Just when you think you’ve got baseball figured out, it humbles you and beats you up.
– Orestes Destrade
Category Archives: Looking Backward While Moving Forward
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Alex Cobb Excellent in Rays’ 5-1 Win
If you’re keeping track, that’s the 11th win in 12 games and the 29th in 41. Tampa Bay is now one game under .500 at 53-54 — they were 18 under on June 10. The Orioles won in 12 innings, so the Rays remain 7.0 games back in AL East. Tampa Bay has seven games left against Baltimore. The question du jour: Is that the “magic” Price number?
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Odorizzi Leads the Rays to A 2-1 Victory
Call me neurotic, but every time Tampa Bay loses a game I slip into worry mode, with my biggest fear being the Rays are going to regress back into the team with inconsistent performance on the field. And though that may not be the best way to enjoy the team I love, it’s been my uncomfortable approach to the Rays …
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Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Blank Red Sox 3-0, Take Series
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the sinking Boston Red Sox 3-0 Saturday night at The Trop, behind an excellent effort from the bullpen. Grant Balfour, who pitched 1-2/3 shutout innings in relief, received credit for the win, while Red Sox starter John Lackey getting tagged with the loss. Simply put, the Rays are finding ways to win, and the Red Sox are finding ways to lose. Tampa Bay starts the day 3-1/2 out of the Wildcard, and 6-1/2 out of first in the East. They’re now winners of nine in a row — the longest winning streak of the Joe Maddon era.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Win Eighth Straight, 6-4
Going into last night’s contest, I thought if the Rays were going to drop any game in the series, it would be the one with Jon Lester on the mound. After all — prior to the first pitch — Lester put up insanely good numbers, to the tune of 0.23 ERA over the last 30-days. He also hadn’t lost a game to Tampa Bay in his last three starts. “As long as the Rays could walk away with the series,” I thought to myself, “they will still be in good shape.” Much to my surprise — and Boston’s chagrin — Tampa Bay was able to tag Lester, Miller, and Tazawa for six runs en route to a big 6-4 win. The Rays start the day 7.5 games out of first in the East, 3.5 games behind the third place Blue Jays, and 4.5 out in the Wildcard race (just 1.0 behind the Indians). Per Fangraphs, they were also able to increase their playoff odds to 13.4%, decreasing Boston’s odds to 3.4% in the process. One game down, two more to go.