The face of frustration. Matt Joyce arguing with the home plate umpire over balls and strikes in the eighth inning, after being call out on a David Robertson breaking pitch that looked to be off the plate. Joyce was ultimately ejected from the game.
…And with the end of the Rays final game of the season series against the Yankees, the post-season hopes of every fan of the Rays have become all but dashed. A good friend put things in perspective: “The problem for the Rays, going forward, is that even if they win out, they’re chasing three (or four if you count the Yankees) teams. The Rays need at least two of those teams to lose, often, over the next week and a half. There is cause for hope still, of course, particularly if the Rays can find their bats. After all, they end the season at home against the Orioles, so if they can stay within three games, they’ll have a shot. But that’s a pretty tall order. It’s a 162-game season. There are, I think, 16 games left–against the Red Sox, Jays, White Sox, and O’s–and the Rays margin for error is pretty close to zero.” Enough said.
It’s safe to say that the upcoming series against the Red Sox is critical, even if they are under .500. With the margin of error being slim to none, the Rays cannot afford to lose any more ground to the other play-off contenders. You’ve also got to imagine that Bobby Valentine, and his ramblin’ brigade of rubes, would want nothing more than to serve Tampa Bay a heaping dish of revenge after last year.
Rays and Red Sox starters over the last 14 days.
Rays and Red Sox offensive production at home and away, (respectively) as well as over the last 14 days.
  • All is not lost, Tampa Bay definitely has some winnable games ahead of them. The Rays will play nine straight against sub-.500 clubs beginning with Monday night’s visit from the Boston Red Sox. They will need to BABIP the living daylights out of the Sox and Jays, if only to get back on track offensively.
  • (Lack of) offense; Tampa Bay, had five hits in yesterday’s loss. They’re batting .218 in the last 10 games and .172 with runners in scoring position. Yikes.
  • Could the Red Sox under the big-top be a god send? I have a sneaking suspicion that they could. According to ESPN, “The Red Sox have dropped 14 of 18 and 10 of 13 on the road, but won their first two games in Toronto this weekend before falling 5-0 in Sunday’s finale. They were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position in that defeat, which put them one shy of the franchise’s first losing season since 1997.”
  • Maybe Bobby V. will entertain us by doing, or saying, something stupid. He is entertaining, if only because he looks like a cross between Sandusky and one of the Klopeks.
  • DRaysBay makes a good point, “The Red Sox have dropped 14 of 18 and 10 of 13 on the road, but won their first two games in Toronto this weekend before falling 5-0 in Sunday’s finale. They were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position in that defeat, which put them one shy of the franchise’s first losing season since 1997.” Here here!
  • How do the Rays fare against the Red Sox starters? Let’s see.
  1. Aaron Cook: Cook is 1-1 with a 6.63 ERA in three games against the Rays, with Tampa Bay posting a .118 BA/.167 OBP/.324 SLG/.490 OPS against. It bears mentioning that the Rays have not faced Cook since 2009, so the numbers are reflective of most of the Rays (on the current roster) having never faced seen him. Key match-ups: Evan Longoria (2-4, HR, RBI), Carlos Pena (2-5, 2B, HR, RBI, BB)
  2. Felix Doubront: Tampa Bay has had a lot of success against Doubront, posting a .338 BA/.434 OBP/.585 SLG/1.019 OPS line against. Key match-ups: Ben Francisco (2-3, 2 2B), Desmond Jennings (2-4, 2B), Matt Joyce (1-2, BB), Jeff Keppinger (3-5, 2B, RBI), Evan Longoria (2-4, 2 2B, RBI, 3 BB), Sean Rodriguez (3-8, 3B), Luke Scott (2-6, 2 HR, 2 RBI), BJ Upton (2-6, 2B, 3B, BB)
  3. Daisuke Matsuzaka: The Rays have also hit Matsuzaka pretty well, posting a .266 BA/.442 OBP/.523 SLG/.965 OPS line against, with seven homers and doubles, and 25 RBI. They’ve also got a nice collection of 33 walks. I reckon the question should be which inning will the Rays knock Matsuzaka out of the game, not how long will he last. Key match-ups: Ben Francisco (1-3), Sam Fuld (1-2), Evan Longoria (4-12, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB), Carlos Pena (6-25, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 10 BB), Sean Rodriguez (2-6, 2B), Luke Scott (4-13, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 9 BB), Ben Zobrist (5-14, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB
  4. Clay Buchholz: Buchholz has been the Sox most consistent pitcher, though that’s not saying much. The Rays have posted a .231 BA/.319 OBP/.357 SLG/.676 OPS line against in 182 at-bats. Key match-ups: Sam Fuld (1-2, 2B, RBI), Desmond Jennings (1-4, BB), Matt Joyce (5-12, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB), Jose Molina (5-12, 2B, 3 RBI, BB), Sean Rodriguez (3-10, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB), BJ Upton (6-20, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 BB)
  • According to Mark Topkin, “In theory, all the Rays have to do is get within three games of the O’s and then at least they would have a chance. This would appear to be a good week for the Rays to make up some ground, as they host the two lagging AL East teams, the last-place Red Sox for four games and the Blue Jays for three. The Orioles have similar foes, but are on the road, playing at Seattle and then Boston. The Rays also trail the Angels, who host the Rangers and White Sox. And right behind the Rays are the Tigers, who have the easiest finishing schedule of all the contenders; this week they play the wild-card leading A’s and the Twins.”
  • Cool Standings has the Rays with a 16% chance of making the playoffs at the start of Monday, down from 26% prior to their loss in New York. The percentages will undoubtedly change as games are played.
  • No word on whether Sam Fuld will be available for any of the Rays/Sox series following a hamstring strain yesterday.

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