First things First: Cut/trade/designate/option/just do something I don’t care what you call it, but quit pitching J.P. Howell…he has killed and is still killing this team!

Obviously, all of the smoke out there on the internet involves James Shields, BJ Upton, Johnny Damon & Kyle Farnsworth…so why go away from that??  Where’ there’s smoke – there’s fire – and something is going to go down – and I get the feeling it’s BIG!  I really can’t come up with a trade that anyone could care about….what are the Rays really going to get in return for a 37 year old DH that is a liablity in the outfield and his best hit is a backspin blooper that drops in for a hit 25% of the time.

Yesterday, I came up with my own James Shields trade that involved the St. Louis Cardinals…today, I am going to walk through the smoke.  There are reports that the Rays have been hanging around (ok, scouting) the Cincinnati Reds minor league games on a daily basis.  Look, it stinks, this game is a business.  But your job as a GM is to sell when the stock of a certain player is at its highest point – and right now, that is exactly where Shields is at.  Let me give you an example…can you imagine what the Rays could have got in return for BJ Upton after the 2008 playoffs?    What will the Rays get for him now?  Exactly!  Back to Shields – he is not even 1 year removed from a 13-15 season with a 5.18 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP – yeah that’s how bad his numbers were in 2010.  Now Big Game James is an ace in the AL EAST and if he would go to the NL Central and do what he is doing now, because of Adam Wainwright’s Tommy John surgery back in March, becomes the best pitcher in the NL Central and may rival any pitcher in the National League, yes including Roy Halladay.

Here is the Proposal I am making and that the Rays should be making as well:

The Rays send

James Shields

The Reds send

1B Yonder Alonso – the guy has been ready for a year now, but is blocked by some guy named Joey Votto (I guess this Joey guy won the MVP last year)

C  Devin Mesoraco - Dear GM Andrew Friedman – DO NOT SETTLE FOR Yasmani Grandal for a couple reasons.  #1.  Reds GM Walt Jocketty does not care/worry about top prospects, trust me, I grew up a Cardinals fan and during his long tenure with the team…I don’t know if St. Louis brought along 1 prospect to make an impact in the Major Leagues during his time as GM outside of Albert Pujols.  Jim Edmonds, Edgar Renteria, Scott Rolen, Adam Wainwright – all brought from trades.  So Walt will pay to get his guy…and Shields will give the Reds an ace alongside Johnny Cueto.  #2.  Mesoraco will hit for power and I mean BIG TIME power and you hit him 4th behind Longo and Alonso 5th – now you got a little somethin somethin going with Ben Zobrist hitting in the 2 hole and Desmond Jennings hitting at the top of the lineup starting in 2012.

RHP Kyle Lotzkar – Throws low to mid 90′s gas and has a curveball he is comfortable throwing at 2 different speeds.  Injuries are a concern (multiple elbow surgeries), but is worth the gamble.

This deal I honestly believe has a shot to go down.  Tampa’s lineup immediately improves significantly and Matt Moore steps right in to the 6 man rotation that Joe Maddon should implement here within the next couple weeks.  Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Wade Davis, Niemann, Alex Cobb & Matt Moore.  This way you still keep the innings down on all these prized young arms.  Andrew and Joe…I know you are reading this – you guys are daily readers of Rays Central (please tell me readers, you can read the sarcasm between each letter I am typing here), just do this trade…it cannot come back to hurt you…both of these guys, Alonso & Mesoraco will hit and James is sent to the NL which is as good as it can get in this situation.

The New York Yankees 2011 payroll $202,689,028 – #1 payroll in the Majors

The Boston Red Sox 2011 payroll $161,762,475 – #3 payroll in the majors

Look at that again.  The Rays trail the Red Sox by more than $120 Million and the Yankees by more than $160 Million…the Red Sox and Yankees spend 4-5 times the amount the Rays do and they are struggling to eliminate this team from playoff contention.  Which fan base do you think should be frustrated and which fan base should be backing their organization 100%??

Fine…you think the Rays should spend more – I agree, but the stadium needs to be filled more than 20k-25,000 a night to make that happen.  And please don’t tell me about stadium issues and blah blah blah.  To be honest…I have been to The Trop and to be honest – I absolutely enjoyed myself.  I wasn’t baking in 100 degree heat, the beer was cold, the dogs tasted great and every Rays player gives 100% every game (except for BJ Upton, of course…but obviously if BJ gives 100% 6o% of the time – that is ok with the organization).

I grew up watching the St. Louis Cardinals and I’m still a die-hard Redbirds fan…and I would give ANYTHING for the Cardinals to have GM Andrew Friedman and Manager Joe Maddon running the Cardinals organization rather than Mozeliak and Larussa.

Another thing Rays fans should be looking at.  The Rays best player in franchise history, Carl Crawford, signed with the Boston Red Sox.  Yes, that was his choice…but he didn’t HAVE to sign with a division rival…he was offered a huge contract from the Los Angeles Angels as well.  The Rays closer from 2010, Rafael Soriano, also signed with a division rival, the New York Yankees.  So the Red Sox add the Rays most dynamic player to an already sick lineup and they are still worrying about a team with a $41 Million Dollar payroll in late July.

Next thing that needs to be looked at.  How do the Yankees and Red Sox farm system look.  With the payroll the Rays have – I would say it is UNBELIEVABLE that they are still in this race.  How would you like to be a Yankees fan and know at this point, if you make the playoffs with your $200 Million Dollar + payroll…your starting pitching IN THE PLAYOFFS with THAT PAYROLL after CC Sabathia is AJ Burnett, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and if he’s healthy, Phil Hughes.  That to me, is the most embarrassing thing in Major League Baseball.  The team with a $200+ Million Dollar payroll has one legitimate starting pitcher.  ONE!!

The Rays have David Price (Ace)…and please don’t tell me he hasn’t been as dominant, blah, blah, blah – did you not see his performance last night?  James Shields (Ace) and a hot trade commodity, Jeremy Hellickson (would already be a #2 on most teams in MLB).

Another thing…the Rays record is 52-45 while playing in the AL EAST!!  They have to play the Red Sox & Yankees 18 times EACH year!  How much better would the Rays record be if they were to play the Oakland A’s & the Seattle Mariners 18 times a year in the AL West or basically any other division in baseball?  Are you all forgetting that???  On that note…Rays fans don’t come out and watch the Yankees and Red Sox…can you imagine if they had to play the A’s and Mariners 9 times each year…then how much lower would the Rays payroll have to be.  If The Trop is filled – I guarantee the Rays would be in the mix for big time free agents in the offseason, heck, Carl Crawford would probably still be playing here.  But, until The Trop is 75-80% filled…no one can complain about payroll.  We should be patting this team on the back for even being competitive in the AL East.  All anyone talked about at the beginning of 2011 was the Baltimore Orioles – and how are those 39 wins looking right now??  By the way…the O’s payroll – $ 85,304,038 (more than double the Rays).

This team is competitive with Evan Longoria having his worst year, but he is battling through foot issues.  What other quality MLB bats are in this lineup that would start for other teams…BJ Upton,  Ben Zobrist & maybe Casey Kotchman (who is having a career year).  Matt Joyce would start in some places, but like I said – he is the worst  All Star selection in the history of the All Star game.  You do know Joyce’s average was .377 on June 1st!?  He is a roll player that had one of the hottest month’s ever and he still only has 43 RBI’s hitting in an RBI spot in the order.  There is a reason he hit .252, .188 & .241 from 2008-2010, respectively and had 25 career homeruns in his 3 seasons in the Majors.  Joyce has 6 homeruns and 21 RBI’s outside the month of May.  So, like I said, Joyce is a 4th outfielder at BEST on any other team in baseball and he hits 7th for 80% of teams.  And no, Damon is too old and does not produce the way a DH needs to – so he is not a factor either.

The Rays are still in the race with their Shortstops being Reid Brignac & Elliot Johnson and they would be in AAA with any other organization.  Their Catcher…don’t get me started.  Sean Rodriguez is the second baseman.  It is unbelievable that this team is within striking distance.  But just like from 2008-2010 – I think making the playoffs with this team rather than “BUYING” your way into the playoffs is much more satisfying.  From what I heard on sports radio – most fans think the Rays are more than a couple players away from being competitive in this division.  Why?  I know it won’t happen, but if this team would splurge in the offseason and just add 2 bats, Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes – and you add those sticks with this pitching staff – you don’t think the Rays are a contender for the AL East?  You’re crazy?  Will it happen – No!  But it just shows that this team is not far away at all.  And…I will say this – that kind of offseason splash has happened before – the Red Sox added Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in the same offseason!

So, before you call in to another sports radio station and go off on this team – why not look at the positives at what Friedman and Maddon have done with the resources they have been given, rather than tearing them down and saying I don’t care anymore – the Buccaneers are back anyway!

I’m sure most Rays fans can name the player who has the most hits in a Tampa uniform…he is now a trader/enemy – Carl Crawford.  Crawford had 1480 hits in his Rays career.  In fact, Crawford holds almost all offensive categories for the Rays, including batting average (.296), doubles (215), triples (105), RBI’s (592) & stolen bases (409).  But, Rays fans, who has the 2nd most hits in franchise history?  Answer later in the post.

BJ Upton has the 3rd most hits in Rays history with 705, Fred McGriff has 603 hits to sit in 4th place in team history and Julio Lugo rounds out the top 5 with 550.  JULIO LUGO!!??  How sad was this franchise?  Current players of note…Evan Longoria sits in 8th place with 508 hits and Ben Zobrist in 10th with 473 hits.  Zobrist is already 30 (a late bllomer) so 3000 hits would be out of the question for him, but Longoria has a shot.  But a couple things would need to happen…Evan would have to stay healthy, which he is struggling to do early in his career and that is not a good sign as you get older.  Second, he will have to hit for a higher average, but I still believe that is on the front office.  They need to acquire a bat who can protect your franchise player/hitter, just like the St. Louis Cardinals did a couple years ago.  The Cardinals traded for Matt Holliday to protect Albert Pujols and then also signed Holliday to a long term deal.  I completely agreed with the Rays not offering Carl Crawford the kind of money the Boston Red Sox offered.  Crawford is a speed guy and at 29…well – read between the lines.

Let’s move on to the sexy category, homeruns.  Carlos Pena is the franchise leader in homeruns with 144 (I think Pena had 146 hits in his career with the Rays…he is the Dave Kingman of this generation).  Aubrey Huff sits in 2nd with 128, Crawford is 3rd with 104, McGriff with 99 is in 4th and then Longoria is in 5th with 93.  Barring injury, Longoria will have the 3rd most homeruns by the end of 2011 and then could possibly be the Rays all time leader in homeruns by some point during the 2012 season.  I don’t think 3000 hits is realistic for Longo, but 400-500 homeruns definitely is a possibility as long as he stays with the Rays – and heck, if Tampa even stays in existence.

Answer to the trivia question: Aubrey Huff

.

The Rays have now pulled within 3 games of the AL East lead…and after Jeff Niemann’s gem last night…the Rays have their 3 best starters left to finish off the 1st half in Yankee Stadium.  Jeremy Hellickson, David Price & James Shields is the best 1-2-3 starting pitching trio in the AL.  You don’t think so?  The Rays are the only American League team to boast 3 starting pitchers with 100+ innings pitched and at least 8 wins each.  The Rays easily have the starting pitching edge in tonight’s and tomorrow’s games…and then Sunday I will say a push (even though Shields has been sick all year and it is unfortunate he doesn’t get to pitch on Tuesday night in the All-Star game).  I said it in yesterday’s blog post – it is a MUST that the Rays take 3 out of 4 in New York going into the All-Star break – and they now are set up to sweep.

Come on boys…keep this momentum rolling.  Ben Zobrist got this series off with a bang, ironically just missing the cycle by a double (he is tied for the AL lead with 28).  Sorry…but Matt Joyce needs to be benched.  He has not had a single to left since June 1st and his average has also dropped by 90 points since then as well…Matt was hitting .377 on June 1st – now – .287.  Like I have said via Twitter as well…Joyce is one of the worst and most embarrassing All-Star selections in recent memory.  One hot month makes him an All-Star – um – obviously not!

Lastly…Any chance The Trop could collapse so this team can play on the road the rest of the way?  At least at that point the Rays would get to play in front of some MLB fans and that in my opinion is a HUGE reason why this team plays great on the road!

If the Rays go into NY and either get swept or lose 3 out of 4…I hate to say it – but the Rays become sellers on Monday morning.  That would put them 9 games back in the loss column and 7.5 back of the Division lead and more than likely 5 or 6 back of the Red Sox for the wildcard.  Let’s face it – it is not pitching for the down falls of this team.  And look – it is tough to say down falls…the Rays are 48-39, which would lead every other Division in baseball except the NL East.  But it is what it is…they are in the AL East for now – no matter how unfair that is – this is the division they are in.  Without getting off on a tangent – I will say this – DO NOT mortgage any high level prospects to make a run this year – even if you go into Yankee Stadium and do the unthinkable and pull off the sweep.  There is talk of realignment, etc…and if Major League Baseball goes to 2 15 team divisions – the Rays have this organization built to win now and the depth & quality of the farm system puts them ready to be competitive and make the playoffs for the next 10-15 years.

Back to the topic at hand.  They need to grab a bat.  Los Angeles Dodgers Shortstop Rafael Furcal as mentioned in previous posts would be a good addition to this team and should not have a big price tag.  But he can go through LOOOOOOONG stretches of slumps…and that has been the entire Rays offense for the most part the entire season.  Yes – he can still be a very good, as long as he is cheap, addition.  But at the same time, why not think about gambling on Houston Astros Leftfielder Carlos Lee.  Yes, Lee is a bit older, 35, but he can still hit at a better clip than most of the Rays.  Lee is hitting .267 with 7 homeruns and 47 RBI’s, but he would be a bat with some thump that is desperately needed.  Local sports radio is all over Evan Longoria and his struggles.  But he is the ONLY bat in the lineup is feared.  If you were on that mound against the Rays – would Johnny Damon, Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton or Casey Kotchman even remotely scare you – ummm NO!  So why would any pitcher give Longo anything to hit…they don’t.

But – yeah BUT – isn’t there always a catch!?  Lee comes with a $18.5 Million Dollar contract through 2012.  Rays GM Andrew Friedman has already come out and said the Rays can add payroll if need be.  If you could throw the Astros a couple mid range prospects – maybe you can get them to pay 50% of his 2012 salary.  What?  You’re saying they won’t do that or something like that?  Oh yeah – go ask the Philadelphia Phillies about how much they paid Roy Oswalt after the Astros traded him to the Phils at the trade deadline last year.  Exactly!  Plus…if you trade BJ Upton and his salary to Washington for a couple mid level prospects…you lose the non hustling player that hurts your franchise more than helps, you dump his salary and gain a couple mid-level prospects back…well…what you get there is a BJ Upton for Carlos Lee trade and both of them free agents at the end of 2012.  Raise your hand if you would do that deal!  Yeah – I know me too!  And then we get Desmond Jennings called up and playing Centerfield immediately.

How much better does your lineup look now?

SS Rafael Furcal

2B Ben Zobrist

3B Evan Longoria

DH Carlos Lee

RF Matt Joyce

1B Casey Kotchman

LF Johnny Damon (please trade him now – so not worth holding Jennings down)

C  Does it really matter – Kelly Shoppach or John Jaso

CF Desmond Jennings

This puts zero pressure on rookie phenom Desmond Jennings to perform at the plate.  But look at how much better this lineup really is from 1-7 with just those 2 small acquisitions of Furcal and El Caballo. Now this lineup could make a run in the 2nd half of 2011 with the best pitching staff in the AL East and get into the playoffs.  And if the Rays can get in – they could easily do some damage with David Price, James Shields & Jeremy Hellickson in a 7 game series.  Plus – I’m telling you right now – if this team is in it in September – I expect Matt Moore to have the same impact on the Rays as Price did in 2008.

So what do you think Rays fans – leave us your comments!

Follow me on Twitter @Stelzy!  Also, ‘Like’ RaysCentral.com on Facebook and please send any questions or comments you might have via Twitter or FB – I will respond to all!

The biggest surprise to me is Matt Joyce making the All-Star team.  Like I said a couple days ago…yes, Joyce is the Rays Offensive MVP for the 1st half…but it is because he had an unreal month of May.  Joyce is hitting .300 with 11 homeruns and 40 RBI’s so far in 2011!  Really!?  A guy on pace for 22 homeruns and 80 RBI’s makes the AL All-Star team??  80 RBI’s…as an outfielder no less.  Look…it’s a bit different if he is a catcher or even a middle infielder….but an outfielder.  If anything, at least Ben Zobrist leads the league in doubles (as of Sunday) and can play multiple positions – and one of those is a MI spot…2nd base.  And truth is…how do you take Joyce over Paul Konerko?  Konerko is hitting .317 with 21 HR’s and 62 RBI’s!  And don’t tell me that you have to have 4 reserve outfielders…just for the record, Adrian Gonzalez has played rightfield a few times during interleague play.  It is almost embarrassing that Joyce was picked…no – it is.  Good for Joyce, but bad for baseball…kind of like Commissioner Bud Selig.  Good for him for getting the job…but bad for baseball.

Follow me on Twitter @Stelzy!  Also, ‘Like’ RaysCentral.com on Facebook and please send any questions or comments you might have via Twitter or FB – I will respond to all!

The First thing I would say the reason for the better record on the road…it is always more fun and motivational to play in front of fans.  Many times, the Rays will say they have drawn 18,000+, when actually they are lucky if there are 10,000 people in the building – and that includes the staff and the players.  So I blame us, the fans first and foremost for the Rays poor home record.  Look, I played soccer at a professional level…and the fans do matter.  I was an energy guy and I can’t even explain how much the fans helped.  If I was playing for a team that struggled to draw at home – it was almost deflating if we would only draw a couple thousand fans.  And then you go play in towns where they are drawing between 8k & 12k fans…totally awesome atmosphere – even if it was hostile.  Oh yeah, by the way, on the Road, they play in front of an average crowd of almost 26,000.  Hmmmm – you gotta think the Rays LOVE going to Boston & New York to play.  And despite the lack of loyalty of the community, they are still sitting only a couple games out of the AL East’s Division lead.

We should be embarrassed as a community that one of the top teams in Major League Baseball is sitting in our backyards and we sit 2^nd from the bottom in Home attendance (only above the Florida Marlins).  And if I am the owner of the Rays, why would I work for a new stadium.  We (the Rays) have been competitive in the toughest division in baseball to win and we still don’t draw.  I wouldn’t put any hard work in either if I was the owner – except to maybe look for a place to move this team somewhere that will give them the respect that they earned.

Let’s really look at what the Tampa Bay Rays offer.  They compete with the Big Boys, they play the New York Yankees & the Boston Red Sox 18-20 games a year each.  And Toronto has a slow pitch softball lineup…anyone in that order can take you deep.  And the Baltimore Orioles are managed by a very good Buck Showalter who really knows how to turn bad teams around…just ask the Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Yes, I know Buck didn’t win it…but those 2 teams won it the year after he was fired.  But he was able to get those 2 young teams developed to that point.  Oh and guess what – that is exactly what the Orioles are – young and talented.

Plus, the Rays do it with the smallest amount of money available to spend on salaries in baseball.  Florida Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria has the deep pockets to spend on salaries, but he refuses to do it, except about once every 5-10 years.  When Loria does spend it…he does it one year – goes for the Monty – and hits!  And then after he wins it…FIRE SALE!!!!  Pretty ironic that the 2 worst drawing teams in Major League Baseball have the lowest team salary in the League…umm – I don’t think so.

So, with this said…DO NOT blame management for not going out and trading for a “rental” player in Jose Reyes or Prince Fielder…this is the budget we help give the owners.  If we the Rays could even get their attendance to 25,000 a night…the owners may feel obligated to try to “go for it!”  But there is no pressure to do that with the lack of a so called “fan base.”  Think about it.  If the Rays had to give up a high prospect and mid-high prospect and you add Reyes to this lineup…oooh man – LOOKOUT!  You get a motivated Shortstop, who is only motivated by money and not wins…but, ironically – it is Reyes contract year – and he is killing it.  You add that dynamic leadoff guy to the top of the order and follow that up with the American League leader in doubles, Ben Zobrist & Evan Longoria looks like he is breaking out and warming up…well, what you have there with this lights out 1-2-3 punch starting staff – that is called – another playoff appearance in 2011!!

Come on my Rays Central Peeps – let’s get out there once or twice a week and fill that stadium.  If we do that – and then the Rays don’t spend money – then we can have at it with management.  But until that point – there isn’t much anyone can say to this team, except great job being competitive with a nickel and 2 dimes!

What do you all think Rays fans?  Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.

Follow me on Twitter @Stelzy and please send any questions or comments you might have.  Also, ‘Like’ RaysCentral.com on Facebook

And then there is Ben Zobrist who plays every position on the field, heck he is probably the Head Athletic Trainer AND the Team Doctor.  He probably is the most versatile player in the Majors, but versatility will not get you to the Mid Summer Classic either.  Zobrist is hitting .268 with 9 homers and 38 RBI’s – but unfortunately for him and the Rays – I think he did all of that in a doubleheader earlier in the year.  BJ Upton is hitting .218, nuff said there.

Now what is more embarrassing…that Johnny Damon is 5th in the DH voting (how sad are the DH’s in the AL if JD is the 5th best DH) or that Jorge Posada is in 3rd…pick your poison.  Pretty much if you voted for either of these 2, your All-Star voting license should be suspended for life.  Major League Baseball should research anyone’s email address that voted for Damon and/or Posada and they should eliminate them from the system!

Like I have been saying since I took over this blog a long time ago (what was it…Saturday or Sunday) – it is absolutely incredible that Rays Manager Joe Maddon has this team at 40-33.  Seriously – 1 word – HOW?????

Obviously Starting Pitcher James Shields is on the team and if the report that came out today is true that Justin Verlander will not pitch in the All-Star game – then Shields may be the starter.  Shields may have deserved it anyway, but Verlander is the most dominant pitcher in baseball right now and he threw a no-hitter in the 1st half.  And truth be told, Shields is just as well deserving.  James has 13 quality starts in his 15 starts, a record of 7-4 with a 2.40 ERA, 108 K’s and just about a 5:1 K:BB ratio.  Oh yea- and 5 complete games.  Yes – you read that right FIVE!!!  That just doesn’t happen before the All-Star break anymore unless your name is Doc and you pitch of the Philadelphia Phillies.  Just filthy.  And unless Jeremy Hellickson or David Price throw back to back Complete Game Shutouts…Shields will be the only Rays representative for this year’s All-Star game in Arizona.  Kyle Farnsworth may get a look, but it is just doubtful to me that he gets in.

Here is the American League All-Star Balloting as of June 21st, 2011

CATCHER
Russell Martin, Yankees: 2,226,797
Alex Avila, Tigers: 1,730,511
Joe Mauer, Twins: 1,341,474
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox: 1,135,617
Yorvit Torrealba, Rangers: 980,697

FIRST BASE
Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox: 3,017,960
Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 2,407,665
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 1,771,893
Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 890,468
Paul Konerko, White Sox: 676,194

SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Yankees: 3,664,498
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 2,239,172
Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 1,452,880
Orlando Cabrera, Indians: 910,941
Ben Zobrist, Rays: 828,771

THIRD BASE
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 2,876,537
Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 2,307,380
Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox: 2,025,438
Evan Longoria, Rays: 1,639,405
Brandon Inge, Tigers: 490,734

SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter, Yankees: 2,654,040
Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: 2,242,157
Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 1,513,929
Jhonny Peralta, Tigers: 875,371
Marco Scutaro, Red Sox: 813,888

DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz, Red Sox: 3,116,578
Michael Young, Rangers: 1,760,195
Jorge Posada, Yankees: 1,120,830
Victor Martinez, Tigers: 932,711
Johnny Damon, Rays: 864,535

OUTFIELD
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 4,156,940
Curtis Granderson, Yankees: 3,473,227
Josh Hamilton, Rangers: 2,400,408
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 2,249,323
Carl Crawford, Red Sox: 1,789,097
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 1,537,101
Nelson Cruz, Rangers: 1,462,426
Nick Swisher, Yankees: 1,271,843
Brett Gardner, Yankees: 1,120,179
J.D. Drew, Red Sox: 1,112,720
Matt Joyce, Rays: 1,038,098
Jeff Francoeur, Royals: 906,983
Grady Sizemore, Indians: 867,281
David Murphy, Rangers: 785,630
Shin-Soo Choo, Indians: 764,817

So, Mr. Shields, have a blast at your 1st All-Star game appearance…and if you need someone to work your video recorder for you so you can take everything in – I AM THERE for ya man!!

The Tampa Bay Rays came away from Friday night’s game with a win but a win which looked a lot more probable after the first inning than it did in the 9th inning. Tampa Bay jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first and led 7-1 after they pounded Toronto Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil for 7 earned runs and chased him from the game after 54 pitches in just two innings. Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upron both hit home runs for the Rays. That is Upton’s 4th home run in his last five games. That’s a good thing because quite frankly as inconsistent as the Rays are playing right now, Tampa needs each and every run they can muster.

After leading the Blue Jays 8-1 after the top of the 4th inning, the Rays allowed the Blue Jays right back into the game. Shields departed after 5 innings allowing 4 runs, Randy Choke, I mean Choate gave up two earned runs and before you know it, the game is tied 8-8 heading into the 9th inning.

Tampa managed to win the game without a hit. Three straight walks and a bobbled throw allow Sean Rodriguez to score from third. Soriano entered in the bottom of the 9th to collect his 41st save. He is now one away from tying the all-time save record for the Rays.

As scary a win as it was for the Tampa Bay Rays, it was a beneficial win as well. Never mind it was a Friday night win, it was a win which was coupled with a New York Yankee and Boston Red Sox loss so the Rays picked up ground in both the division race as well as the wildcard race.

Today’s pitching matchup features Wade Davis (11-9 4.39) going up against Rickey Romero (12-8 3.51) If you would have told me prior to the All-Star break that in September Davis would be one of the most consistent pitchers on the Rays staff, I would have said consistently bad. However, Davis has not lost an outing since losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 27th. Davis is 6-0 with a 3.97 ERA in his last 9 starts.

I’ll take the win, however ugly. They all can’t be masterpieces. But you’d think that the team which has the best road record in major league baseball could be playing a little better. The Rays starters during this road trip have posted a ERA of 7.88 and have only one quality start.