Looking Backward While Moving Forward: The “Tampa Bay Should Have Won That Game As Well” Edition

Roberto Hernandez, who had never given up more than two homers in a game, yields three. (Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)
Roberto Hernandez, who had never given up more than two homers in a game, yields three. (Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)

I think that Rays beat writer Marc Topkin did a good job of putting last night’s 5-4 loss into perspective,

One of the concerning characteristics of this Rays team through the first 3½ weeks of play is the frequency in which it has let games get away.

It happened again Friday in a 5-4 loss to the White Sox, as a 3-0 lead disappeared quickly. Roberto Hernandez, the Rays pitcher who rarely gives up home runs, watched three fly out of the park, and the offense sputtered again.

For the 16th time this season, the Rays took the initial lead yet let it slip away to the Chicago White Sox. They are only 8-7 in those games and 10-13 overall. To add insult to injury, they are now 2-9 on the road in 2013. Ouch.

Chalk it up to two factors that sound tired and rhetorical by now: Rays starter Roberto Hernandez allowed things to get away after looking good to start the game, and the offense couldn’t capitalize on a few key scoring opportunities. I’m as tired of saying it as you are of hearing it.

Things were going relatively well for Hernandez in the front three innings, allowing only one hit — a second inning double to Adam Dunn who moved to third on a passed ball with Paul Konerko at the plate. Though Hernandez has been wan to give up the big meatball when he’s frustrated, and this was the perfect opportunity for his old habits to get the best of him, they did not. He kept the ball low, kept working his pitches, and was able to get Konerko to fly out to right, Gillespie to ground out to second, and strikeout Ramirez to end the inning. Crisis averted.

Tampa Bay got on the board in their half of the third inning when Matt Joyce took an outside pitch down the line for a home run that landed just inside of the foul pole. Evan Longoria did much the same in the fourth, reaching out across the plate, taking a 1-2 pitch off end of his bat 374 feet to the opposite field. The Rays were able to tag Peavy for another run in the inning thanks to a James Loney double, a Sean Rodriguez sac bunt, and a Kelly Johnson line drive single.

Typically a ground-ball pitcher, Hernandez had never allowed more than two homers in his first 189 big-league games. That changed last night — Hernandez wouldn’t be nearly as good in the fourth through sixth innings.

Tyler Greene dribbled a grounder to center for a single to start the fourth inning, and Alex Rios followed that up with a fielder’s choice that was fielded well, but was hit too softly for the Rays to turn a double play. After a pair of line drive singles on elevated pitches — including an Adam Dunn RBI base hit — Jim Hickey made a visit to the mound to calm Hernandez down. The visit elicited a three pitch strikeout and a soft ground-out to shortstop. Hernandez was able to get out of the inning by relenting only a run.

Hector Gimenez went yard on an elevated slider to start the fifth inning. And after Alejandro De Aza hit a soft single up the middle, Tyler Greene sent first pitch elevated sinker over the center field wall. Then in the sixth inning, Conor Gillaspie sent an elevated 0-2 sinker right over the center of the plate deep to right field. Hernandez was able to get out of the inning after a ground-out and line-out, but not before the damage was done.

The problem du jour? Hernandez frequently left elevated sinkers and sliders over the plate. Jamey Wright and Brandon Gomes would come on in relief, both inducing a pair of 1-2-3 innings. Gomes looked really good, striking out Dunn and Konerko back-to-back in his inning of work.

The Rays bats went cold for three innings, though they came back to life in the seventh and eighth innings. With two outs in the eighth, Evan Longoria reached on infield single to third. Things started looking up when James Loney singled to center, moving Longoria to second. But with two on and two outs, Sean Rodriguez would end the threat by fouling out to third.

Tampa Bay would have one more shot in the ninth. With Addison Reed on the mound, Jose Molina sent a double off the wall to center. Sam Fuld fouled out in the next at-bat, but Joyce followed things up by lacing a single to right, scoring a hustling Jose Molina. Maddon would immediately put a pinch runner (Desmond Jennings) into the game for Joyce, and let Ryan Roberts come to the plate. With the pressure mounting, Reed walked Roberts on five pitches, bringing Ben Zobrist to the plate.

Ian Malinowski summed up Zobrist’s at-bat well,

The first pitch was Zorilla’s pitch to hit, a fastball over the plate, thigh high, but he took it. The second pitch was a change of pace, a little bit lower, and Zobrist took it for a strike, probably smartly. Th third pitch was a fastball inside that Ben swung at and barely got a piece of. Pitch number four was a low slider that Zobrist could not quite check his swing on. The tense at bat and the game were over.

Like I said, chalk it up to the same-old-same. A reader of this here blog summed things up, simply saying,

“Tired of not winning a simple game.”

The New What Next

Matt Moore (4-0, 1.04 ERA) will go for his fifth straight win Saturday night against Gavin Floyd (0-3, 4.98 ERA) and the White Sox. If anyone on the staff is capable of pulling the Rays out of this funk, it is Moore. Per Rotowire, Floyd went six strong innings, yielding a mere run on three hits and three walks while recording six strikeouts, but took a no-decision in Sunday’s loss to the Twins. You can read more on the match-up here.

Rays 4/27/13 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Joyce RF
Zobrist SS
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Duncan DH
Johnson 2B
Molina C
Fuld LF
Moore LHP

Noteworthiness

  • Luke Scott was removed from a rehab game Friday night when his right elbow stiffened up after being hit by pitch. He is listed as day to day.
  • Yunel Escobar is again out of the lineup for Saturday night’s game. No word yet on the reason, though he was reportedly out for another early workout with head athletic trainer Ron Porterfield, trying to show he’s ready to return to lineup.

    • Looking Backward While Moving Forward: The “We Should Have Won That Game” Edition

    Jose Lobaton prepares to tag out the White Sox’s Conor Gillaspie in the fourth inning. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
    Jose Lobaton prepares to tag out the White Sox’s Conor Gillaspie in the fourth inning. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

    Let’s sum the game up quickly, shall we?

    Hellickson got beat (relatively speaking, duh) by a team that’s averaged under two-runs per game in their previous six games. In the end, he posted a spotty 6 IP/5 H/5 R/5 ER/4 BB/8 K/1 HR slash line on 111 pitches (68 for strikes). Then again, Helly could have given up just three-runs and it really wouldn’t have mattered, especially when the offense could only muster two runs on five hits and four walks. 1-for-6 wRISP while stranding six on the bags? Yeesh.

    There was one bright spot Thursday night: Jose Lobaton. Yes, you read that right.

    Lobaton had been 4-for-27 at the plate going into Chicago, but that all changed last night. Going 2-for-2 with a walk, Lobaton was an offensive machine (again, relatively speaking), mashing 368 foot homer to left-field in the fourth inning for his first major league home run from the right side, and his first tater of the year. Sadly with Luke Scott on rehab assignment in Port Charlotte, Lobaton was left high and dry without a bowl of ice-cream to celebrate his accomplishment. David Price thankfully came to the rescue with a popsicle, and it was all the cameras could focus on.

    He also had a great block at the plate, preventing Chicago’s catcher Conner Gillaspie from scoring. ‘The umpire asked me afterwards if he was out and I just said ‘I don’t know, I couldn’t see the replay!’” said Lobaton in a post game interview.

    Lobaton’s homer made this the eleventh straight game that the Rays have hit at least one home-run, the nineteenth homerun over the span of those eleven games.

    The New What Next

    Roberto Hernandez takes the mound for the Rays tonight against Jake Peavy of the White Sox, as he tries to string together his second straight win. You can read up on the match-up here.

    Rays 4/26/13 Starting Lineup

    Joyce RF
    Roberts 2B
    Zobrist SS
    Longoria 3B
    Loney 1B
    Rodriguez LF
    Johnson DH
    Molina C
    Fuld CF
    Hernandez RHP

    Noteworthiness

    • Jennings is getting the day off, while Joyce is hitting leadoff in an effort to get him hot at the plate.
    • Per Topkin, Escobar said he feels better today, will do some activities on field, and expects to play Saturday.
    • Per the Tampa Bay Times, Evan Longoria reached out to, and cleared the air with former Rays James Shields. “He texted me that he was sorry for the comments and that he respects our relationship and values our friendship,” Noted Shields Kansas City. “I told him, “Don’t worry about it, it’s all good, I accept your apology.’ ”
    • Yunel Escobar’s status is likely to be determined Friday. Escobar sat out last night, and is expected to sit out tonight as well, after experiencing hamstring tightness during Wednesday’s game.
    • Per MLB, Rays minor-leaguer Jose Disla has been suspended for 50-games after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol and Nandrolone.

    Looking Backward While Moving Forward: On the Road Again…

    (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times)
    (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times)

    The Tampa Bay Rays exit the friendly confines of the Trop Thursday on the heels of an outstanding 8-1/3 inning, three hit outing by Alex Cobb. What a difference a week makes. Tampa Bay is now one of the hottest teams in baseball, having won their last two series while taking five out of the last six games. From here, the Rays will go on another 11 day — 10 game — road trip taking them through Chicago, Kansas City, and Colorado. First stop: US Cellular Field and a four game set against the White Sox. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

    Andy Pettitte dealt Wednesday night, though Alex Cobb bested him. Pettitte only allowed four base runners, on three base hits and a walk, in the front four innings. I wouldn’t really say that the floodgates opened in the fifth and sixth innings, though the Rays were able to take advantage of a few Pettitte mistakes, tagging him for three runs and a lead they’d never relinquish.

    The fifth inning started innocently enough when Pittitte hit Rays catcher Jose Molina in the toe with an errant pitch. Kelly Johnson followed that up by slapping a single to right, though both he and Molina were able to move to second and third (respectively) when Boesch bobbled the ball before throwing it back into the infield. The scoring opportunities started to look bleak following back-to-back strikeouts of Desmond Jennings and Ryan Roberts. But Ben Zobrist came through in the next at-bat, slapping a two RBI double to center, handily scoring both Molina and Johnson. Evan Longoria grounded out to third to end the threat, but not before the damage was done. Sean Rodriguez led off the sixth inning with a solo 427-foot shot to center, capping the Rays scoring at three runs.

    As mentioned above, Cobb threw 8-1/3 innings of three hit baseball on 106 pitches (72 for strikes, 68% K/BB), while striking out seven and walking only one. The Rays righty looked downright whiffy, inducing eight swings and misses with his changeup (30 changeups, 25 for strikes, 83% K/BB). Though the Yankees were able to hit the ball hard  on a few occasions, Cobb was effective in inducing weakly hit ground-outs and pop-outs.

    Fernando Rodney came on in relief of Cobb following an out and a Brett Gardner single to right. Rodney looked shaky to start his outing, throwing four balls in his first six pitches, while also giving up a single to — you guessed it — Ichiro Suzuki. But Rodney ultimately calmed down following a meeting on the mound with Jose Molina, getting Robinson Cano to ground into the shift in short right, and Travis Hafner to pop out to Ben Zobrist at short to end the game.

    The New What Next: Bring on the White Sox

    Rays and White Sox series starters
    Rays and White Sox series starters
    Rays and White Sox offensive production at home, away, and over the last 14 days
    Rays and White Sox offensive production at home, away, and over the last 14 days
    Rays and White Sox by the numbers
    Rays and White Sox by the numbers

    How the Rays Hitters Fare Against the White Sox Series Starters

    Chris Sale: A thorn in the side, Chris Sale accrued a 5.06 ERA in 10-2/3 innings of work in a win and a loss to the Rays in 2012. He is very good, though he’s not infallible. Sale has a fairly hittable fastball and sinker especially when he leaves it in the zone. The old adage patience at the plate applies to Sale, and if the Rays force the issue, they could have some success Thursday night. Posting a combined .300 BA/.417 OBP/.400 SLG/.817 OPS slash line against Sale in 40 at-bats, though the fair majority of the hits he’s relented have been singles. Key match-ups: Yunel Escobar (1-1), Desmond Jennings (1-3), Kelly Johnson (2-3, 2 2B, RBI), Jose Lobaton (1-2, RBI, BB), Ben Zobrist (4-5, 2B, RBI).

    Jake Peavy: Tampa Bay has traditionally fared well against the 31-year old right-handed pitcher (1-1, 7.41 ERA vs the Rays over the last three seasons), though you wouldn’t necessarily know it by looking at the numbers of the current Rays. Featuring a low 90’s fastball, a sinker, a cutter, a curve, a slider, and a change, Peavy tends lean heavily on his fastball in all counts, while peppering in his slider when he’s ahead. Posting a combined .220 BA/.265 OBP/.418 SLG/.683 OPS slash line, Tampa Bay has been able to tag Peavy for his fair share of big hits (four homers, six doubles), though they’ve only been able to knock in eight runs batted in. Key match-ups: James Loney (7-25, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB), Ryan Roberts (1-3), Sean Rodriguez (1-2), Ben Zobrist (4-7, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB)

    Gavin Floyd: Gavin Floyd (3-1, 2.08 ERA vs the Rays over the last three seasons) has been another perineal thorn in the side of the Rays, getting his fair share of wins at the hands of Tampa Bay over the last few seasons. Another fastball/sinker/slider/changeupcurveball pitcher, Floyd tends to lead with his fastball and slider, while throwing his curveball when he’s ahead in the count, or has two strikes against the batter. Though the Rays are posting a combined .236 BA/.299 OBP/.504 SLG/.803 OPS line against Peavy, he has given up his fair share of homers to Shelley Duncan, Kelly Johnson, Evan Longoria, and Ben Zobrist. Key match-ups: Sam Fuld (2-8, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Kelly Johnson (1-3, HR, 3 RBI), Matt Joyce (3-10, 2B, BB), James Loney (2-7, 3B, RBI), Ben Zobrist (5-16, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB)

    Dylan Axelrod: Tampa Bay has seen Axelrod for all of 1-2/3 innings of work in the last three years. That is to say, he’s pretty unfamiliar to the Rays hitters. Axelrod isn’t an overpowering pitcher, and tends to get a lot of ground balls as opposed to strikeouts.

    Noteworthiness

    • The 8-12 Chicago Whitesox are 2-4 in their last six games, having averaged just 1.8 runs per game. However, the pitching staff has been able to hold their opponents to a measly 2.6 runs per game. That is to say, they may have lost the last four out of six games, but not by much. The 10-11 Rays, on the other hand, are 5-1 in the last six games. The improved offense has averaged 4.6 runs per game, while giving up only 1.6 runs per game, on average.
    • Per Noey Kupchen of Stats LLC, “Chicago now turns to Sale (1-2, 4.50 ERA), who’s dropped his last two starts — both on the road. The left-hander was tagged for a career-high eight runs over 4 1/3 innings against the Indians on April 13, then surrendered three over seven frames last Thursday in a 3-1 loss to Toronto.”
    • Rays shortstop Yunel Escobar left the game early Wednesday night with right hamstring tightness, and is listed as day-to-day. He isn’t expected to miss much time as of right now. Per Ben Zobrist, Escobar said he doesn’t expect to be out too long.

    Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Drop Game Two to the Yankees, 4-3

    David Price leaves after his best start but still takes a loss. (James Borchuck/Times)
    David Price leaves after his best start but still takes a loss. (James Borchuck/Times)

    Walking into the Trop Tuesday night, neither Phil Hughes nor David Price had earned their first win of the year. One thing was certain, barring a no-decision, one pitcher would potentially walk out of the Trop with his first win of the year. And though both pitchers kept their respective team in the game, Phil Hughes and the Yankees bested Tampa Bay, snapping the Rays four game winning streak.

    Though Hughes received a no-decision, he ultimately did something in an April start that he traditionally hasn’t; he looked good. And unfortunately for the Rays, Hughes found his stuff at the wrong time. Posting a 7 IP/6 H/2 R/2 ER/2 BB/6 K slash line on 103 pitches (78 for strikes, 72% K/BB percentage) Hughes pounded the zone for the duration of his outing, righting an errant 31 pitch first inning where he gave up a run on a Desmond Jennings walk, a Ryan Roberts double, and a Ben Zobrist sac fly. The Rays had an opportunity to tack another run on in the first, but they left a little chicken on the bone. With a man on third and one out following the Zobrist sac fly, both Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce struck out out to end the inning, subsequently ending any Rays scoring threats until the seventh inning.

    Though the opportunity to score more runs presented itself, Tampa Bay could only tag Hughes for one more run in the seventh. Matt Joyce reached base on a walk and was moved over to second on a James Loney single to center. Jose Molina rocketed an RBI single to right in the next at-bat which drove in Joyce. But a not-so fleet of foot Loney was thrown out at third, effectively ending the Rays scoring threat. Kelly Johnson struck out looking to end the inning.

    Most impressive, Hughes was a first-pitch-strike throwing machine who was able to get ahead of the count early. After throwing 20 plus first pitches for strikes, Dave and Andy (on the radio side) questioned why the Rays hadn’t been more aggressive early in the count, asserting that the Rays hitters must have known — to a point — that Hughes would pound the. They raise a good point. Tampa Bay did a good job at ambushing Hughes in the first, but their tenacity at the plate seemed to wane.

    The Rays mounted a  rally in the ninth inning against Mariano Rivera, but they ultimately fell a couple of runs short of their fifth consecutive win. Evan Longoria led off the ninth with a 432-foot first pitch blast to left-field, but Rivera made short order of the remaining three batters

    David Price looked much better, but he still wasn’t the 20-5 pitcher that we know so well.

    Price gave up the lead a couple of times, and his velocity was still noticeably down, though he worked in to the ninth inning, pitching his most complete game of the season. He left Tropicana Field still in search of his first victory of the year. Per DRaysBay,

    “For Price, there are reasons to be pleased despite the loss. The left-hander worked primarily off his power fastball (60% of his pitches) and appeared to have regained some missing velocity that plagued many of the Rays starters early in the season (94 MPH avg). In addition, Price was effective with his cutter, generating 10 strikes and 2 whiffs with the offering and mixing in a sharp curveball and solid changeup. While the Yankees tallied eight hits off the southpaw, they were all singles and many of the ground-ball variety, a feeling akin to death by paper-cut. Price’s first run of the game was the direct result of a strike-out wild pitch that reached base and scored two batters later on a couple of singles. Price also did not issue a walk and struck out five.”

    Fernando Rodney’s outing was of greater concern. The Rays reliever couldn’t cleanly get out of a no-out, runner-on-first situation in the ninth.

    Coming on in relief, following a lead-off base hit by Robinson Cano, Rodney went to work and  promptly struck out Vernon Wells. But Cano stole second which lead Joe Maddon to call for the intentional walk of Travis Hafner. With a double play in mind, Rodney walked Lyle Overbay after being ahead 1-and-2.

    Rodney got the second out on a diving grab by first baseman James Loney, but a quick third out would prove to be elusive. Ichiro lined the first pitch to center, driving in two runs to give the Yankees the ultimate lead.

    Rodney, who gave up five earned runs in 2012, has already allowed four this season. Granted it would be a ridiculous to expect Rodney to perform as he had the year prior, though his outings — with the exception of two — have been shaky at best. His command has been off, and his changeup isn’t nearly as deceptive as it was in 2012.

    The New What Next

    The Rays will host the Yankees for one more game tonight, before they head out on the road for another 10-game road trip. Alex Cobb will take the hill for the Rays, opposite of Andy Pettitte. Tampa Bay will try to take their second consecutive home series and end their home-stand with a 5-and-1 record.

    Alex Cobb (9-2, 2.95 over his past 14 starts) is coming off a win against Oakland. He is 1-1, 3.15 in three starts against the Yankees. Pettitte’s 17 wins against the Rays are the most of active pitchers, though he hasn’t started at the Trop since October 2009

    Rays 4/24/13 Starting Lineup

    Jennings CF
    Roberts 2B
    Zobrist RF
    Longoria 3B
    Rodriguez 1B
    Escobar SS
    Duncan DH
    Molina C
    Johnson LF
    Cobb RHP

    Noteworthiness

    • The quote of the day comes from Rays manager Joe Maddon who tweeted, “I might shed a tear tomorrow. To be the first manager to be replicated in the world of gnomedom is truly an honor.”
    • Luke Scott went 1-4 in a minor league rehab start in Port Charlotte Tuesday.
    • …and today’s wild kingdom guest in the Rays clubhouse is:
    Photo courtesy of Marc Topkin/Times
    Photo courtesy of Marc Topkin/Times
    "I wanted the players to chill out a little bit. ...get it?" -Joe Maddon (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)
    “I wanted the players to chill out a little bit. …get it?” -Joe Maddon (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)

     

     

     

    Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Beat the Yankees 5-1, ESPN Opens Mouth Only to Insert Foot

    Yunel Escobar remains hot with his second home run in two games, a two-out, two-run shot off CC Sabathia in the first inning that puts the Rays up 4-0. (James Borchuck/Times)
    Yunel Escobar remains hot with his second home run in two games, a two-out, two-run shot off CC Sabathia in the first inning that puts the Rays up 4-0. (James Borchuck/Times)

    The Tampa Bay Rays won their fourth straight game at Tropicana Field Monday night, demoralizing the New York Yankees by a score of 5-1. The Rays have now won 12 of 14 meetings against the Yankees in St. Petersburg dating back to the 2011 season, while CC Sabathia — who now has a 3-9 record, and a plus-four ERA in his last 19 starts against the Rays — took another loss at the hands of the good guys. In short: Matt Moore killed it, the offense stepped up once more, and those jackals at ESPN opened their mouths and — once again —  inserted their collective feet into the gaping hole.

    Posting an 8 IP/2 H/1 R/1 ER/3 BB/9 K/1 HR slash line on 117 pitches (73 for strikes), Rays starter Matt Moore was absolutely dominant. His fastball velocity was noticeably down — sitting somewhere in the 92-95 MPH range — but Moore was effective with his command, throwing his two-seam fastball for strikes almost 76% of the time. A few people have posed an interesting question: Might Moore be throwing with less gas in order to better locate his pitches?

    It’s not unheard of. Wade Davis took a couple of miles per hour off his fastball in 2012, and his location drastically improved. It’s an interesting thought in the least. Nevertheless, when Moore wasn’t throwing his fastball, he leaned on his deadly off-speed stuff to keep the Yankees hitters off-balance. Throwing 13 changeups for strikes (76%), the young lefty looked downright whiffy, inducing six swings and misses.

    On the offensive side of things, Tampa Bay was able to pummel CC Sabathia early on, tagging him for five runs on six hits (three homers, a single, and a triple) and a hit by pitch. Both Ryan Roberts and Yunel Escobar had a good night at the plate, going a combined four-for-seven with three homers, three runs, and four runs batted in. I’m particularly impressed with Roberts.

    After bashing two well-struck homers, Roberts followed things up with a line drive single for his third hit of the night. As Joe Maddon pointed out in his post game presser, many players would try to get greedy after hitting two-homers, but Roberts kept it simple and reached base for a third time in four at-bats. That is, he didn’t over swing as he’s been wan to do.

    Evan Longoria and Sean Rodriguez were are also part of the offensive narrative, each reaching base and scoring a run. SeanRod hit the Rays first triple of the season in the first inning, while Longoria singled to center (also in the first), reaching base safely for the 33rd consecutive game. Sabathia would ultimately settle in after the third inning, putting up zeroes from the fourth inning on. But not before the damage was done.

    Then there was ESPN’s coverage of the game. Oy vey.

    We here at X-Rays Spex headquarters would like to send a huge fuck you to Dick Vitale, Rick Sutcliffe, and the rest of the jackals at ESPN for espousing their opinions regarding the Stadium Saga. To be clear, I fully support the building of a new facility… But only if the terms are right. That is to say, if a suitable location can be decided upon and if the local tax payers are not left on the hook to pay the lot share, build and build away. I’d imagine that most people in this area feel the same.

    However, it is not a national sports commentators place to espouse his/her opinions on any local issues, period. That includes Dick Vitale who just happens to call this area his home. He helped to — once again — turn a local issue into a national one the very instant he tweeted the nation at large:

    Gee mister Vitale, a new (or refurbished) facility really improved the attendance for seven of the eight teams averaging less than the Rays, eh? It’s really done wonders for a team like the Mets who are averaging under 26,000 fans per game, huh? Besides, you used “tonight” twice in one sentence. What kind of reporting is that? Pfft.

    That opinion was furthered by Rick Sutcliffe who agreed with Vitale, and defended his opinion in a tweet,

    Sutcliffe is forgetting that regardless if his opinion is based on what a handful fans may have relayed to him, that knowledge does not make him the defacto mouthpiece for a new stadium, nor does it make his opinion any more valid.

    Their thinly veiled attempt at becoming part of the narrative is more akin with Wolf Blitzer reporting about a cat that’s stuck in a Paducah, Kentucky tree, than it is with presenting a credible argument that we — the citizens of the Tampa Bay area — may have never taken into consideration. These counterproductive comments, though timely, will have no bearing on the ultimate outcome.

    We are well versed on the ins and outs of the Stadium Saga. To be honest, no self respecting citizen of this community would have watched ESPN’s telecast with the volume on. Who then are they trying to sell their less-than cogent ideas to?

    In the end, these comments have done nothing to “further the cause.” If anything, the consistent barrage of patronizing remarks have given a national audience the impression that our fan-base is a weak one; a fan-base that can scarcely support one professional franchise, much less three.

    These topics shouldn’t be up for national scrutiny or debate. They are our crosses to bear, not Joe Baseball Fan from Yuma, Arizona. To the ESPN’s of the world, butt out. Let us deal with our collective “stuff.” (Expletive deleted) Besides, I’m sure there’s a successful franchise in New York, Boston, or Los Angeles that you can fawn over.

    The New What Next

    The Rays will attempt to continue their four game winning streak against Phil Hughes and the Yankees. The Rays will throw David Price on the mound Tuesday. Both he and Hughes are searching for their first win of the year. You can read about the match-ups here.

    Rays 4/23/13 Starting Lineup (Per the Tampa Chamber of Commerce)

    Jennings CF
    Roberts 2B
    Zobrist RF
    Longoria 3B
    Joyce LF
    Escobar SS
    Loney 1B
    Molina C
    Johnson DH
    Price LHP

    Noteworthiness

    • Looks like Joe Maddon let the Tampa Chamber of Commerce put together the lineup for tonight. Truth told, it doesn’t look half bad.
    • Per our good friends at the Rays Tank, Luke Scott is expected to start his minor league rehab stint today (Tuesday).
    • By the by, if you want to tweet both Rick Sutcliffe and Dick Vitale, here are their handles: @Sut_ESPN and @DickieV