Shields is a God and the Rays are Longlorious
by R.J. Anderson
on May 9, 2008 9:36 PM EDT
As Evan said: "[James] pitched his ass off."
9 innings, 1 hit, no walks, 8 strikeouts, 92 pitches, 61 strikes, 66.3% strikes (!!!)
Sorry Sonnanstine, Jackson, and even Kazmir, tonight was the best pitching performance in team history, and it's not even that close. Shields was amazingly effective while being so efficient that hybrid car owners looked on in envy. The Angels stood no chance tonight and that's no disrespect to them whatsoever, but Shields didn't just bring his A-game tonight, he brought a once in a lifetime performance that should live in our hearts and minds for quite some time.
When Shields was called up -- before my time here began -- I remember reading about him in that year's Baseball Prospectus handbook and made it a point to watch that night's game. Just shy of two years to the day, Shields just may have pitched a game that cannot be topped. After a 13 innings roller coaster up north the Rays needed something like this, but this was simply amazing.
This is what amazing looks on a chart:
via 38.99.108.6
And in the flesh:
via d.yimg.com
No MVP poll tonight, if you vote for anyone but Shields you're insane.
26 comments | 0 recs
4/27: RAYS 3, Boston 0
by R.J. Anderson
on Apr 27, 2008 4:08 PM EDT
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RAYS 3, Boston 0
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| 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!
17 comments | 0 recs
4/22: RAYS 6, Toronto 4
by Patrick L. Kennedy
on Apr 22, 2008 9:54 PM EDT
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RAYS 6, Toronto 4
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Toronto | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| RAYS | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 2 |
Win Probability Table and Stats Courtesy of Fan Graphs
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7 comments | 0 recs
Fantasy Talk with Matthew Berry
by Patrick L. Kennedy
on Apr 17, 2008 3:02 PM EDT
This Thursday last, I had the opportunity for about twenty minutes to discuss Rays-centric Fantasy Baseball with ESPN expert Matthew Berry. Now, I know there was some discontent a couple of nights ago about his projection for Rays 3B Evan Longoria, but it is worth noting that I didn't really ask him about that since the interview took place before his call-up.
Anyways, I found the interview to be well worth it. Berry definitely understands what he's talking about, and even though some of his more pessimistic views of Rays personnel might clash with some opinions here, the encyclopedic knowledge he possess of players is to be respected. He was well-prepared and well-informed in answering each of the questions I posed to him. For someone not that familiar with his work, I came away impressed.
In any case, the paraphrased interview follows the jump.
1 comment | 0 recs
Kicking The Boxscore
by R.J. Anderson
on Apr 13, 2008 4:49 PM EDT
You knew it was coming, but hey, at least I made it through a few days before trying to slam or tap the brakes on the Edwin Jackson love affair.
via d.yimg.com
30 comments | 0 recs
