Resilient Remarkable Rays

Sunshine & Lollipops

Everyone was saying they couldn’t do it. They’ll never stay in 1 st place; they’ll never finish above the Red Sox and Yankees… blah blah blah Does anyone want to say they can’t win the World Series?  This team has a way to bounce back from tragedy over and over. In July right before the Allstar Break they lost 7 straight, lost 4 straight in the first weekend in September and then lost 14 out of their last 27 games. Then again after losing Games 5 & 6 everyone was all on the Red Sox and how the Red Sox have bounced back in the playoffs against the Indians last year and the Yankees previous to that. Well again they showed this time the World that they could do it. For those of you that haven’t been following these Rays and just assumed they were the same ol’ Devil – Rays that is how they have been winning all season long. The icing on the cake was to have a 2007 1 st round pick that no one has heard of throw the last 4 outs… His name is David Price and he earned a Postseason Win before he has earned a regular season win….

They looked over matched by the Red Sox so let’s see how they match up to the Phillies 

1B-  Carlos Pena - Ryan Howard

31 HRs + 102 RBIs vs  48 HRs + 146 RBIs  Ryan clearly stands out

2B-  Akinori Iwamura  - Chase Utley

.274 leadoff guy vs .292 + 33 HRs + 109 RBIs    Chase clearly is a more all around

SS-  Jason Bartlett -  Jimmy Rollins

.286 + 20 SBs .277 + 48 SBs    Jimmy clearly stands out

3B-  Evan Longoria  -  Dobbs/ Feliz

.272 + 27 HRs + 85 RBIs  vs .270ish + 23 HRs + 98 RBIs    Takes two to equal Evan

LF-  Carl Crawford  -  Pat Burrell

Speedster vs Homerun Guy

CF-  BJ Upton  - Shane Victorino

Both 5 Tool guys to close to call

RF- Rays Platoon  - Phillies Platoon

Too many guys to match up all it a wash

C-  Dioner Navarro -  Carlos Ruiz

Dioner

SP-  James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine

Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton

This will be the key who’s pitching will stand up to who’s sluggers

The Rays Pitching shut down a great team and the Phillies didn’t really get challenged

So it’s hard to say….

Bullpen-  Dan Wheeler, JP Howell, Grant Balfour, Chad Bradford

JC Romero, Ryan Madson, Chad Durbin, Clay Condrey

Closer-  Brad Lidge vs Rays Platoon  Clearly Lidge looks more appealing here

So again the Rays look over matched but don’t count them out…..

Why I think they won’t fall like the Rockies did last year

They beat the Red Sox & Yankees to take the AL East and just didn’t get hot late

They are Resilient and can bounce back from what seems to be the deep bottom….

Resilient Remarkable Rays

KelsdadAll-Star

404 days ago

Score 8

"2007 1 st round pick that no one has heard of "

You're kidding, right?

The only way Shane Victorino has five tools is if you count what's in his garage.

Personally, I'll take Pena at first, it's one thing to hit the ball, but you have to be able to catch it, too.

Jayson Werth gets the nod in RF, and with Crawford still suffering from the hand injury, Burrell does in LF as well.

As most postseason series do, it will come down to the late innings. Maddon will have to be on his game to manage the NL style for three games, double switching, bench and bullpen management, etc.

I like the Phils in six, with Lidge being MVP.

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Smmonroe2Varsity Captain

404 days ago

Score 0

I agree with Kel, you have to really look at what the players did all season not just their stats. Howard strikes out way to much, thats why I would take Pena. And the Phillies pitchers didn't really get challenged? They did play the Dodgers and Brewers right? I mean those teams don't have the deadliest of line-ups but it isn't like the Phillies pitched to the Royals or Orioles line-up. And with out Manny in the Boston line up I am not sure you can call them great. I mean Ortiz is not what he once was, J-Bay is not Manny, D-Peds struggled, Ellsbury couldn't hit a beach ball, i might call the red sox line up good, not great.

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ASwaffAll-American

400 days ago

Score 2

I think you're giving too little credit to Rays pitching in knocking the Red Sox lineup. Yeah, Bay is no Manny and Ortiz seems to have been playing hurt. But, between Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkilis and Crisp, the Rays made some good hitters look awfully bad. I'm gonna give credit where it's due.

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Smmonroe2Varsity Captain

404 days ago

Score 0

O and Phillies in six, I wouldn't be surprised to see seven or even a Ray's win though.

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

403 days ago

Score 0

Great Comments back to you both & thanks for sharing

Price: As for the folks on these sites they are smarter then the avg bear hence knowing about Price Pena & Howard: Pena K's as much and Howard I feel is more proven I took Howard is Fantasy who did you take? Victorino is total gamer BJ's injury set him back but he has been on a tear I agree with Burrell he is a stud Werth over the Rays Platoon too Yes Managing NL style does change everything

I think it takes pitchers out to soon to often but that is just my opinion

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KiaraK99Soccer Kid

403 days ago

Score 0

sorry it logged me out

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ASwaffAll-American

400 days ago

Score 3

Fantasy baseball? That's your metric? Fantasy baseball is not a proper gauge of talent. In my league, Berkman was as valuable as Webb and Santana combined. Good as Berkman is, I don't think that's a realistic evaluation of real life talent. So, I'm gonna throw that statement out. Yes, Howard has the experience. But he's not put up good numbers in post-season play. Compare him so far against Pena so far, and I take Pena. Postseason is a totally different animal than regular season. If that weren't the case, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio would be no better than platoon guys and Jim Leyritz would be in the Hall of Fame.

Secondly, while I agree that Victorino is a gamer, I also agree with Kel that he's no five-tool player. He's solid, but he's been MISERABLE in postseason play. I think his talent is being overstated here.

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Anonymous Fanatic #2

403 days ago

Score 0

The Rays are going to win the series. If the Phils played in the AL East, they would have had a tough time coming in fourth place. The Red Sox, Rays, Yankees and even Blue Jays all had better rosters. The NL is a joke. In a short series, it's up for grabs, but the Rays are the superior team. And it's not even close.

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JuTMSY4Legend

403 days ago

Score 3

Really...worse than the Blue Jays?

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Anonymous Fanatic #3

402 days ago

Score -3

Tampa Bay sweeps the series. It will be fun to watch the Philly dirtbags crying in their beer.

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SSreportersLegend

402 days ago

Score 0

The same way Red Sox fans and Dodgers fans did a few days ago?

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KiaraK99Soccer Kid

402 days ago

Score 0

LOL wow "Dirty Bags" they are not that bad are they?

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JuTMSY4Legend

402 days ago

Score 0

I dunno, they're pretty bad...

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Anonymous Fanatic #4

402 days ago

Score 0

Great blog K. I hope they can take it all.

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Anonymous Fanatic #5

402 days ago

Score 0

great job, K! you are fabulous! I'm always impressed with your grasp of things. Discussed the series today with two of my Phillies friends who now live in the TB area and were headed for the game with tickets they bought on E-BAY! Young guys...one of 'em is the grandson of a pitcher named Ray Narleski who pitched for the Indians back in '54. They asked me, as others have, for what I thought would happen...I actually think the Phils are the better team when Hamels is on the mound and, if Lidge doesn't have a relapse of the chokes like he got in Houston....but after than, I think it's all Rays....So if Hamels wins 2, where are the Phillies going to get their other 2? That's what we talked about and they agreed with me...Also they said (actually i brought it up and they expanded on it) that the RAYS have the better "team spirit" which is really important....they will root Phillies but live here now and think the RAYS are great too...so, the can't lose! You did great, babe! Remember, critics are guys who can't create...you did good! yeah, Victorino might be a stretch, but Howard/Pena is too close to call for sure.

If Moyer shows what he is capable of ...the Phils definitely have a shot.

My call: Rays in 5 or 7 if that's what fits the requirements of MLB this year! (slightly tongue in cheek)

the Rays ARE resilient and remarkable: that, nobody can dispute.

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JuTMSY4Legend

402 days ago

Score 1

The Rays have better "team Spirit?" false

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Anonymous Fanatic #5

402 days ago

Score 0

K...I thot I was logged in (I'm Anonymous Fanatic #5) S/BGFOUR

someone already has taken issue with the "team spirit" thing: hasn't watched the Rays obviously...the two Phillies fans that noticed it were talking about noticing how much fun the Rays had, how together they were....over the last half of the season...

they definitely have something special going on there...not a putdown of the Phillies at all...I don't think another team in baseball, for a long time, can match what we were talking about in that comment...;-)

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JuTMSY4Legend

402 days ago

Score 1

until today, did you watch the Phillies play?

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KiaraK99Soccer Kid

402 days ago

Score 0

actually yes

back to the comments from Bgfour the Phillies are a better team with Cole Hamels on the mound and tonight showed just that Like in the ;last series it takes the Rays a game to get their motor running.. let's see how Myers, Moyer & Blanton do.. Also the Rays got their bats alive in games 2,3 &4 in the last series... oh I forget the stat but the Rays win when Evan hits and he did not tonight :( and jeesch sorry I said Victorino is any good OMG... even the Phillies fans here hate him Is he really that bad? Tell that to the Dodgers wehn he hit that homer LOL maybe I should have been a homer and only highlighted the Rays players

LMAO

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Sj-hypocycloidAll-American

401 days ago

Score 1

Why would any Phillies fan hate Victorino? He pretty much enabled the Phillies to win two crucial games in the playoffs. He's one of the few consistent Phillies players at this time. He could use some help, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins. This is the time when MVPs should step up, guys....

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JuTMSY4Legend

401 days ago

Score 0

I was just ignoring this The whole thing stinks of baiting...

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KiaraK99Soccer Kid

401 days ago

Score 0

seriously I like Victorino he is a total gamer

I was not baiting sorry you felt like that It was Kelsdad that put down the 5 tool comment not you Jutmsy4 just my opinion he can hit for avg, power, run, field & throw so I labeled him a 5 tool BJ is to up & down and not as consistent that was all I meant

I was not trying to stir up drama

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Anonymous Fanatic #3

401 days ago

Score 0

Tampa Bay Rays in 5. Philly will choke like they always do. It will be just like 1983. Carlton wills the win in game 1 and then the anemic Philly offense chokes the rest of the way. Please accept that you are a losing town. It must be painful to have your hopes crushed year after year. I actaully feel for your fans.

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Anonymous Fanatic #6

400 days ago

Score 0

I don't know why you say it's hard to say which team has the better pitching. Outside of Cole Hamels, the Phillies pitchers STINK. The Rays CLEARLY have the dominant starting pitching, which is why I was surprised when people asked if Game 1 was a "must win" for the Rays. That was a must win for the Phillies. If they lose the game their ace pitches with Myers and Moyer on deck, they're totally screwed.

I also don't know how you say Howard has the clear edge at first. I have to agree with Kel. But, even defense aside, the postseason is a different story from the regular season. Howard may have had the edge in the regular season, but in the postseason, he's hitting .250 with zero homers, only three RBIs and almost as many Ks as total bases. Pena is batting 29 points higher, with a MUCH higher OPS, three homers and 9 RBIs. I take Pena.

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ASwaffAll-American

400 days ago

Score 1

I don't know why you say it's hard to say which team has the better pitching. Outside of Cole Hamels, the Phillies pitchers STINK. The Rays CLEARLY have the dominant starting pitching, which is why I was surprised when people asked if Game 1 was a "must win" for the Rays. That was a must win for the Phillies. If they lose the game their ace pitches with Myers and Moyer on deck, they're totally screwed. I also don't know how you say Howard has the clear edge at first. I have to agree with Kel. But, even defense aside, the postseason is a different story from the regular season. Howard may have had the edge in the regular season, but in the postseason, he's hitting .250 with zero homers, only three RBIs and almost as many Ks as total bases. Pena is batting 29 points higher, with a MUCH higher OPS, three homers and 9 RBIs. I take Pena.

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Sj-hypocycloidAll-American

400 days ago

Score 0

Do "dominant" pitchers enable a team to have 28 RISP? Do dominant pitchers so fail to intimidate batters that the batters get loads of hits and walks? I'll bet Shields was seeing Phillies batters in his freaking sleep! Where is this supposed domination? Because the winningest pitcher on the staff had 14 wins? Gibson, Koufax and Drysdale, step aside!

Myers sucks, huh? Gives up three runs over 7 innings despite having a guy called out then awarded 1st base?

And basing your choice of Pena v Howard on postseason numbers is nothing short of ridiculous. How silly of me...why would I want 48 homers and 146 RBI when I can easily DOWNGRADE to 31 HR and 102 RBI? Who needs that lousy 17 HR and 44 RBI? Surely not the Rays "dominant" pitching staff.

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ASwaffAll-American

400 days ago

Score 1

I meant dominant in comparison to the Phillies pitchers. The combined ERA of the Rays starters in the posteason is 3.43 against the Phillies 3.92, and that's, of course, against teams with a DH. The Phillies game 3 starter has lasted 5.1 innings in TWO STARTS. So, now that I've cleared up that I only meant that the Rays have a better staff than the Phillies, I'd have to say that it takes a great pitcher to work out of jams. Ideally, yes, they wouldn't be in those jams in the first place. But the idea is to prevent teams from scoring runs, and they're doing that. Phillies are something like 2-for-33 with runners in scoring position, so yes, the Rays starters are doing SOMETHING right.

And anyone can look good if you only count one of their starts. Stop being so limited with Myers' stats. He has a 4.74 ERA in the postseason. The only starter in this series with a worse ERA to this point is Moyer.

And yes, I DO base my pick on posteason numbers. I've already justified that. Some guys just don't play that well in the posteason. It's strange, but that's the way it goes. And to this point, Pena has played better than Howard. Disagree with me if you want, there's room for it. But basing a player's performance on what he's done for me lately isn't idiotic.

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Sj-hypocycloidAll-American

400 days ago

Score 1

Even with a 3.92 ERA, Phils pitchers have won 8 of 11 games thus far in the postseason. So that must mean that Phils starters are doing something right as well.

As for Myers last three starts, they're not all bad. The Dodger game was pretty interesting (5 ER), but he made up for that by driving in 3 runs. The other two games: 7 innings each, 3 ER and 2 ER. And a 2-1 record overall. ERA doesn't tell the full story. What has Myers done for me lately? Win.

I'll have to concede the Howard/Pena point based on postseason performance. Howard has been disturbingly bad thus far. But not as bad as Jimmy Rollins. If he doesn't snap out of it, he'll further this Rays pitching domination thing.

Kudos ASwaff...well argued! You even get a plus from me even though I disagree.

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ASwaffAll-American

400 days ago

Score 1

It's also not just this postseason for Howard. It's a small sample, but you add in the three postseason games he played last year, and his cumulative postseason stats feature a meager .250 batting average, a not-so-impressive .736 OPS and 18 Ks versus just 4 RBIs. Yes, that's F-O-U-R RBIs in 14 posteason games. Ryan has put up great regular season numbers, though I've never made it a secret that I'm not a fan of guys who strike out 199 times in a season and have lead gloves at their positions. But, like I said, I don't think it's outlandish to put up one guy's postseason numbers against another and say, "I'll take that guy in the World Series."

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ASwaffAll-American

400 days ago

Score 1

First of all, thank you. Very civil of you. I think the Phillies starters have definitely done something right. I just think there's a pretty big dropoff after Hamels that I don't find very encouraging. You've got to have deeper pitching than I think the Phils have to win the World Series. I could be wrong about that, especially if Moyer decides to not pitch like a high schooler castoff in game 3.

And I agree about Rollins. It's not just his numbers. He's not even getting good at-bats. Swinging at bad pitches, swinging like he's trying to hit homeruns rather than just get on base. That guy is a mess right now.

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Sj-hypocycloidAll-American

400 days ago

Score 1

It's truly a shame for all Phillies fans. We know in our heart of hearts that if Rollins, Utley and Howard ever got together and got two hits each in ANY game, the Phils would be unstoppable and it wouldn't matter how mediocre the pitchers are. But...it has not happened yet. And we could sure use some Burrell hits/homers as well.

And I couldn't agree more about the 199 Ks. It's just sloppy. I have complained about that in previous write ups. I have also complained about the Phillies incredible propensity to leave men on base. It's too bad it was a trend that started in April and continues now. They need to get that crap outta here.

Bring on game 3! I hate the days off!

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KelsdadAll-Star

400 days ago

Score 0

The Rays scored their four runs on a grand total of one hit. If not for Werth's muff in the first inning, the Phils would have gotten out of the first inning without allowing a run. Then it becomes a totally different game. And where I come from, 82 pitches in seven innings is pitching well, it's not Myers fault the Phils lost, on the contrary, he pitched well enough to win, he certainly pitched better than Shields.

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ASwaffAll-American

399 days ago

Score 0

Pitched better than Shields? Where I come from, giving up no runs is better than giving up four (three earned). You say that he pitched better than Shields based on pitch count? I'll grant that Myers pitched very well in that game, but how can you say he pitched better than the winning pitcher? That doesn't make sense.

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KelsdadAll-Star

399 days ago

Score 0

So, what you're saying then is it's impossible for the losing pitcher to pitch better than the winning pitcher? Trust me, it's not. And you saw it in Game Two. At least I did.

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KiaraK99Soccer Kid

399 days ago

Score 0

Game 2 Box

Myers 7Ip 7H 4R 3er 3BB 2Ks 0HRs 29BF 85pit 55strk

Shiedls 5.2Ip 7H 0R 0er 2BB 4ks 0HRs 25BF 104pit 67strk

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KiaraK99Soccer Kid

399 days ago

Score 0

on paper they pitched a close game just the Earned Runs

The Rays just managed a better game with small ball the isn't seen a lot from a AL team you'd think that a NL team could play against that... Let's see how they play in the NL park now

Should be fun! if now Rain

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