4/27: RAYS 3, Boston 0

by R.J. Anderson on Apr 27, 2008 4:08 PM EDT

RAYS 3, Boston 0

Tropicana FieldSt. Petersburg, FL

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
RAYS	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	X	3	5	0

Win Probability Table Courtesy of Fan Graphs

RAYS SWEEP BOSTON!

Poll

Who was the MVP of this afternoon's game?

SP Jamie Shields

301 votes

3B Evan Longoria

18 votes

SS Jason Bartlett

4 votes

323 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Amazing

Sonnanstine faces 29 batters through a 3-hit, 4-baserunner shutout against the White Sox and eight days later Shields faces 29 batters in a 2-hit, 3-baserunner shutout against the Red Sox.

Absolutely unreal.

by Vin on Apr 27, 2008 4:26 PM EDT reply actions

Who the hell are we?

"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 27, 2008 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions

That is MR. JAMES ANTHONY SHIELDS please. And you may call him SIR.

by bobr on Apr 27, 2008 4:28 PM EDT reply actions

Baltimore is losing too.

First place, FTW

by websterjtc on Apr 27, 2008 4:36 PM EDT reply actions

11-6 vs. the AL East

Hot damn.

by Vin on Apr 27, 2008 4:44 PM EDT reply actions

Yep, and a series split or sweep vs. every AL East team before the end of April

Longlorious.

by RATW on Apr 27, 2008 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions

I attended all 3 games

And must say that there is nothing in the world better than the feeling of a mini-broom clanging off of the side of a cowbell

by GomesSweetGomes on Apr 27, 2008 4:44 PM EDT reply actions

FIRST PLACE!

"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 27, 2008 5:17 PM EDT reply actions

"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 27, 2008 6:14 PM EDT reply actions

Hahaha

Get this kid a beer, or pop, now!

by Jacob Larsen on Apr 27, 2008 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions

But the Yankees payroll makes the Red Sox look like cheapskates. I give the Sox credit. They underspend the Yankees by a vast amount, and are still clearly better. That Top-3 Sox rotation is fantastic, and Lester is a good young prospect too. Compare that to the Yankees – Mussina? Kennedy? Gotta respect Wang, but otherwise that rotation sucks.

The Sox turned the corner when they started to surround themselves with smart baseball people, not the least of which Bill James. Now you see people like the Greek God of Walks in the middle of the order causing havoc. With the Yankees, it’s a constant tug of war between Cashman and clueless ownership.

Without question we have turned the corner too. Friedman is making a lot of good moves. Hinske looks like a steal, just like Pena last season.

How good we can be in 2008 I am not certain. I’m thinking that .500 record is looking more and more attainable. But we still need more pop in the lineup, and a healthy, dominant Kazmir, to start thinking about a wild card.

by RayFanNY on Apr 27, 2008 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Smart people

Note that one of the first things the new Rays ownership did was hire a host of “smart people”, some from BP for example. The front office is littered with advanced thinkers and analysts who have worked with Bill James and his coterie.

Note too that from the start, in nearly every deal or pickup, the hitters have been noted for their plate discipline. They may or may not become stars, or even major leaguers, but it was clear that there was a plan to acquire specific kinds of skilled players-Pedroza, Zobrist, Ruggiano, Pena, Choi all fit that description. The only one I can think of (at the moment) who did not is Joel Guzman, a high risk/high reward acquisition.

by bobr on Apr 28, 2008 6:36 AM EDT up reply actions

This is the turning point in our franchise’s history.

by Orlando Rays on Apr 27, 2008 8:41 PM EDT reply actions

“That first game was kind of embarrassing for us [Friday night], I’m not going to lie about that,” said Shields, who earlier addressed how disappointed he was in the home fans for not showing up to support the team. “It was kind of embarrassing, and tonight was a little different ballgame. I heard the Rays fans come out. That’s great for us. We were pumped up in the dugout. It’s one of those things where the fans bring us together.”

by websterjtc on Apr 27, 2008 8:51 PM EDT reply actions

I agree

but in the same breath, this blog shows how dedicated fans can be…

I just wish I were in FL, soon guys…soon.

by Jacob Larsen on Apr 27, 2008 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah

there are a bunch of dedicated ones. I go to about every game. I cheer loud every game and bring the cowbell when I need to shut up the damn yankees and red sox. I love it when the trop is rocking it makes it better as a fan also.

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navy Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls

by SRQman on Apr 27, 2008 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions

As my name suggests

I’m in NY, so I cannot be at too many games. I plan on vacationing in central or western FL next spring, hopefully to catch a handful of Rays games while I’m there.

In the meantime, I’m glued to MLB.TV watching this.

by RayFanNY on Apr 27, 2008 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions