Back to the Rays Report

Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

 @RMooneyTrib
 TBO_Rays
Send us your questions

More Links:

• Schedule/Results
• Player Stats
• Team Stats

Most Recent Entries

• Rays-Red Sox, Round II: Can Rays afford a beanball war?
• Robinson product Gibson advances to NCAA track finals
• Panini previews Gold Standard autographs
• UD unveils Military Machines inserts for 2012 Goodwin Champions set
• Rays @ BoSox: Guyer out for the season, Jennings close to returning and lineups
• USF softball: It’s game day
• Weekly Tampa Bay fishing report
• Rays at BoSox: Rivalry renewed
• Karen Cooley returns as Zephyrhills girls swimming coach
• USF beats Pitt, stays alive
• The Nerds head north
• Jeffrey Shank out as Gulf boys basketball coach
• Berkeley Prep captures Academic Team Champion Award - again
• This week’s signings and offers
• Berkeley Prep wins FHSAA Academic Award standings

More

• Bucs Report -Tribune staff
• Rays Report - Roger Mooney
• Bolts Report - Erik Erlendsson
• Bulls Report
• Prep Report - Hillsborough
• Prep Report - Pasco
• Prep Report - Region
• Prep Report - Recruiting Updates
• Prep Report - Football
• Go Fishing: On The Waterfront
• The Sports Bookie - Bob D'Angelo
• Gators Report - Tribune staff
• Youth Sports Report
• NFL Draft Report
• Go Ask: Frank's Tacklebox
• Bucified Bert Blog
• BUK Power - Bucs Fan Blog
• Pigskin Preacher - NFL Fan Blog
• Breakfast Bonus - Tom McEwen
• Highlands Sports

Monthly Archives

• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011

Rays 5, O’s 2: Don’t stop believin’ and all that

Posted Sep 13, 2011 by Roger Mooney

Updated Sep 13, 2011 at 12:04 AM

ROGER MOONEY
BALTIMORE Was it when the Rays were in Oakland in July when I said they should adopt Journey’s 1981 hit, “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” as their theme song?

Yes, I believe it was, since Journey is a Bay Area band and it all tied in.

Anyway, whether the theme is Don’t Stop Believen’ or Daydream Believer or You Gotta Be Kidding Me, the Rays are now three games out of the Wild Card spot after picking up a half-game on the free-falling Red Sox with Monday’s 5-2 win against the Orioles at nearly empty Camden Yards – 11,924 in attendance. Looks like the need a new stadium here, too.

Joe Maddon is calling these games “playoff baseball,” and he’s right, since the Rays can’t afford to lose ground.

No worry of a letdown against the hapless Orioles on Monday.

Jeff Niemann snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the 10th time this season with 7 2/3 innings of six-hit, one-run ball.

Joel Peralta, working in place of the injured Kyle Farnsworth, struck out the side in the ninth to earn his third save of the year.

B.J. Upton walked his first two times up and doubled during his next two at-bats to extend his streak of reaching base to a club-record nine straight plate appearances. He also became the franchise’s all-time leader in walks when he drew the 374th of his career in the first inning to pass Carlos Peña.

Upton was surprised by that news.

“Really? Maybe strikeouts,” when told he was the club-leader in free passes.

Here are some more tidbits from the win …

—The Rays have won five straight, eight of their last nine and are 23-10 since Aug. 8. That is the best record in the AL East during that time.

—They were nine games behind the Wild Card-leading Red Sox on Sept. 2. They are now three back, having made up six games in 10 days.

—Monday’s win was the 82nd of the year, clinching the Rays fourth straight winning season.

The Yankees lead the majors with 19 straight winning seasons. The Red Sox are next with 14. The Phillies follow with nine. Know who’s fourth? The Rays.

—Evan Longoria, who was 0-for-5 Monday, has driven in a major league-best 70 runs in his last 81 games.

—Ben Zobrist hit his 45th double of the season in the third inning to tie Alex Gordon for the most in the majors. Zobrist needs two doubles to tie Aubrey Huff’s franchise record of 47, set in 2003.

The double was the 66th extra-base hits of Zobrist’s season, which is a career-high.

—Niemann’s 7 2/3 innings were a career-high against the Orioles. It was his third straight start against the Birds where Niemann worked at least seven innings and allowed three or fewer runs.

—The Rays have won 22 straight games when they score five or more runs.