As if the Jays' infuriating 8-11 record in 2003 against Tampa Bay wasn't enough motivation for the hometown gang to get up for the first of six series against their divisional rival, the Devil Rays come into town the talk of baseball, having won an astonishing eleven straight ballgames.
Only a brief Advance Scout report today, as time has been short. But against the three pitchers Piniella will be sending to the mound this week, the Jays need to practice what they preach -- namely, patience at the plate -- to prevail.
On to the Advance Scout!
* To put things in perspective, the Devil Rays haven't lost since their neighbours, the Tampa Bay Lightning, had their Stanley Cup parade ...
* Speedy Carl Crawford is swinging a hot bat over his last seven games (.469) ... He's already had six three-hit games and three four-hit games on the season ... He's blowing away the field in the AL with thirty steals (nine caught), and with eight triples, he's second in the league to Chone Figgins ... His plate discipline is still nowhere near where it needs to be, but he's improving. After walking just 26 times in 151 games last season, he's drawn 16 walks in his first 64 games this year ... Crawford on the streak: "We hoped we could get it going because we don't have a bad team" ...
* Old friend Jose Cruz Jr. is having a fine June at .304/.451/.625 ... He's hitting particularly well from the right side of the plate this season, as he's .313/.463/.578 on the year ... He's not hitting for a high average, but Jays fans know that his 42/38 BB/K ratio is a sign of tremendous improvement this year ... In June, he's walked 14 times while only accumulating six strikeouts ... Cruz is enjoying the Tampa clubhouse, calling his fellow Rays "a bunch of happy-go-lucky guys" ... Tino Martinez had to gently reprimand Cruz after he began to tell reporters how excited he was at attaining third place in the AL East. Tino: "That's not our goal" ...
* Add Rey Sanchez to the list of red-hot D-Rays ... His June line is a remarkable .373/.407/.608, and he's tallied eight of his nine extra-base hits on the season this month -- despite playing an equivalent number of games in each of April and May ... Seven of his eight RBI have come in June ...
* Please be patient against Wednesday's starter, Victor Zambrano ... The ace of the D-Rays' staff has issued a startling 65 walks in 85 2/3 IP, including two six-walk games, two seven-walk games and a nine-walk fiasco against the Red Sox in May ... His lack of control explains the apparent discrepancy between his 5.15 ERA and his .206 opposing average ...
* Speaking of Tino, and contrary to the naysaying of the consensus (including me) surrounding his acquisition, the first baseman has revived his career in St. Petersburg ... He's homered five times in his last fifteen games, and his season total of 12 is certainly respectable -- as is his .508 slugging percentage ...
* Julio Lugo has suddenly figured out how to get on base in June, as evidenced by his .328/.427/.406 line on the month ... Strangely, he's a dismal .223/.278/.364 in hitter-friendly Tropicana Field ...
* Old friend Freddie McGriff is now up to 493 career homers ... He's not just a chasing-the-milestone charity case for Tampa Bay; he's 3-for-4 as a pinch-hitter since his recall ... McGriff returns to SkyDome, where he hit the stadium's first home run for the good guys, an opposite-field job on opening day ... I still remember the bomb his hit into the Exhibition Stadium night in the club's record-setting 10-homer game against Baltimore in 1987 ...
Probable Batting Orders
vs. LH
DH Crawford
6 Lugo
8 Baldelli
3 Huff
9 Cruz Jr
2 Hall
4 Sanchez
7 Bautista
5 Blum
vs. RH
7 Crawford
9 Cruz Jr
8 Baldelli
5 Huff
3 McGriff/Martinez
DH Fick
6 Lugo
4 Sanchez
2 Hall/Fordyce
Pitching Probables
Tuesday: RH Gaudin vs. Hentgen
Wednesday: RH Zambrano vs. Halladay
Thursday: LH Halama vs. Lilly
Bullpen Usage
Long: Sosa R, Bell R
Short: Carter R, T Miller L
Setup: Harper R, Colome R
Closer: Baez R
Only a brief Advance Scout report today, as time has been short. But against the three pitchers Piniella will be sending to the mound this week, the Jays need to practice what they preach -- namely, patience at the plate -- to prevail.
On to the Advance Scout!
* To put things in perspective, the Devil Rays haven't lost since their neighbours, the Tampa Bay Lightning, had their Stanley Cup parade ...
* Speedy Carl Crawford is swinging a hot bat over his last seven games (.469) ... He's already had six three-hit games and three four-hit games on the season ... He's blowing away the field in the AL with thirty steals (nine caught), and with eight triples, he's second in the league to Chone Figgins ... His plate discipline is still nowhere near where it needs to be, but he's improving. After walking just 26 times in 151 games last season, he's drawn 16 walks in his first 64 games this year ... Crawford on the streak: "We hoped we could get it going because we don't have a bad team" ...
* Old friend Jose Cruz Jr. is having a fine June at .304/.451/.625 ... He's hitting particularly well from the right side of the plate this season, as he's .313/.463/.578 on the year ... He's not hitting for a high average, but Jays fans know that his 42/38 BB/K ratio is a sign of tremendous improvement this year ... In June, he's walked 14 times while only accumulating six strikeouts ... Cruz is enjoying the Tampa clubhouse, calling his fellow Rays "a bunch of happy-go-lucky guys" ... Tino Martinez had to gently reprimand Cruz after he began to tell reporters how excited he was at attaining third place in the AL East. Tino: "That's not our goal" ...
* Add Rey Sanchez to the list of red-hot D-Rays ... His June line is a remarkable .373/.407/.608, and he's tallied eight of his nine extra-base hits on the season this month -- despite playing an equivalent number of games in each of April and May ... Seven of his eight RBI have come in June ...
* Please be patient against Wednesday's starter, Victor Zambrano ... The ace of the D-Rays' staff has issued a startling 65 walks in 85 2/3 IP, including two six-walk games, two seven-walk games and a nine-walk fiasco against the Red Sox in May ... His lack of control explains the apparent discrepancy between his 5.15 ERA and his .206 opposing average ...
* Speaking of Tino, and contrary to the naysaying of the consensus (including me) surrounding his acquisition, the first baseman has revived his career in St. Petersburg ... He's homered five times in his last fifteen games, and his season total of 12 is certainly respectable -- as is his .508 slugging percentage ...
* Julio Lugo has suddenly figured out how to get on base in June, as evidenced by his .328/.427/.406 line on the month ... Strangely, he's a dismal .223/.278/.364 in hitter-friendly Tropicana Field ...
* Old friend Freddie McGriff is now up to 493 career homers ... He's not just a chasing-the-milestone charity case for Tampa Bay; he's 3-for-4 as a pinch-hitter since his recall ... McGriff returns to SkyDome, where he hit the stadium's first home run for the good guys, an opposite-field job on opening day ... I still remember the bomb his hit into the Exhibition Stadium night in the club's record-setting 10-homer game against Baltimore in 1987 ...
Probable Batting Orders
vs. LH
DH Crawford
6 Lugo
8 Baldelli
3 Huff
9 Cruz Jr
2 Hall
4 Sanchez
7 Bautista
5 Blum
vs. RH
7 Crawford
9 Cruz Jr
8 Baldelli
5 Huff
3 McGriff/Martinez
DH Fick
6 Lugo
4 Sanchez
2 Hall/Fordyce
Pitching Probables
Tuesday: RH Gaudin vs. Hentgen
Wednesday: RH Zambrano vs. Halladay
Thursday: LH Halama vs. Lilly
Bullpen Usage
Long: Sosa R, Bell R
Short: Carter R, T Miller L
Setup: Harper R, Colome R
Closer: Baez R
