The Rays make their way back to their spring home in Port Charlotte, where they’ll take on the Red Sox today at 1:05 PM. Tampa Bay is throwing in a lot of regulars into the lineup, including Luke Scott, who will make his first consecutive start of the spring. Jose Molina will get his third start in four days, as the Rays attempt to see how much they can get out of the 36 year old catcher.
BJ Upton took some practice swings yesterday, but don’t expect to see him on the field until Tuesday at the earliest. Upton still has some lower back tightness following his collision with Desmond Jennings last Wednesday. “It’s (speaking of his back) tolerable,” Upton said. “Probably not up to game speed right now.”
LHP Matt Moore takes the hill today for his first start of the spring, and for the second time overall. He’ll be following James Shields dazzling six inning, four hit and seven strikeout performance. Moore had flashes of greatness earlier in the week with his 1-2/3 inning relief appearance of David Price, where he struck out three, and gave up no hits or walks. Let’s see if Moore and Co. can mince up the Red Sox to make it two in a row. Go Rays!
Rays lineup 3/18/12:
Jennings LF
Scott DH
Zobrist 2B
Longoria 3B
Pena 1B
Keppinger SS
Joyce RF
Molina C
Fuld CF
Moore P
The Rays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on a sunny day in Bradenton, by a score of 2-1. With today’s win, Tampa Bay was finally able to get over the three win hump to bring their record to 4-9-3 on the spring. The 3-9-3 start is their third worst through 15 spring training games, having been 1-14 in 2007 and 3-11-1 in 2003.
Line score, courtesy of Yahoo Sports
The big story of the game was, again, James Shields. “Gran Juego” pitched for six innings (he was only scheduled to pitch five), and gave up only one run on four hits, with no walks and seven strikeouts. Though he started the game on shaky ground, by giving up a double to McLouth and an infield single to Walker, Shields was able to get out of the inning and limit the amount of pitches he threw to only 15. Shields was on Cruise control from that point on, finding his only big mistake of the day coming in the top of the sixth, when he gave up a solo home-run to Andrew McCutchen.
McGee, Gomes, and Reid followed Shields and, collectively, gave up two hits in the seventh and eighth innings, while striking out three and walking none. Two of those K’s were thrown by Reid.
Pitching box score, courtesy of Yahoo Sports
Unfortunately the fireworks at the plate were few and far in between. It was nice, however, to see some of the bats that count come to life. Luke Scott had a good day, going 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI off of his first home-run of the spring. Scott also hit a single to start the day off, and advanced to second on a one out walk to Matt Joyce. In true Rays form though, they weren’t able to capitalize on an early scoring threat with Pena grounding out and Jeff Keppinger popping out to end the inning.
Pena redeemed himself in the sixth, with a blast that fell just short of a home run. The hit ended up being a triple. Damn wind in Bradenton, I tells ya! Pena would ultimately score the winning run a few moments later on a wild pitch to Sam Fuld. In the end, Tampa Bay left eight men on the base-paths today.
Hitting box score, courtesy of Yahoo Sports
With the middle of spring training just around the bend, I’m starting to get a bit nervous about the offensive performance of the Rays. The fact of the matter is that neither Pena, Scott, Upton, or Longoria have had stellar at bats so far, 16 games into the spring. If these are the big guns…if these are the players that are projected to carry the Rays to 93 wins in 2012, someone like Carlos Pena finally getting his first hit of the spring today, is a bit worrisome to say the least.
I’m also a bit uneasy with the number of runs the Rays have given up thus far. Tampa Bay is a pitching and defensive team, yet you’d never know it with the amount of runs that Davis, Niemann, and Price have given up in their last outings. One could imagine that being part of the reason Maddon is giving a few of the pitchers like Peralta, Rodney, Howell, Badenhop, and Price the opportunity to eat up a few more innings by pitching in minor league games.
Yes, I do like hearing comments from Niemann and Davis, about them feeling good after their outings, even when the line may not be representative of how they feel. Conversely though, health alone does not win games; health plus good outings does. Nevertheless, a win is a win is a win, and I’ll gladly take it.
“Oi oi oi, fresh cuts!” I heard that the Oppressed was blaring over the Charlotte Sports Park PA system while all of this was going on. Lord have mercy, I could only imagine Luke Scott now looking like the stereotypical soccer hooligan. Also, here’s a photo gallery of some choice cuts (pun intended) from today’s group shaving.
On a side note, the Rays take on the Phillies, for the first time of the spring, today. This is a gentle reminder that we’re trying to put together a “Below Average Rays Fan Meet-up” on the 29th, when the Rays (again) take on the Phillies. Today’s lineup is below. Neither Upton or Jennings are in the lineup after yesterdays outfield collision. Luke Scott makes his third appearance of the spring, as does Davis. Davis really could use a bounce back performance after that abomination that he called a start on March 10th.
3/15/12 Rays lineup:
Fuld CF
Scott DH
Joyce RF
Pena 1B
Keppinger 3B
Brignac SS
Molina C
Guyer LF
Rhymes 2B
Davis P
Alright people, who wants to do a Spring Training meet up at the Rays vs. Phillies game on the 29th of March? The game will be taking place in Clearwater at 1:05 PM. Fun times will be had for sure! “But wait, that’s on a Thursday and I have kids…I can’t possibly make that happen,” you may be saying. Well my little naysaying friends, allow me to remind you that Pinellas County public schools are on spring break that week. So, you can call in sick and bring the kiddies. Plus, odds are good the weather will be nice, and at the rate we’re going, you’re almost assured to see a Rays pitcher plunk a Phillies batter. It’s a win/win/win situation, now innit? Let’s make this happen…so who’s game?
Matt Moore finally got an opportunity to pitch in his first ever major league spring training game yesterday. I know, I know; when you’ve already got regular season and post-season wins under your belt, it’s hard to feel overwhelmed by a spring training appearance…and a relief one at that. However, yesterday’s performance, combined with his prior starts in 2011, only strengthened his argument for a spot on the starting rotation. And with the news of the optioning of three Rays pitchers (including prospect Chris Archer and Alex Cobb) to Durham, compounded with the last few starts of Jeff Niemann, it’s kind of hard to imagine a starting rotation with Wade Davis, and without Matt Moore.
Sure, the superlatives surrounding Moore will die down after a couple of, future, less than amazing starts. Yet, watching Moore at the moment is, frankly, pretty damn awesome. It’s hard not to get caught up in the wave, especially when Moore bested one of baseball’s best pitchers, and Moore’s teammate David Price, yesterday. In 1 2/3 innings, more struck out three and dominated the Orioles hitters with a dazzling change-up, and a fastball that topped out at 97 MPH. All this from a pitcher coming off of an injury and no real playing experience (unless you consider throwing batting practice or bullpen sessions experience) since October of last year. It’s also hard not to feel giddy when some of those superlatives are coming from the mouths of folks within the Rays organization.
“No one touches it,” Rays catcher Jose Molina said of Moore’s fastball. “It’s hard to hit off him. I mean, it’s hard to catch him, imagine hitting off him. You really have to be in your game when you’re behind the plate so you don’t lose it and it hits you right in the mask.” Lot’s of pitchers can ratchet up the heat in times of need. Yet, what separates Moore from, say, Price is his change-up. Even Price made mention of what could be one of Moore’s most dangerous pitches, “He’s got the equalizer right now in that change-up. His change-up is very good. Those hitters don’t see it very well, and when he’s throwing 95, 97, 98 like he does and he can throw an invisa-ball like the change-up that he has, that’s pretty tough.” Forget not his curveball which is yet another pitch that makes Moore a triple threat of sorts.
One can only imagine how absolutely dangerous this starting rotation could be in 2012 with a healthy fastball and spiked curveball throwing Jeff Niemann, a killer change-up and curveball throwing James Shields and Jeremy Hellickson, a power throwing David Price, and, the triple threat that is Matt Moore. “If we’re going into somebody’s town and the other guys were to hear they’re going to see Shields, Price and Moore I don’t think they feel like they have an advantage there or that it’s going to be any fun. ‘Oh we’re going to see Matt Moore and David Price back-to-back. Oh good. We’re going to figure the other guy out.’ I think sometimes that gets overplayed,” noted the skip yesterday in a Tampa Bay Online piece. “…If I’m going into a town knowing I’m going to face those two guys back-to-back, (I’m) probably already thinking if I go 1-for-9 I’ll be happy.”
Injury Updates:
A tale of two outfielders…
According to Joe Smith of the Times,
There was a scary moment here in the fourth inning for the Rays, when LF Desmond Jennings and CF B.J. Upton collided in left-center while trying to go for a fly ball by Marlins DH Austin Kearns. Both were down on the ground for a minute or so, with several teammates – and trainers – racing to the warning track. Upton seemed to get the worst of it, writhing on the ground. He was helped up, and both were put on a cart and taken back to the clubhouse. Upton and Jennings seemed better after the initial reactions – sitting upright while on the cart – but we’ll post updates when we get them. Both CF B.J. Upton and LF Desmond Jennings are fine after their fourth-inning collision in left-center, that they just have general soreness and were removed as a precaution.
If there’s a god, apparently he/she is now making cuts to the roster…
Also according to Joe Smith of the Times,
Rays catcher Robinson Chirinos is sidelined with a concussion, suffered earlier this week when he took a foul tip off his mask.
Manager Joe Maddon said he isn’t sure when Chirinos will return to game action, but they’re monitoring him each day. The injury could definitely impact Chirinos’ chances of making the Opening Day roster, as he’s competing with C Jose Lobaton, C Chris Gimenez and C Stephen Vogt for the second catcher spot.
