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7/10: RAYS (55-35) at CLE (37-53)

Patavatar_tiny by Patrick L. Kennedy on in Games

Tampa Bay @ Cleveland


RAYS at Cleveland

7:05; FSN Florida
RAYS RADIO/1250 AM

Pitching Matchup:


 IP ERA + K/9 BB/9 K/BB HR/9 OPS WHIP G/F P/IP
RAYS RH A. Sonnanst.
 108.2 4.31
 95 5.71 1.66 3.45 0.66 .772 1.35 1.16 15.12
CLE LH A. Laffey
 80.0 3.49
 120 4.05 2.70 1.50 0.79 .701 1.28 1.60 15.49

Starting Lineups:

RAYS
2B Akinori Iwamura
LF Carl Crawford
CF B.J. Upton
1B Carlos Peña
3B Evan Longoria
C Dioner Navarro
DH
 Willy Aybar
RF Jonny Gomes
SS Ben Zobrist
Cleveland
CF Grady Sizemore
2B Jamey Carroll
LF
 Ben Francisco
SS
 Jhonny Peralta
1B
 Casey Blake
RF Shin-Soo Choo
C Kelly Shoppach
DH David Dellucci
3B
 Andy Marte

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

0 recs | Comment 957 comments

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Comments

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O

Blake
USF--Class of '09

by usfraysfan on Jul 10, 2008 5:37 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Over

TAMPA BAY RAYS: 2008 CITRUS SERIES CHAMPIONS

by JMB on Jul 10, 2008 6:21 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Under

Tools Whore

Sign Bonds!

by Tyler on Jul 10, 2008 6:48 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Cleveland without Chuck E. Cheese

hmmmm….

Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach.

by Orlando Rays on Jul 10, 2008 5:32 PM EDT   0 recs

Laffey's #'s look like Ponson's

Lots of grounders, low strikeout rate, doesn’t walk too many.

Hit ‘em where they ain’t boys – like over the fence!

by Jason Collette on Jul 10, 2008 5:38 PM EDT   0 recs

MVP: Gomes

He’s bound to get a hit sometime.

by GomesSweetGomes on Jul 10, 2008 5:40 PM EDT   0 recs

I now guarantee he gets at least one hit.

If I’m wrong, let God strike down SaberToothedPie.

by GomesSweetGomes on Jul 10, 2008 5:45 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Gomes plz get a hit

plz plz plz plz plz plz plz plz plz plz plz plz

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 10, 2008 6:12 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

We can't lose a fan

and I don’t want anything to make this day sad. :)

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 10, 2008 6:13 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Gomes better get a fucking hit

I don’t wanna be traded. Where would I end up?

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 10, 2008 6:15 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

@#%#@$^%#@$

GOMES GET A HIT#$@$!

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 10, 2008 6:16 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I will retire....

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 10, 2008 6:28 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

So Jim Riggleman is somewhat awesome.
"The manager’s got to be able to make a lineup out without feeling somebody’s going to be unhappy,’’ he said, "If we sat Willie Bloomquist and he was unhappy, we could handle it. But if one of your big boys is down in the dumps, that can take others down.’‘

by R.J. Anderson on Jul 10, 2008 5:43 PM EDT   0 recs

Brilliant

Good strategy, rip your bad players!!

Tools Whore

Sign Bonds!

by Tyler on Jul 10, 2008 6:49 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Question..........

Do Rays fans consider this series a success if we fail to sweep the Indians?

by Acadien on Jul 10, 2008 6:07 PM EDT   0 recs

No

I would say that anything less than three of four is a failure, simply because that total would give us a break-even road trip.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jul 10, 2008 6:12 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Agree

3 out of 4 or Fail

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 10, 2008 6:13 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Who else?

That lineup is awful.

by rglass44 on Jul 10, 2008 6:21 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Roger Dorn? Jake Taylor?

Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach.

by Orlando Rays on Jul 10, 2008 6:58 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

MVP = Our newest All Star

TAMPA BAY RAYS: 2008 CITRUS SERIES CHAMPIONS

by JMB on Jul 10, 2008 6:22 PM EDT   0 recs

alright

I am only asking 1 thing, can we not make Laffey look like Cy Young?

by joeybw on Jul 10, 2008 6:22 PM EDT   0 recs

Watch Laffey shut us down

but we light Lee up

TAMPA BAY RAYS: 2008 CITRUS SERIES CHAMPIONS

by JMB on Jul 10, 2008 6:22 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

haha on MLB trade rumors

It simply says “no one wants him” they mentioned the Rays as one of the many teams that could use him.

by joeybw on Jul 10, 2008 6:26 PM EDT   0 recs

Every minute that goes by that we don't sign Bonds

God kills a kitten.

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 10, 2008 6:40 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Really?

Zobrist is better than Brignac today.

by tallyray on Jul 10, 2008 6:35 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

They both give me headaches

Zobrist with the glove, and (so far) Brignac with the bat

by GomesSweetGomes on Jul 10, 2008 6:36 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

He's marginally better, but that's irrelevant

If you’re going to call up one of your top prospects from Durham, you had better play him. It makes no sense to call up Brignac and play him sparingly. See what you have, give him ample playing time, identify where it is that he falls short against major league pitching, and that way he can take this experience back to Durham and work to improve.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jul 10, 2008 6:37 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

But Brignac is here clearly out of need...

The Rays need a back up SS. That’s why he is here. There should be no obligation to play someone that is not the best player at that position. I’d rather see if Zobrist is capable of not making errors in the big leagues. Brignac is clearly not ready to hit major league pitching.

by tallyray on Jul 10, 2008 6:40 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

He doesn't necessarily have to be the back-up

It would be one thing if Zobrist were consequentially better than Brignac, but he’s not. There’s nothing to prove with Zobrist, we know what he has done, what type of player he is, and the range of what he can be in the future.

Brignac is far more untested and he has a higher ceiling. He is the better prospect. Calling him up and letting him rot on the bench while Bartlett is injured is absurd. I would rather Brignac get ample playing time so we can see where specifically he is deficient as a major league player. That way, he has something to compare himself to and something to work towards.

Neither Brignac or Zobrist is an acceptable major league starting shortstop. But both are mere interim solutions anyways, so it doesn’t matter. Send Brignac out when Bartlett returns, absolutely. That is the right choice to make so he can start every day in Durham. But while he is here, he needs to play.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jul 10, 2008 6:47 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Agree

Let the Cajun God play. He needs to get a hit so it won’t be in his head.

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 10, 2008 6:51 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Don't play for the future...

There’s no need to try and evaluate Brignac today when he is clearly not ready. He hasn’t had time to work out his problems at AAA and does not need to have the same thing done at the major league level. Also, why start him when he isn’t getting the platoon advantage? At least make it easier on him when he does play.

It isn’t clear what Zobrist can do. He’s been pathetic in the Majors for two stints before this year. The potential he once showed is that he can be a capable back up and fringe level starter. Over the last two years he didn’t show that at all. The purpose of having a guy like Zobrist around is to fill in if your starter gets injured. He probably isn’t good enough to ever be an opening day starter, but his usefulness is in the role that he should be in right now. He’s showed flashes of a decent major league bat and the Rays may as well see if those flashes will become more consistent.

I have flip-flopped. When Brignac first got called up I figured he’d be an everyday player. After looking at his minor league numbers and seeing him in his handful of at bats it is pretty clear he isn’t ready.

by tallyray on Jul 10, 2008 6:55 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

If he isn't ready

Don’t call him up, period. Call up some other roster filler. But if he is at the major league level, he needs to play. It doesn’t make sense to have him rot on the bench.

It is pretty clear what Zobrist can do, within a range, and you said it. Fringe starter at best, decent backup at worst. The problem is, with a top prospect also up at the same position, Zobrist shouldn’t be starting. If we had called up roster-filler, that would be one thing. Zobrist should be the uncontested starter in that scenario. But Brignac isn’t roster-filler, he is someone in which the Rays place quite a bit of faith for the future. As such, they should be looking to utilize him in the role that furthers his development the most. In this case, that clearly isn’t in the role of major league bench player. When the person above him isn’t appreciably better, there is no reason to keep him benched.

I don’t think Brignac is ready either. In fact, I didn’t really want to see him called up. But if he is on the major league team, he needs to play. It does no one any good to waste two weeks of his time on the bench.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jul 10, 2008 7:03 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Is he the better player right now?

I understand all of what you say and I agree. If you are a team in a playoff race and trying to win every game then you play your best player. Zobrist is better right now and thus should be playing. Especially against lefties. I don’t agree with Brignac sitting the bench, but he is clearly not ready and shouldn’t be playing just because he’s up.

by tallyray on Jul 10, 2008 7:07 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

But Zobrist isn't really that much better

And I think that is where the crux of our disagreement is. I just don’t see Zobrist as appreciably better to the extent that playing him over Brignac is worth it, especially when both are bottom of the lineup fodder. Zobrist is better offensively, Brignac on defense.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jul 10, 2008 7:13 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

If Brignac is going to spend most of the time on the bench, why didn’t they just bring up Johnson or Cannizaro?

Longlorious.
Free Kila Kaaihue!

by RATW on Jul 10, 2008 7:17 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I don't understand it either

If they had brought up either of those players, I wouldn’t have a problem with Zobrist playing so frequently. Doesn’t make sense to me.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jul 10, 2008 7:19 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Gomes > other options...

Ruggiano isn’t on the team so Jonny Gomes is better than any other option this team has right now. Hinske, Floyd, and Gross are terrible against lefties. Pena isn’t much better right now.

by tallyray on Jul 10, 2008 6:35 PM EDT   0 recs

I agree

If Gomes is going to be here, you have to utilize him at some point. His track record against left-handed pitching would indicate that these are the types of games he should be used in.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jul 10, 2008 6:39 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

O/U on Rays runs 4.5

Seriously we have to score eventually, right?

by joeybw on Jul 10, 2008 7:03 PM EDT   0 recs

Nice to see our offense back in action

or not

TAMPA BAY RAYS: 2008 CITRUS SERIES CHAMPIONS

by JMB on Jul 10, 2008 7:09 PM EDT   0 recs

That was a really bad half inning...

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 10, 2008 7:09 PM EDT   0 recs

at least aki and cc put the bat on the ball

which is a refreshing change for carl

by Acadien on Jul 10, 2008 7:10 PM EDT   0 recs

Our Offense

it is teh suck

TAMPA BAY RAYS: 2008 CITRUS SERIES CHAMPIONS

by JMB on Jul 10, 2008 7:11 PM EDT   0 recs

The Bats will come back around against the Indians

The Indians are finding the most creative ways to lose now a days. But in order for that to happen you have to swing the friggen bat. YEAH THAT MEANS YOU UPTON. Just got K’d looking. He didn’t make one swing. Why even take a bat to the plate if you are not going to use it?

by PewterPirate55 on Jul 10, 2008 7:11 PM EDT   0 recs