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.