The GBT - The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
RAYS 2, Orioles 0 (boxscore)
THE GOOD: Kevin Cash picks up his first win as a big league manager. After the game, Cash was pulled into the showed where he was doused with “beer and other things“…Jake Odorizzi threw 6.2 scoreless innings. That’s pretty standard for him. He had 7 starts last year in which he did not allow a run, tied with Alex Cobb for the second most in the AL. And Jake brought the good changeup. He threw his split-change 29 times and the Orioles swung-and-missed 10 times. Of those, 5 were strike 3…The Rays took the lead for the first time this season with Logan Forsythe’s bases-loaded walk. It was the Rays’ 105th bases-loaded walk since the start of the ’08 season, 17 more than any other team during that span.
THE BAD: James Loney went on the DL with a strained oblique. The Rays are saying they caught it early and hope he’ll only be out 2 weeks, but you never know with obliques. There are now 8 players on the disabled list…There have been 5 replay challenges in the first 3 games and all 5 have gone against the Rays.
THE TELLING: The Rays still have not named a starter for Friday’s game in Miami…Allan Dykstra was called up to take James Loney’s spot and started at first base. This led to the odd sequence in which Tim Beckham, the first pick of the ’08 draft, pinch hit for Dykstra, the 23rd pick of the ’08 draft. Both are in their 8th pro seasons and have 16 career plate appearances combined…To make room on the 40-man roster for Allan Dykstra, the Rays promoted the injured Burch Smith and then placed him on the 60-day DL (Tommy John surgery). Players on the 60-day DL don’t count towards the 40-man roster…The Rays have used a different DH in the leadoff spot for all 3 games. That hasn’t happened since 1991 according to Elias…Jeremy Hellickson gave up 3 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks in 4.1 innings in Diamondbacks loss, his first with his new team…Scott Kazmir allowed just 1 hit and struck out 10 in 7 shutout innings for the A’s.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Here is a review of the Rays’ international signings. [Baseball America]
- Yesterday we posted a comprehensive list of the Rays’ top prospects. [RaysIndex]
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7 Comments
Superb effort by Odo AND the relievers. I had a nightmare that Peralta would be called in to "seal the win." Not this year!
The relievers looks superb this year. And McGee's not even back yet!
Congrats all around. Thrilled to see them win again.
Now: Why are the Rays shifting up 2 in the 9th to Da Aza? Can someone on God's green earth explain that to me? He is up there merely to get on base. Why do the Rays leave the left side of the infield open?
His hit, that barely cleared the shift, went counter to statistical probability. The data on the pitcher and the batter combined to encourage the shift. It's new age baseball (you should be used to it by now thanks to JoMa).
I hope Souza has a quick learning curve, because his angles have been rough.
I'm all for shifting, but when the game situation clearly calls for DaAza to abandon his patterns and just get on, that is when it is stupid. Kid just poked one towards 3b side. Even if Longoria gets a glove on it, there is no play because Longo had to go so far to get it. Now tying run is to the plate. Tone deaf shifting is no good.
De Aza has 39 home runs in 1967 career at bats. His approach should always be to poke it towards 3b if they are shifting on him. It's insane that a guy who can steal 20+ bases would ever be such a pull hitter that teams shift on him in any situation.
Can we talk a moment about Longo's approach this year? I know he struck out once yesterday, but it really feels like he's seeing the ball well. Balls that are out of the zone are being left alone and balls in the zone are being swung at. I don't know if it's a change in his approach or if he's feeling less pressure, but it really feels refreshing.