Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Beat Cubs in Extra Innings, 4-3

Let me preface this by saying that trying to watch a baseball game on ESPN’s Livecast is incredibly difficult when you’re also trying to speak to parents at the summer camp you work at. It’s an awkward situation when you utter an obscenity under your breath after you see the Chicago Cubs take an early lead, as a parent walks up to pick up their kid. That being said, I have to now ask, where has the offense — or rather the clutch offense — been? Coming into this game, since what is more and more beginning to seem like one of the darkest days in recent history (the Price trade), the Rays are 2-6. And save for the Odorizzi’s five run first inning Sunday, the pitching has been all in all solid.

Rays 8/8/14 Starting Lineup, Etc

Rays 8/8/14 Starting Lineup Jennings CF Zobrist RF Guyer LF Longoria 3B Rodriguez 1B Escobar SS Casali C Archer RHP Forsythe 2B Noteworthiness From the game notes: The Rays’ pitchers are 1-for-14 (.071) in 2014, but own 2 of the 6 RBI recorded by AL pitchers (Odorizzi sac bunt, Cobb RBI double). Today marks only …

The New What Next: The Rays Enter Wrigley, and I’m Going to Drink Old Style

I don’t need to remind you of the importance of a series win, especially against a sub .500 team. The Cubs have gone 10-10 over their last 20-games (as of 8/7/14), with eight of those 10 losses being rather convincing. In those games, opponents have outscored Chicago 79-34, for a differential of 45 runs. Though the Cubs have scored a few more runs than the Rays over the last month, their pitching staff posted a meaty 4.64 ERA and a 2.9 WAR in the same span. Compare that to the Rays 2.78 ERA and 4.3 WAR over the last month.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Offense Was Productive in Their 10-3 Win

There was a palpable, post trade, feeling of despair that permeated The Trop Friday night. You could feel it in the stands, and though you’d never hear the players make mention of anything of the sort, you could see it in the on field action — the Rays seemed slow, void of spark until the ninth inning. Though the trade was a major blow to the esteem of the 25+ guys in the dugout, at some point they’d have to emerge from the proverbial fog and prove they could still be competitive without Price. That point was last night. The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Los Angeles Angels by a score of 10-3, Saturday night.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Hellickson, Rays Fall to Angels 5-3

Friday marked the first game of the post David Price era, and boy was it a doozy! I’m obviously lying. In short Jeremy Hellickson gave up four early runs and couldn’t make it through the fifth inning for the third consecutive game, and Tampa Bay — despite scoring opportunities aplenty — couldn’t overcome a two run deficit. Joe Maddon called it a winnable game in his presser following the contest — and it was. But would have, could have, and should have beens don’t count for anything in baseball; The Rays dropped the first game of the series to the Angels by a 5-3 score. Come to think of it, it didn’t deviate much from a typical Rays’ loss even when Price was on the roster.