This will be another short one. I’m exhausted, frustrated, and frankly pretty upset with the outcome of tonight’s game. See, 10,877 people (myself included) endured what could be aptly titled the goddamn deluge, only to watch the Rays with their most potent offense since the month of April, get Hochevared once again.
Had you told me that the Rays would get two hit and shut out by a pitcher that had a 6-11 record with a 5.24 ERA prior to this game, I’d have laughed in your face. Yet with the exception of Luke Scott who hit a double, Tampa Bay’s offense forgot to show up. Ugh. I’ll bullet some thoughts below.
- Props to Luke Scott on the aforementioned double. Scott came within 90-feet of scoring a run following an absolute blast of a sac-fly to dead center by Ryan Roberts. That sac-fly would have been a two-run bomb in any other stadium. Sadly Jose Molina and Desmond Jennings were unsuccessful in bringing LUKE home, with both striking out swinging.
- Can someone please tell me why Jeff Keppinger, one of the Rays most consistent hitters, didn’t get the start at first in lieu of Carlos Pena? It could be argued that ‘Los had a negative effect on the team at the plate and in the field. Pena went 0-4 with two strikeouts, and two pop-outs. He also didn’t react to Ben Zobrist’s off-line throw in the tenth inning in a manner that would keep Jeff Francoeur out of scoring position. Sure the error was charged to Zobrist, and it would have been tough play to make even if he made a perfect throw. However in Zobrist’s defense, he did keep the ball low and it wasn’t air-mailed out of the reach of Pena. Carlos should have attempted to make the save, not the play. The fact of the matter is, had Pena taken his foot off the bag in an attempt to save the errant throw from ending where it did, Francoeur wouldn’t have made it to second on an infield hit. He also wouldn’t have come home on the Eric Hosmer bloop single that followed.
- 0-3 wRISP, with four left on base. Ick.
- What a shame of a waste David Price’s 8 IP/3 H/8 K gem.
- Hochevar looked like Cy Young, collecting eight swinging strikeouts with 10 K’s total. The Rays looked like dear in the headlights, as Hochevar kept the ball down while pounding the glove side of the strike-zone.
Rays 8/22/12 Starting Lineup
Jennings LF
Upton CF
Joyce RF
Longoria DH
Zobrist SS
Keppinger 3B
Pena 1B
Roberts 2B
Lobaton C
Shields RHP
Noteworthiness: Color me surprised that Luke Scott, who actually has a hit against today’s starter mind you, isn’t getting the start at first yet Carlos “0-4 last night” Pena is. Mind = blown. Evan Longoria is again the DH, hitting in the fourth hole. Hey, at least Kepp’s back in the mix!