DRaysBay: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Login-facebook

Rays Fan Confidence Poll

Last tallied on 07/28.

26|1:|0|100&chxt=x,y&chco=5098c7&chd=t:51

Presented by SB Nation Tampa Bay

More great SB Nation Blogs

SB Nation Local

Baseball

Football

Basketball

College

Hockey

Soccer

Combat Sports

Golf

General

Tampa Bay on SB Nation

TBSBN

Bucs Nation

dRaysBay

Charge-md_medium

Voodoo Five

Rays Player News


Final - 7.31.2010 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York Yankees 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 5 6 0
Tampa Bay Rays 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 9 0
WP: David Robertson (2 - 3)
SV: Mariano Rivera (22)
LP: Rafael Soriano (2 - 1)

Complete Coverage >

Maddon: Jeremy Hellickson to Start for Rays on Monday

U.S. starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson throws against the World team during the All-Star Futures baseball game, Sunday, July 11, 2010, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

More photos » Jae C. Hong - AP

20 days ago: U.S. starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson throws against the World team during the All-Star Futures baseball game, Sunday, July 11, 2010, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Christmas has come early. Jeremy Hellickson, the Rays' top pitching prospect, is going to be called up Monday to start versus the Twins. According to Joe Maddon, everyone in the rotation will be moved back a spot and a corresponding roster move will be made Monday to make room for him. He won't be joining the rotation full-time; this is merely a one-time start. Will he then stay in the majors but slide to the bullpen? My guess is yes, but that depends on how comfortable the Rays are with Hellickson's current development.

Also, Maddon hinted that the Rays may make a roster move tomorrow (Dan Johnson?) depending on Ben Zobrist (sore back) and Carlos Pena (foot pain).

Who needs a trade when you can have this?

11 comments |

7/31/10 GDT: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays


Current Series

Rays lead the series 1-0

Fri 07/30 WP: Wade Davis (9 - 9)
SV: Rafael Soriano
LP: Phil Hughes (12 - 4)
3 - 2 win
Sun 08/01 1:40 PM EDT

What a day. Wow.

For the record, Chad Qualls is in Tampa already and should be available for the game.

800 comments |

Trade Deadline Wrap-Up: Rays Acquire Chad Qualls & (Seemingly) No One Else

I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't disappointed. While something could still come through, for all intents and purposes it seems as though the Rays didn't make another trade. The rumors were flying hard and fast and it looked as thought the Rays were in the thick of things, inches away from a trade. Just like the last few years, though, the Rays talked to everyone, but didn't pull the trigger on a big trade. They acquired Chad Qualls (for more on him, check out herehere, and here), but they didn't get the big bat that we wanted for the middle of the line-up.  Disappointed? Yeah, that's me.

At the same time, I'm trying to look on the bright side of things. And so, to try and keep myself thinking positive, here are some reasons I've brainstormed of why Rays' fans shouldn't be sad:

  •  As Matty Slow pointed out yesterday, the Rays don't need another bat to make the playoffs. We've got a significant lead on Boston as it is and our team is one of the best in the league; an extra bat would be insurance and would help in the playoffs, but we weren't in a "do or die" situation.
  • Reid Brignac. Sean Rodriguez. John Jaso. Wade Davis. Matt Joyce. Desmond Jennings. Jeremy Hellickson. Nick Barnese. Alex Cobb. Jake McGee. Tim Beckham. Matt Moore. Alex Colome. Kyle Lobstein. Wilking Rodriguez. Aneury Rodriguez. We still have them. ALL of them!
  • He's no Adam Dunn, but Dan Johnson and his 1.015 OPS is sitting and waiting in Durham. Just waiting. And at this point, there's no reason why he shouldn't be called up soon.
  • If we still want another bullpen arm to supplant Cormier/Sonnanstine, we have Winston Abreu and his 1.80 FIP chillin' out in Durham. Oh, and that Jeremy Hellickson guy will probably come up at some point and bolster the bullpen a la David Price in 2008.
  • The Yankees and Red Sox didn't add anyone big. Sure, the Yankees added some players to help their bench and bullpen, but Lance Berkman and Kerry Wood aren't the same players they were five years ago. We can still run with the Yanks in a short series. Oh, and Boston acquired a catcher (Jared Saltalamacchia), but it's not like they acquired Prince Fielder. They're no more of a threat than they were yesterday.
  • The Rays possibly aren't done yet. Each of the last two years, the Rays have pulled off important deals after the July 31st trade deadline. They're masters of the waiver line, so I wouldn't be surprised if they're not done yet.
  • We just beat the Yankees last night and it was friggin' awesome!

18 comments |

Trade Deadline Open Thread: Rays Linked to Manny Ramirez, Luke Scott, Adam Dunn

The Chad Qualls trade happened earlier than any of us were ready for.

This will serve as our thread for the rest of the day. The Slowinski brothers and myself will be posting trade rumors and any other updates that happen here throughout the day. Be sure to check back often for any news, and feel free to rosterbate in the comments.

Hopefully it's an exciting day.

***

For the final two hours we'll be posting all new updates here, at the top of the page. All rumors from this morning and the past few hours can be found after the jump.

2:00 pm: FINALLY! From Ed Price, "Source: #Rays and #Orioles in talks. Could involved Luke Scott, or a reliever (Ohman?)."

2:19 pm: From Joel Sherman; Rays have interest in Downs (Blue Jays), League (Mariners), but cost still high in relief market. Also, Jon Morosi reports that the Mariners are calling a Triple-A reliever to the majors. Unclear why at the moment.

2:42 pm: Per Ken Rosenthal, "Hearing #Rays, #Dodgers on League."

2:51 pm: Talk about buzzkill. Jayson Stark, "If #Mariners trade Brandon League, doesn't look as if it's to #Rays. Hearing Tampa Bay unlikely to make another deal today."

2:57 pm: From Tom Krasovic, "#Dodgers are making a push for Orioles OF Luke Scott. #Rays also in the mix." STAY AWAY FROM OUR PRECIOUS!

3:08 pm: From Tim Brown, "Luke Scott getting play. But, not from the Dodgers."

3:25 pm: Sounds like the Yankees may end up with Kerry Wood (per Buster Olney). Ugh. Why don't they just stop already?

Continue reading this post »

1102 comments |

Rays Acquire Chad Qualls From Diamondbacks for PTBNL; Grant Balfour to DL

And no, we don't mean the Podcast. From MLB Trade Rumors:

The unloading of veteran Diamondbacks continues, as they've shipped reliever Chad Qualls to the Rays for a player to be named later.  The Rays will pay the entire $1.48MM remaining on Qualls' contract, keeping interim GM Jerry Dipoto's streak alive of not sending cash in his transactions.

This seems about as official as official can get. We've covered Qualls here on DRB multiple times in the last month, including ranking him number six in our trade deadline wish list., and he'll definitely provide our bullpen with more depth. While his ERA looks ghastly (8.29), he's striking out eight batter per nine and walking only three and a half. His problem seems to stem from a .434 BABIP and a 51.4% left on base percentage, which could be a result of bad luck and/or grooving too many pitches. In the end, though, he's an extreme groundball pitcher (54.9% GB rate) and the Rays have one of the best infield defenses in the league. When he's at his best, Qualls is closer material, giving the Rays a potential steal of a trade. He should fit in nicely.

Even if Qualls doesn't immediately revert to his 2008-2009 self, the Rays only need him to be better than the last man in their bullpen: Andy Sonnanstine or Lance Cormier. One of them will need to go to make room for Qualls: either Cormier will need to be DFA'd or Andy optioned to the minors. Either way, it boosts the depth of the Rays' pen and provides us with that other bullpen arm we've been so dearly coveting.

UPDATE: From Marc Topkin, "Grant Balfour headed to the DL with a intercostal (rib) strain. That's how they'll make room for Qualls." Topkin also goes on to say that Balfour could miss 4-6 weeks, which would place his return around the middle of September. 

68 comments |

Joyce, Davis Lead Rays Past Yankees 3-2

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Rafael Soriano, foreground, celebrates after putting out New York Yankees' Jorge Posada (20) in the ninth inning to complete the save of a 3-2 win in a baseball game Friday, July 30, 2010, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

More photos » Mike Carlson - AP

1 day ago: Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Rafael Soriano, foreground, celebrates after putting out New York Yankees' Jorge Posada (20) in the ninth inning to complete the save of a 3-2 win in a baseball game Friday, July 30, 2010, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

As exciting and tense as that game just was, it was also incredibly straightforward. The Yankees scored their two runs on a "bloop and a blast" in the first inning - a single by Derek Jeter and  a homerun by Nick Swisher - but were then held to just five baserunners for the rest of the night. The Rays, on the other hand, got two runners on in the sixth inning before Matt Joyce crushed a homerun into the rightfield stands, but only had three other baserunners the rest of the evening. There were no late-inning pinch hitters or dramatics, no quirky moves by Joe Maddon, no complicated plays to explain. It was a classic pitcher's duel, and a darn exciting one at that.

Wade Davis pitched one of this best games of the season - nay, his career - last night, holding the Yankees to only two runs for a full seven innings. He struck out six hitters, his most in a game in over a month, and he only walked three batters. Davis relied almost exclusively on his four-seam fastball, throwing it 74 times on the evening, but he also mixed in two dozen curveballs and a handful of sliders and two-seam fastballs. His curveballs were particluarly effective; they had a 12.5% whiff rate and some of them were quite nasty to watch. As much abuse as he gets around here sometimes, Davis has been very effective in his last four starts, letting up two runs or less in each start while lasting 7 innings, 8 innings, 6.1 innings, and 7 innings. A sign of better things to come? I hope so.

The real story of the night, though, was Matt Joyce.

Continue reading this post »

72 comments |

That'll Do

Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Joyce hits a three-run home run in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, July 30, 2010, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

More photos » Mike Carlson - AP

1 day ago: Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Joyce hits a three-run home run in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, July 30, 2010, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

104 comments  |  4 recs |

Series Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays

CLEVELAND - JULY 29:  Colin Curtis #27 Nick Swisher #33 and Curtis Granderson #14 of the New York Yankees celebrate in the outfield following their win against the Cleveland Indians during the game on July 29 2010 at Progressive Field in Cleveland Ohio.  (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

More photos » Jared Wickerham - Getty Images

1 day ago: CLEVELAND - JULY 29: Colin Curtis #27 Nick Swisher #33 and Curtis Granderson #14 of the New York Yankees celebrate in the outfield following their win against the Cleveland Indians during the game on July 29 2010 at Progressive Field in Cleveland Ohio. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

First two games are 7:10 PM start; Sunday's game is a 1:40 PM start.

Friday, July 30: Phil Hughes (4.00 FIP)  vs. Wade Davis (5.33 FIP)

Saturday, July 31: Javier Vazquez (4.92 FIP) vs. Matt Garza (4.52 FIP)

Sunday, August 1: CC Sabathia (3.61 FIP) vs. James Shields (4.20 FIP)

This is huge. Enormous. I don't want to get hyperbolic when there's still 60 games left in the regular season, but this is about as important a series as you can have at this stage in the season. The Rays have been on fire recently - winning their last six games in a row - but the Yankees haven't been doing so bad themselves, winning seven of their last ten games to stay two games ahead of the Rays. The Rays need to win this series to make up ground in the division, but more importantly, they need to win so that they can keep Boston from getting any closer in the Wild Card race. Five and a half games is a nice cushion, but if the Rays get swept and Boston takes a few games from the Tigers, things can change in a hurry.

Continue reading this post »

68 comments |

More Posts from DRaysBay

Explore Full Archive Next Page


User Tools

Founded in 2005. DRaysBay is home to "Progressive statistical analysis and reasoned argument."
Start posting about the Rays »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

Connect_with_facebook

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Converse5vp3_small
The Trade Deadline Thread
Zorilla_small
A Fanpost on the Clutch Stat

Recent FanPosts

Andy_samberg_jimp_small
Jeremy Hellickson to make his Major League debut on Monday versus the Twins
4287_559112511892_1101386_33047121_2807872_n_small
Hanley for Hellickson, Brignac, Moore, & Barnese?
Charzissou_small
OTTOTD 7/30/10: The Poor Matthew Hall Edition
Rays_small
Carlos Pena Breaks Rays' All-Time HBP Record
Mod_target_small
7/29/2010 OTTOTD We're All Suckers!
Small
TRADE TARGET: CRAIG BRESLOW
Jamesshields_small
OTTOTD: We are all Gentle Path A-Listers
Small
Manny Ramirez as Rays DH
Mod_target_small
7/27/10 OTTOTD: Shoop da woop

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

DRB Twitter

FanShots

Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.

Recent FanShots

Rays acquire Chad Qualls for a PTBNL according to...
I mean... isn't this the Rays' problem right here? A guy cheering Matt Joyce's clutch home run in a freakin' Yankees T-shirt. YOU FAIL, SIR.
Adam Dunn said he would be comfortable becoming a DH for the rest of this...
Very Rich Guy to Buy Yankees
Red Sox sell-out streak revealed as scam
Garza: "Becoming the first Rays player ever to pitch a no-hitter has been a great experience.  I really couldn’t have done it without the support from my team.  To thank them for their nine innings of hard work, I decided to give them a personalized embroidered bag and bottle of Crown Royal Black.  That way, we can all celebrate together when enjoying the new whisky."

Classy.
Hellickson pulled after three scoreless innings
Nice outing by Matt Moore against the Yankees
Desmond Jennings now the latest Boras client
Selig: 2011 MLB season to begin sooner, end earlier

+ New FanShot All FanShots >

64 - 39

2

Lost 1

59

Current Series

3 game series vs Yankees @ Tropicana Field

Fri 07/30 WP: Wade Davis (9 - 9)
SV: Rafael Soriano
LP: Phil Hughes (12 - 4)
3 - 2 win
Sat 07/31 WP: David Robertson (2 - 3)
SV: Mariano Rivera
LP: Rafael Soriano (2 - 1)
4 - 5 loss

AL East Standings

W L PCT GB STRK
New York 66 37 .640 0 Won 1
Tampa Bay 64 39 .621 2 Lost 1
Boston 59 45 .567 7.5 Won 1
Toronto 54 50 .519 12.5 Lost 1
Baltimore 32 72 .307 34.5 Lost 2

(updated 7.31.2010 at 10:11 PM EDT)

Tampa Bay Rays Roster

pitchers # Pos.
Grant Balfour 50 P
Joaquin Benoit 53 P
Randy Choate 36 P
Lance Cormier 31 P
Wade Davis 40 P
Matt Garza 22 P
Jeff Niemann 34 P
David Price 14 P
James Shields 33 P
Andy Sonnanstine 21 P
Rafael Soriano 29 P
Dan Wheeler 35 P
catchers # Pos.
John Jaso 28 C
Kelly Shoppach 10 C
infielders # Pos.
Jason Bartlett 8 SS
Reid Brignac 15 2B
Evan Longoria 3 3B
Carlos Pena 23 1B
Sean Rodriguez 1 SS
outfielders # Pos.
Carl Crawford 13 LF
Gabe Kapler 19 RF
B.J. Upton 2 CF
Ben Zobrist 18 RF
designated hitters # Pos.
Willy Aybar 16 DH
Matt Joyce 20 DH

More

Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

15-Day

Player Injury Type Injury Date
J.P. Howell shoulder 03/26/2010
Grant Balfour other-excused 07/29/2010

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player Injury Type Injury Date
Carlos Pena foot 07/31/2010
Ben Zobrist lower-back 07/31/2010

SBNation.com Recent Stories

ST. LOUIS - MAY 18:  Ryan Ludwick #47 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds third base after hitting a game-winning homerun against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium on May 18, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri.  The Cardinals beat the Nationals 3-2.  (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) +3 updates

Padres, Cardinals, Indians Complete Three-Way Trade Involving Ryan Ludwick, Jake Westbrook

SEATTLE - JULY 08:  Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees hits an RBI single in the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on July 8 2010 in Seattle Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) +15 updates

Yankees' 9th-Inning Win Completely Overshadowed By A-Rod's Ongoing Homer Drought

Colorado Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez connects on a triple against the Chicago Cubs in the third inning of a baseball game at Coors Field in Denver, Colo. on Saturday, July 31, 2010.  (AP Photo/ Matt McClain) link

Carlos Gonzalez Completes Cycle With Walkoff Homer; Rockies Beat Cubs, 6-5

More from SBNation.com >


Baseball Operations

Rays_small Steve Slowinski

Big_pun--300x300_small Tommy Rancel

Zorilla_small FreeZorilla

Price_small Erik Hahmann

Pro Scouting

P6090001_small mslowins

Player Development

52376727_small rglass44

Flying-car-m400_small RZ

Small PGP