DRaysBay: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:



Around SBN: Brad Ziegler Diaries Bar-right-arrows



4/25: Boston (15-9) at RAYS (11-11)

Boston @ Tampa Bay


Boston at RAYS

7:10; FSN Florida
RAYS RADIO/1250 AM

Pitching Matchup:


IP ERA + K/9 BB/9 K/BB HR/9 OPS WHIP G/F P/IP
BOS RH T. Wakefield 189.0 4.76 100 5.24 3.05 1.72 1.05 .753 1.35 0.92 15.24
RAYS RH M. Garza 83.0 3.69 118 7.27 3.47 2.09 0.87 .784 1.54 1.27 17.52

All Statistics from 2007 Season

RH Tim Wakefield, Boston-Of all the Ray-killing pitchers that we've seen come through Tropicana Field over the years, I don't think anyone has managed the surpass Tim Wakefield's track record of pure ownage. Tonight, Wakefield will most likely throw his 200th career inning against the Rays, and through the first 196.1, he has been absolutely dominant in St. Petersburg. For some reason, whenever he faces the Rays, his control gets better, his hanging knucklers go past hitters for strikes, and the Sox seem to achieve victory. Of course, part of this has to do with more than half of his innings against the Rays coming within the confines of a dome, but still. Wakefield, like most knucklers, is naturally a better pitcher in domes, where the neutral environment allows him more control over his knuckleball. Opponents have hit just .224/.312/.366 off of Wakefield in domes, and he has a 2.41 ERA in 101 innings of work at the Trop.

You've got to give Wakefield a lot of credit, actually. For a guy who throws his fastball in the mid-70s, he has managed quite a bit of success over his career. He's long since removed from the days of decent strikeout rates, and the natural control problems that occur with knucklers have been arising more often these last couple years. But Wakefield has managed to remain successful, albeit unpredictable, over the course of his career. Most of his outs in recent years have come by way of the flyball, so the standard risks in dealing there apply. If you can get ahold of a knuckler Wakefield has allowed to get away, you can hit it about 440 feet. Quite simply, he deals in so much risk that inconsistency is to be expected.

But on balance, Wakefield has been a constant for the Red Sox when it is all tallied up. Day to day that may not be true, but for the last 13 seasons he has been a steady hand when it's all said and done for Boston. He may not be the guy you want to start Game 7, given his unpredictable nature, but more often than not he will give you a chance to win. And more often than not, that has been all the Red Sox have needed from their back-end starters.

RH Matt Garza, RAYS-Hopefully Matt Garza's return to the mound will be more successful for the Rays than his curtain call in the home opener two and a half weeks ago. On April 8th home against Seattle, Garza experienced terrible control problems and gave up a ton of baserunners in an eventual 6-5 loss. He pitched just 2.2 innings of work before being retired due to "radial nerve irritation" in his arm. He spent the better part of the last three weeks "rehabbing" on the DL, and one rehab start in A+ Vero Beach later, and he's all ready to go! Or so the story goes.

In all seriousness, Garza worries me. I don't know much about the "radial nerve irritation" that Garza has been experiencing, but it sure doesn't sound like something that can be all better after two weeks of rest and rehabilitation. It would be disingenuous of me to suggest that I know more about the matter than the team doctors and club officials, I'm just worried. Couple the injury with Garza's apparent unwillingness to be forthright about previous discomfort, and I'm not getting a good vibe about the whole thing. I don't think the Rays would let him go out to the mound with his arm dangling from a thread, obviously, but that does nothing to lessen my anxiety. Hopefully the team exercised just the right amount of caution here, and my concerns are for naught, but a healthy Garza still brings a whole different host of problems.

The first? His control. We saw absolutely none of it in his first two starts of the season, and once again in his rehab start on Sunday for A+ Vero Beach. In fact, I would nominate that he hasn't pitched well in any meaningful game this season. He showed flashes of nastiness in his first start of the year on April 2nd in Baltimore, but he ultimately ended up surrendering five runs in 5.1 innings in an eventual loss. He's given up homers and baserunners galore, and those deficiencies aren't without precedent. He gave up a ton of hits for Minnesota last year as well.

In the end, it's only two starts. Two starts can delude anyone into misjudging a pitcher; see Jackson, Edwin. But in what should be Garza's first full major league season, we are seeing some potential trouble spots. He will have his hands full right off the bat with one of baseball's premier offensive teams welcoming him back, and I can't think of a bigger confidence-builder going forward than a healthy and successful start against those Boston Red Sox this evening.

Starting Lineups:

Boston
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Dustin Pedroia
DH David Ortiz
LF Manny Ramírez
3B Kevin Youkilis
RF J.D. Drew
1B Sean Casey
SS Julio Lugo
C Kevin Cash
RAYS
2B Akinori Iwamura
LF Carl Crawford
CF B.J. Upton
DH Jonny Gomes
3B Evan Longoria
1B Eric Hinske
C Dioner Navarro
RF Gabe Gross
SS Jason Bartlett

GO RAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0 recs | Comment 415 comments

Story-email Email | Print |

Comments

Display:

First

MVP: Real Beej

Mound Visit

by Mound Visit on Apr 25, 2008 6:17 PM EDT   0 recs

Gimme Gomes

Hitting Clean-Up for my MVP

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 6:55 PM EDT   0 recs

MVP: Wakefield

by websterjtc on Apr 25, 2008 6:57 PM EDT   0 recs

is that taboo? picking the enemy for mvp of the game?

by websterjtc on Apr 25, 2008 6:58 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Only if you're wrong

And he doesn’t play for the Red Sox or Yankess.

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:03 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

do you mean if i’m right?

by websterjtc on Apr 25, 2008 7:10 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

You can never be right.

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:19 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

C’mon G-Spot

by websterjtc on Apr 25, 2008 7:10 PM EDT   0 recs

Oh great. he’s on a 90 pitch limit against the most patient team and no percy.

by websterjtc on Apr 25, 2008 7:11 PM EDT   0 recs

Damn Rings.

My Blog. Check it out if you wish.

by Cory Alexander on Apr 25, 2008 7:12 PM EDT   0 recs

Garza has the New Era sticker under the brim of his hat.

by websterjtc on Apr 25, 2008 7:12 PM EDT   0 recs

supposedly Manny Ramirez will intentionally take an awful swing on a pitch so the pitcher will throw it again….

by websterjtc on Apr 25, 2008 7:15 PM EDT   0 recs

HIT A LD AKI JESUS

My Blog. Check it out if you wish.

by Cory Alexander on Apr 25, 2008 7:19 PM EDT   0 recs

C’mon Joe…Make Aki run a lap after the game

by websterjtc on Apr 25, 2008 7:19 PM EDT   0 recs

Push-ups

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:20 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

CRAWFORD TRIPLE

My Blog. Check it out if you wish.

by Cory Alexander on Apr 25, 2008 7:20 PM EDT   0 recs

Easy triple

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:20 PM EDT   0 recs

he’s got 76 triples in just over 1000 atbats…that’s like 9% of his hits are triples.

by websterjtc on Apr 25, 2008 7:21 PM EDT   0 recs

1-0 Rays

My Blog. Check it out if you wish.

by Cory Alexander on Apr 25, 2008 7:22 PM EDT   0 recs

No.

Fly right, pop first, fly left, single right, fly right

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:32 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

LEts go garza

"I'd hate to leave right when the getting is good." -CC

by Matt Bishoff on Apr 25, 2008 7:33 PM EDT   0 recs

Gameday

Had the second and fourth pitches as strikes

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:35 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

36 Pitches Already

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:39 PM EDT   0 recs

Aki should go talk to him

That would be awesome.

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:42 PM EDT   0 recs

why doesnt he throw his curve or slider more?

seems like all he does is the fastball/changeup combo

by Jombari on Apr 25, 2008 7:44 PM EDT   0 recs

Ugh

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:45 PM EDT   0 recs

He should get his arm flap looked at

by gatorbait on Apr 25, 2008 7:46 PM EDT   0 recs

Good concentration Hinske

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:47 PM EDT   0 recs

thank you shitske

by gatorbait on Apr 25, 2008 7:48 PM EDT   0 recs

that was a painful inning

you cut out the 2 strike walks, and Garza will be good.

by davidsmarch on Apr 25, 2008 7:48 PM EDT   0 recs

53 Pitches through 2 innings

Only 25 for strikes
And 1 mudflap on his elbow.

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:49 PM EDT   0 recs

C'MON LONGO!

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:50 PM EDT   0 recs

lol

Time to pay up.

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:55 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Crap Biscuits

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:57 PM EDT   0 recs

This ump sucks.

He’s not even close with his balls/strikes

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 7:59 PM EDT   0 recs

Need an Aki-Knock

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 8:02 PM EDT   0 recs

That was disgusting.

2nd and 3rd with no outs and we get nothing.

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 8:04 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

FORK!

by gatorbait on Apr 25, 2008 8:03 PM EDT   0 recs

Nice at-bats from Longoria, Hinkse and Gross.

Nothing to show for it.

by RATW on Apr 25, 2008 8:04 PM EDT   0 recs

Umps tonight are awful!

If you want results, press the red button. The rest are useless.

by Katie on Apr 25, 2008 8:18 PM EDT   0 recs

I just told my wife it's because we're playing the Red Sox.

She says “No Way”

Then Staats and Magrane back me up.

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 8:18 PM EDT   0 recs

Shit...

Should be tied…we get screwed again

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 8:19 PM EDT   0 recs

What have I missed folks?

"I've seen many, many blue skies turn gray, but the sun will eventually return, and so will I. So will I." - Carlos Pena

by R.J. Anderson on Apr 25, 2008 8:19 PM EDT   0 recs

Umps are screwing us

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Apr 25, 2008 8:19 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Crap.

"I've seen many, many blue skies turn gray, but the sun will eventually return, and so will I. So will I." - Carlos Pena

by R.J. Anderson on Apr 25, 2008 8:20 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Ah, so the normal?

"I've seen many, many blue skies turn gray, but the sun will eventually return, and so will I. So will I." - Carlos Pena

by R.J. Anderson on Apr 25, 2008 8:20 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Everything!

If you want results, press the red button. The rest are useless.

by Katie on Apr 25, 2008 8:19 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

double steal, BJ called out at 3rd, but he wasvery safe,

longo takes one to RF, and only Gomes scores. game should be tied.

by davidsmarch on Apr 25, 2008 8:20 PM EDT   0 recs

sometimes i feel like i'm being paranoid,

but i really do feel like we are on the poor end of a lot of calls, more so then seems like just the normal amount of missed calls.

by davidsmarch on Apr 25, 2008 8:23 PM EDT