First off, holy crap: the Rays are tied for a playoff berth with only two games (possibly three) to go. It all boils down to the next two games. I must admit, I still remain guardedly optimistic, but I’ll be damned if I’m not excited as well. And why shouldn’t I, well all Rays fans really, be excited? After all, there are so many positives surrounding this Rays team and it’s hard not to walk around with a stupid grin slathered all over our collective faces. Let’s, for a moment, forget what’s at stake.
Most of us never thought that we’d be sitting with a +85 record at the end of the regular season, especially after the feeding frenzy that found our top paid players in other uniforms. Especially after the ESPNs and Foxes of the world told us that we were nothing and the big boys were everything. Especially after the 1-8 start and the improbable rise to prominence. I could go on and on. I also don’t think many of us thought that we’d be in a position to make history, but here we are.
I’m content. The Rays have already met and exceeded my hopes. They’ve already finished the year of strongly and they’ve already rewritten the narrative that is the 2011 season. Here I sit, full of hope, full of optimism, yet oddly guarded but not without reason. Our playoff hopes are all be certain and whether we get there is in the hands of our Rays, the Red Sox, and the baseball gods. I, for one, believe that we can do this.
More than 18,000 of us made our way to the Trop in torrential downpours and waist high flood waters up to watch the Rays beat the Yankees last night. Most of us also stuck around to watch the Orioles beat the Red Sox on the big screen. The game may not have started the way we hoped, but the Rays certainly battled, scratched, and clawed their way to a 5-2 victory.
Shields battled early control issues finding the Rays down 2-0 until the bottom of the third when BJ Upton and Johnny Damon doubled and singled home three runs to take a 3-2 lead; a lead that the Rays would not relent. Shields returned to dominant form thereafter, and only gave up one more hit after the third inning. Shields would hold the Yankees to two runs through the rest of his start until Kyle Farnsworth came into the game to get his 24th save of the year. Who’d also have guessed that Kelly Shoppach would have his second home run in as many days?!? And how great was that catch by Desmond Jennings in the top of the fifth to rob Derek Jeter of a multiple base hit?!? Sheesh!
So, here we go. In today’s For Starters entry on the Heater Blog, Marc Topkin writes about today’s playoff scenarios:
1. Rays win two, Sox win two: One-game playoff at Trop Thursday late afternoon.
2. Rays lose two, Sox lose two: One-game playoff at Trop Thursday late afternoon.
3. Rays win one, Sox win one: One-game playoff at Trop Thursday late afternoon.Rays win two, Sox win one or none: Rays clinch wild-card on Wednesday, open playoffs Friday at Texas or Detroit.
Rays win one or none, Sox win two: Sox clinch wild-card on Wednesday, open playoffs Friday at Texas or Detroit.
If anything, the next two or three days should make for some of the most exciting if not important baseball of the Rays 2011 season. Tonight’s starting lineup is below. As always, Go Rays!
Tampa Bay Rays (89-71)
Jennings LF
Upton CF
Longoria 3B
Joyce RF
Damon DH
Zobrist 2B
Kotchman 1B
Shoppach C
Rodriguez SS
Hellickson RHP
Of note: The Yankees will start Bartolo Colon (8-10, 4.02 ERA) who was roughed up by the Rays in his last start against them on Thursday.
Get out to the game tonight and support your Rays people!