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Q: Why isn’t Barry Bonds in a Rays uniform tonight?  The risk to “clubhouse harmony” is limited because he would only be pulling a small contract and could be released with little wasted money if he doesn’t fit.  He is in that perfect place where he can both impact the lineup AND has something to prove.  Hinske needs to be close to an everyday RF, Bonds needs to be the everyday DH.  There… you have your impact bat and you didn’t give up a thing for him. And now that the list of known steroid and HGH users is so long, I don’t want to hear anything from the self-righteous crowd.  Sign Barry and win the East. Agree?

-- Matt Coker, New Port Richey

A: Matt, it’s pretty simple: The Rays desperately need a right-handed bat and that’s not Barry. They need a righty to balance out the middle of the lineup, someone with more consistency than Jonny Gomes. There is absolutely no chance Barry Bonds will be here. And no, I don’t agree that signing him would help the Rays win the East, or the wild card. And you can also say that “harmony” doesn’t matter, but it does. Chemistry is not just a course you take in school. I’ve been around Bonds and he is selfish, arrogant, and would go a long, long way toward destroying something special that is being built here. There are other players out there who would help the Rays a lot more than this guy.

Q: HOW IS THIS FOR A TRADE? BRING BACK RANDY WINN WITH A LIFETIME .289 AND HE HAS 18 SB OUT OF 19 TRIES THIS YR. HATE TO LOSE GOMES BUT HE WOULD HAVE TO GO IF THEY BRING IN A PLAYER I SUPPOSE

-- RICH, TAMPA

A: Rich, I’ve always thought Randy Winn was a fine player and a total pro. He’s a very low-key guy and theoretically he would fit what the Rays are looking for. He’d definitely give them defensive versatility and his ability to switch-hit would be a good fit in the lineup. I haven’t heard his name come up too much in trade talks, but with the Giants in a rebuilding mode it might be worth a phone call to San Francisco to see if he’s available. Presumably the Rays wouldn’t have to give up Joe Maddon for him. Remember, when the Rays got Lou Piniella from the Mariners, it cost them Randy Winn.

Q: How does this team, which just a week ago was the beast of the East, go into Cleveland and find a way to be swept in a 4 game series to a team which just traded their ace away? A slump is one thing. But heading into the all-star break you have to find a way to win. It makes me nauseous knowing that the Rays are throwing away everything that they worked so hard to build, and after finishing a streak that saw us take care of business against the top teams in baseball they are throwing it away… can they turn it around?

-- Riverview Raysfan

A: Well, Raysfan every team goes through ups and downs. A 162-game baseball season will expose a team like nothing else. No team is immune. Not to make excuses for them, but the Rays had just come through a stretch where they played many top teams over an extended period and they were a little mentally spent. Also, Cleveland was due. The Tribe has been one of the big disappointments in baseball but there’s no way they’re the kind of team that should lose 10 in a row. What matters most now is how the Rays respond out of the gate after the break. If the 7-game stretches stretches to 10 or 12, that’s a significant problem. After all, the Rays have been remarkable at home and they’ve got a chance here against Toronto and Oakland to right the ship.

Q: Is B.J. Upton hurt? Why is he taking so many pitches early in the count. It seems like he is always batting with two strikes against him. It’s time for B.J. to turn on the pitch and start driving the ball, like last year. This year, his swing looks like it’s just sweeping through the zone, as if he’s feeling for the ball instead of attacking it.

-- archangel99

A: That’s an excellent question. The short answer is, no - I don’t believe he is hurt, at least not significantly. I agree with you that he hasn’t been very aggressive at the plate, though. His OBP, though, is very high - .384 (compared to .386 last year) and he is taking a lot of walks. He has 61 right now, compared to 65 all of last year. He mentioned recently that he enjoys hitting leadoff, and maybe that’s something Maddon should consider. I’m not sure you want your No. 3 hitter taking so many pitches.

Q: Can’t Rocco Baldelli be released? I feel for him but geez, after that 7 game losing streak I think we need some solid bats to get over the hurdles we have up north.

-- Warren, Bonita Springs

A: Warren, there’s no reason to release Rocco. I agree the Rays need a righty bat and it’s not likely that Rocco will be recovered enough this year to be that guy, but the memory of Josh Hamilton should teach everyone to just be patient. Rocco’s in the minors right now on a rehab assignment and the Rays didn’t pick up his contract option for next year, so there’s no risk to letting him stick around. If he miraculously recovers, it’s a major bonus. You’d sure hate to cut him adrift and then have him surface as an all-star in Boston or someplace like that. If he can get to the bottom of this mysterious illness that has sapped his strength, it could be one of the great comeback stories of the era. The Rays can’t wait for that, obviously, but there’s no need to do anything about Rocco now. Just let him work.

Q: As Maddon says, a new start this half. Time for the fans to step up to the plate as well and support this team ... Does fan support really matter to the players on the field?

-- drausue

A: Of course it matters. We’ve all seen how lively the Trop can be when there’s a large crowd - it makes a huge difference. The players and management have been discreet on the subject of attendance, but they notice when there’s a sparse gathering. They also notice the difference on the road. Let’s cut fans here a break, though. Attendance likely will increase by 500,000 or more for this season. If the Rays stay in the race, and I think they will, then crowds will pick up even more in the second half. I think the Rays could wind up with 1.8 million or more at home this year, which would be a good leap forward. Fans love a winner and, the losing streak notwithstanding, the Rays are doing that.

Q: We still lack in power and a sound closer… We’ve done good to this point but now that teams are taking us seriously you’re not going to see the back of the rotation like last season. Who should the Rays go after in trade(s)?

-- shortstop1

A: Yeah, they have problems there, no doubt. As important as Troy Percival has been, people will hold their breath with every pitch he makes from here on out. I think Grant Balfour actually could step into the closer’s role, but the Rays certainly would have interest in Fuentes in Colorado for depth. I’ll say this, though - the Rockies are doing an excellent job of stoking the market for Fuentes, so it wouldn’t shock me to see a couple of teams get into a bidding war for him. If Andrew Friedman thought Fuentes was the answer, he might be willing to play along but I know he won’t wreck the farm system to acquire one player.

As for the hitters, there’s been some chatter about Matt Holliday - big power, right-handed bat. He’d be expensive but the Rays have the flexibility in payroll and prospects to be a player there if the Rocks are serious about moving him. I kind of like Jason Bay and you hear a lot about Xavier Nady, but I’m not sure you get the impact there the Rays would need. More than likely, Friedman has some guy out there we’ve never heard of on the radar - like he did with Gabe Gross.

Q: I Can’t stand it any more “DUMP GOMES!” Why is he still getting playing time?

-- CharlieRay

A: Jonny’s defensive liabilities have become too much to ignore, I agree. He’ll never get the extended playing time he needs to keep his bat sharp because he can’t help in the field. It’s a problem. Jonny is a class guy in the clubhouse and a high-energy guy, but I can’t see him sticking if the Rays make a significant move at the deadline. They won’t make a change in the infield, so the only obvious spot is in right field. You’d upgrade with a better, more consistent bat who can play defense. That leaves Gomes on the bubble for sure.

Q: What are the odds the Rays land a big right bat?  Nady, Bay, Holliday, etc.  Are there any rumblings that a deal is close?

-- Mike Creyton, New Tampa

A: I think the odds are 50-50, maybe a little higher, that Andrew Friedman will make a move. I don’t believe anything is imminent, but one thing Friedman has proven is that he is bold. Few GMs would have traded the runner-up for rookie of the year, like he did with Delmon Young, so I don’t think he’ll be afraid to make a move. He has definite ideas on the right moves to make, though, and what he is willing to pay. Teams want the Rays young pitching, of course, so he’ll have to balance the risk vs. return. I think he’ll be aggressively seeing what’s out there, but opposing clubs play cat-and-mouse this time of year, too. You’ll hear a lot of rumors in the next few weeks. History tells us most of them won’t be true, so just stay tuned. I don’t think he’ll sit still, but he won’t make a deal just to make one, either.

Q: Haven’t we been serving up enough long balls?

-- Mark, Lutz

A: The Rays have allowed 84 homers thus far, which is one of the lower totals in the game - 20 teams have allowed more, including Houston (131) and the Reds (122). Overall, I think they’ve done pretty well in that department.

Q: Rewatching the home run derby replay on ESPN from the other night. I think lost in all of what happened is how Josh Hamilton was only at 13 with 7 outs. Wasn’t that one of the greatest things you’ve ever witnessed in sports? Wouldn’t he look good in a Rays uniform about now?

-- Riverview Raysfan

A: Raysfan, I admit I normally hate things like the home run derby but I got caught up in what Josh was doing and couldn’t look away. It was one of those rare “right guy, right place, right time” moments that will live on. It was totally cool. And yeah, there’s no getting around the fact that letting Josh get away from the Rays with no return will go down as one of the great blunders in team history. They took a calculated gamble that no one would claim a guy with his baggage and they were wrong, so here we are wondering what they’ll have to give up to get a big bat in the middle of the lineup when they could have had Josh Hamilton all along. That’s a fact. What’s also a fact, though, is that Josh has made a simply impossible comeback and needs to be saluted for standing up and telling his story. The Rays have every right to feel cheated because of what his addiction cost them, but life itself is bigger than the game and that’s never been more true than in this case.