy with major league pitching prospects.

So today let’s speculate on who could be moved and why. We are laying odds on which Devil Rays are most likely to be moved before July 31...

Elijah Dukes 1:1
Before this week teams may have been holding tight and hoping the Rays would just release Elijah Dukes. That move appears to be dead and any team that is interested in Dukes will now have to reconsider what they would be willing to part with for the 5-tool talent and potential future all-star. Dukes can be had for cheap, but he won’t be free. If the Rays trade Dukes now, they will be lucky to get a decent relief pitcher for him which about the same as trading in a brand new BMW with a 2 flat tires for a used Taurus with a clean bill of health. But in the end it is our feeling that the Rays front office has had enough and there seems to be just enough interest out there from other teams that somebody may up the ante just enough to tempt the Rays and take a chance on either the next Lawrence Phillips or the next Gary Sheffield.

Al Reyes 3:2
The Rays have an option year on Reyes for 2008 at $1 million but can be as high as $2.5 million with incentives. For a top-tier closer that is a bargain. But Reyes will be highly sought after this July by contenders that are all looking for bullpen help. How far are the Rays willing to push a relief pitcher with two Tommy John surgeries and who will be 38 in 2008? Chances are not very far. His value will never be higher and while the thought of a bullpen without Reyes in August and September is scary, look for Reyes to bring the Rays back a solid young pitching prospect.

Casey Fossum 2:1
The Rays also have an option on Fossum for 2008 at a relatively cheap price of $3 million. However, there doesn’t appear to be a spot for Fossum on the 20o8 roster and while $3 million is cheap for a lefty starter, it is not what the Rays want to pay a lefty specialist out of the ‘pen. Fossum’s demotion to the bullpen most likely increased his value to the Rays. If he can show in the next two months that he can consistently get out lefties, some team will roll the dice and toss the Rays a AAA pitcher for a lefty that can work as a specialist out of the ‘pen and can also fill in as an emergency starter down the stretch.

Ty Wigginton 3:1
Wiggy is an interesting case. He has now proven that 2006 was not a fluke. He is a consistent bat that has proven to be a clutch hitter when it matters most. He also has exceptional positional flexibility and has started games this season at first, third and second. Arbitration eligible, Wiggy makes $2.7 million this season and will likely command $3-3.5 million in 2008. With the emergence of Carlos Pena, Wiggy is now expendable and would make a perfect fit for the Twins who are looking for an upgrade for Nick Punto at third. Wiggy would also free up a roster spot for the Twins as they are a rare team that carries three catchers and Wiggy could serve as the emergency third string catcher. He is also the type of player that the Twins love. A team player that will do whatever he is asked to do to help the club win. The Twins appear to have their collective sights on Mike Lowell of the Red Sox at this moment, but if that falls through they are likely to re-address Wigginton. The Yankees could also be an option, but if George Steinbrenner is involved it might not happen as King George would never take a chance on helping the Rays.

Carlos Pena 5:1
The odds are about 3:2 that the Rays would move Pena or Wigginton. It is just a matter of which one at this point. The Rays control Pena for two more seasons, but his arbitration case this off-season will give him a large raise in pay. Finally emerging as the great hitter that many had projected, the Rays will be willing to pay a higher salary for the next two seasons if they believe that this recent surge is not a fluke. If they think he is peaking, they may decide to sell high and a team like the Yankees that is looking for an upgrade at first base have some solid pitching prospects.

Jorge Cantu 10:1
Cantu…Cantu…Cantu…This is a player the Rays would love to move but it doesn’t look like they will find any buyers. It is not a good sign when BJ Upton goes on the DL and the team does not even have enough confidence in Cantu’s defensive or offensive abilities to give him any starts at second base in Upton’s absence. So right now he is a first baseman with no experience at first base, that may or may not be able to hit major league pitching. If Cantu is moved, he won’t bring much back in return.

Rocco Baldelli 30:1
Despite his continued struggles with hamstring injuries, teams are likely to approach the Rays and see how much it will cost to acquire the center fielder. Hamstring injuries are something that a player is capable of over-coming and Rocco showed in the second half of 2006 that he is still a formidable force when he is healthy. If Rocco was healthy and if Elijah Dukes wasn’t such a mischievous badger, this number would be much lower. But if we know one thing about the Rays front office, it is that they are smart businessmen and trading Rocco now is not a smart business move. His value could not be any lower unless he decides to send Joe Maddon a picture of a gu
n and/or impregnates Carl Crawford. The Rays are more likely to work with Baldelli to change his running style and improve his hamstrings and wait for him to once again be the great center fielder everybody knows he can be. Then again, the Red Sox are probably secretly drooling over the New England native with the light complexion and good looks, that would be an instant star in Beantown. If the Red Sox do try to acquire Rocco, it is more likely to happen in the off-season, rather than risk inserting an injury-prone player into the middle of a world series run.

The Hangover: Edwin Jackson Is The Big Tease

Devil Rays 10, D-Backs 2.
Last night was as frustrating as a 10-2 win can ever be. Edwin Jackson pitched 4.2 innings before being removed from the game for precautionary reasons. Jackson was experiencing cramping in the index finger of his pitching hand. Last night was frustrating because on the surface it looked like a strong pitching performance by Jackson, who was 1 out from his victory since 2005. He was 1 out away from his first victory with the Devil Rays.

But this outing was anything but a strong performance. Jackson did hold the D-Backs to 2 runs in his 4+ innings of work. However, he surrendered 4 hits and 4 other batters reached base via the walk. Jackson needed 92 pitches in less than 5 innings and only 50 were thrown for strikes. Assuming that Jackson’s injury is not serious, he likely pitched just well enough to keep his spot in the rotation. But please don’t tell us that it was a “positive outing” or a “step forward” in his development.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• What would be less surprising…Elijah Dukes makes news for something off the field or Rocco Baldelli re-injuring his hamstring? Let’s see…today is Tuesday…Alex we’ll take Bubble Boy’s hamstring for $500…Baldelli tweaked his hamstring while batting last night in Durham. Rocco was originally scheduled to come off the DL and rejoin the Rays on Friday. That plan seems unlikely to happen now.
• Casey Fossum believes he is starting to regain some of his velocity in the bullpen, in hopes of returning to the rotation.
• Gotham Baseball reports that the Yankees are pursuing a first baseman and they have their eyes on Carlos Pena. The Devil Rays may not be able to acquire Tyler Clippard but they may be interested in Sean Henn. Henn is a lefty that the Yankees have used in middle relief this season, but was used exclusively as a starter in the minors. If Pena is too expensive the Yankees may be willing to settle for Ty Wigginton.
• What grade would you give the Devil Rays so far in 2007? Despite being on pace for a franchise record 72 wins, we still get a sense that the team is underperforming. We’d say a C- is about right.
• It is our belief that a manager gets too much credit when the team is doing well and too much criticism when the team is struggling.
• Joe Maddon and his longtime girlfriend are now engaged. Let’s assume they get married following the 2008 season. Then allow for one year as newlyweds. That means by 2010, Papa Joe will start acting more like Lou Piniella.

The Hangover: Andy Sonnanstine Earns First Win And A Nickname

Devil Rays 9, Marlins 4. It is all about winning series. Find a way to win 2 of 3 every time out. The win yesterday gave the Rays their second straight series win and both were highly improbable. After losing the opening game of each series with bullpen melt-downs of historic proportions, the Rays bounced back to win the final two games of both match-ups (Did you realize that the Rays are two nuclear melt-downs away from an 8-game winning streak?).

Yesterday it was Andy Sonnanstine to the rescue with his first major league win. Sonny will never be an ace and some nights he will get knocked around pretty good, but he is very capable of performances like Sunday. We just need to wait and see how often we see a performance like Sunday’s. If that turns out to be the rule more than the exception, Sonny will be a legitimate #3 or #4 starter in the Rays rotation for years to come. Still, at this point, just the fact that he is capable of a start like this is an indication that he is a far better option than Jae Seo or Casey Fossum ever were.

Before Sonnanstine was promoted, we heard that it was difficult to compare Sonnanstine to any major leaguers because of the accuracy and the movement of the pitches and the different arm angles. The most common name we head was a poor-man’s Greg Maddux. After his first start, we thought Paul Byrd was a more accurate representation. That is to say that he is a crafty right hander. Rare indeed. But Sonny throws much harder than Byrd, who rarely breaks 85 nowadays. So is there another player we can come up with? Well, we were watching the Marlins broadcast of yesterday’s game and the announcers tossed out a third name which we had not thought of before. Orlando Hernandez…We like it. El Duque is the only other pitcher that we have ever seen that uses as many different arm angles. Also, it seems as if El Duque has never thrown a straight pitch in his life. So, if Hernandez is 58 years old as rumored, is Andy Sonnanstine the second coming? Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez…Andy “The Duke” Sonnastine? Only time will tell, but we must admit The Duke is fun to watch pitch.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Andy Sonnanstine set a Devil Rays team record with 7 straight strike outs on Sunday.
• The Devil Rays had no choice but to shake up the bullpen, if for anything just to send a message to the rest of the team. On Sunday Chad Orvella and Tim Corcoran were optioned back to Durham.
• Buster Olney gives us a Q&A with James Shields. The interview is hidden behind the walls of ESPN’s “Insider”.
• Rocco Baldelli participated in an extended spring training game on Saturday. He is likely to play in four more before the team decides whether to activate Baldelli or send him on a rehab assignment.
• OK, maybe not the best reliever, but is Josh Wilson the second best?
• Maybe not, but we do like THIS SUGGESTION of making the rest of the staff watch the video of Josh Wilson’s performance. Maybe Joe Maddon could lock them in a room with the one inning on loop.
• Al Reyes and James Shields have much better chances to make the All-Star roster as pitchers than BJ Upton or Carl Crawford do as position players.
• Josh Vitters is NOT as good as Alex Rodriguez was in high school. So to compare the choice of David Price over Vitters as the same decision the Mariners made when they picked A-Rod over Darren Dreifort is ridiculous.
• According to Scott Kendrick the Devil Rays made a mistake by drafting the college pitcher over the high school hitter. He notes that the best #1 overall picks have been high school position players, pointing out the lack of a success among pitchers selected at the top of the draft. So, according to Kendrick, college pitchers should NEVER be drafted or David Price had a better chance of a solid major league career if he was drafted #2 or even in the 36th round. Neither makes sense. Mr. Kendrick…what we have here is what smart people call a “very small sample size”. Some pitchers succeed. A lot don’t. Whether or not a pitcher is going to be great has nothing to do with where he is drafted. It depends on the player and the team that drafts him. Maybe the position player is “safer” but hitters don’t win championships. Pitchers do.
• Based on the Rays drafting history only 2 or 3 of the 50 players selected
  will ever appear in a major league game.
  
• The Washington Nationals are reportedly pursuing Elijah Dukes.
• MLB Trade Rumors indicates that the Twins may be interested in acquiring Ty Wigginton. With the emergence of both BJ Upton, and Carlos Pena, this move makes sense.
• Off day today with an intriguing match-up tomorrow as the Padres come to town and will send out Greg Maddux against Scott Kazmir.

The Hangover: Scott Kazmir Again Pitches Rays Out Of Game

Mariners 5, Devil Rays 2.
You can often tell in the first inning if Scott Kazmir is going to have a good night or not. Last night, Kid K did not allow a run until the 5th inning but we knew the Rays were going to have a difficult time winning this game. It took Kazmir 20 pitches to get through the first inning. Every pitch out of the strike zone…every foul ball…and we cringed and hung our heads. We lied to ourselves and said it would be fine. He just needed to settle down and motor through the second inning in about 10 pitches. 18 pitches later, and now Kazmir has 38 pitches in only two innings. At this rate, even if Kazmir doesn’t allow a run, he is going to be out of the game by the sixth inning. Four innings from the Devil Rays bullpen is a lot to ask for even if the Rays were still up 2-0. Rather, Kazmir did finally allow two runs and the bullpen was forced to maintain a tie game over four innings. Never gonna happen. The Rays were leading 2-0 but the game was over after the second inning.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Part of this week’s shift in the rotation was to allow Edwin Jackson an extra bullpen session before his next start. Apparently, Jackson has what he is calling a flaw in his mechanics.

It’s just a slight mechanical problem I was having over-rotating…It’s not something big. It’s something small that I was doing earlier that somehow I got away from and didn’t feel.

Something small? We think that the mechanical flaw is about as small as Jackson’s ERA of 7.78.

• Akinori Iwamura played three innings in an extended spring training game on Tuesday. Joe Maddon now thinks that Muu-Rah could rejoin the team as early as next week. Iwamura would likely begin a rehab assignment this weekend.
• Ty Wigginton is the team’s backup catcher as the Rays continue to await Shawn Riggans’ return from the minor league disabled list, so they can add Josh Paul to the major league disabled list.

The Hangover: The Jeckyl And Hyde Of Baseball

You may have noticed a slight change in format. We run three daily features around these parts. Of course, by daily, we mean if we don’t drink too much the night before and are able to get our buts out of bed in a reasonable manner. Well, we are going to mix things up a little. On days that we run “The AL East Roundup” and/or “Down on the Farm”, those will be posted before “The Hangover” which we should be able to get up all weekdays and most weekends.

Devil Rays 5, A’s 3.
We promise that next time we take off for on a drunken weekend binge, we will leave you with something better to look at on the front page than Mel Allen’s mug…One trait of young teams is extreme ups and downs and this is not lost on the 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After taking 2 straight from the Yankees in impressive fashion, they followed it up by looking like a AAA team in 2 losses to the Angels. Somehow they bounced back to take 2 of 3 from the A’s. Scott Kazmir got off to a shaky start by giving up 2 solo home runs in the first. He settled down and did what he had to do. He kept an ugly loss (on Saturday) from turning into a losing streak, handing the ball to the bullpen in the 8th inning with a lead. Rocco Baldelli, who was a game-time decision as to whether or not he could return to the lineup, made the start and provided a no-doubt home run in 5th inning. BJ Upton was moved up from his normal 9-spot in the lineup, to the 6-hole and made Papa Joe Maddon look like a genius by driving in 3 with his 5th home run of the year. Elijah Dukes hit his first home run since the first 2 games of the season against the Yankees.

• Josh Hancock, who died in a car accident, was a friend of Casey Fossum.
• Rocco Baldelli started at DH, but is still not 100%.
• Jorge Cantu received his first career start as a first baseman. He went 0-4.
• Yesterday Shawn Camp relieved Scott Kazmir in the 8th inning. He struggled and Brian Stokes had to come in for the final two outs of the frame. With Camp’s recent success and a couple of shaky outings by Stokes, Joe Maddon will be day-to-day with Camps and Stokes on who gets the ball in the 7th and who gets it in the 8th.
• Buster Olney lists James Shields as one of his “payers on the rise”, citing an already impressive change-up that keeps getting better.
• Carlos Pena has been a pleasant surprise for the Rays early in the season. There is no word yet what the Rays will do when Greg Norton is ready to return to the team. Norton is expected to begin a rehab assignment in the next few days. Pena only made the opening day roster after Norton was injured in the last week of spring training. The likely scenario would be one in which the Rays send Cantu back to Durham, keeping Pena and Norton. Then the team would be able to wait until Akinori Iwamura returns before making a decision on Pena.
• Joe Maddon is worried about how often the Rays fall behind early in a game. A team can have all the talent in the world, but it does no good if they do not show up to the park mentally prepared to play everyday.
• RealGM Baseball is taking a look at all 30 GMs in baseball. In their review of Andrew Friedman, they call the hiring of Joe Maddon, his “signature move”. Signing Akinori Iwamura, and not trading BJ Upton must have been a close second and third.
• James Shields is the Rays most consistent pitcher right now, but he does have a penchant for giving up home runs.
• Here is a very detailed account of Ty Wigginton delivering his second child in the closet of their home. All we can say is “wow”.
• A look back at the Devil Rays 1997 expansion draft.