American League Division Series, Game Two
Watermelon = White Sox; Crazy dude = Rays. (But you got that).
You can un-grip the recliner armrest now ... the Rays have released the hounds. 6-2 after a dunk Dioner Navarro RBI single (scorer says double, but, come on)
Chad Bradford in to finish.
Rays' margin for error just got a little wider, courtesy a B.J. Upton triple and a follow-up single by Carl Crawford.
4-2 Rays in the eighth. White Sox going to Octavio Dotel. And you can fully expect Carl Crawford to seen try to steal second base off A.J. Pierzynski, who last night admitted holding baserunners on is "not something we do (well)."
Upton had been having a tough night - 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a pop-up.
Dan Wheeler ...
... up in the pen. It would appear J.P. Howell needs no help at this point, but Wheeler is the closer. A homer allowed like yesterday would be .... not good for the Rays.
Crucial spot here: the Sox 2-3-4-5 hitters are either going to come up in the eighth or ninth. That includes Jim Thome, an you remember what he did Tuesday.
Balfour vs. Cabrera, II
... this time it's personal. Man on second and one out, Balfour coming in to face Cabrera, intriguing considering last night's fun.
And Balfour shuts it down. 3-2 Rays, entering the bottom of the sixth.
QUESTION: Should Balfour be the Rays' closer?
Well now that changes everything
Akinori Iwamura gets a curtain call after a two-run homer. What hasn't this guy done for the Rays this season? The rather massive contingent of Japanese media that jumped off the Yankees/Matsui beat will be bustling tonight.
Did you know ...
... that Scott Kazmir's lifetime 9.74 strikeouts/9-inning ratio as a starter is second all-time among lefties? He trails only Randy Johnson and (10.63).
Momentum change
Kazmir continues to have fits and starts, but he's clearing settled in after a rough first couple innings. Perhaps the sight of David Price working in the pen as he pitched from the stretch proved inspirational. Still, his pitch count is already in the 80s and he'll not last much longer no matter what he does.
Due up for the Rays: Longoria, Aybar, Baldelli.
Anybody out here ...
... go to Game One. Would love to hear your observations, how the Rays/Trop staff handled their first postseason game. What was good/bad?
Kazmir settles
The lefty settled in the third, producing his first 1-2-3 inning. Buehrle's back on the hill after his shortest sit of the game, an inning after allowing three hits and a run. It could be, as the kids say, go time.
Bullpen activity
Chad Bradford, the righty and David Price, the lefty.
And David Price is still working in the pen as the Rays bat. Hmmmm. Kazmir remains in the game, however.
Everyone seems sort of surly right now.
Let's lighten it up, shall we?
Longoria's up ...
... close your windows. Nevermind. 4-3, inning over.
37 pitches, 17 strikes ...
... but Kazmir gets out of it only down 2-0. Mark Buehrle had enough time to walk down to The Pier and feed the pelicans. It'll be interesting to see if the long wait as an ill effect.
Umm, that's bad
Fairly disconcerting start if you're a Rays fan. HBP, BB, 1B. One mound conference already. How long do you stay with Kazmir with the bullpen pretty fresh? Thoughts?
Is everyone tired?
It's pretty subdued inside Tropicana Field tonight. That's somewhat understandable considering how amped the crowd was on Thursday for the Rays first-ever postseason game, but, seriously, it's Friday night.
Pena scratched again:
The Rays just made a lineup change, removing the first baseman Carlos Pena because of blurred vision. He apparently scratched his eye at home on Wednesday night and has experienced blurred vision since. Pena lasted one at-bat yesterday before removing himself from the lineup. Willy Aybar will play first base again and Fernando Perez has entered in right field for Rocco Baldelli, the original starter. Baldelli is now the DH.
Stretching:
Welcome back for Game 2, a massive one for the Rays. They could put a major headlock on the series or they could leave for Chicago with the series anew. A daunting task considering the disparity in the Rays record on the road as opposed to at the Trop. And the fact they get John Danks, another lefty, at US Cellular Field.
Thoughts:
It appears the Balfour-Cabrera spat won't fester into much, in part for the odd reason Sox fans and players don't seem to like shortstop very much. Why? This.
Hall of Famers, plus one:
Cool moment around the batting cage a few minutes ago with former Red/Oriole Hall of Famer Frank Robinson having a lively conversation with the White Sox Ken Griffey Jr. He will certainly join Robinson one day in Cooperstown, and it's intriguing to think what his statistics could be had he not lost so much time to injury and work stoppages.
Oh, and Harold Reynolds was there, too.
Follow Tampa Bay Rays baseball from spring training to the World Series with Marc Topkin, Joe Smith and the St. Petersburg Times sports staff. From Evan Longoria to B.J. Upton and James Shields, we're your source for Tampa Bay Rays scores and schedules.
See you all Sunday.
Posted by: BRANT | October 03, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Bottom line RAYS WIN.
Posted by: Brent | October 03, 2008 at 11:04 PM
Amanda, thanks for your comments. I'm hoping to find a great baseball town here. I love the game and have many happy memories.
Posted by: Kathy | October 03, 2008 at 10:35 PM
You might as well not bother watching tonight. If Kazmir is pitching, the Rays are guaranteed a loss.... Watch.
Posted by: Carol | October 03, 2008 at 06:16 PM
Typical Kaz .. 37 pitches ??!!! We will see Price by the 4th if this keeps up ..Posted by: Tim | October 03, 2008 at 06:40 PM
Kaz = Ace ????!!!!!!!!! yeah right
Posted by: Tim | October 03, 2008 at 06:40 PM
Kaz has $100 arm and 5 cent head. He is the very definition of overrated.
Posted by: Matt | October 03, 2008 at 06:23 PM
Kaz, you're not being paid by the pitch.
Posted by: Rookie Gets Nookie | October 03, 2008 at 06:59 PM
kazmir should have been held out for same reason as jackson. price is in better way at this point
Posted by: radiohead | October 03, 2008 at 06:29 PM
The above posters should have a beer or two and enjoy the game. Let Joe Maddon manage the game. Feel free to poast any retractions as appropriate because as far as all y'alls baseball knowledge? NOT SO MUCH
WHo Got the Win?
Stick with what you know and quit bashing because all y'all dont know as much as all y'all think you do AT LEAST WHEN IT COME TO BASEBALL!
Posted by: Harold | October 03, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Man, I love Staats and Magraine, sure they are a little cornball sometimes, but I wish we could have them calling the games, how gay is that?
Posted by: Hardhat0038 | October 03, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Kathy-
After years of conditioning, we're trained to be pessimists here. Not a great habit, but I think we're all working on breaking it.
Posted by: Amanda | October 03, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Whew what a win, that was fun to watch. Nice to see Kaz pull outta that slide, that bodes well for the Rays moving forward. Truly one of the greatest things I have ever witnessed this season with the Rays, I am glad I got to see it, no matter what happens.
Posted by: Hardhat0038 | October 03, 2008 at 10:27 PM
What does your crystal ball say about game 3, Carol?
Posted by: Carol is an idiot | October 03, 2008 at 10:19 PM
Was it just me, or were these some of the worst announcers ever? One was boring, the other was stupid and repetitive. Makes you realize how lucky we are to have Staats and Magrane during the season.
Posted by: Richard | October 03, 2008 at 10:05 PM
I've been a baseball fan most of my life. Not so much the past few years, but since moving to the Tampa Bay area recently and deciding to claim it as my "home" was glad to see the Rays do so well. What is wrong with these "fans?" that just keep bashing the home team. Could be out of town basher but who knows. Any thoughts??
Posted by: Kathy | October 03, 2008 at 10:04 PM
Hmmm, Upton just got a triple, nice
Posted by: CJ | October 03, 2008 at 08:52 PM
you're right about Kaz...but Upton..hmmmmm "0" for 8 ain't good..
Posted by: gary | October 03, 2008 at 07:52 PM
AKI!!!
Posted by: CJ | October 03, 2008 at 07:45 PM
You bring up an interesting point, Tim. If you're running the club and want to get Price into the rotation and Kazmir out, you can't be certain what Kazmir will do out of the pen. He can't have one bad inning in that situation.
Posted by: BRANT | October 03, 2008 at 07:41 PM
Kazmir's first six starts this year: six innings twice, seven innings three times, then eight innings (only time this season).
Then came the Angels game and the run-in with the home-plate umpire.
Since then, just one start longer than six innings.
Posted by: Kevin | October 03, 2008 at 07:41 PM
Kaz reminds me so much of E.J. If he can survive the first inning he has a chance .. the problem being with 37 pitches in the 1st he literally pitches himself out of the game ...
Posted by: Tim | October 03, 2008 at 07:33 PM
"You guys love Kazmir again yet?"
Sure; unless, of course, we lose 2-1.
Posted by: Rookie Gets Nookie | October 03, 2008 at 07:10 PM
You guys love Kazmir again yet?
Posted by: BRANT | October 03, 2008 at 07:08 PM
Kaz, you're not being paid by the pitch.
Posted by: Rookie Gets Nookie | October 03, 2008 at 06:59 PM
Lot of ballgame left to play, people. Let's see if the Rays bats can get hot.
Posted by: Big Pauly | October 03, 2008 at 06:52 PM
Typical Kaz .. 37 pitches ??!!! We will see Price by the 4th if this keeps up ..
Kaz = Ace ????!!!!!!!!! yeah right
Posted by: Tim | October 03, 2008 at 06:40 PM
Kazmir has the self confidence of a 14 year old fat girl. Good god.
Posted by: Bryan | October 03, 2008 at 06:35 PM
kazmir should have been held out for same reason as jackson. price is in better way at this point
Posted by: radiohead | October 03, 2008 at 06:29 PM
Kaz has $100 arm and 5 cent head. He is the very definition of overrated.
Posted by: Matt | October 03, 2008 at 06:23 PM
What's your solution, Carol? You think its time to get David Price in the rotation?
Posted by: BRANT | October 03, 2008 at 06:23 PM
You might as well not bother watching tonight. If Kazmir is pitching, the Rays are guaranteed a loss.... Watch.
Posted by: Carol | October 03, 2008 at 06:16 PM
So trying to hit 90mph fastballs from a big left-hander is not advisable, eh?
Posted by: BRANT | October 03, 2008 at 05:53 PM
scratched cornea feels like you have a splinter in your eye and can't get rid of it.
Posted by: radiohead | October 03, 2008 at 05:48 PM