The Devil Rays aren't just a nuisance to Toronto anymore. After taking two out of three from both the desperate Mariners and the surging A's, Tampa Bay has officially earned its spoiler credentials during their current homestand.
In so doing, the D-Rays have surged to above .500 since the All-Star break -- no mean feat for a club virtually bereft of experience, and one that pays roughly as much to players not playing for them as they do to their current roster. See, e.g., Vaughn, Greg; Grieve, Ben. Tampa hasn't expanded its roster much, with a postseason berth for AAA Durham outweighing the opportunity to look at fresh faces, and strong starting pitching of late obviating the need to bring in bullpen reinforcements.
The Jays have not matched up well against a speedy Tampa club that runs a lot, but not to excess; their stolen base percentage is still among the game's best. They also have the misfortune of facing two red-hot pitchers tonight and tomorrow night, although Thursday looks like a great opportunity for Doc's 20th. He'll square off against the inconsistent Jeremi Gonzalez.
This week's Advance Scout features a Canadian catcher, a leadfooted slugger with a steal of home to his credit, and a local boy on the mound tonight for whom everything's gone right in his budding career.
On to the Advance Scout!
* Tampa Bay has 57 wins. While that might seem modest, bear in mind that they had 55 all last season ... After Friday's 3-1 win, A's manager Ken Macha said of the Rays, "I respect this team here...These guys play hard" ... And that was before the D-Rays handed Oakland two straight costly defeats on Saturday and Sunday ... Piniella on the club's motivation: "First of all, we're trying to win as many games as we can...Second of all, a little pride factor [is] involved when you're playing those teams with postseason aspirations. Go do your work someplace else...not at our expense" ... Bet you didn't know this: Tampa Bay is 25-24 since the All-Star break and 28-27 against the AL East on the season ...
* Cagey ex-middle infielder Tom Foley has been teaching the speedy D-Rays the running game from his post as third-base coach ...
* Storybook beginning: Tonight's opponent, 22-year-old Doug Waechter, had a fairly-tale first career start ... Last Wednesday, the St. Petersburg native pitched in his home town, against his manager's former employer, and on his mother's birthday ... The results? Try a complete-game two-hit shutout, walking two and striking out seven in a tidy 100 pitches, all against a Seattle club with plenty to play for ... Coupled with a strong outing in long relief, the first 11 1/3 innings of Waechter's career have been scoreless ... Waechter regularly hit 94 on the gun in his start ... Said Piniella after Wednesday's game: "It brought tears to my eyes...You couldn't have scripted this thing better" ... Hopefully for the Jays, Mrs. Waechter won't be at tonight's game: She also attended a 2000 game in which her son tossed a no-hitter for the Hudson Valley Renegades ... Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, in attendance last Wednesday, personally congratulated Waechter after the game -- and left impressed with the young righty as a person ... Waechter is the first native of Pinellas County (St. Petersburg and surrounding beachfront towns) to suit up for the Rays ... Billy Hatcher, hero of the '90 postseason, is the only Rays coach to have been with the team since its inception. Hatcher said that Waechter's first start was the best performance by a starting pitcher in team history ...
* Aubrey Huff is probably the game's most anonymous slugger, batting .313 and slugging .553 with 28 home runs ... Last Wednesday, Huff supported Waechter's gem with a 3-for-3, four RBI performance that included his eighth home run in a twelve-game stretch ... Not one of the fleet-footed Devil Rays, Huff improbably stole home on Saturday! He got help, though; with Terry Shumpert attempting a suicide squeeze, Ricardo Rincon's pitch sailed behind the pinch-hitter ... Amazingly, Huff missed the sign and only bolted for home when Foley cursed at him loudly ...
* Tomorrow's opponent, Jorge Sosa, followed Waechter's shutout with a complete-game blanking of his own, a four-hitter on Thursday night, with two walks and six K's ... Sosa's razor-sharp 1-0 win was also over Seattle -- the organization that converted the 26-year-old from an outfielder to a pitcher ... Sosa admitted to having extra motivation against the M's ... Damian Rolls: "Sosa pitched his tail off" ...
* Toby Hall snapped out of a 1-for-18 streak with a single, a double and three runs scored on Sunday ... He was adding value throughout his slump, though; he caught both the Waechter and the Sosa shutouts ...
* Travis Lee is on a six-game hitting streak (.350) ... The Rays have been touting Lee as a viable competitor with John Olerud for the AL Gold Glove at first ...
* It's been feast or famine for the once-touted Adam Piatt as a Devil Ray ... In his eight appearances with the club, he's already racked up a double and two home runs. But he's just 4-for-21 overall (.190) and he's walked just once against 12 strikeouts ...
* Rolls is slugging only .390 despite his 6'2", 215 frame ...
* Thursday afternoon's opponent, Jeremi Gonzalez, is tough to hit (.211 opposing batting average) ... But he's been inconsistent, in part because of his erratic control. When he's been "on," he's tossed absolute gems against the likes of the Royals, Yankees, Cubs and Rangers ... But when he's been "off," walks have gotten him into trouble ...
* It's unclear why Julio Lugo has been moved up in the order against righthanders, against whom he's only 264/324/377 ... Not surprisingly, Lugo's speed has been used effectively by Lou Piniella: He's 12 of 16 on the basepaths ...
* Jared Sandberg snapped an 0-for-17 slump with a hit on Friday ... His average is down to .228 ...
* The "Woonsocket Rocket," Rocco Baldelli, has only stolen one base in his last 20 games ... Why? All together now: "He's on Mike D's roto team" ... Baldelli made a great leaping grab in centre of an Erubiel Durazo drive on Saturday ... "We can't really ask to be playing much better," said Rocco after Tampa pounded Oakland 11-2 on Sunday, a game in which Baldelli knocked in three ... Baldelli was surprised to do interviews with Japanese television during the Seattle series -- and have the reporters shamelessly shill for his receiving the Rookie of the Year award! ... The reporter told Baldelli that many in the Japanese baseball community feel that to consider Hideki Matsui a "rookie" demeans the quality of Japanese baseball ... Baldelli's bobbleheads, distributed on Sunday, are hot items on eBay ...
* Lance Carter, the club's All-Star representative, has given up 10 home runs in just over 70 innings pitched ...
* The pride of Hull (or 'Ull, as the locals say), Quebec, Pete LaForest, debuted last week as a lefthanded-hitting catcher and DH ... The 25-year-old, a former Expos draft pick, has been 3 for his first 16, with two singles and a double ... LaForest was held up with visa issues for two months this spring, causing him to miss all of spring training and the beginning of the minor-league season ... LaForest has been converted from third base to catcher. His defence has not yet caught up to his hitting ... But he did just fine behind the plate on Saturday, blocking, receiving and calling his game to Piniella's satisfaction ...
* Lightning-fast Carl Crawford is on a seven-game hitting streak (.406), which is important because he isn't a patient hitter ... Crawford has been an exemplary baserunner this season, leading the league with 47 steals in only 54 attempts ... He's 26 for his last 28 on the basepaths ... Crawford, Baldelli and Huff lead all major league outfield trios in hits (482). Next come Seattle and Atlanta ...
* Josh Hamilton -- remember him? -- has been working out in Durham for the past two weeks, and has hit some tape-measure BP blasts ... Still, due to his personal difficulties, he won't suit up for the Bulls, and winter ball is unlikely ...
* Al Martin is 5 for his last 32 (.156) and doesn't play much anymore for the building Rays ...
* Sunday's matchup between Zambrano and Zito was the second all-Z mound battle. Zahniser (Red Sox) vs. Zachary (Senators) was the first, in 1925 ...
* Joe Kennedy -- thankfully -- has been demoted to the bullpen ... Piniella says that he'll be used everywhere -- as a long man, mopup guy and even as a LOOGY -- to determine his place in the Rays' future plans ...
* Jesus Colome strained an oblique muscle in warming up last week, and is likely done for the season ...
* 2002 first-rounder B.J. Upton was named to Sportsticker's 2003 "All-Teen Team" ...
* The Durham Bulls have advanced to the International League finals, where they hope to repeat as champions ...
* FLASH UPDATE: First-overall pick Delmon Young signed this afternoon for five years, $6.25 million ...
* Unbeknownst to everyone but Rays management, Sunday's game was delayed due to a bomb scare. The Rays were furious about not being informed of the threat ... Huff: "That's weak...To be honest, it kind of [ticks] me off. It's Rocco bobblehead day and they didn't want to scare the crowd away. Any other workplace, they'd evacuate the building" ...
* Residual Ernie Whitt effect? ... Longtime Jays staffer (and current Devil Rays bench coach) John McLaren served a one-game suspension last Friday after a heated argument with -- who else? -- Joe Brinkman ... Piniella on the argument: "I was there firsthand, and McLaren's aggressiveness was provoked" ...
Probable Batting Orders
vs. LH
7 Crawford
8 Baldelli
9/DH Huff
DH/9 Piatt
3 Lee
2 Hall
5 Rolls/Sandberg
4 Anderson/Perez
6 Lugo
vs. RH
7 Crawford
8 Baldelli
9 Huff
3 Lee
DH LaForest/Martin
6 Lugo
4 Anderson
2 Hall/LaForest
5 Rolls
Pitching Probables
Tuesday: RH Waechter vs. Lidle
Wednesday: RH Sosa vs. Hendrickson
Thursday: RH Gonzalez vs. Halladay
Bullpen Usage
Long: Kennedy L, Reyes R
Short: Backe R, Malaska L, Gaudin R
Setup: Harper R
Closer: Carter R
In so doing, the D-Rays have surged to above .500 since the All-Star break -- no mean feat for a club virtually bereft of experience, and one that pays roughly as much to players not playing for them as they do to their current roster. See, e.g., Vaughn, Greg; Grieve, Ben. Tampa hasn't expanded its roster much, with a postseason berth for AAA Durham outweighing the opportunity to look at fresh faces, and strong starting pitching of late obviating the need to bring in bullpen reinforcements.
The Jays have not matched up well against a speedy Tampa club that runs a lot, but not to excess; their stolen base percentage is still among the game's best. They also have the misfortune of facing two red-hot pitchers tonight and tomorrow night, although Thursday looks like a great opportunity for Doc's 20th. He'll square off against the inconsistent Jeremi Gonzalez.
This week's Advance Scout features a Canadian catcher, a leadfooted slugger with a steal of home to his credit, and a local boy on the mound tonight for whom everything's gone right in his budding career.
On to the Advance Scout!
* Tampa Bay has 57 wins. While that might seem modest, bear in mind that they had 55 all last season ... After Friday's 3-1 win, A's manager Ken Macha said of the Rays, "I respect this team here...These guys play hard" ... And that was before the D-Rays handed Oakland two straight costly defeats on Saturday and Sunday ... Piniella on the club's motivation: "First of all, we're trying to win as many games as we can...Second of all, a little pride factor [is] involved when you're playing those teams with postseason aspirations. Go do your work someplace else...not at our expense" ... Bet you didn't know this: Tampa Bay is 25-24 since the All-Star break and 28-27 against the AL East on the season ...
* Cagey ex-middle infielder Tom Foley has been teaching the speedy D-Rays the running game from his post as third-base coach ...
* Storybook beginning: Tonight's opponent, 22-year-old Doug Waechter, had a fairly-tale first career start ... Last Wednesday, the St. Petersburg native pitched in his home town, against his manager's former employer, and on his mother's birthday ... The results? Try a complete-game two-hit shutout, walking two and striking out seven in a tidy 100 pitches, all against a Seattle club with plenty to play for ... Coupled with a strong outing in long relief, the first 11 1/3 innings of Waechter's career have been scoreless ... Waechter regularly hit 94 on the gun in his start ... Said Piniella after Wednesday's game: "It brought tears to my eyes...You couldn't have scripted this thing better" ... Hopefully for the Jays, Mrs. Waechter won't be at tonight's game: She also attended a 2000 game in which her son tossed a no-hitter for the Hudson Valley Renegades ... Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, in attendance last Wednesday, personally congratulated Waechter after the game -- and left impressed with the young righty as a person ... Waechter is the first native of Pinellas County (St. Petersburg and surrounding beachfront towns) to suit up for the Rays ... Billy Hatcher, hero of the '90 postseason, is the only Rays coach to have been with the team since its inception. Hatcher said that Waechter's first start was the best performance by a starting pitcher in team history ...
* Aubrey Huff is probably the game's most anonymous slugger, batting .313 and slugging .553 with 28 home runs ... Last Wednesday, Huff supported Waechter's gem with a 3-for-3, four RBI performance that included his eighth home run in a twelve-game stretch ... Not one of the fleet-footed Devil Rays, Huff improbably stole home on Saturday! He got help, though; with Terry Shumpert attempting a suicide squeeze, Ricardo Rincon's pitch sailed behind the pinch-hitter ... Amazingly, Huff missed the sign and only bolted for home when Foley cursed at him loudly ...
* Tomorrow's opponent, Jorge Sosa, followed Waechter's shutout with a complete-game blanking of his own, a four-hitter on Thursday night, with two walks and six K's ... Sosa's razor-sharp 1-0 win was also over Seattle -- the organization that converted the 26-year-old from an outfielder to a pitcher ... Sosa admitted to having extra motivation against the M's ... Damian Rolls: "Sosa pitched his tail off" ...
* Toby Hall snapped out of a 1-for-18 streak with a single, a double and three runs scored on Sunday ... He was adding value throughout his slump, though; he caught both the Waechter and the Sosa shutouts ...
* Travis Lee is on a six-game hitting streak (.350) ... The Rays have been touting Lee as a viable competitor with John Olerud for the AL Gold Glove at first ...
* It's been feast or famine for the once-touted Adam Piatt as a Devil Ray ... In his eight appearances with the club, he's already racked up a double and two home runs. But he's just 4-for-21 overall (.190) and he's walked just once against 12 strikeouts ...
* Rolls is slugging only .390 despite his 6'2", 215 frame ...
* Thursday afternoon's opponent, Jeremi Gonzalez, is tough to hit (.211 opposing batting average) ... But he's been inconsistent, in part because of his erratic control. When he's been "on," he's tossed absolute gems against the likes of the Royals, Yankees, Cubs and Rangers ... But when he's been "off," walks have gotten him into trouble ...
* It's unclear why Julio Lugo has been moved up in the order against righthanders, against whom he's only 264/324/377 ... Not surprisingly, Lugo's speed has been used effectively by Lou Piniella: He's 12 of 16 on the basepaths ...
* Jared Sandberg snapped an 0-for-17 slump with a hit on Friday ... His average is down to .228 ...
* The "Woonsocket Rocket," Rocco Baldelli, has only stolen one base in his last 20 games ... Why? All together now: "He's on Mike D's roto team" ... Baldelli made a great leaping grab in centre of an Erubiel Durazo drive on Saturday ... "We can't really ask to be playing much better," said Rocco after Tampa pounded Oakland 11-2 on Sunday, a game in which Baldelli knocked in three ... Baldelli was surprised to do interviews with Japanese television during the Seattle series -- and have the reporters shamelessly shill for his receiving the Rookie of the Year award! ... The reporter told Baldelli that many in the Japanese baseball community feel that to consider Hideki Matsui a "rookie" demeans the quality of Japanese baseball ... Baldelli's bobbleheads, distributed on Sunday, are hot items on eBay ...
* Lance Carter, the club's All-Star representative, has given up 10 home runs in just over 70 innings pitched ...
* The pride of Hull (or 'Ull, as the locals say), Quebec, Pete LaForest, debuted last week as a lefthanded-hitting catcher and DH ... The 25-year-old, a former Expos draft pick, has been 3 for his first 16, with two singles and a double ... LaForest was held up with visa issues for two months this spring, causing him to miss all of spring training and the beginning of the minor-league season ... LaForest has been converted from third base to catcher. His defence has not yet caught up to his hitting ... But he did just fine behind the plate on Saturday, blocking, receiving and calling his game to Piniella's satisfaction ...
* Lightning-fast Carl Crawford is on a seven-game hitting streak (.406), which is important because he isn't a patient hitter ... Crawford has been an exemplary baserunner this season, leading the league with 47 steals in only 54 attempts ... He's 26 for his last 28 on the basepaths ... Crawford, Baldelli and Huff lead all major league outfield trios in hits (482). Next come Seattle and Atlanta ...
* Josh Hamilton -- remember him? -- has been working out in Durham for the past two weeks, and has hit some tape-measure BP blasts ... Still, due to his personal difficulties, he won't suit up for the Bulls, and winter ball is unlikely ...
* Al Martin is 5 for his last 32 (.156) and doesn't play much anymore for the building Rays ...
* Sunday's matchup between Zambrano and Zito was the second all-Z mound battle. Zahniser (Red Sox) vs. Zachary (Senators) was the first, in 1925 ...
* Joe Kennedy -- thankfully -- has been demoted to the bullpen ... Piniella says that he'll be used everywhere -- as a long man, mopup guy and even as a LOOGY -- to determine his place in the Rays' future plans ...
* Jesus Colome strained an oblique muscle in warming up last week, and is likely done for the season ...
* 2002 first-rounder B.J. Upton was named to Sportsticker's 2003 "All-Teen Team" ...
* The Durham Bulls have advanced to the International League finals, where they hope to repeat as champions ...
* FLASH UPDATE: First-overall pick Delmon Young signed this afternoon for five years, $6.25 million ...
* Unbeknownst to everyone but Rays management, Sunday's game was delayed due to a bomb scare. The Rays were furious about not being informed of the threat ... Huff: "That's weak...To be honest, it kind of [ticks] me off. It's Rocco bobblehead day and they didn't want to scare the crowd away. Any other workplace, they'd evacuate the building" ...
* Residual Ernie Whitt effect? ... Longtime Jays staffer (and current Devil Rays bench coach) John McLaren served a one-game suspension last Friday after a heated argument with -- who else? -- Joe Brinkman ... Piniella on the argument: "I was there firsthand, and McLaren's aggressiveness was provoked" ...
Probable Batting Orders
vs. LH
7 Crawford
8 Baldelli
9/DH Huff
DH/9 Piatt
3 Lee
2 Hall
5 Rolls/Sandberg
4 Anderson/Perez
6 Lugo
vs. RH
7 Crawford
8 Baldelli
9 Huff
3 Lee
DH LaForest/Martin
6 Lugo
4 Anderson
2 Hall/LaForest
5 Rolls
Pitching Probables
Tuesday: RH Waechter vs. Lidle
Wednesday: RH Sosa vs. Hendrickson
Thursday: RH Gonzalez vs. Halladay
Bullpen Usage
Long: Kennedy L, Reyes R
Short: Backe R, Malaska L, Gaudin R
Setup: Harper R
Closer: Carter R
