Soriano to the Yankees… As a set up man?
As I get word on Garza and the possible trade to the Cubs, I hear Soriano maybe considering being a setup man for the Yankees. “That door is open for a number of different reasons,” Soriano’s agent, Scott Boras, told ESPNNewYork.com.
Paying Soriano closer money for a set up position, would be something he would consider. Can you imagine the combo of Soriano in the eighth inning with closer Mariano Rivera. Is this payback for Cliff Lee snubbing the Bronx?
“I don’t think there is a team in baseball where he could be asked to be a setup guy other than the Yankees,” Boras said. As Spring Training is upon us, I was really hoping for the Rays to keep Soriano. I put nothing past Boras, Cashman or the Yankees at this point. With Andy Pettitte’s unknown status, this could be a huge score for the Yankees bullpen.
Rivera getting up there in age, Soriano in his prime. I smell Soriano replacing Rivera in 2yrs, if this all comes to fruition. What Soriano did last season, was a huge factor allowing the Tampa Bay Rays to win the AL East. The Yankees witnessed that first hand.
How many sighs of relief did Soriano give us Rays fans while we were all ‘untucking’ ?
Jenny
Finally. Cliff Lee decides on Philly.
A deep breath for the Rays. Exactly a year ago the Phillies traded Cliff Lee. Tonight they got him back. Cliff Lee agrees to a contract with the Phillies for what seem to be a lot less than the Yankee’s offered him. Rangers and the Yankees seemed to be the two clubs in the running. Phillies pushed harder for him during the winter meetings. Now back to the City of Brotherly Love for Lee. Word is Kristen Lee’s strong feelings toward the two cities was the icing on the cake…
Kristen Lee: Reportedly not happy with how the Yankees fans treated her.
During the American League Championship Series games in New York between the Yankeesand Rangers, fans were extremely rude to Kristen Lee, spitting and throwing beer in her direction and shouting obscenities.
Money has once again proven it’s power. Philadelphia’s bull pen is now stacked like crazy with; Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.
Personally I’m glad this circus is over. I’m glad Cliff Lee is out of the AL. Also thankful for the blow to the Yankees ego. In other repetitive news… Farve, Farve and more Farve…
Ciao ~ Jenny
3 keys to a Tampa Bay Rays victory over the Texas Rangers tonight
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The Tampa Bay Rays offense caught fire after 26 innings against the Texas Rangers and they have managed to tie up the series and bring the fifth and final game back to the Trop tonight. This evening’s game will be a rematch of both team’s top starting pitchers, Texas’ Cliff Lee against the Rays’ David Price, both left handed pitchers. There are three keys I think that will make a difference in tonight’s game.
1-It has been announced that tonight’s game is a complete sellout, even after the Rays ownership uncovered the outfield tarps and sold an additional 5,000 seats for tonight’s matchup. The Tampa Bay Rays have not lost back to back starts with David Price pitching the entire season. With the Trop sold out tonight, there needs to be a Metrodome-like amount of noise while Cliff Lee is pitching. Bring your cowbells, dinner bells, church bells, I don’t care. The key to defeating Cliff Lee is getting to him early, preferably in the 1st inning, get him off base and do not allow him to settle into a groove. Make Lee pitch deep into counts and run up his pitch count early.
2-David Price needs run support. Manager Joe Maddon has once again tweaked the lineup and has focused on a heavy right-handed batting lineup. Rocco Baldelli will not be occupying a spot tonight, and should never have been in te lineup in Game 1, regardless of sentimental feelings.
3- Tonight’s game is going to require an absolute team effort. 3B Evan Longoria has had 36 hours to rest his quad injury, but the Rays cannot put everything on his shoulders. I’d like to see at least a base hit from 1B Carlos Pena against a left hander tonight. The Rays three headed monster in the bullpen of Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano is waiting for the Rangers batting order, give them an opportunity to win this game and send Texas back home.
For those of you questioning Joe Maddon’s decision to go with Kelly Shoppach over John Jaso at catcher, once again Maddon decided to play the percentages. Shoppach and David Price have had a good rapport as pitcher and receiver this season and Shoppach is better against left handed pitching than John Jaso.
If Tampa Bay loses tonight, this will most likely be the last time that you see LF Carl Crawford in a Rays uniform. Every single one of you attending tonight’s game, make sure you give him the respect and admiration he deserves when he takes the field in the first inning and throughout the entire game.
Lineups for Tampa Bay Rays versus Texas Rangers
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The lineups have been released for tonight’s ALDS match-up between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers in game 5. As expected, Rays manager Joe Maddon has adjusted the Rays batting order once again and he has leaned heavy on the right handed batters in the batting order. CF B.J. Upton has been moved to the six hole, batting behind 1B Carlos Pena. Dan Johnson is the DH for tonight’s game, batting 7th. Kelly Shoppach is batting 8th while Sean Rodriguez is playing 2B and batting 9th.Rodriguez and Shoppach present a much better match-up scenario against left handed pitching and we all know how manager Joe Maddon loves to play the percentages in match-ups. We just have to hope that it works out tonight.
The Tampa Bay Rays lineup-
Bartlett ss
Zobrist rf
Crawford lf
Longoria 3b
Pena 1b
Upton cf
Johnson dh
Shoppach c
Rodriguez 2b
The Texas Rangers lineup-
Andrus ss
Young 3b
Hamilton cf
Guerrero DH,
Cruz lf
Kinsler 2b
Francoeur rf
Molina c
Moreland 1b
Rays versus Rangers, this one’s for all the marbles
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There is nothing like the final game of a baseball series. Tonight will be game 5 between the Tampa Bay Rays and it’s for all the marbles. One team goes home and the other advances to face the Evil Empire of the New York Yankees. Will Texas Ranger SP Cliff Lee silence the Rays bats once again? Can David Price rebound and have a dominant pitching performance? Will there be another bad officiating call? (see Michael Young’s check swing in game two)? 166 games comes down to 9 innings starting at 8:07 tonight at the Trop.
The Tampa Bay Rays traveled to Texas for game three bringing with them a team batting average of .125 after two games and for nearly 27 innings the Rays appeared frozen at the plate., outscored 11-1 in the first two games alone. However, in the eighth inning of game three the Rays remembered that they actually can play baseball and decided to get in the game. Nothing like spotting your opponent 26 innings.Since the fifth inning of game three, Tampa Bay is batting .362.
The Rays will need another good night at the plate to advance. Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee is 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his career during post-season play. Tonight’s game is exactly why the Rangers went out and acquired the veteran lefty. Yes, Lee did look virtually un-hittable in game one of the series, but Tampa Bay has beaten Lee three times this season. Joe Maddon will no doubt remind the Rays of that.
David Price is no stranger to big games. He pitched the final four outs against the Boston Red Sox in 2008 and he is going to need to channel that energy tonight. Price has made it perfectly clear throughout the series that he has wanted to pitch again to redeem himself for game one. Price and the pitching staff has now seen the ranger for four games and Price should have a much better idea on what to pitch to which Rangers batter. I’d like to see him work ahead in the count a little more in tonight’s game.
Hopefully, tonight’s game isn’t plagued with another controversial officiating call. This season has been marred with bad calls and if that isn’t a wake-up call to Bud Selig that instant replay needs to be expanded, I don’t know what is. I don’t expect that baseball or Selig will do anything in the off-season with instant replay, but it is blatantly obvious that baseball has issues. I’d like tonight’s game to be played between the two teams and the winner determined by the effort of one team over the other, not have an outcome based on an officiating call.
If Texas happens to win tonight, I will have to root for them over the New York Yankees. I do not want to see the Yankees return to the World Series again. According to the St. Pete Times, there are a few seats remaining for tonight’s game after the Rays organization removed the outfield tarp yesterday and added an additional 5,000 seats. Let’s pack the Trop tonight and remember, we need more cowbell!
