Rays Offense Falls Totally Flat In Loss To Rangers

by Erik Hahmann on Aug 23, 2009 5:12 PM EDT

The Rays needed to win this game to help close the gap in the wild card race, instead they were completely shutdown by Scott Feldman and Co. Feldman went seven innings while striking out 11 Ray batters. On the day the Rays would strike out 15 times, two shy of the team record. The only player not to strike out at least once was Gregg Zaun.

David Price looked pretty good today. After a rocky start Price calmed down to retire the final 10 batters he faced. He would end up throwing 117 pitches, the same as Feldman. Price actually threw more strikes than Feldman, 72 to 69, but Feldman obviously ended up with the better result. According to Brooksbaseball Price only threw 6 sliders, but mixed in 18 changeups. I'm pretty sure this is the first start all season in which Price has thrown more changeups than sliders. I would assume this was a tactical decision by Jim Hickey and/or Gregg Zaun. The changeup did register a 66.67 strike percentage, which was about three points more than his fastball. If he can learn to throw that pitch on a consistant basis then we're all in for a treat in 2010.

-This was the sixth time the Rays have been shutout this season.

-The 1-4 hitters combined to go 1-16 with 9Ks and 0BBs.

-The double Pudge hit in the 4th inning that scored Nelson Cruz took one of the weirdest hops I've seen in a long time. It hit the dirt and jumped about 7 feet in the air, right over Longoria's outstretched arm.

-The Rays finish up the homestand 6-3, losing one game to each team(TOR, BAL, TEX). Now the Rays head to Canada to face the Blue Jays and get Roy Halladay as a welcoming present. Should be fun.

-Lets hope C.C. Sabathia can beat Josh Beckett and the Red Sox so the Rays don't drop another game in the Wild Card standings. No matter the situation, it still feels dirty rooting for the Yankees.

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Comments

Anyone else think Jennings should get a chance to play in CF?

He’s close to, if not as good as Upton defensively and can’t be any worse offensively.

by rays1234 on Aug 23, 2009 5:14 PM EDT reply actions

Maybe even Perez

Can David Ortiz please send Dioner Navarro some of his PED's? K? Thanks

by matthan on Aug 23, 2009 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions

6-3 just wasn't good enough

Can David Ortiz please send Dioner Navarro some of his PED's? K? Thanks

by matthan on Aug 23, 2009 5:15 PM EDT reply actions

.667 over the homestand, and for that matter the entire season, isn't good enough?

Can we please just stick to bitching about road games? I think complaining about losing 3-5 on the road holds just a tiny bit more water then complaining about losing 1-3 at home.

I can't wait until we trade him for a reliever.

by kericr on Aug 23, 2009 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions

If we want to

Can David Ortiz please send Dioner Navarro some of his PED's? K? Thanks

by matthan on Aug 23, 2009 6:41 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

If we want to make the playoffs then it’s not good enough.

Can David Ortiz please send Dioner Navarro some of his PED's? K? Thanks

by matthan on Aug 23, 2009 6:42 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Nobody should expect to win 70% of their games.

by R.J. Anderson on Aug 23, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions

I could be wrong but IMO

I don’t think he is saying the Rays should have gone 7-2 just that he thinks they needed to go 7-2.

If Boston wins tonight they will have gone 6-3 also. Except they played @TEX, @TOR, and NYY. While we had TOR, BAL, and TEX all at home. Looking at we would have hoped to gain some games on them, but a credit to them they have played well.

The game that really hurt was the Thursday Baltimore game. We gave that game away

Bring Your Z-Game!

by Sveet on Aug 23, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions

*Looking at the schedule

Bring Your Z-Game!

by Sveet on Aug 23, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions

6-3 on this homestand follows the trend of 6-3 the entire season. Opponent doesn't matter; it's what they've done all year long.

What the opponent is doing doesn’t matter either. Boston lost a series to Texas on the road (so did the Rays). Boston swept Toronto at home (so have the Rays) and assuming Boston wins tonight, Boston won a series against the Yankees this year in NY (so have the Rays).

It’s almost as if the closer the Rays get to falling out of playoff contention, the more heaterish people here are getting. Stop being dumb.

I can't wait until we trade him for a reliever.

by kericr on Aug 23, 2009 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions

This makes no sense

By your point is it better to say the Rays went 0-3 at Tex while the Sox went 1-2 and thats not good enough. The Rays went 0-4 @ CLE and boston went 2-1 and thats not good enough

Bring Your Z-Game!

by Sveet on Aug 23, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions

It is like he doesn't realize that we are behind

Equally the rangers and red sox the rest of the way will result in us golfing.

Can David Ortiz please send Dioner Navarro some of his PED's? K? Thanks

by matthan on Aug 23, 2009 7:35 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

What don't you understand?

It’s common sense and basic mathematics. Te rays going 6-3 on this homestand versus these teams just won’t be good enough to make the playoffs. I’m not sure why that’s tough to understand.

Isn’t the point to make the playoffs? What is so tough and wrong about figuring out what needs to be done to reach that goal? I didn’t say it was easy, but it is what it is.

Can David Ortiz please send Dioner Navarro some of his PED's? K? Thanks

by matthan on Aug 23, 2009 7:33 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Especially with the schedule they have the rest of the way

by rays1234 on Aug 23, 2009 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll make it simple.

I understand what you’re saying. You’re saying the Rays needed to win more then 6 games on this 9 game homestand. What you’re implying however, is that the Rays need to do better then what they’ve done all season long at home; that they need to win 7, or possibly 8 of those 9 games. By virtue, you’re saying that it’s also OK for the Rays to continue to lose 3 out of 5 on the road. This is why what you’re saying sounds dumb.

The Rays by winning 2 out of every 3 at home are keeping pace with their competition. They’ve done this all season long, and I don’t know why this is no longer acceptable when it has been all year. They’ve been behind pace on the road. Way behind pace. This is where the team has to make up ground. I know you know this, I just don’t think you’re putting the two together.

Put it another way, if the Rays have the same homestand that they did (6-3), but on the previous roadtrip they go 3-3 instead of 1-5, the Rays are ahead of the Rangers and at most 2 back of the wild card.

Stop criticizing the homestands. That’s not where the Rays are going to make up ground. They haven’t made it up here all season long; it’s not going to happen.

I can't wait until we trade him for a reliever.

by kericr on Aug 23, 2009 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions

It's got electolytes

… but they only went 6-3 brah don’t you get it.

I can't help that I make some things look easier than they really are.

by Sandy Kazmir on Aug 23, 2009 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Trying to help here, but your last tidbit should read...

“-Lets hope C.C. Sabathia can beat Josh Beckett and the Red sox so the Rays don’t drop another game in the Wild Card standings. No matter the situation, it still feels dirty rooting for the Yankees.”

by Doug09 on Aug 23, 2009 5:16 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed

I’ll chalk it up to Erik having to forcibly hold back the vomit as he wrote that sentence

www.bucem.com - SBNation's source for all things Buccaneer

by Buc Wild on Aug 23, 2009 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Oops. Fixed.

by Erik Hahmann on Aug 23, 2009 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Jesus the Rays went like 1 for 50 with runners in scoring position in this series

by oc on Aug 23, 2009 5:17 PM EDT reply actions

1 for 25 to be exact

Worst though was probably last year at Fenway, dunno the numbers but over those 3 games, it was like 2 for 40 with RISP (ESPN doesn’t have the RISP numbers from 2008, but 34 were LOB)

by Transplanted on Aug 23, 2009 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Beastly

by acablue on Aug 23, 2009 5:24 PM EDT reply actions

not sure why it's necessary to grimace like that, but OK.

by yeseggs on Aug 23, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Someone needs to photoshop this

by acablue on Aug 23, 2009 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Personally, I think this pic needs more Gawld Teef.

by Doug09 on Aug 23, 2009 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions

!

by oc on Aug 23, 2009 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions 7 recs

That is just wrong.

by terp12 on Aug 23, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions

?

by oc on Aug 23, 2009 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions 9 recs

This is even MORE fantastic.

I can't wait until we trade him for a reliever.

by kericr on Aug 23, 2009 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions

rec'd thank you very much

by acablue on Aug 23, 2009 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions

That's fantastic.

I can't wait until we trade him for a reliever.

by kericr on Aug 23, 2009 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions

a baseball player being upset about striking out

gosh what a jerk

Selgy

by mittens on Aug 23, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions

People say he doesn't care, when he grimaces they say it's stupid.

Hopefully New York treats him better.

by R.J. Anderson on Aug 23, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Stop talking about it damnit

Swav or Die (>'-')> <('-')> <('-'<)
For the lulz

by SRQman on Aug 23, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions

At least we'll have Desmond.

Although I’m sure he’ll be called lazy and thuggish too if he keeps the dreadlocks.

by R.J. Anderson on Aug 23, 2009 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Pretty sure he cut them

Sadly

Swav or Die (>'-')> <('-')> <('-'<)
For the lulz

by SRQman on Aug 23, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions

He's going home to Washington

where the Strasburg, Harper, Upton combination wins multiple World Series.

Tools Whore

by Tyler on Aug 23, 2009 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions

This is more fun

Swav or Die (>'-')> <('-')> <('-'<)
For the lulz

by SRQman on Aug 23, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Then after WS they all blow their shoulders out

Swav or Die (>'-')> <('-')> <('-'<)
For the lulz

by SRQman on Aug 23, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I've been a fan of BJ's and still am....

But if he doesnt improve offensively, why would NY want him? There are a lot of good defensive CF’s that can’t hit.

by td32 on Aug 23, 2009 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions

B.J.'s not this bad of a hitter.

by R.J. Anderson on Aug 23, 2009 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Sometimes he looks absolutely demoralized at the plate.

by terp12 on Aug 24, 2009 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions

lmao

by yeseggs on Aug 23, 2009 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Strike Outs

I understand Maddon drilling it into his guys to take pitches, to increase OBP, but I think they have taken it too far. They are striking out more than most, if not all, other teams. They need to dump that philosophy when they get two strikes on them. I am so sick of them taking third strikes. If you think it is close enough to reach or the ump may make a mistake, with two strikes you swing.

by terp12 on Aug 23, 2009 6:09 PM EDT reply actions

If you think it's a ball you take.

People bitch and moan about strikeouts, how about infield pops? If the guy sees a highish pitch and swings to avoid a potential K, but pops up, what’s the difference?

by R.J. Anderson on Aug 23, 2009 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions

The Difference

The difference is that Zobrist and Upton and others didn’t swing at balls that were very close. How many times do you see guys that get a hit or even homers on a pitch out of the K zone? You at least have a chance of a hit when you swing at a very close pitch. You have no chance taking strike 3. One of the things more productive teams do is make their outs count. A fly ball is definitely better than a K. Look at Burrell’s double today. A ground out moves the runner over. There are many more good things that can come of a ball put in play than a K.

by terp12 on Aug 23, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Zobrist and Upton have outstanding plate discipline.

If they think a pitch is going outside, I trust in their eye.

by R.J. Anderson on Aug 23, 2009 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions

BJ's eye?

I’m sure he would be the first to admit he has struggled a lot this season with a very poor eye. Kevin Kennedy points that out often. He took strike two and three later in the game, and they weren’t close. One reason he may be so late on hitting fastballs is that he is too tentative at the plate. He was shockingly late on some today.

by terp12 on Aug 23, 2009 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions

BJ has been late on pitches for a very long time

Can David Ortiz please send Dioner Navarro some of his PED's? K? Thanks

by matthan on Aug 23, 2009 7:37 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I don't care what Kevin Kennedy says, the man has the baseball intelligence of an apricot.

His eye is fantastic at identifying balls and strikes, he rarely swings out of zone.

by R.J. Anderson on Aug 23, 2009 8:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I guess that is why he is a strike out machine.

I can’t believe you have been actually watching Rays games and say that he has a good eye. He consistently takes strikes and swings at balls. He has one of the worst strike zones in the league. It is hard to argue this unless you want to ignore statistics. Maybe it isn’t Kennedy that has the baseball IQ of an apricot. He spent the day Maddon sat him with Maddon having extra BP and discussing his erratic view of the strike zone. Don’t get me wrong. In general, I like Upton and he is young and with the right help could be very good. But your comments are just flat out wrong.

by terp12 on Aug 23, 2009 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions

He swings out of the zone at one of the lowest rates in the league.

I’m not ignoring statistics.

If you really want to throw the “lol you don’t watch games stat bitch” line out there, I’ll ask you the same, because if you’ve actually listened to Kennedy and think he’s the least bit insightful, then I have bad news for you.

by R.J. Anderson on Aug 23, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions

BJ has a good eye, he has ever since his days with Durham

If I had to guess his biggest problem this season seems to be that a lot of times he is guessing up there. While that probably happens a lot more than people think BJ has seemingly guessed wrong a lot and not been able to adjust during a pitch. This is why it seems sometimes he will take a fastball right down the middle with 2 strkes, yet swing at a 2-0 pitch well outside the zone.

by Dbullsfan on Aug 23, 2009 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Look at this:

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=5&season=2009&month=0

Rankings for players swing percentage. O-Swing is outside of the zone swing percentage, Z-Swing is inside of the zone swing percentage.

BJ ranks top 20 in lowest O-Swing, and is slightly below average in Z-Swing.

You want to know why BJ strikes out so much? He’s one of the worst players in the league at making contact with pitches he swings at outside of the zone. It has nothing to do with his batting eye, he sees pitches fine. He sucks at swinging at pitches he shouldn’t try to hit. That’s mechanics, not sight.

I can't wait until we trade him for a reliever.

by kericr on Aug 23, 2009 10:18 PM EDT up reply actions

How can you say he "sees pitches fine"?

He argued a called strike 3 Sunday that was a strike! He has done this a few times now. It’s one thing if your fooled and take a called strike 3 (cause I think it was a cutter), but to argue it after the fact, your eye is not on. I just kind of think he’s not agressive enough lately.

by RivalsTees on Aug 24, 2009 9:57 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Interesting stats

I am surprised at those stats. I wonder if there is a stat for only strike 3? Dbullsfan said it well. I have watched all of their games this season, and Upton and others have looked, to me, as if they “have a bad eye”, but he may be guessing instead. As for my previous message, I would still take a contact out rather than a strikeout any day. There is a difference. I also think that if the pitch is close enough for the ump to call strike 3, it is hittable. I guess that is a different philosophy than R.J.. I would rather see our best hitters swinging for hits than walks, or striking out.

by terp12 on Aug 24, 2009 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed on contact outs.

But if you want to ride someone about contact outs, Pena is a much more inviting target. He’s 2nd worst in the league among qualifiers in inside-zone AND outside-zone contact %. He’s got a hole in his swing a mile wide. The only reason why people ignore this is because Pena hits home runs, it drives me nuts.

I can't wait until we trade him for a reliever.

by kericr on Aug 24, 2009 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Me too

His uppercut can be a real killer. His timing has to be absolutely perfect. It seems to me that he and Burrell have made an effort lately to flatten their swings out. Both are strong enough, and don’t need the uppercut to hit HRs.

by terp12 on Aug 24, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions

The Rays swung at ball 4 several times today

Bring Your Z-Game!

by Sveet on Aug 23, 2009 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions

After tonight's game against Boston

Are we gonna get a status report on what’s going on & what needs to change?

by Transplanted on Aug 23, 2009 6:33 PM EDT reply actions

I have something half-written that follows up on my post I did on August 3rd; I'll be finishing it tonight after the BoSox/Yankees game and posting it tomorrow morning.

I can't wait until we trade him for a reliever.

by kericr on Aug 23, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn't see any of the game from the 2nd inning on.

But Price’s #s don’t look overly poor. The walks/strikeouts are a bit concerning, but then again, I wasn’t expecting Price to walk 5% of his batters from here on out like he had been. The innings number is nice, and the near 1.0 GB/FB ratio is also nice.

10 whiffs in 114 pitches is ~9% which is quite acceptable.

by R.J. Anderson on Aug 23, 2009 6:51 PM EDT reply actions

Price

He pitched pretty well after the 3rd inning. Unfortunately, he bunched up some walks and hits early on. He was missing locations early in the game. Too bad he didn’t get any run support.

by terp12 on Aug 23, 2009 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions