The Hangover: Elijah Dukes Gets Back To Business

White Sox 5, Devil Rays 4.
Was Elijah Dukes in the news for something earlier this week? We vaguely remember something. This is our attempt to get back to baseball…Remember Dukes’ first home run of the season on opening day in Yankee Stadium? It seemed like it was never more than 20 feet off the ground and it left the park so fast that the announcers didn’t even have a chance to use their home run call. It left the park so fast that it drilled a fan in the leg in the left field bleachers, presumably because he did not have a chance to get out of the way. Last night’s game-tying 3-run home run in the 7th (after Brendan Harris was intentionally hit by Mark Buerhle) was just the latest rocket home run by Dukes. He is starting to remind us of a fellow Tampa product, Gary Sheffield. Incredible bat speed and a line drive hitter that hits the ball so hard that a lot of those line drives will clear the outfield wall before they have a chance to come down. Last night’s home run was exactly the same as opening day, with maybe a little more lift. We were watching the White Sox broadcast and Hawk Harrelson announced “and we have a tie ballgame”. It seemed like he said it before Dukes even completed his swing. How scary must it be to play third base when Dukes is at the plate? We wouldn’t volunteer.

For those of you that want Dukes gone from the team…this is exactly why it won’t happen. He is a Devil Ray for at least the near future. He is too talented. And nobody is going to off the Devil Rays anything of value for him now. Tampa Bay is not a franchise that can afford to give up on cheap talent no matter what the baggage. The team will just have to ride out the storm and hope it passes.

Also keep in mind that this is the first incident that Dukes has had as a major leaguer. And what comes with that is national exposure and embarrassment. For the first time, Dukes has taken a hit in the media that may actually leave an impression on him. Let’s hope that the all the negative attention will set him straight, because like it or not, he’s going nowhere.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• I know we are preaching to the choir here…but how bad has Casey Fossum been? He is in the top 10 in the AL in run support per start and is the only one in the group with a losing record. Geez. How is the guys expected to win any games if the offense only averages 6 runs of offensive support per start.
• Shawn Riggans started the season in a funk and needed an attitude adjustment. He got one.
• Shawn Riggans could start tonight, but we expect that tomorrow’s day game after a night game, makes more sense.
• Edwin Jackson says we won’t see anything different tonight, despite an extra bullpen session this week. oh great, so we should expect 6 runs in 4 innings with about 63 walks.
• Elijah Dukes has done exactly the only thing he could do this week. He has kept his mouth shut and last night he hit the ball real hard.

Down On The Farm: Jeff Niemann Still Not Dominating At AAA

Rochester 3, Durham 0. Jeff NIemann had a typical Niemann outing last night. At least it was typical of this season. He struck out 7 in 6 innings but gave up 6 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs. Not bad, but not good either. His ERA is now 4.02 and while he has 57 strike outs in 53.2 innings, he also has given up 54 hits and allowed 20 walks. Ben Zobrist had 2 of Durham’s 8 hits.

Mississippi 14, Montgomery 5. After two stellar outings, James Houser struggled with his control last night. He only gave up 2 hits and 1 earned run in 5 innings, but he walked 4. Still in his last 16.1 innings he has only given up 6 hits. As a team the Biscuits walked 10. Evan Longoria was 0-2 with 2 walks. Reid Brignac was 1-3 and committed his 10th error which led to 3 runs. John Jaso was 2-3 with his 5th home run and is now hitting .339.

Tampa 5, Vero Beach 2. Jacob McGee struck out 8 in 6 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk.

Columbus 2, Savannah 0. Woods Fines pitched 6 scoreless innings with 4 hits, 1 walk and 4 strike outs. Desmond Jennings stole 3 bases and now has 21 on the season good for 3rd in the SALy.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• We got nuthin’ today.

An Open Letter To Elijah Dukes

Dear Mr. Dukes,

You don’t know me and I don’t know you. I don’t know what kind of person you are. I don’t know if you are funny or sweet, smart or dumb, a “nice guy” or just a plain asshole. I have no idea what kind of person you are, but unfortunately I know more about you than a baseball fan would normally find on the back of a baseball card.

I know that you have been arrested at least six times, including one as recently as this past January for marijuana possession. I know that you have five children with four different women, of which two were born eight days apart. I know that during your professional baseball career you have been suspended five times, three of those were by your own employers, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

You are only 22 and you have the world’s greatest job. You are a major league baseball player. I wish I could say that you are risking this blessing with all your emotional outbursts. I wish I could say that you risk ending up like Lawrence Phillips. Do you remember Lawrence Phillips, Mr. Dukes? I do…barely. He had all the talent in the world, but he kept running afoul of both the law and his various teams. He had all the talent in the world and teams kept giving him chances, hoping that they would be able to keep him under control and Phillips would finally realize his potential. But unfortunately for Phillips he wasn’t that great of a football player and teams finally gave up. Last I heard he was in jail or heading there. But I honestly don’t know, because nobody cares anymore.

I hope for your sake that you won’t be Lawrence Phillips. I hope you have too much talent. Maybe you will end up like Pacman Jones? No, that’s not fair, and besides the baseball union is too strong to ever let you be suspended for an entire season. More likely, you will be Milton Bradley or a player you may be more familiar with, Carl Everett, who is also from Tampa. Both players are extremely emotional which can be great when harnessed and used to inflict pain on a baseball, but every once in a while, that emotion gets them in trouble. How have things turned out for Bradley and Everett? Not bad. Both have been fortunate enough to have long baseball careers. They have earned a lot of money, but they could have earned a lot more. Nobody likes them, and all their teams eventually get tired of the antics and realize the talent just is not worth it. But they are talented and there is always another team waiting to give them a chance.

You were the one player I was looking forward to seeing on opening day this year. I had followed your career since the Rays drafted you. I don’t have children, but every time you got in trouble it felt like one of my kids getting in trouble. I was upset, but I still pulled for you. There were times I felt like giving up, but the talent was too great. The great athlete. The great Elijah Dukes. Just this past week I had been pondering the future of the Rays outfield and I found myself thinking for the first time that it would be OK to lose Rocco Baldelli in a trade. You had shown that you were more than capable of filling the void. Now my gut tells me the future center fielder is BJ Upton, whose career includes two games at the position.

So, Mr. Dukes, what kind of person are you? We know that you are an immensely talented baseball player. We also know you are emotional, and sometimes irrational. We know that sometimes you do stupid things. We know that you are losing the trust and respect of the fans, your team and teammates. And you may be losing money down the road.

But what kind of person are you? Do you care about any of this? Do you care about the fans? Do you care about your team and your teammates?

I love writing about the Devil Rays. I do this for fun. I am not a writer or a member of the media. But I hate having to write about stories like this. The Devil Rays are already a joke in the eyes of many and this latest incident just confirms that status and takes the fun out writing about the team. It’s going to be difficult to forgive you this time. I want to root for you as a baseball player. But I can’t do that if I can’t root for the person.

I do hope for your sake that you keep hitting home runs, and become a great baseball player, because if you don’t you will become Lawrence Phillips. Teams will eventually give up on you. And the fans? We will remember you…barely.

Sincerely,
Cork Gaines (The Professor)
Rays Index

ELIJAH DUKES WEBTOPIA…

• Dukes was not in the lineup last night.
• If you missed Deadspin’s take on Dukes, take the time to read the comments section. It will be worth your time, or it may make you cry.
• The Devil Rays have issued the standard politically correct statement that says absolutely nothing.

The Devil Rays organization takes these types of allegations very seriously, but at this point it remains a private matter between Elijah and his family. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide ongoing assistance to Elijah.

• It doesn’t look as if anything will come of this most recent incident for Dukes as his wife will not file charges.
• Everybody has an opinion. Everybody.

Down On The Farm: Jason Pridie Extends Hitting Streak

Birmingham 5, Montgomery 2. Mike Prochaska gave up 3 runs (1 earned) in 5 innings. He walked 4 and struck out only 1. It has been a rough season for Prochaska. His record falls to 1-4 and his ERA is 4.87. Evan Longoria went 0-3 and is hitting .321. Reid Brignac was 1-4, and committed his 8th error.

Palm Beach 9, Vero Beach 5. In a game that featured 9 errors, the Rays committed 4 which lead to 4 unearned runs out of the 7 that Matt Walker allowed in 6 innings.

Savannah 2, Columbus 1 (gm 1). Wade Townsend was strong in his return from the DL. He struck out 9 and did not walk a batter. He did 4 hits including a 2-run home run in the 5th inning.

Savannah 4, Columbus 1 (gm 2). Josh Butler has his worst outing of the young season by allowing 6 hits and 4 runs in 5 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 1 batter. He is now 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 8 starts.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• The Bulls were rained out last night. The game will not be made up. Jeff Niemann will go to the mound tonight for Durham.
• Jason Pridie extended his hitting streak to 15 with a pinch-hit single in the 9th inning.

Beasts Of The East Radio Show…Take 2

It has been a rough week in the Devil Rays universe and what the Rays really need is a rainout to clear their heads. Well, the Rogers Center in Toronto has a roof so we are raining out today’s posts and hoping for a bit of transference. But we still wanted to stop by and remind everyone that the second edition of the “Beasts of the East: An AL East Radio Show” will be tomorrow morning at 11:00 am. If you are awake, stop by and feel free to heckle from the cheap seats. The show will also be available as a podcast afterwards.

Beasts of the East – An AL EAST Radio Show – Episode 2 [My Baseball Bias]

ManRay Goes Where No Blogger Has Gone Before

A while back there were rumblings about Major League Baseball’s policy to only give press credentials to mainstream media outlets. Some people even started a “movement” (which may have already died) to persuade MLB to at least make the decision based on a case-by-case basis in which “legitimate bloggers” (whatever that means) would at least receive some access.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have proven to be very progressive in their thinking (free parking, cheap beer) and in their media relations. A team needs to be if they finish in last place 88% of the time and are coming off another 100-loss season. They will even go so far as to purchase a fan during an auction.

You might remember a couple of months ago, the Devil Rays team president Matthew Silverman actually acquired the rights to “professional” blogger Manny Stiles during an online auction that raised money for The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to aid in research and care of pediatric AIDS patients. In doing so, ManRay (his Devil Rays alter-ego) would blog about the Rays all season long.

Well, Silverman and the Rays took it a step further. In addition to giving money to charity and receiving at least 50 blog posts about the Rays, Manny Stiles was invited to the Trop for the recent three game series against the Indians and last night’s game versus the Yankees. Manny was given full press credentials, in an apparent f-you snub to Bud Selig and the powers-that-be.

ManRay’s tour of duty concluded last night with a live game-blog from the press box. He was his usual entertaining self, and somehow managed to comment on the Rays nads, Jeter’s penchant to grab himself, holy cows, and his own fat fingers. He even figured out that Kei Igawa is an acronym (I Give Alot of Walks and A-bombs). All-in-all, a great experience, even though we were too busy drinking to actually comment, but he was lucky to have picked such an entertaining game and an actual Devil Rays victory.

Still, we are going to have to agree with Will Leitch of Deadspin on this one. We can’t understand why any blogger would want full press credentials. Poor Manny had to bite his tongue the entire game as no cheering is allowed in the press box and he could not wear his new #694 Devil Rays jersey. Being on the field before the game could be cool, but we have no desire to see our favorite players naked (although Manny did like conversing about tats) and if we ever tried to “interview” a player or coach, we would probably ask something really stupid like “Which section has the hottest chicks?” or “what is you most embarrassing drunk story?” Let’s hope we are never “legitimate bloggers”. We actually like our day job. Although a media guide would be nice (we were rejected).

Movement starts to encourage baseball to give access to bloggers [Micro Persuasion]
Devil Rays Acquire The Rights For Free Agent Blogger For $535 [Rays Index]
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation [PedAids.org]
Rays-Yankees Running Blog [Armchair GM]
No Cheering In The Pressbox [Deadspin]
Stiles in Tampa – Day 3 [Devil Rays Universe]

Manny Stiles Live-Blogging From The Trop Tonight

A quick note to let everybody know that Manny Stiles will be live-blogging from the Trop tonight as the Devil Rays take on the Evil Empire. The game is also on ESPN.

HERE is the link. We will be there, and we will be reviewing his performance here tomorrow. Pressure’s On Manny!

The March To .500: A Look Back At The First Two Weeks

Tampa Bay Devil Rays owner Stuart Sternberg indicated earlier this month that the first two weeks of the season could make or break the Rays. If it is true that a team cannot win anything early, but that they can lose a lot, then these first two weeks could determine if the Rays still have a chance for a respectable season and a shot at .500. With nine of their first 12 games on the road, where the Rays went 20-61 in 2006, the results of the first two weeks could go a long way to setting the tone for the season and any successes or failures the team will experience in 2007. So now that the Rays have completed their first 12 games, let’s take a step back and see what we have learned about this incarnation of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

1. Pitching, pitching, pitching. 6.20 ERA. We could really stop there and move on. The pitching staff is just not getting the job done. The team ERA is the worst in baseball, by more than a run. The staff has actually done a decent job, by cutting down on the number of free passes (despite Edwin Jackson’s performance on Saturday). As a team they have given up the third fewest walks in the American League, but they have been hittable. As a team they have allowed nine more hits than any other major league team. Most of the problems can be found in the middle relief. Ruddy Lugo and Shawn Camp have combined to give up 25 base runners in 5.2 innings which have led to 13 runs and an ERA of 20.65. If we remove Lugo’s and Camp’s “contributions” the team ERA is a little better at 5.36. however, that would still be the worst in baseball so we can’t lay the blame completely on Camp and Lugo. We have seen signs of promise. It seems simple, but when the Rays starting pitchers are able to pitch into the seventh inning and hand the game over to Brian Stokes and Al Reyes the team has been successful. The Rays are 5-2 in games where the starting pitcher works into the seventh inning. They are 0-5 in the rest of the games.
2. Right now, James Shields is the Devil Rays best pitcher. Scott Kazmir is the ace and deservedly so, but he will not be a true #1 pitcher until learns to trust his stuff and start throwing fewer pitches and working deeper in games. On the flip side, James Shields continues to surprise us. His stuff is good, but it is not great, but he lacks in that area he more than makes up for. When Shields is on the mound, he has a presence to him. He always looks like he has the game under his control and never appears to get fazed. He is also consistent. When Shields takes the mound we expect him to go 7 innings and give up less than 4 runs. With this offense, that should be enough on most nights. We do not have the same confidence in any of the other starters, including Kazmir. Every time Kid K takes the ball, we worry that he will have 110 pitches in the 5th inning and have to come out of the game.
3. The Rays will score runs. Only one team in the American League (Toronto Blue Jays) has scored more runs than the Rays (62) or a higher batting average (.279). And the Rays have not had the privilege of having six games against the Royals and D-Rays pitching staffs (as the Jays have). The Rays also lead the all teams with 19 home runs. The Rays have three players tied for 5th in the AL with 3 home runs and Akinori Iwamura and BJ Upton are 1-2 in the AL in hitting.
4. Akinori Iwamura is the real deal. In the first two weeks Iwamura has been the team’s MVP. Muu-Rah’s glove has been all we expected and more. Offensively, he has been exactly what the Rays have needed. All he does is find ways to get on base. He had a hit in each of his first 9 games and leads the AL in hitting. And those aren’t even his best offensive numbers. In the first 12 games he has 12 walks and a .540 OBP. He will also steal 30+ bases this season.
5. Delmon Young is already one of the best hitters in baseball and he isn’t even that good yet. Delmon Young is picking exactly where he left off in 2006. .347-3-10 is a pretty good line for a rookie in the first two weeks of the season, but it could be so much better. Imagine how good he will be when he learns pitchers and learns how to wait for his pitch. Eventually pitchers are going to stop throwing first pitch strikes and if Young can lay off those pitches, he see will a lot more hitter’s counts and hitter’s pitches.
6. The Rays have lots of great athletes with poor fundamentals. These are the moments when we bang our head on the desk. Too many times this season the Rays have mental blunders that have cost the team runs. In this most recent series with the Twins, We saw a player fail to get down a sacrifice bunt, base running gaffes and plenty of fielding mistakes. Twice, the team failed to turn what should have been a routine double-play, extending innings for the Twins.
7. The Rays may be the fastest team in baseball, but they are the worst base stealing team. Tampa Bay is 4th in the majors in stolen bases (11), but they have only been successful on 50% of their opportunities. We suspected that Carl Crawford would steal fewer bases in 2006 if he was in the 3-hole, but we didn’t expect this. So far in 2007 he is only 2-5 on steal attempts, including the first game of his career in which he was caught twice. He is on pace 27 steals. Iwamura is 3-5 and Delmon Young is 0-2.
8. BJ Upton is still a work in progress. Upton fooled us all when he committed only one error in 58 spring innings at second base. In 77 regular season innings he has already committed 5 errors in only 56 total chances. His strong play in the spring led Joe Maddon to scrap his plan for Upton to be a “super-utility” player and make him the most-days second sacker. The good news is that Upton seems to have rediscovered his swing and is second in the AL in hitting. As long as he keeps hitting Maddon will find a place for him in the lineup, but with Upton’s renewed defensive struggles, Papa Joe may have to revisit his earlier plan.
9. Brendan Harris may start stealing time from Ben Zobrist. Brendan Harris is hitting (.300, 2 hrs). Ben Zobrist is not (.186, 1 hr). BenZo has also committed 2 errors already while Harris has been dependable in his limited playing time and displayed a much stronger arm. There is a lot of pressure on BenZo this season. As Evan Longoria continues to tear up the lower levels, the team may be force to find a spot for the Dirtbag in 2008. Most likely that would be at third base which mean Iwamura would have to find a new home at short stop or second base. Reid Brignac is also lurking not far behind.
10. Al Reyes and Brian Stokes have stabilized the bullpen. The Rays will continue to blow leads, but fewer will occur in the 8th and 9th inning. For the first time since Danys Baez was the Rays closer, we have confidence with a lead at the end of the game. We
    still are not sure if Reyes will be able to work back-to-back games very often, which means Stokes is going to get save opportunities this season. It will be interesting to see if Stokes can be as successful with the extra pressure of the 9th inning.
11. Edwin Jackson will win 20 games one of these years and it will probably be with another team. Edwin Jackson may be the single most frustrating player in baseball. His fastball is electric. It just explodes out of his hand, regularly hitting 96-97 on the gun. But he still seems to have no idea where the ball is going. His plan appears to be to aim at the middle of the strike zone and hope it hits a corner. On some nights he will find the spots and he will be effective and will give the Rays a chance to win. On other nights, he will look like Nuke LaLoosh. With Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and JP Howell knocking on the door, we doubt that the Rays will be patient enough to hang on to Jackson long-term. One of these years, everything will come together for Jackson. He will find his zone and he will be great almost every time he goes to the mound and he will win 20. And if it is with another team, we will be fine with it, because we know he will be a one-hit wonder.
12. So far the Rays seem to have more mental toughness in 2007. This may be the single most important trait of the 2007 Devil Rays. In the second half of the 2006 season, the Rays went approximately 0-232 on the road. In most of the games, the Rays lost the game before the first pitch was thrown. Whether they were tired or frustrated by another losing season the team appeared to lose focus in the second half. That led to a number of losing streaks. A loss in 2006 like Saturdays blowout at the hands of the Twins would have led to a 5 or 6 game losing streak. This time the team bounced back with a solid win. We will have to wait and see if the team can stay focused all season.

The Rays are an unimpressive 5-7, but considering the team’s schedule over the first two weeks, it could have been much worse. So far the team has not lost anything yet. Still, the 2006 Devil Rays fell apart after all-star break. If this young team can avoid prolonged losing streaks, continue to improve, and stay focused on the prize, they still have an excellent shot at .500.

Down On The Farm: Jeff Niemann Is Closer To The Majors

Durham 3, Pawtucket 2. Jeff Niemann was strong in his second outing of the year but he had a case of Kazmir-itus. Niemann worked 5 scoreless innings, giving up 3 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 6, but it took 96 pitches. Jeff Ridgway and Chad Orvella combine to throw 3 shutout innings. Scott Dohmann was brought in to close out the 2-0 game in the 9th, but gave up two run scoring hits. In the bottom of the 9th, Justin Ruggiano walked to lead off the frame, then stole second, moving to third on a throwing error. After a walk to Jorge Velandia, Elliot Johnson drove in the winning run with a single through the drawn-in infield. Chris Richard hit his 3rd home run of the season.

Chatanooga 5, Montgomery 1. Derek Feldkamp gave up all 5 runs (3 earned) in 5+ innings.Nick DeBarr pitched 2.1 perfect innings. Evan Longoria was 1-3 with a double. Reid Brignac was 0-3.

Vero Beach 4, Daytona 3. Wade Davis gave up 7 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings. He only struck out 2. Erold Andrus was 3-4 with a home run and a double.

Columbus 6, Greenville 0. Ryan Morse pitched 6 scoreless innings, striking out 4. Ryan Royster hit his first home run of the year. Columbus hitters struck out 16 times.

Tidbits: Devil Rays @ Minnesota Twins

• The Twins enter the series with the Rays at 5-3, tied with Detroit for first place of the AL Central. The just concluded a 3-game set with the Evil empire, dropping the first two, but took the final game last night 5-1 behind Russ Ortiz.
• The Rays were 1-6 against the Twins last season.
• The Twinkies shortstop has more errors (4) than hits (1).
• Minnesota has struggled offensively, with only 3 home runs as a team through the first 8 games. Justin Morneau has hit 2 and Torii Hunter has 1.
• The Rays will miss Russ Ramon Ortiz this time through who is 2-0 with a 2.80 era, but Friday night marks a stellar match up of two of the best young pitchers in baseball with Johan Santana and Scott Kazmir.
• The Twins are set to unveil their plans for a new stadium to be in use by 2010. The new stadium is not likely to have a roof. That will make for some pleasant games if and when the Twinkies play October baseball.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Thursday, 8:10 et
Devil Rays Casey Fossum, LHP (0-1, 17.18)
Minnesota Carlos Silva, RHP (0-1, 1.80)

Friday, 8:10 et
Devil Rays Scott Kazmir, LHP (0-1, 6.75)
Minnesota Johan Santana, LHP (2-0, 2.77)

Saturday, 7:10 et
Devil Rays Edwin Jackson, RHP (0-1, 6.35)
Minnesota Sidney Ponson, RHP (0-1, 12.71)

Sunday, 2:10 et
Devil Rays Jae Seo, RHP (0-1, 9.64)
Minnesota Boof Bonser, RHP (0-1, 6.97)