At this point in the season, when it – as a whole — has been largely conceived as a waste, the best a fan can do is look for the little things to celebrate; a good pitching performance, setting a franchise record, watching a team shutout one of the best teams in baseball. As a fan, I’ve resolved myself to do just that, while also look at the Rays in the future context with the simple question in mind: What are the Rays doing in the present tense, that may carry over into Spring Training and the 2015 season? If the last two games are indicative of anything, the pitching staff looks like it will be solid once more, while the offense is going to need some offseason work on situational hitting.
Tag Archives: Baseball
The New What Next: Baltimore Vs. Tampa Bay Part Six — A Series Preview of Sorts
The Rays welcome the Orioles for the sixth and final series of the season. For Tampa Bay, the wanton desire to finish off the season on a high note hasn’t translated to tallies in the win column. Rather, it feels like a slow dragging grind to game 162 — akin to a funeral procession. The Rays, coming off their 17th shutout of the year, have fallen short in 13 of their last 19.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Drop Second Straight, 7-4
I must confess; between celebrating my brother’s birthday and writing a piece on the Rays infield moving forward, I didn’t get a chance to write about the 7-4 loss at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. Let’s be honest, Chris Archer yielding six runs and a power outage — both literal and proverbial — don’t really make for a compelling game of baseball. The short and narrow, Tampa Bay dropped its first home series to Toronto for the first time since April 2007 — a span lasting 21 series. Ouch.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Hellickson, Rays Pounded 8-2
My friend, Tim, who works at the Ale and the Witch summed up last night’s 8-2 loss in layman’s terms,
Hellickson was Hellickson, Dickey was Dickey, and the Blue Jays offense was the Blue Jays offense.
I can’t argue with his assessment of the game.
Rays 9/2/14 Starting Lineup, Etc
Rays 9/2/14 Starting Lineup Zobrist 2B Myers RF Joyce LF Longoria 3B Loney 1B Escobar SS DeJesus DH Hanigan C Kiermaier CF Hellickson RHP Noteworthiness The recently retired Jesse Litsch throwing out first pitch tonight at The Trop. The former Dixie Hollins High product was the Rays intern/batboy, and most recently a Blue Jays pitcher. …