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Q: What are the Rays plans for Justin Ruggiano?  Shouldn’t he be in the mix of options for our problems in right field and on the right side of the plate?—Brian Bustle, Palmetto

A: Ruggiano seems to be in the mix for now, but the activity shown by the Rays in recent days on the trade front seems to indicate they don’t consider him an everyday player. He has put up good numbers in Durham (.311 9 HR, 41 RBI) but the Rays appear to consider him no more than a complementary player at this stage.

Q: When will (Joe) Maddon wake up and tell his hitless wonders to stop swinging for the HR and just punch singles.  If they just put the bat in front of the ball (and use) the speed from the pitcher, the ball would go over the infield.—Gene Kannee, Sun City Center

A: To be fair, Gene, it’s not as easy to “put the bat in front of the ball” when it is traveling at 94 mph and breaking sharply toward the outer half of the plate. One of the problems so far with B.J. Upton, for instance, appears to be a lack of aggressiveness at the plate. Of course, that’s real easy for us to say from the comfort of our reclining chairs.

Q: Why don’t the Rays move their starting rotation from 5 down to 4 for the stretch run, and move Andy Sonnanstine to the bullpen or trade bait?—Matt, Riverview

A: I haven’t heard any consideration of a move like that, Matt. Maybe if they got to the final 2-3 weeks still in the hunt, that would be time to start juggling the rotation and going for certain matchups, based on who they’re playing.

Q: Any way we can get TV or radio of the games each day? FSN does not come on TV unless you have satellite and I can not find a Rays radio station any place. Local news (here) treats the Rays like some minor league team. Thank you.—David Rushlow, Fort Myers Beach

A: That’s a question for your local stations, David. The Rays, I feel quite certain, would welcome any increased exposure.

Rays games are broadcast on the following stations: 1250 AM WHNZ (Tampa/St. Pete), 1220 AM WSRQ (Sarasota), 1230 AM WONN (Lakeland), 1400 AM (Dade City), 1450 AM WWJB (Brooksville), 1080 AM WHOO (Orlando), 1060 AM (Melbourne), 1580 AM (Port Charlotte), 1380 AM (Daytona Beach), 1390 AM WFHT (Avon Park), 770 AM WWCN (Ft. Myers), 1480 AM WFLN (Arcadia), 99.5 FM (Gainesville), 1450 AM WSTU (Pt. St. Lucie), 1270 AM WNLS (Tallahassee), 1530 AM WENG (Englewood) and 680 WGES (Tampa/St. Pete in Spanish).

Q: Why are we waiting so long to promote David Price to the majors? When we miss out on the playoffs by 2 games were going to wish we had called him up sooner.—Chris O., Wesley Chapel

A: David Price is in his first year in professional baseball. He has looked awfully impressive, agreed, and it seems likely the Rays could call him up at some point this season. I wouldn’t have thought that possible even two months ago, but Price is special. Having said that, it’s a way big leap to go from a handful of minor-league starts to staring down Alex Rodriguez in Yankee Stadium.

Q: Does the front office have an innings limit set for David Price this season?—Joe Coleman, Tampa

A: If they do, they haven’t shared it with us. I think the greater concern was last year, when they basically shut him down after he piled up a ton of innings at Vanderbilt. It’s fair to say they’ll watch it closely. As of this writing, he has 45 innings over seven starts at Montgomery and 34.2 innings over six starts at Vero Beach. He is a combined 9-0 right now with a 2.03 ERA.

Q: Carl Crawford doesn’t seem to be in the game mentally?  He has made base running mistakes recently, if he is lucky enough to get on, plus his outfield play.  It just doesn’t seem like the hustle is there.—W. Massey, Tampa

A: Well, he has had a pretty good run this last week – four triples. I’ll agree he seemed to be in a funk for a while, which I’ll attribute somewhat to his aching knees. Remember he had to shut it down for a couple of games because of the wear the Trop turf has on his knees. I think the hustle is there, just not the confidence and explosiveness we’ve come to know over the years. He looks like he’s heating up to me, though. The Rays really need him down the stretch.

Q: Don’t the Rays need to do more bunting earlier in the game? Runs have been hard to get lately.  Plus, bunting refocuses the batting eye when you are not hitting.—Ken Chance, Inverness

A: Forgive my chuckle here, but my oldest son (Ben) and I have this discussion almost every night. He’s a big advocate of the squeeze play and I’ll have to admit there are times they should use their speed more. A little “small ball” every now and then might be a good thing. The problem is, bunting is the proverbial “lost art” among most players these days. The time to work on that is in spring training. Funny, but the Rays talk every spring about using their speed more and then they never do.

Q: Players are often described by the subjective adjective “clutch,” meaning that they make the play that must be made at a critical moment in a game, whether it be a hitter’s walk-off base hit or a 3-up, 3-down 9th inning by the closer. In any given game, it can be relatively easy to say who made the clutch plays. But how about for a season or a career? How do you evaluate a player in the long-term and objectively determine that he deserves to be labeled a clutch player? Is there any correlation between the best players statistically and those labeled the most reliable clutch players?—Mac, St. Petersburg

A: That’s a great question, Mac. Maybe a SABR-head can chime in here because I’m sure Bill James or one of his offspring has a stat to cover what you’re talking about. They have stats breaking guys down by early, middle, and late-inning prowess – plus the new thing now is to show how batters fare in each pitching count. I know what you’re driving at, though – a list of the top “clutch” hitters, pitchers or fielders in a season or a career. It would be an interesting one, for sure.

Q: When do you think David Price is gonna be called up? And, do you think Garza is for real?—Titus, Chicago, Ill.

A: First, Garza is definitely for real. He has absolutely filthy stuff (just ask the Blue Jays, who he dominated the other night) and his command has been much better than certainly I thought it might be when the Rays acquired him. His focus has been very good since his throw-down earlier this season with Dioner Navarro. With James Shields and Scott Kazmir, Garza gives the Rays a front three in the rotation comparable to any team in the majors. Assuming Price stays healthy, he’ll make that front four maybe the best in baseball. I won’t be surprised if he is called up sometime in late August, maybe to work out of the bullpen or spot start at first. He’ll be in the rotation for good soon, though.

Q: What is the latest update on Rocco Baldelli’s return to the Rays?—Steve From, Cambridge, Minn.

A: The Rays are taking it slow with Rocco, looking at his return like a bonus. There is increasingly speculation they see him as a part of any stretch drive, though. He would be a right-handed DH and occasional player in right field, and they’d take care to make sure he gets his rest. If he has no setbacks, though, you could see at the Trop very soon.

Q: I’ve been trying to find this out for ages: What’s wrong with Kazmir’s arm? He used to throw, consistently, 95-97 on his fastball in past years. This year he’s yet to break 93 mph. Is it intentional, to gain more control? Or is he injured, tired, what?!—Jonathan Ayres, Tampa

A: The Rays insist Kazmir isn’t hurt. Kazmir insists he isn’t hurt. But I agree that he hasn’t looked like himself for much of this season. Scott says it’s because of confidence on his part, nothing physical. He went through a stretch where he was pretty mediocre, to be sure, but lately he seems to be throwing looser and with more conviction. When he is “on” his game, he’s as dominating as anyone in the majors. I think he gets frustrated by his tendency to reach 100 pitches by the fifth inning and that seems to affect him, too. In my opinion, he’d be better off mixing in more sliders to keep hitters off balance rather than rely on high-octane gas all the time. Those pitches tend to get fouled off, which prolongs at-bats, which piles on pitches.