Postgame Thoughts 05 21 13
You take wins any way you can get them, and Tuesday’s victory certainly was a grind-it-out type win. The 4-3 victory was a nail-biter in Toronto, but fortunately gave the Rays (24-21) a winning road trip at 4-1.
Certainly the bullpen was far from perfect on Tuesday and got a break on the final pitch, but it was still enough to hold on.
Alex Cobb only got a handful of swings and misses, but for the most part kept the ball on the ground, and was able to battle his way into the 7th inning with a three-run lead. The Rays scored twice on solo homers, but also scored on a two-out bloop single, and by moving a leadoff double across the plate through a pair of groundouts.
Part of putting more balls in play means you’ll hit into a bunch of ground double plays, as the Rays did on this night, doing so four times. However four runs fortunately were enough.
The defense made mistakes late (two errors on the infield), but also made some terrific plays behind Alex Cobb to take away hits, and turned the critical double play to end the eighth inning.
The Rays will seek a 5-1 road trip on Wednesday when Jeremy Hellickson faces Mark Buehrle. We’re on the air at 4 pm, with a 4:37 first pitch. Join us for a Rays Watch Party at Hooters on 4th St in St Petersburg.
Postgame Thoughts 05 20 13
With some time to stew about Monday’s 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays in Canada, there were some positives to take away.
If the Rays are to play meaningful games in September, then Jake McGee must return to 2012 form. Monday’s 1-2-3 inning against the middle of the order was as close as he’s looked to 2012 form.
Jake Odorizzi did what you would expect as he fills in for the injured David Price. He kept his club in the game, and gave the team a chance to win. He showed a better curve ball than expected, and did a nice job once he found his rhythm.
I also thought Joe Maddon did a good job addressing Yunel Escobar’s gesture in the ninth inning. Maddon was supportive of the player, but not of the actions in the moment. There’s no need to bring attention to yourself when your team is trailing especially, and I’m sure this will be nipped in the bud.
I obviously didn’t like the result, but the fight of the group was strong, at least getting the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning. The bottom line is, when you walk the seven and nine hitters in a tie game in the seventh inning, you’re tempting fate and a good top the of lineup for Toronto. It’s hard to get away with, and the Rays didn’t.
Tonight we’ll see if Alex Cobb can get the Rays back to their winning ways as he pitches opposite Ramon Ortiz. Air time on the Rays Baseball Network is at 6:30.
Postgame Thoughts 05 19 13
It certainly was nice to see the Rays head to Toronto after sweeping the Orioles. It’s not easy to sweep any team, and it was especially impressive for the Rays to do it at Camden Yards against an Orioles team that has a tremendous lineup.
Sunday certainly was much more of a formulaic win that Rays fans have come to expect – with solid pitching, good defense, and timely hitting.
Matt Moore was much more efficient in this start than the previous few, and it was helpful to the bullpen for this day and the Blue Jays series upcoming that he went seven innings. It was great to see Joel Peralta and Fernando Rodney work easy 10-pitch innings too. Chris Tillman was tough for Baltimore, and to work quality at-bats and get him out of the game after six innings while scoring three runs was impressive too.
It’s the second of back-to-back day games for the Rays (23-20) on Monday, as Jake Odorizzi starts opposite R.A. Dickey in Toronto. Air time on the Rays Baseball Network is at 12:30.
Postgame Thoughts 05 18 13
Baseball games aren’t easy to win when you need to score touchdowns. But the Rays did that and more, putting up six in the ninth in their most impressive victory of the season on Saturday, 10-6 over Baltimore.
To score six runs in the ninth is impressive, but to score six runs in the ninth when Jim Johnson is pitching, that’s another. The Rays didn’t score a single run against Johnson last year, and hadn’t this year, until the ninth inning on Saturday.
The Rays don’t have a chance to come up with that incredible rally without fantastic work in relief by Alex Torres. It’s good to see him have that kind of performance. He’s come a long way after a tough 2012 season.
Hard to believe the Rays (22-20) now have a chance to sweep the series. It’s Matt Moore against Chris Tillman on Sunday. We begin our coverage at noon with This Week in Rays Baseball. Join us at the Guy Harvey Outpost of Tradewinds Island Resorts on St Pete Beach for our latest Rays Watch Party.
Postgame Thoughts 05 17 13
We’re now a quarter of the way through the season, and who would have thought at this point we’d be wondering, can the offense continue to carry the club, and will this team start pitching to its potential?
It certainly doesn’t sound like the last five years. I think most of us enjoy some offense every now and then, but would prefer a return to form, especially after Friday’s nail-biting 12-10 win in Baltimore.
It was great to see the Rays bounce back after the agonizing home loss on Thursday, but Friday should’ve been about a night to rest the “A” bullpen, and it was anything but. The Rays nearly squandered a 12-4 lead, and had to warm up Fernando Rodney and pitch Joel Peralta for the final four outs. That certainly could impact today’s game against the Orioles one would think.
Hopefully the Rays can continue to swing it well against Baltimore. It’s Roberto Hernandez going for the Rays today. Air time on the Rays Baseball Network is at 3:30. We’ll be at Crown Hyundai for a Rays Watch Party. Come join us!
5-16-13 Postgame Thoughts from Maddon, Rodney & Cobb
It was so close to being an excellent home stand for the Rays. Instead, at 6-4, it was just an acceptable one, where the team had a chance to do so much more.
It started and ended with losses. And in each loss, the Rays had the opposition down to their final strike before a go-ahead extra-base hit. The latest was 4-3 to Boston, with three scoring with two out in the ninth.
The loss was not as much about Will Middlebrooks’ bases-loaded double with two-out in the ninth as it was about the three walks Fernando Rodney allowed to set up the game-winning rally.
It was unfortunate, because until that point, the Rays pitching staff had done its job. Alex Cobb was solid, and Joel Peralta as well as Jake McGee did their jobs too.
The Rays could have been, and feel they probably should have been 9-1 on the home stand, but 6-4 is what it is, and 20-20 is how they’ll head to Baltimore.
Airtime on the Rays Baseball Network is at 6:30 on Friday as the Rays visit the Orioles. Join us at our latest watch party at Midtown Sundries in St Petersburg.
Postgame Thoughts 05-15-13
Once David Price left Wednesday’s 9-2 loss to Boston in the third inning, the result of the game to me was secondary to the health of the Rays’ ace.
Joe Maddon addressed Price’s health after the game.
Just as Evan Longoria is an essential part of the Rays lineup, I believe that Price is a critical piece of the pitching staff. Yes Matt Moore has been terrific, and talented arms are down on the farm in Chris Archer and others, but Price is the most successful and seasoned Rays starter. To go the post-season, the Rays need Price to get healthy and return to form as a front-line pitcher.
After the game Price spoke about his injury.
What was strange about Price’s departure is that I thought he had his best fastball he’s had this year. In fact, the hard-hit balls against them were primarily on cutters, with the ground singles he allowed coming on fastballs at 94 or 95 miles per hour. Hopefully it’s not anything severe.
As for the rest of the game, it was great to see Cesar Ramos help the rest of the pen, and work three one-hit innings on 43 pitches. Another positive was Evan Longoria. Often, the true test of a team is how they play when they’re being blown out. Longoria tried to break up a double play in the eighth inning as if it was a one-run game, when in reality the Rays were down 9-2 at the time. Your leader leads by example as to how to play the game right, and I think Longoria did that on this night.
The Rays still have a chance to win the series if Alex Cobb can hold a tough Boston lineup in check on Thursday. Felix Doubront pitches for Boston, and air time on the Rays Baseball Network is at 6:30.
Postgame Thoughts 05-14-13
Another team win, another comeback win, and most impressive, this was against a division opponent.
Tuesday’s 5-3 victory over Boston was another step in the right direction for Joe Maddon’s team.
After Matt Moore allowed a three-run homer to David Ortiz in the first inning, he settled down and gave his team a chance. Moore and the bullpen allowed just one hit (a Stephen Drew double) over the final eight innings.
While Jake McGee walked two, Josh Lueke got a lineout to end the seventh, and Joel Peralta and Fernando Rodney each had perfect innings to close it out.
Offensively, the Rays put everything together in a five-run fourth. It was great to see Jose Molina and Yunel Escobar produce, with the pair collecting five of the team’s 11 hits.
With the help of Tropicana Field, Matt Joyce plated the winning run.
The Rays now are 20-18, two over .500 for the first time this year, after winning six straight. David Price takes the hill on Wednesday at 7:10 opposite Jon Lester. Air time on the Rays Baseball Network is at 6:30.
Postgame Thoughts 05-12-13
What a solid step forward for the Rays. The Rays now have bounced back with five straight wins after two consecutive losses. After the game Joe Maddon had much to praise about the team’s performance on Mother’s Day.
The latest, 4-2 over San Diego on Mother’s Day, was much more of a Rays-type victory, with pitching and defense first. Roberto Hernandez was solid, limiting damage over the first six innings.
The bullpen was formulaic, with McGee-Peralta-Rodney each doing their job.
The defense was terrific, with Sam Fuld and Matt Joyce taking away extra-base hits, and Yunel Escobar taking away a run-scoring hit in the fifth.
Offensively, the Rays weren’t perfect, but they accepted walks, and timely extra base hits in the late innings to come from behind for the third straight game against San Diego.
The Rays are 19-18, the first time they’ve been over .500 since they were 3-2. Now the Rays get a well-deserved day off on Monday before opening a series against the Red Sox on Tuesday at Tropicana Field. We’ll see you here. Air time on the Rays Baseball Network begins at 6:30 on Tuesday night with Matt Moore on the mound.
Postgame Thoughts 05-11-13
What a way to get to .500. It shows you how exhilirating and frustrating the game can be, all at one time.
While it was almost a defeat, it wasn’t. It was a win, a thrilling victory. A close victory, a last at-bat victory, and you’ve now won four straight for only the second time this season, and are at .500 for the first time since you were 3-3. After the game Joe Maddon spoke about the walk-off win and what it means for the team.
I always feel that first and last impressions are quite important. For Jeremy Hellickson, many will remember the two-run homer in the first, and the grand slam he gave up in the seventh, and not how close he was to a quality start. Hopefully it’s a good learning experience.
For the Rays offensively, it was another game where the club won by out-hitting the opposition. That being the case, I think Cesar Ramos also was a shining star too. He threw 2.1 scoreless against his former organization on only 17 pitches. The fact that he threw a 1-2-3 ninth on four pitches allowed Huston Street little time to get ready, and who knows how that impacted what happened leading up to Evan Longoria’s walk-off home run.
Either way, the Rays can get over .500 for the first time since they were 3-2 on Mother’s Day. It’s Roberto Hernandez against Eric Stults. Air time on the Rays Baseball Network is at noon with This Week in Rays Baseball, pregame at 1 pm, and first pitch at 1:40.
