It was the fourth game of the series, and final of the season, between the Yankees and Rays Thursday night. New York settled for a series split after dropping a 10-3 decision in the Bronx. The Rays’ seven run sixth inning overpowered the Bombers and trimmed Tampa to within a half-game of the division. The win also gave the wildcard-leading Rays a 10-8 season series edge against their AL East rivals. Yankee ace, C.C. Sabathia, allowed seven runs on ten hits while laboring through five innings. Sabathia was outdueled by Rays’ 18 game winner, David Price. Price yielded eight hits in six innings, limiting the Bombers to three runs while fanning seven.
Marcus Thames provided the Bombers with a 2-0 advantage with a second inning homerun, and the Yankees added a tally in the fifth on Nick Swisher’s single. Sabathia gave one run back in the third on Ben Zobrist’s single, before allowing a season high seven runs when the night was over. New York’s 3-1 lead vanished in the top of the sixth. Sabathia’s pitch count stood at 76 against the relentless Rays heading into the fateful frame. Carl Crawford helped rally the Rays with a single off Sabathia. Evan Longoria followed with a double to place runners in scoring position visiting Tampa. Rocco Baldelli plated Crawford with a soft grounder, and Willie Aybar pummeled the Yankee lefty with a base hit to tie the game. Kelly Shopach then walked to load the bases. Sean Rodriguez fought off a full count to draw a walk and bring in another Rays’ run against Sabathia. Joba Chamberlain, on his birthday, was summoned from the Bombers’ bullpen to replace the starter with Tampa ahead 4-3. B.J. Upton greeted Chamberlain by slugging a double off the reliever. Upton’s double increased Tampa’s lead to 6-3 as they batted around in the sixth. Crawford plated two more runs in the frame and finished the with three hits on the evening.
In the bottom half of the sixth, the Yankees threatened by loading the bases. Mark Teixeria tried to help the Bombers grab a few runs back, but Price got the All-star switch-hitter to fly out to end the inning. Javier Vazquez worked the New York seventh, matching a major league record by hitting three straight batters. Shoppach was pegged to force in a run before pinch-hit sensation, Dan Johnson, lofted a sacrifice fly for a 10-3 Rays’ lead. Vazquez regained control to finish off the Rays in the eighth and ninth, but the Yankee offense couldn’t string anything together against Tampa’s bullpen. Joe Girardi, New York skipper, pulled most of his starters by the final innings. New York has six games remaining against Boston, and three with Toronto. The Rays’ schedule is a lighter one and includes contests with Baltimore, Kansas City and Seattle. It appears the Rays have a leg up in the division race, but there are still nearly two weeks of baseball remaining on the season.
Parting Points: “Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Showing posts with label Tampa Rays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tampa Rays. Show all posts
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tight Tussle in Tampa
The Yankees dropped a 4-3 decision to the Tampa Rays in the rubber match of a three game set at Tropicana Field Wednesday night. Phil Hughes allowed the go-ahead blast in the seventh inning with the Bombers clinging to a 3-2 lead. Dan Johnson’s two run shot lifted the Rays into first place in the AL East, handing New York the series loss in a crucial playoff-like series. Johnson highlighted the Rays’ offense with two long balls and all four Tampa RBIs.
The Yankee bats came up empty in clutch situations after the visitors belted three hits in the top of the first. Rays’ starter, James Shields scattered eight hits and fanned eight Bombers to earn the win. The Tampa hurler escaped first inning trouble to put up zeros against the Yankee offense the remainder of his solid outing. Shields pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed one run before handing the game over to his bullpen. The Rays didn’t score against Hughes until the bottom of the fifth. He was perfect until Tampa third baseman, Evan Longoria, lifted a single to center. Longoria scored on Johnson’s full count homerun.
Derek Jeter was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning. The umpires awarded the Yankee captain a free base, but the decision stirred up controversy in the Tampa dugout. The result caused the ejection of Rays’ manager, Joe Maddon. Bombers’ centerfielder, Curtis Granderson, clubbed a two-run bomb off reliever, Chad Qualls following the ejection. Granderson’s 18th homerun of the year gave the Yankees a one-run lead. Matt Joyce worked the count against Hughes in the bottom of the seventh before notching a two-out base hit. Johnson drilled his second homerun to drive in Joyce and end Hughes’ night. The former Oakland prospect has four multi-homer games in his career. He has five homers since being called up last month.
Tampa’s Grant Balfour pitched out of trouble after relieving a Randy Choate in the eighth. Balfour retired Marcus Thames, Austin Kearns and Colin Curtis, leaving two runners stranded for the Yankees. Joba Chamberlain faced four batters and was effective in retiring the Rays in the bottom of the eighth frame. All-star first baseman, Mark Teixeira drew a two-out walk in the ninth off Tampa’s Rafael Soriano. Alex Rodriguez couldn’t muster a hit off the closer to keep the inning alive. Soriano fanned Arod for the game’s final out and picked up his 43rd save of the season for the first place Rays. Tampa has won four of their last six games, and faces the Yankees four more times beginning Monday.
Parting Points: The 2005 Heisman has been vacated. Thoughts?
Is this what it takes to be in first place?
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?affiliateId=facebook_share&content_id=12092851&topic_id&c_id=mlb
The Yankee bats came up empty in clutch situations after the visitors belted three hits in the top of the first. Rays’ starter, James Shields scattered eight hits and fanned eight Bombers to earn the win. The Tampa hurler escaped first inning trouble to put up zeros against the Yankee offense the remainder of his solid outing. Shields pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed one run before handing the game over to his bullpen. The Rays didn’t score against Hughes until the bottom of the fifth. He was perfect until Tampa third baseman, Evan Longoria, lifted a single to center. Longoria scored on Johnson’s full count homerun.
Derek Jeter was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning. The umpires awarded the Yankee captain a free base, but the decision stirred up controversy in the Tampa dugout. The result caused the ejection of Rays’ manager, Joe Maddon. Bombers’ centerfielder, Curtis Granderson, clubbed a two-run bomb off reliever, Chad Qualls following the ejection. Granderson’s 18th homerun of the year gave the Yankees a one-run lead. Matt Joyce worked the count against Hughes in the bottom of the seventh before notching a two-out base hit. Johnson drilled his second homerun to drive in Joyce and end Hughes’ night. The former Oakland prospect has four multi-homer games in his career. He has five homers since being called up last month.
Tampa’s Grant Balfour pitched out of trouble after relieving a Randy Choate in the eighth. Balfour retired Marcus Thames, Austin Kearns and Colin Curtis, leaving two runners stranded for the Yankees. Joba Chamberlain faced four batters and was effective in retiring the Rays in the bottom of the eighth frame. All-star first baseman, Mark Teixeira drew a two-out walk in the ninth off Tampa’s Rafael Soriano. Alex Rodriguez couldn’t muster a hit off the closer to keep the inning alive. Soriano fanned Arod for the game’s final out and picked up his 43rd save of the season for the first place Rays. Tampa has won four of their last six games, and faces the Yankees four more times beginning Monday.
Parting Points: The 2005 Heisman has been vacated. Thoughts?
Is this what it takes to be in first place?
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?affiliateId=facebook_share&content_id=12092851&topic_id&c_id=mlb
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Dan Delivers During Division Demands
The Rays edged the Red Sox 3-2 in St. Petersburg on Saturday, pushing Boston 5 ½ games behind the AL East leaders. Tampa is tied at the top of the division with the New York Yankees, who defeated the White Sox behind C.C. Sabathia’s 18th win of the season. Dan Johnson’s leadoff homerun in the 10th inning sealed the victory for the Rays in front of a sellout crowd at the Trop. It was the fifth walkoff win for the first place Rays this season.
Randy Choate recorded the final out of the 10th and was credited for the win after Johnson’s walkoff shot off losing pitcher, Scott Atchison. The Rays tied the game two times before taking the lead for good in the 10th. Boston went ahead 1-0 in the top of the fourth on Adrian Beltre’s sacrifice fly. The Red Sox pounded out ten total hits, including four from Victor Martinez, but were still parched for production. Martinez drove in both Boston runs and has a lifetime batting average of .425 at Tropicana Field. The Boston slugger has three of the five Red Sox RBIs this series and has scored four of the five runs. Martinez was the only run charged to Tampa hurler, Matt Garza. Garza scattered six hits through seven solid innings before Joaquin Benoit took over in the eighth.
Evan Longoria’s infield single in the fourth was the first hit for Tampa. Longoria also set the stage for the Rays’ first run with a seventh inning leadoff single of starter, Clay Buchholtz. The third baseman was tagged when Carlos Pena reached safely on a fielder’s choice. Pena advanced to third on Buchholtz’s errant pick-off move and scored on Matt Joyce’s sacrifice fly to right.
Martinez launched a solo shot off Benoit in the top of the eighth to give Boston a 2-1 advantage. It was the catcher’s 13th long ball of the year. B.J. Upton made it an even affair again with a homerun off Buchholtz. Upton drove a 1-0 offering into the left field stands for his 13th of the year. Bullet-proof Buchholtz allowed only four hits in just over seven frames. He struck out five batters but his consecutive 26-inning scoreless streak was snapped by Joyce. Both bullpens shut down the bats in the ninth inning, sending the game to extra frames. Choate relieved Chad Qualls with two outs in the tenth and Martinez on first base. Choate induced a fly out from David Ortiz to end the inning. Ortiz finished with three hits for Boston. In the tenth, Johnson ended the game on a 2-2 walkoff homer, the third of his career against the division rival Red Sox.
Parting Points: Disheartning news for the Nats—Stephen Strasburg needs surgery.
Good news for tennis fans—the U.S. Open starts tomorrow.
Randy Choate recorded the final out of the 10th and was credited for the win after Johnson’s walkoff shot off losing pitcher, Scott Atchison. The Rays tied the game two times before taking the lead for good in the 10th. Boston went ahead 1-0 in the top of the fourth on Adrian Beltre’s sacrifice fly. The Red Sox pounded out ten total hits, including four from Victor Martinez, but were still parched for production. Martinez drove in both Boston runs and has a lifetime batting average of .425 at Tropicana Field. The Boston slugger has three of the five Red Sox RBIs this series and has scored four of the five runs. Martinez was the only run charged to Tampa hurler, Matt Garza. Garza scattered six hits through seven solid innings before Joaquin Benoit took over in the eighth.
Evan Longoria’s infield single in the fourth was the first hit for Tampa. Longoria also set the stage for the Rays’ first run with a seventh inning leadoff single of starter, Clay Buchholtz. The third baseman was tagged when Carlos Pena reached safely on a fielder’s choice. Pena advanced to third on Buchholtz’s errant pick-off move and scored on Matt Joyce’s sacrifice fly to right.
Martinez launched a solo shot off Benoit in the top of the eighth to give Boston a 2-1 advantage. It was the catcher’s 13th long ball of the year. B.J. Upton made it an even affair again with a homerun off Buchholtz. Upton drove a 1-0 offering into the left field stands for his 13th of the year. Bullet-proof Buchholtz allowed only four hits in just over seven frames. He struck out five batters but his consecutive 26-inning scoreless streak was snapped by Joyce. Both bullpens shut down the bats in the ninth inning, sending the game to extra frames. Choate relieved Chad Qualls with two outs in the tenth and Martinez on first base. Choate induced a fly out from David Ortiz to end the inning. Ortiz finished with three hits for Boston. In the tenth, Johnson ended the game on a 2-2 walkoff homer, the third of his career against the division rival Red Sox.
Parting Points: Disheartning news for the Nats—Stephen Strasburg needs surgery.
Good news for tennis fans—the U.S. Open starts tomorrow.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Cano’s Clutch Clip Caps Comeback
All-star second baseman, Robinson Cano, belted a tie-breaking ninth inning homerun off All-Star closer, Rafael Soriano, to lift New York over the Rays 5-4 at Tropicana Field on Saturday. Cano’s 21st blast of 2010 gave the visiting Yankees their 34th come-from-behind victory of the season. The second baseman finished 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a solo shot. It was Cano’s 11th career homerun at Tropicana Field and was enough to snap the Rays’ seven-game winning streak. New York leads the AL East by two games over Tampa.
Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher added homeruns for New York as the Yankees defeated their division rivals behind starter, Javier Vazquez. The New York pitcher yielded four runs and eight hits through six plus innings. The Rays scored in the bottom of the first on Evan Longoria’s sacrifice fly and threatened to add to their one run lead after Carl Crawford stole his 38th base. Vazquez escaped the first without allowing another tally. The speedy left fielder for Tampa, Crawford, singled in a run in the third inning but not before the Yankees put up a run in the second. Curtis Granderson answered Longoria’s sacrifice fly with one of his own to tie the contest at 1-1. Tampa retook the lead in the third via Crawford’s RBI and increased their edge to 3-1 in the fifth on Jason Bartlett’s sacrifice fly.
Teixeira erased the 3-1 deficit in the sixth inning with a two run tater off Matt Garza. Garza, toeing the rubber for the first time since his no-hitter, lasted seven innings and allowed four hits on five runs. Garza struck out nine before handing the game over to his bullpen. Tampa’s Matt Joyce provided Garza with the lead again heading into the seventh frame. Joyce clubbed a solo homerun on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the sixth to break a 3-3 tie. Swisher pulled a full count Garza offering to right field in the seventh to make it a tie ball game again. The Yankees’ Boone Logan and Dave Robertson teamed up for a scoreless inning of relief in the eighth. Tampa’s Joaquin Benoit matched the relief duo by tossing a hitless eighth frame to keep the game knotted at 4-4. Cano’s crush off Soriano put the visiting team up by a run and closer, Mariano Rivera made it stand for good in the ninth. Rivera earned his 22nd save of the season, making a winner out of Robertson.
Yankees’ trade-deadline acquisition, Lance Berkman, went 0-for-4 as the designated hitter in his New York debut. New York shipped pitcher, Mark Melancon and infielder, Jimmy Paredes to Houston for Berkman. The Bombers made two more trades in the hours leading up to last night’s deadline. Austin Kearns and Kerry Wood were added to the roster. Kearns and Wood, an outfielder and pitcher from Cleveland, respectively, were traded for players to be named later. Wood’s addition provides a solid veteran in the bullpen and also puts Joba Chamberlain’s role in question. Kearns and Berkman are backup position players who add depth to the bench. Berkman will likely be inserted at first base and DH. Kearns will see time off the bench as a pinch hitter and reserve outfield option for Joe Girardi’s Bombers.
Parting Points: Sunday song- “All My Life” by Foo Fighters
Movie of the day- Brian’s Song
Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher added homeruns for New York as the Yankees defeated their division rivals behind starter, Javier Vazquez. The New York pitcher yielded four runs and eight hits through six plus innings. The Rays scored in the bottom of the first on Evan Longoria’s sacrifice fly and threatened to add to their one run lead after Carl Crawford stole his 38th base. Vazquez escaped the first without allowing another tally. The speedy left fielder for Tampa, Crawford, singled in a run in the third inning but not before the Yankees put up a run in the second. Curtis Granderson answered Longoria’s sacrifice fly with one of his own to tie the contest at 1-1. Tampa retook the lead in the third via Crawford’s RBI and increased their edge to 3-1 in the fifth on Jason Bartlett’s sacrifice fly.
Teixeira erased the 3-1 deficit in the sixth inning with a two run tater off Matt Garza. Garza, toeing the rubber for the first time since his no-hitter, lasted seven innings and allowed four hits on five runs. Garza struck out nine before handing the game over to his bullpen. Tampa’s Matt Joyce provided Garza with the lead again heading into the seventh frame. Joyce clubbed a solo homerun on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the sixth to break a 3-3 tie. Swisher pulled a full count Garza offering to right field in the seventh to make it a tie ball game again. The Yankees’ Boone Logan and Dave Robertson teamed up for a scoreless inning of relief in the eighth. Tampa’s Joaquin Benoit matched the relief duo by tossing a hitless eighth frame to keep the game knotted at 4-4. Cano’s crush off Soriano put the visiting team up by a run and closer, Mariano Rivera made it stand for good in the ninth. Rivera earned his 22nd save of the season, making a winner out of Robertson.
Yankees’ trade-deadline acquisition, Lance Berkman, went 0-for-4 as the designated hitter in his New York debut. New York shipped pitcher, Mark Melancon and infielder, Jimmy Paredes to Houston for Berkman. The Bombers made two more trades in the hours leading up to last night’s deadline. Austin Kearns and Kerry Wood were added to the roster. Kearns and Wood, an outfielder and pitcher from Cleveland, respectively, were traded for players to be named later. Wood’s addition provides a solid veteran in the bullpen and also puts Joba Chamberlain’s role in question. Kearns and Berkman are backup position players who add depth to the bench. Berkman will likely be inserted at first base and DH. Kearns will see time off the bench as a pinch hitter and reserve outfield option for Joe Girardi’s Bombers.
Parting Points: Sunday song- “All My Life” by Foo Fighters
Movie of the day- Brian’s Song
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Go-to Guide for Greatness
Not sure how to start your sports column after covering another no-hitter? Here’s a quick go-to guide to aid you in your writing. All you need are paper, a pen, a personality and two cups of coffee.
1) Always begin with facts from the game (score). Crowd size could be mentioned here or in step 3.
2) Mention a recent fact such as the number of no hitters this season or by the teams involved.
3) You have two options—plug in a quote from the pitcher about how this is a dream come true for him OR wrap up the first paragraph with an overall sense of the atmosphere at the stadium (crowd size, excitement level)
4) Background information about the pitcher should be established
5) Statistics from the no-hitter
6) Sugar-coated quotes from the manager (limit to one sentence)
7) Historical data about almost anything related to baseball works here
8) Talk a bit about the opposing team’s struggles at the plate
9) Mention any defensive plays that stood out (game-saving grabs are very effective)
10) Paint a pretty picture of the pitcher by saying how much he’s overcome in his life
11) Wrap it up with another quote from someone involved in the game or simply end your column with a generic phrase such as “Joe Blow will cherish this game for the rest of his career and life.”
Twenty-six year old Matt Garza pitched the majors’ fifth no-hitter of the year yesterday. Tampa’s terrific-tossing hurler blanked the Tigers 5-0 and became the first pitcher in franchise history to earn the honor. As a sportswriter, it must be challenging to cover no-hitters. There are usually minimal highlights to catalogue from the game, at least from the team being “no-hit”. It’s almost like doing a performance appraisal on an employee and coming away without any improvements or criticisms. (Excuse the HR reference—I am taking an HRM course this summer) That isn’t to say Garza was absolutely perfect last night while he was spinning a hitless gem.
Writers tend to fill their columns with quotes from teammates, historical facts about no-hitters and various statistics whenever a no-hitter is involved. It’s a good idea to at least mention some biographical information about the latest pitching star. Columnists and beat writers commonly tag this on to the end of a story. In Garza’s case, it’s particularly important to note his baseball attributes since many fans are not familiar with him. Even casual baseball aficionados may not recall Garza and his mid-90’s fastball winning the AL Championship Series MVP in 2008. Yes, Garza has a World Series ring. He joined the Rays in 2007 in a trade with the Twins.
One fact writers are probably going to eat up is how Garza was 0-4 lifetime against Detroit prior to Monday’s contest. Everybody loves a feel-good story about a guy who overcomes an obstacle. Here we have Garza, who allowed seven runs in a six inning outing in his previous start. Garza issued a second inning walk and then did not allow another base runner the entire game. He fanned six Tigers and tossed 120 pitches in the victory. Garza attacked the zone and made the proper adjustments with his electric stuff. Some experts might point to how the Tigers’ lineup is stacked with rookies and backups. I don’t think the absence of veteran hitters should take away from Garza’s feat. Another aspect about this particular game is the incredible pitching from Detroit’s end. Max Scherzer was rolling early and did not allow a hit until the sixth inning. Matt Joyce smacked a grand slam to end Scherzer’s shutout bid after the no-no was erased.
Garza’s no-hitter should set the tone for a four-game set between the Rays and Tigers. Or, it could motivate the Tigers to knock the snot out of the next three Tampa tossers they face. Detroit hasn’t been no-hit since Randy Johnson stunned the cats 20 years ago. Detroit writers should be sure to work in an element of pity for the organization as a whole. The Tigers were robbed of a no-hitter earlier in the season and last night suffered the fate of being Tampa’s first hitless victims. The Rays are no strangers to being no-hit, leading the league in that category in recent years. I am sure it feels fantastic to finish on the better side of the no-hitter for Tampa. Several teams can relate to the elation of a no-hitter thanks to 2010---the year of the pitcher (I am sure just about every sportswriter will reference this too).
Parting Points: Maurice Clarett is returning to school. This is newsworthy?
Throwbacker of the day- “Don’t Turn Around” by Ace Of Base
1) Always begin with facts from the game (score). Crowd size could be mentioned here or in step 3.
2) Mention a recent fact such as the number of no hitters this season or by the teams involved.
3) You have two options—plug in a quote from the pitcher about how this is a dream come true for him OR wrap up the first paragraph with an overall sense of the atmosphere at the stadium (crowd size, excitement level)
4) Background information about the pitcher should be established
5) Statistics from the no-hitter
6) Sugar-coated quotes from the manager (limit to one sentence)
7) Historical data about almost anything related to baseball works here
8) Talk a bit about the opposing team’s struggles at the plate
9) Mention any defensive plays that stood out (game-saving grabs are very effective)
10) Paint a pretty picture of the pitcher by saying how much he’s overcome in his life
11) Wrap it up with another quote from someone involved in the game or simply end your column with a generic phrase such as “Joe Blow will cherish this game for the rest of his career and life.”
Twenty-six year old Matt Garza pitched the majors’ fifth no-hitter of the year yesterday. Tampa’s terrific-tossing hurler blanked the Tigers 5-0 and became the first pitcher in franchise history to earn the honor. As a sportswriter, it must be challenging to cover no-hitters. There are usually minimal highlights to catalogue from the game, at least from the team being “no-hit”. It’s almost like doing a performance appraisal on an employee and coming away without any improvements or criticisms. (Excuse the HR reference—I am taking an HRM course this summer) That isn’t to say Garza was absolutely perfect last night while he was spinning a hitless gem.
Writers tend to fill their columns with quotes from teammates, historical facts about no-hitters and various statistics whenever a no-hitter is involved. It’s a good idea to at least mention some biographical information about the latest pitching star. Columnists and beat writers commonly tag this on to the end of a story. In Garza’s case, it’s particularly important to note his baseball attributes since many fans are not familiar with him. Even casual baseball aficionados may not recall Garza and his mid-90’s fastball winning the AL Championship Series MVP in 2008. Yes, Garza has a World Series ring. He joined the Rays in 2007 in a trade with the Twins.
One fact writers are probably going to eat up is how Garza was 0-4 lifetime against Detroit prior to Monday’s contest. Everybody loves a feel-good story about a guy who overcomes an obstacle. Here we have Garza, who allowed seven runs in a six inning outing in his previous start. Garza issued a second inning walk and then did not allow another base runner the entire game. He fanned six Tigers and tossed 120 pitches in the victory. Garza attacked the zone and made the proper adjustments with his electric stuff. Some experts might point to how the Tigers’ lineup is stacked with rookies and backups. I don’t think the absence of veteran hitters should take away from Garza’s feat. Another aspect about this particular game is the incredible pitching from Detroit’s end. Max Scherzer was rolling early and did not allow a hit until the sixth inning. Matt Joyce smacked a grand slam to end Scherzer’s shutout bid after the no-no was erased.
Garza’s no-hitter should set the tone for a four-game set between the Rays and Tigers. Or, it could motivate the Tigers to knock the snot out of the next three Tampa tossers they face. Detroit hasn’t been no-hit since Randy Johnson stunned the cats 20 years ago. Detroit writers should be sure to work in an element of pity for the organization as a whole. The Tigers were robbed of a no-hitter earlier in the season and last night suffered the fate of being Tampa’s first hitless victims. The Rays are no strangers to being no-hit, leading the league in that category in recent years. I am sure it feels fantastic to finish on the better side of the no-hitter for Tampa. Several teams can relate to the elation of a no-hitter thanks to 2010---the year of the pitcher (I am sure just about every sportswriter will reference this too).
Parting Points: Maurice Clarett is returning to school. This is newsworthy?
Throwbacker of the day- “Don’t Turn Around” by Ace Of Base
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