Rays 8, Blue Jays 5: Odds and ends from a win

Posted May 23, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 23, 2012 at 12:26 AM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG The Rays beat the Blue Jays 8-5 on Tuesday in a game that didn’t have to be that close.

The Rays led 6-0 after four innings, but rookie Matt Moore struggled in the fifth, walking the bases loaded before allowing a two-run single to Jose Bautista, and a pair of errors on one play led to two more runs.

“We let them up,” manager Joe Maddon said. “That’s why that game was close.”

The Rays snapped a two-game losing streak and can, with a win this afternoon, finish this homestand with a .500 record.

Here are some tidbits from the win …

—Carlos Peña and Luke Scott homered in the same game for only the second time this season. The first was in a 5-0 win against the Angels on April 24.

Peña became the third power-hitter following Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce to homer in their first career start as a leadoff hitter. Longoria and Joyce did it last season.

Peña was hitless in his previous five games and was 0-for-19 before driving one off the roof of the restaurant in center field. The three-run homer was his third hit in 30 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

—B.J. Upton homered on consecutive games for the first time since last July. He is 10-for-23 in his last six games after going 8-for-50 in his first 14 games of the month.

—Wade Davis picked up his first career win as a reliever.

—Fernando Rodney is now perfect in his 14 save opportunities this season. He’s two saves away from tying the team record for the most consecutive saves to begin a season. He is also one of three closers to not blow a save this season, joining Baltimore’s Jim Johnson (16-for-16) and Philadelphia’s Jonathon Papelbon (13-for-13).

Nine of Rodney’s 14 saves have been perfect. He has allowed only one earned run in 20 2/3 innings this season.

—The Rays failed to draw a walk for only the second time this season.

—The 14 hits were the most for the Rays at the Trop this season. The eight runs matched their season-high at home.

—The seven extra-base hits were a season-high.

—Drew Sutton, making his Rays debut, had two hits, including an RBI double.

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Rays V Jays: Pena moved to leadoff

Posted May 22, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 22, 2012 at 05:39 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Carlos Peña makes his first career start as a leadoff hitter tonight against the visiting Blue Jays as Joe Maddon attempts to shake the slugger from his slump.

“I think it’s cool,” Peña said. “That’s the way we do things around here.”

Maddon, as he said when he moved Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce to leadoff in past seasons, said he wants to give Peña a different outlook on the game. It might also enable him to see more pitches in the strike zone, since it’s unlikely Toronto starter Drew Hutchison would want to open the game with a walk.

Peña is in another one of his horrendous slumps. He takes an 0-for-16 into tonight’s game, matching the third longest hitless drought of his career. He’s batting 8-for-69 with 27 strikeouts this month.

Moving Peña to the top of the order also enabled Maddon to drop Ben Zobrist to fourth. Maddon said Zobrist has been trying too hard to get on base and needs to just let it rip.

Zobrist is 3-for-24 on the homestand after going 11-for-30 with two home runs, five doubles, a triple, two RBI and nine walks on the eight-game road trip.

The Rays look to snap a two-game losing streak. They have lost four of six on this homestand and lead the third-place Jays by a game.

Matt Moore starts for the Rays, looking to build off his last start when he went six innings and allowed three runs on five hits to the Red Sox. The Rays lost 5-3, but were trailing 3-2 when Moore left the game. Both Moore and Maddon agree that it was Moore’s best outing of the season.

Here are the lineups:

JAYS
Johnson 2B
Escobar SS
Bautista RF
Encarnacion DH
Arencibia C
Lawrie 3B
Rasmus CF
Gomes 1B
Davis LF
—
Hutchinson RHP (3-1, 4,81)

RAYS
Peña 1B
Upton CF
Joyce LF
Zobrist RF
Scott DH
Rodriguez 3B
Sutton 2B
Gimenez C
Johnson SS
—
Moore LHP (1-4, 5.20)

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Jays 6, Rays 2: Notes from a sloppy loss

Posted May 22, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 22, 2012 at 12:28 AM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG The dome field advantage is a distant memory now for the Rays, who followed a 10-game home winning streak with losses in six of their last eight home games.

Monday’s 6-2 loss to the visiting Blue Jays was of the sloppy variety.

The Rays committed three errors – including two in the eighth inning – and handed the Jays four unearned runs.

The Rays have committed 15 errors in their last 10 games and 38 through the first 43 games of this season. Those are the second-most in team history through 43 games since the 2007 Devil Rays committed 39.

The miscues served to undermine a solid effort by Jeremy Hellickson, who allowed two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings but lost for the first time in his past 14 regular season starts.

Here are some other tidbits from a lost night at the Trop …

—B.J. Upton hit the first Trop aided home run of his career when his fly ball to center field in the first inning was, after further review, found to have struck something hanging from the roof behind the B-ring catwalk. Upton did hit a catwalk against Josh Beckett of the Red Sox during Game 6 of the 2008 ALCAS.

—Matt Joyce has seven walks in his last six games (five starts). He had just 10 walks in his first 35 games this season.

—In last five games, Carlos Peña is 0-for-16. He is batting .116 with one home run and five RBI this month.

—Ben Zobrist has two hits in his last 16 at-bats and was caught stealing second after both hits.

—Peña was out on strikes after bunting a third pitch foul during the eighth inning. It was the third time he’s done that this season, the most on the team. The Rays have done that seven times with Elliot Johnson (2), Jose Molina and Chris Gimenez joining Peña.

That’s the most times a team has done that since the 1991 Tigers.

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Maddon: Keppinger to be out 3 to 4 weeks

Posted May 22, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 22, 2012 at 12:10 AM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Rays manager Joe Maddon said Jeff Keppinger will be out three to four weeks with a broken big toe on his right foot suffered Saturday.

Keppinger was sitting in the dugout when he was struck by a foul ball off the bat of Atlanta’s Martin Prado.

Keppinger is the 10th Ray on the disabled list, the most at any one point since the 1999 season.

The Rays acquired switch-hitting infielder Drew Sutton late Sunday night from the Pittsburgh Pirates Triple A team to replace Keppinger.

Keppinger was hitting .295 this season second base, third base and first base. In fact, Keppinger is the only one other than Carlos Peña to start at first base.

Maddon said Elliot Johnson, Sean Rodriguez, Chris Gimenez, Sutton can serve as backups for first base.

Maddon also said Luke Scott is close to being able to throw well enough to play first base.

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Keppinger headed to DL, Rays acquire INF Drew Sutton

Posted May 21, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated May 21, 2012 at 05:19 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG The Rays acquired INF Drew Sutton from the Pirates for a player to be named later.

The team is expected to place INF Jeff Keppinger on the disabled list with a toe injury.

Sutton was traded Sunday afternoon from the Braves Triple A team to the Pirates Triple A team. He was told Sunday night he was headed to the Rays and the major leagues.

Sutton can play all four infield positions and the outfield. He said second base is his best position.

Keppinger, who was struck on his toe by a foul ball during Saturday’s game, will be the 10th Ray to go on the disabled list.

Sutton, who turns 29 on June 30, was acquired yesterday by Pittsburgh from the Atlanta Braves, where he had spent the season playing for Gwinnett (AAA).  He hit .270 (37-for-137) with 10 doubles, two triples and a .374 on-base percentage in 38 games for Gwinnett, playing mostly third base.

Sutton has spent parts of three seasons in the major leagues with the Cincinnati Reds (2009-10), Cleveland Indians (2010) and Boston Red Sox (2011) while spending time at all four infield positions as well as left field and right field.  Over three stints with Boston in 2011, he hit .315 (17-for-51) with seven RBI, seven doubles, 11 runs scored and a .444 slugging percentage in 31 games, appearing most often at third base (eight games) and second base (seven).  He is a career .258 (41-for-159) hitter with three home runs, 24 RBI, 12 doubles and a .403 slugging percentage.

Sutton was selected out of Baylor University by the Houston Astros in the 15th round of the 2004 June Draft, the same year the Astros drafted Ben Zobrist.

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Braves@Rays: The Notables

Posted May 20, 2012 by Joey Johnston

Updated May 20, 2012 at 07:53 PM

ST. PETERSBURG – One pitch.

That’s the only thing Rays LHP David Price would change from Sunday’s 2-0 loss against the Atlanta Braves at Tropicana Field.

Price (6-3, 2.88 ERA) served up a second-inning solo home run to Braves catcher David Ross. Other than that, Price was tremendous.

For the sixth time in nine starts, Price allowed two runs or fewer. For the first time this season, he received zero runs of support. He has worked seven innings or more in each of his last four starts.

“What a great performance,’’ Rays 1B Carlos Pena said.

“He battled and he used all of his pitches effectively,’’ Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Price, who was trying to become this season’s first seven-game winner, was philosophical in assessing the defeat.

“For the most part, we were (pitching) down, threw some stuff over the plate with some movement,’’ Price said. “We threw the ball well. We had a chance to win.’’

Tweet success for Hellickson

Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-0, 2.77 ERA), who starts at home tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays, said he’s very content with the season thus far.

“I really like where I’m at,’’ Hellickson said. “The fastball command is better than it has been, since I can remember anyway. The curveball is coming along pretty good. I’ve just got to get ahead of guys and throw strikes. I’ve been doing that lately.’’

Hellickson’s biggest change is he’s now on Twitter—@jhell58 – at Price’s urging. It would seem an excellent forum for a soft-spoken pitcher who generally expresses himself in 140-word (or less) characters.

“I’m still learning how to tweet – period,’’ Hellickson said. “It’s kind of fast and hard to keep up with. I still have no idea (what it’s all about).’’ 

S-Rod on the move

Rays 3B Sean Rodriguez made another outstanding defensive play – actually, they have become routinely outstanding for him – when he dove across the third-base line for a backhand stop, then a perfectly rifled one-hop throw to Pena. It robbed Ross of a fifth-inning hit.

Maddon might be more impressed with Rodriguez’s offense. Rodriguez is batting .306 (19-for-62) with seven extra-base hits since May 1, the day Evan Longoria was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Rodriguez has hit safely in his last 15 starts, the longest such streak of his career.

“He’s just good, very athletic,’’ Maddon said. “It looked like (Ross’ ball) was beyond him, but what Sean does never surprises me. The difference is he’s having much better at-bats. He’s playing at a very high level.’’

Noteworthy

Rays CF B.J. Upton, who threw out Atlanta’s Martin Prado at second base while trying to leg out a double, has 44 assists since 2007, more than any other CF. … The Rays, who were shut out 15 times in 2011, were held scoreless for the first time this season. … Atlanta has won four straight interleague series against the Rays and seven of eight series overall against Tampa Bay. … Retiring Braves INF Chipper Jones, who missed his second straight game after suffering a calf injury Friday night, was saluted in a video tribute following the first inning. Fans gave a standing ovation to Jones, who emerged from the dugout and tipped his cap. … Rays LF Desmond Jennings, due to return on May 27, and Longoria, who hopes to be back in June, took some batting practice in the cage and looked good. … Braves RHP Tim Hudson, who once played for the Oakland Athletics, is 8-1 career against the Rays. … The Rays are 119-134 all-time in interleague play, but 63-48 under Maddon.

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Braves blank Rays, 2-0

Posted May 20, 2012 by Joey Johnston

Updated May 20, 2012 at 04:16 PM

ST. PETERSBURG – The Tampa Bay Rays had precious few opportunities on Sunday afternoon, but squandered them all in a 2-0 loss against the Atlanta Braves before 24,579 fans at Tropicana Field.

Atlanta right-hander Tim Hudson (3-1) kept the Rays off-balance all afternoon, surrendering just four hits in 7 2/3 innings. Rays left-hander David Price (6-3), bidding to become the first seven-game winner in the major leagues this season, allowed six hits and had seven strikeouts in seven innings.

The Rays, who were shut out 15 times in 2011, were held scoreless for the first time this season.

Carlos Pena figured heavily in two key moments.

In the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, Pena slammed a drive that was flagged down by Atlanta’s Michael Bourn at the edge of the center-field warning track.

In the eighth, B.J. Upton collected a two-out infield single to chase Hudson. Left-handed reliever Jonny Venters promptly hit Matt Joyce and Pena, loading the bases. Designated hitter Luke Scott, with an 0-2 count, hit what looked to be an RBI single to the right side. But it hit Pena’s leg as he ran in the basepaths, making for an automatic out (Scott was credited with a single).

Braves right-hander Craig Kimbrel worked a scoreless ninth inning for the save.

Atlanta scored on David Ross’ solo home run in the second inning, then Jason Heyward collected an RBI single in the sixth.

The Rays begin a three-game home series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (4-0) is Tampa Bay’s scheduled starter.
 

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Braves@Rays: The Finale

Posted May 20, 2012 by Joey Johnston

Updated May 20, 2012 at 12:47 PM

ST. PETERSBURG—The Rays will wrap up a three-game series today against the Atlanta Braves at Tropicana Field. First pitch is 1:40 p.m. The Rays will go with LHP David Price (6-2, 3.10 ERA), who could become the first seven-game winner this season in MLB. The Braves counter with RHP Tim Hudson (2-1, 3.96).

The Rays (25-16) are in second place in the American League East, trailing the Baltimore Orioles by two games.

More bad news on the horizon? Rays INF Jeff Keppinger showed up today wearing a walking boot. He was injured Saturday when he took a foul ball off his right foot while standing near the dugout railing. His status is questionable and we might have more official word on Keppinger’s health later today.

It could be another blow to the Rays, who have nine players on the disabled list, including stalwarts such as 3B Evan Longoria and LF Desmond Jennings. On a positive note, Longoria and Jennings took some batting practice in the cage this morning. Jennings is expected back on May 27. Longoria looked good and keeps showing signs of fast-track improvement from his injury (partial tear of his left hamstring), but the best-case scenario is a return some time in June.

Today’s lineups:

Atlanta Braves

Michael Bourn CF

Martin Prado LF

Freddie Freeman 1B

Dan Uggla 2B

Jason Heyward RF

Matt Diaz DH

Juan Francisco 3B

David Ross C

Jack Wilson SS

Tim Hudson RHP

Tampa Bay Rays

Ben Zobrist RF

B.J. Upton CF

Matt Joyce LF

Carlos Pena 1B

Luke Scott DH

Sean Rodriguez 3B

Will Rhymes 2B

Elliot Johnson SS

Jose Molina C

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Rays v Braves: Rhymes returns

Posted May 19, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 19, 2012 at 12:59 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Will Rhymes returns to the lineup and Alex Cobb returns to the rotation this afternoon against the visiting Braves.

Rhymes, drilled on his right forearm by a 95 mph fastball Wednesday night, plays his first game since passing out on the field moments later.

Cobb, whose rookie season came to a sudden end last August when he had surgery to remove a blockage near his first right rib and the rib itself, rejoins the rotation in place of Jeff Niemann, who fractured his right fibula Monday in Toronto.

The Rays look to snap a two-game losing streak. The Braves, who lead the NL East, are looking for their third straight win.

Here is the Rays lineup:

Zobrist RF
Upton CF
Joyce LF
Peña 1B
Scott DH
Rodriguez 3B
Rhymes 2B
Johnson SS
Gimenez C
—
Cobb P

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Cobb to start Saturday vs. Braves

Posted May 18, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 18, 2012 at 01:38 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Alex Cobb will be recalled from Triple A Durham and start Saturday against the visiting Braves at Tropicana Field, taking the turn of Jeff Niemann, who suffered a fracture right fibula Monday in Toronto.

Cobb was expected to join the Rays rotation at some point this season in much the same fashion as he did last year when he became the sixth starter after the All-Star Break. The Rays, though, didn’t expect it to be this soon, but injuries have changed more than one set of plans of the Rays this season.

Cobb was 1-4 with a 4.14 ERA in eight starts for the Bulls, though that ERA is high because of a pair of rough outings. He allowed six runs in four innings in one start and six runs in 1 1/3 in another. In the other six outings, Cobb allowed two runs or less.

In nine starts with the Rays in 2011, Cobb was 3-2 with a 3.42 ERA. He was 3-0 in his first seven starts.

His season ended with surgery Aug. 18 to remove a blood clot and a blockage near his first right rib. He lost the rib during the surgery.

Cobb was with the Rays briefly during the first road trip when he was called up to add a fresh arm to an overwork bullpen. He did not pitch.

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