The Tampa Bay Rays return home to face a very hot Oakland Athletics, on the heels of a disappointing 3-4 West Coast jaunt. Had the Rays gone 4-3, the tenor may be different. However they didn’t. At this point, their only real glimmers of hope are the possibilities that the pitching will stabilize with the return of Alex Cobb, and — at five games back — no one has put together a massive run in the AL East. It’s a very different story of the 28-16 Oakland Athletics. The A’s are 9-1 over a their last 10 games, entering the Trop on a three-game winning streak. Furthermore, at 16-6 on the road, Oakland has been pretty damn dominant in other team’s facilities.
Author Archives: Schmitty
Rays Ryan Hanigan Possibly to DL with Hamstring Strain (Repost)
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times says that the team is calling it more of a cramping in the right hamstring, while Hanigan is hopeful that that’s what it is, but at worst, it could just be a mild strain. His expectation is to not miss more than a couple of games and be okay. He also reports that after Jose Molina, catching duties would fall to Sean Rodriguez and Wil Myers in the event of an emergency.
With the Return of Alex Cobb Looming, Who Gets Cut to Make Room? (Updated)
The Rays could send Gomes back to Triple-A Durham in hopes he’d work through his recent found pitching woes. I’d imagine a move like this could be construed as a last ditch opportunity for Lueke to prove his worth. However, I’d also argue the release of Bell should have sent Lueke a clear message — his spot in the ‘pen isn’t a certainty, nor is it safe. After all, if Friedman and company were willing to eat $5.5MM on an underperforming Bell, there is a very realistic possibility that Lueke could be the next to befall the axe.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Bounce Back, Shut Out Angels 3-0
A couple of questions lingered prior to the first pitch Friday night; would the Rays be able to bounce back from another disappointing loss, and could Chris Archer put together a decent outing — that is, decent enough to keep the Rays in the game. The resounding answers to both, yes and yes. Tampa Bay took the second game of the series against the Angels by a score of 3-0, thanks to an improved outing by Chris Archer, and key hits in the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings…and the ‘pen wasn’t half bad either.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: The “Hey, At Least Bedard Was Good,” Edition
A rare sixth inning error by James Loney, and a blown save by the tandem of Grant Balfour and Brad Boxberger, sunk the Rays’ battleship Thursday night. Tampa Bay fell to the Angels by a score of 6-5 in the tough, Mike Trout inducing, walk-off loss. Look at the bright side: at least the Rays sixth starter was good.