Rays 7/24/12 starting lineup

Rays 7/24/12 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Upton DH
Zobrist 2B
Keppinger 1B
Joyce RF
Rodriguez SS
Fuld LF
Lobaton C
Conrad 3B
Hellickson RHP

Noteworthiness: Pena and BJ are getting a day off…sort of. BJ is the DH tonight, hitting in the two hole behind Desmond Jennings. Excuse my language, but why in the fuck is Conrad in the lineup?! Why not just put Rodriguez at third, and Elliot Johnson at short?! Is it really that hard to put someone in the lineup that can swing the bat from both sides is opposed to someone that’s inept to get a hit on even his natural side of plate?

Bye-bye Matsui?? (updated, the DFA edition)

Designated hitter Hideki Matsui bats against the Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Update: MLB Trade Rumors just posted that the Rays DFA’d Hideki Matsui. About the transaction, Ben Nicholson Smith said,

The Rays announced that they designated Hideki Matsui for assignment to create roster space for newly-acquired infielder Ryan Roberts. They now have ten days to trade Matsui, release him or place him on waivers.

The Rays signed Matsui to a minor league deal in April and he appeared in 34 games with the team. The 38-year-old posted a .147/.214/.221 batting line with two home runs in 103 plate appearances.

Another day, another spot on performance by one of the Rays starters, and another tough loss at the hands of an offense that wasn’t able to string together scoring opportunities, or push runners across the plate. This sounds all too familiar, and it’s happening all too often. I think there are a bunch of reasons why the Rays aren’t producing, and we here at Raysbaseball.co have hit on a few of them already. Amidst the production woes, one man that has left us frustrated in wRISP opportunities time and again sticks out like a sore thumb: Hideki Matsui. A question begs to be answered. Why the hell is he still a Ray, much less playing baseball? I’ll try to plead my case against him.

Over his 10 year MLB career, Matsui has put up good numbers. A career .282 BA/.360 OBP/.462 SLG/.822 OPS hitter, Matsui has driven in 760 RBI, scored 656 runs, and hit 175 homers over the course of the last ten years. To his credit, he’s hit 20-plus homers in a season five times. Surely when you factor in those numbers with his career numbers in Japan, you see why Maddon and Friedman were psyched on signing the free agent. But the 2012 Hideki Matsui doesn’t hold a candle to even the 2011 Matsui. That fact becomes even more obvious with every failed at bat. One needs only to look at a graph of his wOBA to add yet another bit of evidence to illuminate that sad fact.

Courtesy of Fangraphs

Godzilla has underperformed even lackluster projections. Matsui has both driven in and scored seven runs on 14 hits and eight walks, including two homers and a walk in 94 official at-bats. In July alone, Matsui is a whopping 2-20 with one run and one RBI on the backs of two singles and a pair of walks. Matsui has come to bat nine times off the bench, yet has only a hit to show for his efforts. Maddon said that Matsui is here for those kind of opportunities, and hoped he could come through. Those kind of opportunities being high leverage, pinch hit situations. But Matsui is hitting all of .182 with men on, and his batting average drops to .148 with men in scoring position. And in 27 at-bats with men in scoring position, Matsui’s driven in five runs on four hits (three singles and a home run). That’s not good by even Brooks Conrad standards. What’s more, his strikeout percentage is up while his walk percentage is down.

Some other fun Matsui facts:

  • Matsui is 0-16 in his last 16 at bats.
  • Matsui has now had 26 plate appearances since June with runners on base, yet only one has scored.

When all is said and done, Matsui ranks beneath Pat Burrell, Dioner Navarro, and Reid Brignac, some of the bigger stinkers in the history of the Rays organization, in wOBA (weighted on base average) and wRC (runs created).

Mad props to Steve Slowinski from DRaysBay for creating this handy table.

I’m really at a loss when it comes to why Matsui is still a Ray, much less a professional baseball player. Dude, it’s time to hang up your cleats. In the words of Jonah Keri, author of The Extra 2%, “Much respect for Hideki Matsui and his impressive career. But…it’s time.” ‘Nuff said.

Brandon Gomes was optioned back to Triple-A Durham after Sunday’s offensive zombie fest. A corresponding move should be be announced either Monday or Tuesday. Sam Fuld is expected to be reactivated, and one would assume that another bat would be called up to fill Luke’s spot on the roster, assuming the Rays don’t fill Luke’s spot with Fuld for the time being. Who could get the call-up? Allen? Anderson? Gimenez? I guess time will only tell.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDKO6XYXioc]

Shh baby, shh….it’s all you, not me. I know…I know, you’ve tried your hardest to make things right. What’s that? There’s a hole in your bat. That’s aight. A “Hole in bat” must be a euphemism for a decreased bat speed.

-Joe Maddon

Rays 7/22/12 Starting Lineup

Rays 7/22/12 Starting Lineup

Upton CF
Pena 1B
Zobrist 2B
Joyce RF
Keppinger DH
Conrad 3B
Jennings LF
Molina C
Johnson SS
Moore LHP

Noteworthiness: NO HIDEKI Matsui!!! Unfortunately there’s a huge hole in the sixth spot with Brooks Conrad in the lineup. Why not just put Sean Rodriguez in there? Ugh!

Who’s available within the Rays farm system? (Updated)

Well folks, surprise-surprise. Just as the Rays seem to be on the mend, bam! Luke Scott is back on the DL, and Cobb gets smacked with a come backer that knocks him out of the game. Thankfully Cobb, like Hellickson before, was diagnosed with a pretty nasty bruise, not a break. Luke thinks he’ll be better on this side of 15 days. But with an oblique strain, who really knows?

In any case, the Rays are at the end of their 10-game home stand. Friedman and Co. mentioned that they would re-evaluate their roster needs around now. With Hideki “0-14 with seven strikeouts and only one walk over the last seven days” Matsui being the heir apparent to the DH spot while Luke is out, it’s obvious that the Rays need someone in the lineup to bolster the offense. I mean hell, even one hit is a 100% improvement over what both Matsui and Brooks Conrad have offered over the course of this home stand. But I digress. My crystal ball ain’t clear. Only the Rays front office knows whether they’ll be buyers or sellers at the deadline.

Let’s say that the Rays choose to bolster their offense from within, or they put together some sort of Shields trade package for  compensatory draft picks. The question stands; What prospects might be available to fill any current, or future, needs within the Rays system? Mind you that Sam Fuld is slated to return this week. I have to feel that if anything, Fuld could act as a re-energizing spark. But at 3-16 with a double and two walks in his rehab stint with the Bulls, I don’t think he’ll make a huge difference on the roster until he get’s his timing back. He is a competent pinch hitter, posting a .400 BA/.571 OBP/.467 SLG/1.038 OPS line in 15 at-bats, but I don’t necessarily see Super Sam bolstering the “big O” right off of the, well…bat. There’s got to be a few sticks in the system, right? Let’s see, shall we.

Leslie Anderson

Leslie Anderson was picked up by the Rays in 2010 and has quietly plugged away in Triple-A since his acquisition. Following a regression of sorts in Durham last season, Anderson has really put together a solid 2012. He’s bumped up his walk percentage from 4.3% to 6.7%, while lowering his strikeout percentage from 12.1% to 11.6%. Too, Anderson’s almost hit his high water mark of 54 runs created in 462 at bats last season, with 48 runs created in only 298 at bats in 2012. His batting average, power numbers, and BABIP have also improved, posting a .315 BA/.370 OBP/.456 SLG/.826 OPS/.336 line, with nine homers and 39 runs, while driving in 37. Anderson is capable of playing in the outfield and first base.

Brandon Allen

Brandon Allen made some noise by hitting a walk off home run in his first at bat with the Rays. Unfortunately an injury found him on the DL, then Allen got DFA’d. He has had a good year at the plate in Durham since. Though he’s posted a .300 BA/.330 OBP/.520 SLG/.850 OPS/.361 BABP line, with four homers and 16 runs in 106 plate appearances, I suspect that his 1:8 walk to strikeout ratio may be the biggest hurdle he has to overcome. That he has pop is desirable…then again, so does BJ.

 

 

 

Stephen Vogt

Stephen Vogt is best known for pulling a big fat 0’fer in 17 major league at bats with the Rays. He’s been somewhat of a beast in Triple-A, and a lot of people find that endearing. Personally, I’d like to have seen some of his plus stuff carry over from Durham, but that’s just me. Nevertheless, Vogt’s put up a good .295 BA/.364 OBP/.461 SLG/.825 OPS/.325 BABIP line, on the back of 57 hits and 30 runs, including seven taters and 29 RBI. What’s more, Vogt was out for a couple of weeks with an injury, but bounced back quite well afterward.

Ryan Garko, a utility player for Double-A Montgomery, looks as if he could be promoted to Triple-A at any moment. The potential to make the move to the Rays at some point toward September could be there as well, especially considering the Rays current offensive woes. Formerly of both the Indians and and the Rangers, Garko has posted a .318 BA/.416 OBP/.469 SLG/.885 OPS line with Montgomery in 192 at bats. Garko’s also driven in 33 runs, while crossing the plate 31 times on 26 walks and 61 hits, including seven home runs. Garko has cooled off since July, just hitting .250 which may be why he’s still in Montgomery. Then again, he’s put together better numbers than Rich Thompson and actually has major league experience, so who knows?

Chris Archer

Chris Archer was impressive in his two-start stint with the Rays, sadly going 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA. Archer posted a 7:1 strikeout to walk ratio, striking out 14 and walking two in 11 innings of work. Plus, the kid showed he could be a competent pinch runner! I suspect that we could see a return of return in September in a bullpen role. Who knows, if the Rays deal Shields, and if Cobb continues to perform as he has in his last few starts, we may see him in a starting role.

Whatever the case, the Rays direly need to bolster a lacking offense, and a somewhat lacking starting rotation…with the exception of David Price that is. Could a trade be in the cards? That remains to be seen. If not, there are a few hitting and pitching options within the system. Personally, I like the idea of bringing Anderson and Archer up at some point this season.

Looking backward while moving forward; Rays vs. Mariners, 7/21/12 (starting lineup included)

The win was this close.

That was a huge win last night. Of course, the game certainly issn’t free of criticism. However, there were a lot of positives to focus on.

Tampa Bay now finds themselves just a game out of the second wildcard spot, behind the Angels, Tigers, Orioles, and A’s. Yes, the A’s are in the running for a wildcard berth. Let that blow your mind.

Any-who, I Dirty Harried this piece. That is to say, I broke it down into the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good
  • Welcome back Juego G. Big Game James went a very solid 7-2/3 innings, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out 10. Shields kept his fastball velocity down (avg. 92 MPH) and was able to locate his pitches well. 106 pitches were thrown, with 67 of them for strikes (18 called, 13 swinging) for a 63% strike ratio.
  • The bullpen again came up big. Peralta, Rodney, Farnsworth, Howell, Badenhop, and McGee combined, posted a 6.1 IP/1 H/0 R/1 BB/7 K line.
  • One Ben Zorilla Zobrist had a massive night at the plate, going 3-4, and reaching base safely six times on two walks, a hit by pitch, a double, a triple, and a single. Zo was a homer shy of the cycle. He drove in the winning run in the 14th, crossed the plate once, and swiped a bag.
  • It goes without saying, but we like BJ Upton in the top of the lineup. Upton had good night at the plate, going 2-6 with a walk, two RBI, and a run.
  • Kepp also reached base safely three times, while driving in a run.
  • The Rays had over five hits at the end of the ninth. I like seeing that the Rays are starting to pile on the hits. They ended the night accruing 11 hits and seven walks.
The Bad
  • 2-for-15 wRISP. Really? C’mon now. The Rays had ample opportunities to win the game within the framework of the nine innings. Looking back at the whole game, Tampa Bay had runners in scoring position in the first, fifth, seventh, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth innings, yet did nothing with those opportunities.
  • SeanRod had two errors, with the Rays committing three errors overall. Ugh.
  • Tampa Bay struck out 15 times. There were 32 strikeouts combined, setting a Rays record for the most strikeouts in one game.
The Ugly
  • Hideki Matsui and Brooks Conrad. Need I say more? No, but I will.
  • Matsui went 0-2 at the plate. Good old Godzilla found himself in two huge situations where he could have been the hero had he just put the ball in play. But as one would expect, he didn’t. In the tenth, Matsui stepped up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. He swung on the first pitch and lined out to left. In the twelfth, with two on and two out, Matsui struck out swinging.
  • Conrad went 0-3 at the plate. He too could have come up big, but apparently there was a hole in his bat. With one on and one out in the eighth, Conrad ground into a double play, extinguishing any Rays rally. With two on and one out in the 10th, he struck out swinging. He also struck out with Zobrist on second and one out in the 12th.
  • In the pinch hitting role, Matsui is 1-9 with a .111 BA/.200 OBP/.222 SLG/.422 OPS line, while Conrad is 2-20 with a .100 BA/.143 OBP/.150 SLG/.293 OPS line. There is one run and one RBI between them in that role.
Moving Forward

Just think kiddies, if the Rays win tonight, they’ll be on a three game winning streak. We like that. In even happier news, either Conrad or Matsui will be gone as early as tomorrow with the return of Super Sam Fuld returns. If Fuld doesn’t come back tomorrow, he will more than likely meet up with the Rays in Baltimore. But that’s neither here or now.

Jason Vargas (9-7, 4.09 ERA) will take on Alex Cobb (4-6, 4.92 ERA) and the Rays tonight at the Trop. Vargas is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in his last four starts, though the left-hander is 1-3 with a 3.90 ERA in five starts against the Rays. Cobb, on the other hand, is coming off of a 3-1/3 inning five hit, five walk outing against Cleveland on Monday. Cobb threw 86 pitches in that start.

The Rays have posted a combined .250 BA/.307 OBP/.440/.747 OPS line against Vargas, with Ben Zobrist leading the charge. Zobrist is 7-17 lifetime against Vargas with three doubles and three RBI. As sad as it is to acknowledge this, Matsui has put together good numbers against Vargas as well, going 7-25 with a double, three homers, and 10 RBI.

Rays 7/21/12 Starting Lineup

Upton CF
Pena 1B
Zobrist 2B
Keppinger 3B
Joyce RF
Matsui DH
Jennings LF
Lobaton C
Rodriguez SS
Cobb RHP