Rays Top Yankees 5-3, Remain Tied With Boston
by Erik Hahmann on Sep 28, 2011 1:23 AM EDT
in Game Recaps
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In the latest biggest-game-of-the-season the Rays found a way to squeeze out yet another victory and maintain control of their own fate. The hero this time was Matt Joyce who, despite being a bit banged up, delivered the Rays' biggest hit of the season to date.
He had popped out in his previous three plate appearances, leaving two men on in the first and third and another on in the fifth, before coming to bat in the seventh. With B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria on base in front of him once again, Joyce faced former teammate Rafael Soriano. On the second pitch of the at bat Soriano left a cutter middle in and Joyce did what he's supposed to do with a pitch like that; crush it over the right field wall. That home run was set up by a tremendous at bat by Longoria one batter prior. It was a nine pitch at bat that saw Soriano throw his four-seam fastball, slider, and cutter to try and fool Longoria. Below is the heatmap of the tough pitches he fouled off to stay alive and draw the walk (image courtesy of Mark Simon of ESPN)
Joyce and Zobrist provided the offensive firepower for the evening, but the table was set by the work of Upton and Longoria. They reached base three times each and consistently worked deep into counts all night. Coming into the game Upton had a .434 wOBA and 1.8 WAR over the past 30 days while Longoria was at .391 and 1.6. They're hugely responsible for this amazing run the Rays are on. It brings back memories of the 2008 post season.
As good as Upton and Longoria were at the plate, Hellickson was bad on the mound. He only allowed three runs in his six innings but things could have been considerably worse. His fastball command was terrible. He threw 47 fastballs for a strike percentage below 50. When you're doing that you're obviously falling behind a lot of hitters -- he issued five walks -- and they end up laying off any fastball you throw until you prove that you can get it over the plate. In turn, that negates the effectiveness of Hellickson's best weapon; the changeup.
He worked out of a bases loaded jam in the third after giving up a home run to Russell Martin, and was aided by perhaps the biggest defensive play in Rays' history in the sixth. With the bases loaded and no outs and New York already having taken the lead on a Nick Swisher double, Hellickson got Martin to ground out sharply to third where Longoria quickly stepped on the bag, fired to second for the second out then on to first for the inning ending triple play. The throw to first just beat Martin who helped the Rays cause by diving into the bag. The play fired up the crowd and re-energized the team on the field. Even the usually stoic Hellickson pumped his fist and yelled as he walked off the field.
David Price goes tomorrow. Channel your inner 2008 ALCS Game 7 and dominate, David.
- Excellent relief work by rookies Jake McGee and Brandon Gomes.
- Nice of Soriano to say thank you to the Rays by totally bombing his one inning of work
- Great to hear that Casey Kotchman's tests were all negative and he's been released from the hospital.
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Every day, it's someone else
Watch Reid hit a walk off grand slam tomorrow night.
But it was nice to see that sweet swinging Matt Joyce that has been MIA for a while. Unlike the national media, I wont ignore how consistent and valuable Zobrist has been and here we go again, just like 2008. Upton has taken the team on his back with all the hits, mostly extra base hits and Longo who while he sometimes does show some crazy pop, he is just not extending his strike zone a centimeter, has he been on base every PA this series?
And I just gotta say, Brandon Gomes is a friggin stud. He wasn’t in the original deal for Barty, Friedman somehow got him. He didn’t make the team, well he didn’t stay in AAA for long and now I see if Peralta or Farnsworth or unable to go, Gomes role has stepped all the way up to 3rd best weapon out of the pen.
NOW, we are far from home free, Lester goes on short rest but I have seen Simon both dominate the game and get destroyed. Here’s to hoping the September Lester shows up 1 more time and the lack of back to back wins continues for the Sox. On our side, I don’t care what the record says or anything, I want Price on that mound if Shields can’t go, obviously, we have the pitching advantage again, Giradi isn’t using any playoff arms. The question will be, who will Price have to get out? Yankees played this one like it was a must win for them. I know Jeter will play, I know Cano will never give us a break but I wonder who else plays tomorrow.
Final Note: Options for Game 163 are Jeff Neimann, Wade Davis on short rest and Matt Moore. Please surprise me, Joe, and go with Moore. Boy, would it be nice if we just win it tomorrow.
Under construction
i dont know why
but if we are involved in the 1 game playoff i have a bad feeling we will lose it.
Lets make sure we have thursday off in prep for the PS!
Brandon Gomes has really grown on me
I still don’t like him in such high leverage situations. But the kid has stepped up.
Went up in and on ARod
Love that he does this. We are too polite and give up the outside plate.
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
yes. got him to whiff on that slider by getting in his head.
inside slider to a rhb is death. that pitch was awful, but it worked!
Yankees only have him for 6 more years
and $143 million dollars from 2012-2017.
by AndrewTorrez on Sep 28, 2011 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions
that deep blue sea life
I could care less about your graduate degree-I was a full professor at Harvard at 34 and am a full professor at Columbia now in a theoretical field whose main tool is statistical mechanics. So can can come down from your high place.
by Buzzy on Sep 24, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Gotta believe Bard, Aceves and Papelbon are gassed
Hopefully Simon can limit the Sox offense and O’s can get Lester out of the game by the 5th, and then watch Tito scramble to find anyone to get outs
follow me on twitter @sternfan10
Aceves has really been huge for them
3 straight days, and yesterday with extended use, says he is available today. Bulldog.
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
HAHAHA
Oh, hey
Vroom vroom party starter
www.raysprospects.com
by Imperialism32 on Sep 28, 2011 9:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Rays should just do a rebranding and call themselves the blue seats
by PreachITBrotha on Sep 28, 2011 8:48 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
that just sounds like an ad for heated seats in a volvo
I could care less about your graduate degree-I was a full professor at Harvard at 34 and am a full professor at Columbia now in a theoretical field whose main tool is statistical mechanics. So can can come down from your high place.
by Buzzy on Sep 24, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Heated seats are quite nice.
This will be my first winter with them. Pretty excited.
@RealNolenBailey
In all honesty, though, I think the rays have the better chances in a one game playoff because of less questions
the offense is always a question, but the defense doesn’t have big fail moments like tacoby bellsbury and our pitching can go deep into the inning. If the rays do need #163 I think they will make it very hard for Boston
Preach it brother
If you want to keep guns out of the hands of thugs, just attach job applications to them
I mean will be a let down if they lose, of course, but honestly I like their odds and I never want to be told the odds.
This season’s got a magic feelin’ to it folks
by PreachITBrotha on Sep 28, 2011 9:04 AM EDT up reply actions
This late run has really caused me some anxious moments in these big games
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stdi-1tIUhM
If you want to keep guns out of the hands of thugs, just attach job applications to them
Better get that checked out
If you want to keep guns out of the hands of thugs, just attach job applications to them
baseball folks would tell you that your symptoms indicate delusional behavior and possibly ADD
I could care less about your graduate degree-I was a full professor at Harvard at 34 and am a full professor at Columbia now in a theoretical field whose main tool is statistical mechanics. So can can come down from your high place.
by Buzzy on Sep 24, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Magic like a unicorn.
I’m with ya. I would rather not need the playoff game (just to give a day of rest before continuing starting the playoffs), but I think if we wind up with #163, we will do well against Boston. We’ve had their number this month, and they are even more beat up than the last time we faced them.
If we wind up with a game tomorrow, I keep wondering who Maddon will throw out there.
I hate to imagine that he will use Niemann in such a high-stakes game (unless he does a Neimann/Moore combo with each pitching 3-4 innings only). I hate sounding like Maddon (or any other Niemann apologist), but he’s not as bad as he’s been playing. We need him to get back to his true form, but I’m not sure a do or die moment is the place to have that happen.
To be fair, whatever happens tonight
It would have been a great season just for the run in alone. I mean at the start of the year we were completely written off, after the awful start even more so, after the ASB 100’s of comments on here saying ‘its boring not playing meaningful baseball anymore’ and now this. Been a bumpy ride!
I've been saving this...but if we make it into the playoffs, our motto should be "From 0-8 to visions of '08"
I could care less about your graduate degree-I was a full professor at Harvard at 34 and am a full professor at Columbia now in a theoretical field whose main tool is statistical mechanics. So can can come down from your high place.
by Buzzy on Sep 24, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
shhh
I could care less about your graduate degree-I was a full professor at Harvard at 34 and am a full professor at Columbia now in a theoretical field whose main tool is statistical mechanics. So can can come down from your high place.
by Buzzy on Sep 24, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
not quite the same ring or happy vibes
I could care less about your graduate degree-I was a full professor at Harvard at 34 and am a full professor at Columbia now in a theoretical field whose main tool is statistical mechanics. So can can come down from your high place.
by Buzzy on Sep 24, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
bullpen has potentially 5 good options in the playoffs
Farnsworth
Peralta
Gomes
Moore
and McGee versus lefties
That’s more than enough to take you to the promised land.
by AndrewTorrez on Sep 28, 2011 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
yes. now. the bullpen's been pretty dreadful this year though.
4th lowest reliever WAR in baseball. 5th lowest FIP. Especially considering the offense often forces close games. Hell, even 8th worst in WPA/LI. Not good so far this year.
no argument there
just thinking we got to a good place (eventually)
by AndrewTorrez on Sep 28, 2011 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
These are esentially playoff games
Win or lose, we got playoff baseball in my book
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
by FreeZorilla on Sep 28, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Well said.
I love Casey Fossum. Now try and take me seriously. -- @steveslow
by Steve Slowinski on Sep 28, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Guy is relishing the role of hero.
In April, I’d agree. These guys are competitors and he is a reliever. If we did this with Matt Moore, i’d be upset. With Peralta? Its cool.
@RealNolenBailey
Guy is relishing the role of hero.
In April, I’d agree. These guys are competitors and he is a reliever. If we did this with Matt Moore, i’d be upset. With Peralta? Its cool.
But this was only said once?
I could care less about your graduate degree-I was a full professor at Harvard at 34 and am a full professor at Columbia now in a theoretical field whose main tool is statistical mechanics. So can can come down from your high place.
by Buzzy on Sep 24, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Guy is relishing the role of hero.
In April, I’d agree. These guys are competitors and he is a reliever. If we did this with Matt Moore, i’d be upset. With Peralta? Its cool.
Vroom vroom party starter
www.raysprospects.com
But this was only said once?
I could care less about your graduate degree-I was a full professor at Harvard at 34 and am a full professor at Columbia now in a theoretical field whose main tool is statistical mechanics. So can can come down from your high place.
by Buzzy on Sep 24, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Guy is relishing the role of hero.
In April, I’d agree. These guys are competitors and he is a reliever. If we did this with Matt Moore, i’d be upset. With Peralta? Its cool.
If you want to keep guns out of the hands of thugs, just attach job applications to them
I'd like Moore to start too, but Niemann is terrible in the pen.
Moore’s struggles (if any) would probably still be better than Niemann in relief.
Morre then empty the 50 man pen(if needed)
If you want to keep guns out of the hands of thugs, just attach job applications to them
I don't really think that basing your plans on the possibiltiy that your starter will struggle is a good plan for a do or die game
And if our starter struggles, our biggest problem will be putting enough runs on the board to keep pace.
by Desmond Jennings Bryan on Sep 28, 2011 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Dumbest reason I've ever heard on why Friedman is going to leave for the Cubs
He and manager Joe Maddon feel like they’re hitting their heads against a wall in trying to help owner Stuart Sternberg grow baseball interest in the football-crazed Tampa Bay area
Those playoff odds mean a lot now
If you want to keep guns out of the hands of thugs, just attach job applications to them
I see CollStandings has the odds of a coinflip coming up "heads" at 50%
Do you realize Betty White is a milf for me? Ouch
follow me on twitter @sternfan10
by sternfan1 on Sep 3, 2010 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
i seem to remember more comments on this post earlier?
sternfan, any comments?
Yeah, I don't see Badancil turning out well.
@dobbertweets
by blackraven on Jun 27, 2011 5:08 PM PDT
#FREESANDY
Someone is just begging to get banned
by Desmond Jennings Bryan on Sep 28, 2011 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
I believe just posting on the front page is almost enough to illicit sternfans banhammer.
Yeah, I don't see Badancil turning out well.
@dobbertweets
by blackraven on Jun 27, 2011 5:08 PM PDT
#FREESANDY
#NOMOREMODSF1
Trading for a dude on game 162 to start 163?
How is this legal?
go away percival
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