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Ahh, a win over the Red Sox. Some things never get old.
Danny provided a postgame recap crediting plantain power for the win, but also highlighted Matt Moore's start, the offensive rally, the bullpen's strong showing, and wrapped it up with an "Interesting Tweets" section that may need to inspire a "Tweet of the Day," or something along those lines...
With last night's 5-3 victory, the Rays are now on a six game win streak, and have come from behind in each of those games. In this homestand, the team has batted around five times in eight games, after doing so only once in their first 30 games.
So how good has the offense been lately?
In their last 25 games (since April 17th), the Rays lead the majors with 141 runs scored (5.6 runs per game), a .283 batting average and a .352 on base percentage. During this span, they have fourteen games with double-digit hit totals. In their past nine games, they've scored four or more runs, their longest streak since September 3rd-12th, 2010; which was also nine games. In franchise history, their longest streak of scoring four plus runs was a 13-game stretch from August 25th-September 5th, 2007.
We all hoped they would turn it around, but considering this team historically offensively, I don't think any of us could have hoped that it would be this good.
And then there's Matt Moore.
Moore, the only 7-0 pitcher in the major leagues right now, the first Rays pitcher to ever start a season 7-0, the second pitcher under the age of 24 to begin a season 7-0 since 2007. There's still room for improvement, in the words of Joe Maddon there's "more within Moore," as he's only gone beyond six innings twice this season and has walked 25 batters, third most in the Majors. Last night he managed to last six, giving up three earned runs in the first and only one hit after that inning.
Offense, pitching and defense working together. What a beautiful thing.
***
It'll be interesting to see how David Price does tonight, as he's apparently been battling allergies that have been hindering his vision:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Rays">#Rays</a> Price got eye drops today, has been bothered by allergies stemming from laundry chemicals. Said several times he couldn't see signs.</p>— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) <a href="https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/334401565400113153">May 14, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Rays">#Rays</a> Price also said his uniform and workout gear is now being washed separately and that's helped with his allergies as well</p>— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) <a href="https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/334405478580879360">May 14, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Somewhat alarming, as Price revealed:
"I would never say yes, but I can't see," Price said. "There's been many times this year when I've had to step off the mound 'cause I can't see the signs. All the trainers know I couldn't see. My vision was extremely blurry at times."
Maybe that is the reason for Price's start to the season? Maybe? Not being able to see the pitches you're throwing certainly can't help anything. DP looks for his second win tonight; he's currently 1-3 with a 4.78 ERA and faces Jon Lester, who is 5-0 with a 2.73 ERA.
That's nasty:
Clayton Kershaw. Current ERA: 1.40, best in the majors. Career ERA: 2.70, best in Live Ball Era among starting pitchers with a minimum of 1,000 innings pitched. Threw 132 pitches and struck out 11 in eight-and-a-third last night.
Links:
- Interesting article over at Fangraphs concerning batter/pitcher matchup numbers, and just how reliable they really are.
- Will instant replay solve the ongoing issue of umpires? No. Can it provide some form of relief? Yes. It'll be a topic of discussion at today and tomorrow's owners' meetings in New York, with focus on which form of replay will be best, and how much it will cost.
- With Wil Myers gone from the organization, the Royals hopes and dreams lie on the shoulders of Eric Hosmer.