ST. PETERSBURG –

The talk seemed more like wishful thinking when first heard in the Rays clubhouse in late July. Postseason baseball? In Tampa Bay?

A lot had to happen for that to become a possibility.

And a lot has happened.

The Rays enter the final three games either one game back or tied with the Red Sox in the wild card pending the outcome of the second game of Boston’s doubleheader with the New York Yankees.

The Rays continue an improbable climb up the standings that began earlier this month.

“It’s funny how you play 159 games and it comes down to three games to decide our fate,” third baseman Evan Longoria said. “This is where we wanted to be, this is the situation we wanted to be in, so we should just try to have fun with it.”

The Rays put themselves in this position by beating the Blue Jays 5-2 on Sunday in front of 21,008 at Tropicana Field.

Wade Davis pitched eight innings, the Rays received home runs from B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria and Kelly Shoppach, and Joel Peralta picked up another late-season save to win for the 27th straight time when they’ve scored at least five runs.

The win moved them to within a half-game of the Red Sox, who lost the afternoon portion of a day-night doubleheader in the Bronx. Another Red Sox loss in the nightcap and the Rays would draw even with the wild-card leaders.

But nothing has been easy for the 2011 Rays, beginning with the season-opening six-game losing streak to Longoria’s injury and subsequent slump to the abrupt departure of Manny Ramirez to the lack of any consistency from the offense to the loss of Kyle Farnsworth for two weeks this month.

The Rays have been trying to hold back the tide all season.

Heck, if not for a horrible closing month from the Red Sox, these three games with the Yankees would be nothing more than the final three games of the season.

“We’re kind of excited and I guess delighted that the Red Sox have given us this opportunity,” Zobrist said. “We knew they had to give us the opportunity and we had to keep playing well, and that’s what happened.”

Now, the questions are: Will the Red Sox continue to provide the Rays with an opportunity? And, will the Rays continue to play well?

“We’re hoping they can continue that run,” Zobrist said.

As for the Rays’ chances?

“We like them,” Upton said. “We like them a lot.”

The final week sets up well for the Rays, with James Shields pitching tonight in the opener of this three-game series with the Yankees, followed by Jeremy Hellickson and David Price.

Rookie Matt Moore will be lurking in the bullpen, but the Rays likely will try to save him to start a one-game playoff if one is needed.

The Rays are hoping to win these three against the Yankees while the Red Sox continue to stumble in Baltimore.

“I just don’t want to speculate about what can happen,” Longoria said. “We just have to go out there and keep winning. We’ve done a good job to get to this point and make it interesting.”

The Rays were nine games out on Sept. 9. Since then they’ve gone 14-8. They are so close to becoming the first team in major-league history to reach the postseason after being nine games back in September.

The Rays are also close to joining the 1995 Reds as the only teams to begin the season 1-8 and reach the postseason.

All it will take is strong efforts from Shields, Hellickson and Price, a few more days from the offense like the ones the Rays received during the past two wins against the Blue Jays and tunnel vision set aimed squarely at that night’s game.

“There’s no other way to do it, man,” manager Joe Maddon said about the one-day-at-a-time approach. “When you’re involved in athletics at this level, if you vary from that approach it will bite you every time, and I think our guys have learned that.”

Maddon said the playoffs began for the Rays back on Sept. 9, when the Rays came to town to start a string of seven games against the Rays in 10 days.

At that point, a real run at the wild card seemed a little fanciful for those outside the Rays’ clubhouse.

“It’s been real for us,” Longoria said. “Our goal is to play in the playoffs and it’s going to get a lot more real here the next few days. I think everybody in here is looking forward to it, and I think everybody in here believes.”

His absence from the batting order robbed the Rays of what they thought would be one of their top offensive threats. And at the box office, Ramirez’s retirement forced the team to cancel a promotional date featuring the player’s bobbleheads.

Which is when Sam Fuld swooped in to save the day.

And if your response to that last sentence was “Sam who?” then you haven’t been watching the highlight shows.

When Ramirez quit, the Rays moved Johnny Damon to designated hitter, opening a spot for Fuld in the outfield. Since then Tampa Bay, 0-5 with Ramirez, has won 10 of 16 games with Fuld leading the American League in stolen bases (10) and ranking among the leaders in hitting (.365) after the Rays’ victory Saturday.

Fuld, 29, who had fewer than 100 games of big league experience when the Rays acquired him from the Chicago Cubs in the Matt Garza trade last winter, is contributing off the field as well. Inspired in part by two acrobatic, gravity-defying defensive plays, the Rays scraped next month’s Ramirez bobblehead promotion and will give away Sam Fuld superhero capes.

Not bad for a guy who hit .143 in 19 games with the Cubs last season.

But the legend of Sam Fuld has been an even bigger hit on Twitter, where a recent four-hit game against the Boston Red Sox — he would have become the first Ray to hit for the cycle if he hadn’t hustled a ninth-inning single into a double — spawned these tweets, according to mlb.com reporter Bill Chastain.

“Sam Fuld was once intentionally walked while in the on-deck circle.”

“Honus Wagner bought a Sam Fuld rookie card at auction.”

“Sam Fuld counted to infinity twice.”

“Sam Fuld can slam a revolving door.”

Fuld, who has an economics degree from Stanford and who is the son of a New Hampshire state senator, isn’t a Twitter follower so his newfound popularity was news to him.

“Oh, man,” he told Chastain. “I was not aware of this, I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.”

Yada yada yada

No team had a worse record than the 7-13 New York Mets before Saturday. Their outlook appears so dreary that Andy Martino of the New York Daily News started his account of the 17th game of the season this way:

“Blah blah blah blah rain blah blah blah Niese blah blah Astros blah blah Mets got spanked. Blah blah, 6-1. We really don’t know what else to tell you about this one.”

These fish have arms

With the addition of Cliff Lee, the Philadelphia Phillies may have one of the best pitching rotations ever assembled. But don’t overlook the Florida Marlins, who have put together a staff that’s even better than the Josh Beckett-Brad Penny-Carl Pavano one that led them to a World Series title in 2003.

All-Star Josh Johnson is 3-0 and leads the majors in earned-run average (1.00), opponents’ batting average (.112) and WHIP (0.59), and Ricky Nolasco is 2-0 with 3.00 ERA. Add Anibal Sanchez, who has more strikeouts (26) than innings pitched (251/3) after coming within a pitch of his second career no-hitter Friday, and the Marlins have a top three than can pitch with anyone.

And backing them up is a bullpen that began play Saturday with a 1.63 ERA, lowest in the majors by more than three-quarters of a run per nine innings.

—Kevin Baxter and Bill Shaikin

By Rob Neyer – National Baseball Editor

Follow , and Like Baseball Nation on Facebook.

Apr 21, 2011 - Not so long ago, the Tampa Bay Rays’ season seemed practically over, almost before it started.

On the season’s second Sunday, the Rays lost to the White Sox, their record falling to 1-8. In their first nine games, they’d scored just one run in six games, and scored more than three just once. They’d lost Evan Longoria for a while. They’d lost Manny Ramirez for good. You’d have been excused for giving up on these Rays for dead.

But then something funny happened on the way to the rebuilding process: the Rays started winning. Since losing eight of their first nine games, they’ve won eight of their last nine games. Now they’re in second place, merely two games behind the Yankees. And nobody’s talking about rebuilding.

Nobody’s talking about the bullpen, either. And in some quarters, it was the bullpen — even more than the departure of Carl Crawford — that was going to drop the Rays from first place in 2010 to third place in 2011.

In 2010, Tampa Bay’s relievers led the American League in ERA (3.33), saves (51) and batting average allowed (.228). Their top relievers were particularly spectacular.

In 2011, they’re gone. All of them. Well, almost all of them. Seven relievers pitched more than 40 innings for the Rays last season; only Andy Sonnanstine remains. The other six disappeared during the winter, like tulips in North Dakota, never to return. And considering the organization’s cost-cutting ways, the 2011 relief corps, cobbled together from duct tape and spare bits of string, simply couldn’t match its predecessor.

Theoretically, anyway. With two perfect innings Wednesday night against the White Sox, Tampa Bay’s relievers lowered their group ERA to 2.57, the lowest in the American League.

Yes, just like last year.

This testifies to a number of things. For instance, the unreliability of statistics in April. Or perhaps the acumen of Tampa Bay’s front office, which hardly needs more testaments. And we might spare some credit for Joe Maddon, who just doesn’t seem to care who’s in the bullpen.

I am compelled, by duty if not honor, to mention a caveat. To this point, the Rays’ relievers have not been as dominant as last year’s. Yes, the ERA is lower. But last year’s bullpen struck out 7.8 hitters per nine innings, with a 2.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio; the figures for this year’s bullpen are just 6.2 and 1.9.

So it says here the 2011 relievers will not be quite as good as the 2010 squad. Will not be as great. But it’s not clear that they have to be. With a deep rotation and a solid lineup and (eventually) a healthy Evan Longoria, the Rays just need a good bullpen. And it looks like they might have one. All hail Kyle Farnsworth.

Follow , and Like Baseball Nation on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

By Rob Neyer – National Baseball Editor

Follow , and Like Baseball Nation on Facebook.

Apr 21, 2011 - Not so long ago, the Tampa Bay Rays’ season seemed practically over, almost before it started.

On the season’s second Sunday, the Rays lost to the White Sox, their record falling to 1-8. In their first nine games, they’d scored just one run in six games, and scored more than three just once. They’d lost Evan Longoria for a while. They’d lost Manny Ramirez for good. You’d have been excused for giving up on these Rays for dead.

But then something funny happened on the way to the rebuilding process: the Rays started winning. Since losing eight of their first nine games, they’ve won eight of their last nine games. Now they’re in second place, merely two games behind the Yankees. And nobody’s talking about rebuilding.

Nobody’s talking about the bullpen, either. And in some quarters, it was the bullpen — even more than the departure of Carl Crawford — that was going to drop the Rays from first place in 2010 to third place in 2011.

In 2010, Tampa Bay’s relievers led the American League in ERA (3.33), saves (51) and batting average allowed (.228). Their top relievers were particularly spectacular.

In 2011, they’re gone. All of them. Well, almost all of them. Seven relievers pitched more than 40 innings for the Rays last season; only Andy Sonnanstine remains. The other six disappeared during the winter, like tulips in North Dakota, never to return. And considering the organization’s cost-cutting ways, the 2011 relief corps, cobbled together from duct tape and spare bits of string, simply couldn’t match its predecessor.

Theoretically, anyway. With two perfect innings Wednesday night against the White Sox, Tampa Bay’s relievers lowered their group ERA to 2.57, the lowest in the American League.

Yes, just like last year.

This testifies to a number of things. For instance, the unreliability of statistics in April. Or perhaps the acumen of Tampa Bay’s front office, which hardly needs more testaments. And we might spare some credit for Joe Maddon, who just doesn’t seem to care who’s in the bullpen.

I am compelled, by duty if not honor, to mention a caveat. To this point, the Rays’ relievers have not been as dominant as last year’s. Yes, the ERA is lower. But last year’s bullpen struck out 7.8 hitters per nine innings, with a 2.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio; the figures for this year’s bullpen are just 6.2 and 1.9.

So it says here the 2011 relievers will not be quite as good as the 2010 squad. Will not be as great. But it’s not clear that they have to be. With a deep rotation and a solid lineup and (eventually) a healthy Evan Longoria, the Rays just need a good bullpen. And it looks like they might have one. All hail Kyle Farnsworth.

Follow , and Like Baseball Nation on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, April 21, 2011

Matt Joyce snares Adam Dunn’s liner to right in the fourth. He made a leaping grab of Juan Pierre’s shot to the wall in the fifth.
	[JAMES BORCHUCK | Times]

ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays’ 0-6 start lent itself to many adjectives at the time, from the more refined, such as abysmal and calamitous, to some more basic, such as horrid, terrible and awful.

But Wednesday, the Rays called it even.

A 4-1 win over the White Sox got them to the .500 mark at 9-9, just the second of the 44 modern-day teams that lost their first six to get even in the month of April and the 12th to get there at any point of the season.

“The fact that we’re back to that level, that’s great. I love it,” manager Joe Maddon said. “But our goal is well beyond .500.”

Of course it is. But given where they stood less than two weeks ago, and given how they’ve played without Evan Longoria, without Manny Ramirez and, recently, without Johnny Damon, it’s an accomplishment. As is becoming the first team to start 1-8 and then go 8-1.

“That’s a great feeling after the tough start that we had,” outfielder Matt Joyce said. “That’s really a testament to the talent on this team. … The biggest thing was not panicking. I think a lot of managers and a lot of teams would really hit the panic button, but Joe’s as calm as they come. I can’t say enough about how great he’s been.”

Wednesday’s win, like so many of the nine in their past 12 games, was a team effort.

A solid start, seven innings from Wade Davis, who worked out of whatever trouble he got into. Quality relief work, 1-2-3 innings by Joel Peralta and Kyle Farnsworth, who converted his fourth save in four chances. Clutch hitting, a two-run homer from John Jaso and RBI doubles by Casey Kotchman and Joyce.

And their daily dose of dazzling defense.

Sam Fuld roamed the outfield to make two more big running catches in left, one with the bases loaded in the first. Shortstop Reid Brignac went deep in the hole again. Kotchman scooped several throws at first.

But the highlight came from Joyce, who made a running, jumping, over-the-shoulder catch a step from the rightfield wall to save two runs in the fifth.

“It’s all over the place, it’s very contagious,” Maddon said. “We have to be that kind of defensive team to win this division again.”

Joyce had a harder time describing the play than making it. “I’m just happy I caught it,” he said. “I told Sam I’ve been watching him and he’s been rubbing off on me.”

Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, whose frustration was capped with a sixth-inning ejection, marveled as well. “I don’t know how the guy got there to catch that ball,” he said.

Maddon said the key to the turnaround has been a grind-it-out approach, mixed with the tremendous defense and quality starting pitching. From here, he wants the Rays to focus on winning series and build their record incrementally, getting to five over .500, then 10, then 15.

For now, he’ll take being even.

“It’s great to get back,” Maddon said. “You look up in the morning, you look at the paper you see that, nice feeling. But that’s not the kind of nice feeling that gets you into the playoffs.”

It’s not, but here’s something: Of the 44 teams that started 0-6, two — the 1974 Pirates and 1995 Reds — did make the playoffs.

[Last modified: Apr 21, 2011 08:02 AM]

Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2011 St. Petersburg Times

You must enable javascript to view and add comments.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, March 31, 2011

Quote of the day

“They lost their bullpen. But they still have a great starting rotation. They still have a very intelligent, smart manager who is creative, and it’s going to be tough to beat Tampa just because they know how to win.”

Adam Lind, Jays 1B on the Rays

Number change of the day

There was one number change from the spring as OF Sam Fuld, right, will wear No. 5, worn previously by Rocco Baldelli (as well as Pat Burrell). Fuld, who wore No. 5 since high school whenever he could, said home clubhouse/equipment manager Chris Westmoreland checked with Baldelli then offered the switch to Fuld.

Locker talk of the day

RHP James Shields has gotten his share of ribbing from teammates about his expanded locker in the clubhouse. Like most veterans, Shields has two adjacent lockers, but the wall between was knocked down during the offseason. Shields said he joked with home clubhouse/equipment manager Chris Westmoreland about having more room in his corner, “and he actually redid the whole thing.” Westmoreland said there was structural damage to the previous locker anyway. “It’s nice,” Shields said. “But I’m going to catch some hell from the players for about a week and then they’ll get over it.”

Locker talk of the day, part II

With all the roster turnover, there are lot of players in new places in the clubhouse. DH Manny Ramirez took RHP Rafael Soriano‘s two-locker space in the back with Johnny Damon in RHP Dan Wheeler‘s previous spot in the left corner. LF Carl Crawford‘s lockers, next to SS Reid Brignac, are left unoccupied, and RHP Kyle Farnsworth is where RHP Grant Balfour used to be. INF Sean Rodriguez got bumped up to the two-locker space previously owned by 1B Carlos Peña. “I hope he left some homers in there for me,” Rodriguez said, jokingly.

Who is this Ray?

This outfielder joined the Rays from Triple-A Durham June 25. He ranked third on the team in RBIs over the last three months with 40, 28 coming with two outs. He’s a Tampa native and a natural right-hander who does everything — eats, writes, throws — that way except hit.

Long time coming

When manager Joe Maddon called RHP Adam Russell on Tuesday afternoon to let him know he made the team, he said, “Sorry it took so long.” But Russell had it worse last year with the Padres, when he said he found out 15 minutes before the roster deadline he didn’t make the team. “It’s just a really nice thing to hear finally, after all these years, that you’re going to be on the opening-day roster,” he said. Coincidentally, it was Russell’s current teammate, LHP Cesar Ramos, who got San Diego’s final spot last season. And now they’re in adjacent lockers. “We can’t cut the umbilical cord,” Russell said, jokingly.

Regular season

Today: Off

Friday: vs. Orioles, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price; Orioles — Jeremy Guthrie

Saturday: vs. Orioles 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields; Orioles — Brian Matusz

Sunday: vs Orioles, 1:40, Sun Sports. Rays — Wade Davis; Orioles — Chris Tillman.

Who is this Ray answer: OF Matt Joyce

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

[Last modified: Mar 30, 2011 10:44 PM]

Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2011 St. Petersburg Times

You must enable javascript to view and add comments.

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG — The revamped Tampa Bay Rays have a new look, along with the same expectations of staying on top of baseball’s toughest division.

The cost-conscious AL East champions slashed payroll by about 40 percent this winter, yet remain confident they’ll be able to hold their own against the big-spending Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees this season.

A talented young pitching rotation led by Cy Young Award runner-up David Price is the biggest reason. Manager Joe Maddon believes the team has a chance to be solid offensively, too, with veterans Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez filling holes created by the departures of Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena.

“I think we drip with intangibles,” said Maddon, who has guided the Rays to two of the past three division titles with teams that thrived on pitching, defense and speed.

An offseason of change — pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett were traded while the Rays also lost Crawford, Pena and virtually the entire bullpen to free agency — has not altered the formula for success.

“We’re not going to go out there and spend an exorbitant amount of money on one or two free agents, but we get really good, athletic young players and mix them with some nice veterans,” Maddon said. “But mainly we have to play our style of baseball. … We have to believe in it. … That’s who we are. We’ll never run away from it.”

Damon, 37, and Ramirez, 38, both are motivated to prove they can still be productive players, with Damon settling into Crawford’s spot in left field and Ramirez taking over as the designated hitter.

They are among six active players with at least 2,500 career hits and are being counted on to provide leadership in the clubhouse, too.

Ramirez is a 12-time All-Star who was slowed by injuries while hitting .298 with nine homers and 42 RBI in 90 games for the Dodgers and White Sox last season.

“I just want to stay healthy. That’s my main course,” Ramirez said. “If I do that, I think everything takes care of itself.”

But for all the talk about what Damon and Ramirez can add, the Rays are still Evan Longoria’s team.

The three-time All-Star third baseman, who hit .294 with 22 homers and 104 RBI last season, is excited about being sandwiched between his new teammates in the batting order.

“We’ve got the right guys,” Longoria said. “It’s just a matter of putting the pieces together that win.”

Maddon’s biggest concern is the bullpen.

The Rays lost All-Star closer Rafael Soriano and most of the relief staff.

They have rebuilt the unit around the lone holdover, long reliever Andy Sonnanstine, and newcomers Kyle Farnsworth, Juan Cruz and Joel Peralta.

With no clear-cut closer on the roster, the manager likely will handle that role by committee.

“Bullpens are like that. They’re volatile. They pop up. They go away,” Maddon said. “I kind of enjoy the fact that people aren’t expecting much out of us. We’ll see.”

St. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Manny Ramirez is not with the Tampa Bay Rays for the team’s exhibition finale against the Toronto Blue Jays while attending to a personal matter.

Manager Joe Maddon said before Wednesday’s game at Tropicana Field that Ramirez was given permission to leave the club.

Ramirez is expected to return before Friday’s regular season opener at home against the Baltimore Orioles. The 12-time All-Star batted .311 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 19 exhibitions.

The revamped Tampa Bay Rays have a new look, along with the same expectations of staying on top of baseball’s toughest division.

Skip to next paragraph

The cost-conscious AL East champions slashed payroll by about 40 percent this winter, yet remain confident they’ll be able to hold their own against the big-spending Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees this season.

A talented young pitching rotation led by Cy Young Award runner-up David Price is the biggest reason. Manager Joe Maddon believes the team has a chance to be solid offensively, too, with veterans Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez filling holes created by the departures of Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena.

“I think we drip with intangibles,” said Maddon, who has guided the Rays to two of the past three division titles with teams that thrived on pitching, defense and speed.

An offseason of change — pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett were traded while the Rays also lost Crawford, Pena and virtually the entire bullpen to free agency — has not altered the formula for success.

“We’re not going to go out there and spend an exorbitant amount of money on one or two free agents, but we get really good, athletic young players and mix them with some nice veterans,” Maddon said. “But mainly we have to play our style of baseball. … We have to believe in it. … That’s who we are. We’ll never run away from it.”

Damon and Ramirez both are motivated to prove they can still be productive players, with Damon settling into Crawford’s spot in left field and Ramirez taking over as the designated hitter.

They are among six active players with at least 2,500 career hits and are being counted on to provide leadership in the clubhouse, too.

“I know I’ve got to be more of a leader at this point in my career. I have no problem doing that,” said the 37-year-old Damon, who is beginning his 17th season.

Ramirez, 38, is a 12-time All-Star who was slowed by injuries while hitting .298 with nine homers and 42 RBIs in 90 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox last season.

While Damon agreed to a $5.25 million, one-year contract that could be worth more with incentives, Ramirez accepted a $2 million, one-year deal — down from the $20 million he earned in 2010 — and says he is motivated not only to help Tampa Bay get back to the playoffs but to prove he’s still one of the game’s best hitters.

“I just want to stay healthy. That’s my main course,” Ramirez said. “If I do that I think everything takes care of itself.”

But for all the talk about what Damon and Ramirez can add, the Rays are still Evan Longoria’s team.

The three-time All-Star third baseman, who hit .294 with 22 homers and 104 RBIs last season, is excited about being sandwiched between his new teammates in the batting order. He’s just as excited about what he believes the Rays are capable of accomplishing despite losing Crawford, the most accomplished player in Tampa Bay’s relatively brief franchise history.

While conceding the defending division champions lost a lot, Longoria looks at the starting rotation of Price, James Shields, Wade Davis, Jeff Niemann and rookie Jeremy Hellickson, as well as an everyday lineup boasting young up and comers such as B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist and Reid Brignac, and sees no reason the Rays can’t repeat.

“We’ve got the right guys,” Longoria said. “It’s just a matter of putting the pieces together that win.”

Maddon’s biggest concern is the bullpen.

The Rays lost All-Star closer Rafael Soriano, as well as Joaquin Benoit, Grant Balfour, Randy Choate, Chad Qualls and Dan Wheeler and have rebuilt the unit around the lone holdover, long reliever Andy Sonnanstine, and newcomers Kyle Farnsworth, Juan Cruz and Joel Peralta.

With no clear-cut closer on the roster, the manager likely will handle that role by committee.

Maddon insisted he’s not worried, noting that when the Rays broke camp a year ago, “there’s no way you can tell me anyone expected us” to have one of the top relief units in baseball.

“Bullpens are like that. They’re volatile. They pop up. They go away,” Maddon said. “I kind of enjoy the fact that people aren’t expecting much out of us. We’ll see.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—The revamped Tampa Bay Rays have a new look, along with the same expectations of staying on top of baseball’s toughest division.

The cost-conscious AL East champions slashed payroll by about 40 percent this winter, yet remain confident they’ll be able to hold their own against the big-spending Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees this season.

A talented young pitching rotation led by Cy Young Award runner-up David Price(notes) is the biggest reason. Manager Joe Maddon believes the team has a chance to be solid offensively, too, with veterans Johnny Damon(notes) and Manny Ramirez(notes) filling holes created by the departures of Carl Crawford(notes) and Carlos Pena.

By Bradley Woodrum – Editor

Read More: Dan Johnson (1B – TAM), Kelly Shoppach (C – TAM), Manny Ramirez (DH – TAM), Joel Peralta (P – TAM), James Shields (P – TAM), Felipe Lopez (3B – TAM), Kyle Farnsworth (P – TAM), Casey Kotchman (1B – TAM), Juan Cruz (P – TAM), Sam Fuld (LF – TAM), Adam Russell (P – TAM), Jeff Niemann (P – TAM), John Jaso (C – TAM), Elliot Johnson (2B – TAM), Wade Davis (P – TAM), Jake McGee (P – TAM), Evan Longoria (3B – TAM), David Price (P – TAM), Matt Joyce (DH – TAM), Cesar Ramos (P – TAM), Jeremy Hellickson (P – TAM), Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays

Follow , and Like SB Nation Tampa Bay on Facebook.

Mar 26, 2011 - The Tampa Bay Rays will face off against the Baltimore Orioles at Port Charlotte, FL. First pitch will be at 1:05 PM ET.

Spring Training started roughly for the Rays as they went 1-8-1 through the first ten games. Since then, the Rays have gone 14-6, winning the last 5 games by a margin of 3 wins or higher. Though the Spring Training records are in no way a barometer for regular season success, it has made watching and listening to the games much more enjoyable.

The Rays recent roster cuts have all but finalized their opening day bullpen. Kyle Farnsworth, Jake McGee, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, Joel Peralta, and Juan Cruz look to fill out the bullpen, while the Rays starting rotation will include David Price, James Shields, Wade Davis, Jeff Niemann, and top prospect Jeremy Hellickson.

That leaves 13 position players. Most of the positions are locked down by regulars such as Manny Ramirez, Evan Longoria, and platooners such as John Jaso, Matt Joyce, and Kelly Shoppach. The two remaining spots have been seemingly won by utility man and AAA veteran Elliot Johnson and recently acquired outfielder Sam Fuld.

There have been a few competitions this Spring — namely between Elliot Johnson and Felipe Lopez, Dan Johnson and Casey Kotchman, and the now-closed bullpen openings — but it seems unlikely the opening day roster will feature many surprises.

Today’s lineup, per Marc Topkin:

Ben Zobrist 2B
Johnny Damon LF
Evan Longoria 3B
Manny Ramirez DH
Dan Johnson 1B
B.J. Upton CF
Matt Joyce RF
Kelly Shoppach C
Sean Rod SS

Jeremy Hellickson P

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Pirates starter Charlie Morton, who had been having a lights-out spring, had a bit of a hiccup today in the club’s 9-5 loss against the host Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Fla.

It was the Pirates’ fourth spring loss in a row and eighth in 10 games.

Morton entered the start with a 1.29 spring ERA, but gave up five runs -??? all earned — in the five innings he worked. He yielded five hits, walked three and struck out two.

His spring ERA jumped to 3.32 as he’s worked 19 innings and allowed seven earned runs.

Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan, whose spring ERA was 8.10 coming into the game, continued his struggles. He worked an inning, gave up two runs on two hits, walked two and threw two wild pitches.

The Pirates scored first on a Ryan Doumit RBI, stand-up double down the right field line in the first inning.

The Pirates stretched it to 3-0 in the second, when Matt Diaz scored after a single and error, and Morton helped himself with an RBI single.

But the Rays stormed back to tie it, getting three off Morton in the home-half of the third, on a Sam Fuld double that drove in two and a Ben Zobrist sacrifice fly.

In the fifth, the Pirates made it 5-3 when Rule 5 player Josh Rodriguez drove in two runs with a double. That came on the heels of a towering home run the middle infielder hit in a game in Sarasota on Thursday night against the Orioles.

Morton struggled with his command in the fifth, allowing the Rays to tie it at 5-5 when he first hit Evan Longoria with the bases loaded then walked Manny Ramirez a batter later.

Hanrahan worked the sixth and was out of sorts, giving up two runs to help the Rays to a 7-5 advantage and fellow reliever Chris Resop gave up two runs in the eighth.

The Pirates will play the Yankees at 1:05 p.m. Saturday in Tampa, as the club has just three more games in Florida remaining before playing two exhibition games in Philadelphia then starting the regular season. Kevin Correia, named Thursday as the club’s opening day starter, will make his final spring start in tomorrow’s game in Tampa. Also, as the Pirates are playing the Yankees tomorrow, right-handed pitcher James McDonald, who is battling a left side injury sustained March 11, is scheduled to throw in a minor league game in Tampa on an adjacent field.

First published on March 25, 2011 at 4:38 pm

By MICHAEL SASSO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 25, 2011

Updated: 04:23 pm

ST. PETERSBURG – Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez are big names in baseball, but they won’t necessarily feature prominently in Tampa Bay Rays ads.

Instead, the baseball team’s ad strategy is focusing on the overall team, even its lesser names, as well as the experience of being at a Major League Baseball game. It’s hoping the strategy can put more fans in the seats and turn around some lackluster ticket sales.

On Friday, the Rays debuted some new commercials and print ads for the 2011 season. Generally, all the ads play up the sense of community at Rays’ games and the bond between team and fan.

For example, a new TV spot shows a young man high-fiving an attractive female stranger sitting next to him. The message is Rays games make friends of perfect strangers. A new print ad shows a young tot sharing a moment with Raymond, the furry “sea dog” mascot.

Another team might be tempted to make the most of Damon and Ramirez’s star power on TV, but the team wants to play up the entire team’s chemistry. On any day, second baseman Sean Rodriguez or catcher John Jaso might be the game’s hero, said Tom Hoof, Rays vice president of marketing and community relations.

“I think the name on the front (Rays) is really more important than the name on the back,” Hoof said.

So far, the Rays’ marketing staff isn’t sensing any letup in fan or sponsor interest from the losses of star outfielder Carl Crawford and pitcher Rafael Soriano, Rays senior vice president Mark Fernandez said.

Still, the team is hoping to improve on last year’s attendance. The team drew in 1.84 million people to Tropicana Field, good only for 22nd position out of 30 teams. That was despite winning the American League East division.

So far, the team’s season tickets are selling about the same as last year, Fernandez said. Ticket sales could always be better, he said, but insisted “they’re not an area of concern.”

One way to increase revenues could be to launch a Rays TV network, similar to the Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network. When asked whether the Rays would consider their own TV network, Fernandez was noncommittal.

“Maybe, but right now we really believe the best delivery for us is Fox Sports,” he said.

(813) 259-7865

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, March 24, 2011

Quote of the day

“We’re talking about Pedro Rosa right now.”

Manager Joe Maddon, after Manny Ramirez did his best Pete Rose imitation, sliding headfirst into second for a first-inning double.

Upset of the day

One of the more popular activities among the players is Words With Friends, a Scrabble-type game played on smart phones. And Justin Ruggiano, who attended Texas A&M, couldn’t wait to share the news Wednesday that he beat Sam Fuld, graduate of Stanford University, and by more than 30 points. “Texas A&M beating Stanford, we need a word for that,” Ruggiano said. “How about epic? Or monumental?”

Financial news of the day

The value of the Rays franchise increased 5 percent to $331 million, according to Forbes magazine’s latest evaluation, but remains 28th of the 30 MLB teams, ahead of Oakland and Pittsburgh. Forbes estimates the Rays have revenues of $166 million (25th) and operating income of $6.8 million (also 25th). The Yankees are considered most valuable at $1.7 billion, the Padres most profitable with $37 million in operating income.

Movie critic note of the day

Manager Joe Maddon has his iPad loaded for today’s nearly 3-hour bus ride to and from Kissimmee. Work on the way up, a movie for the trip home: the Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly comedy Step Brothers. “Probably,” Maddon said, “the most underrated movie of the last five years.”

Number of the day

20 Evan Longoria‘s rank among MLB players in terms of jerseys sold in 2010. Yankees SS Derek Jeter was No. 1 and Phillies Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Cliff Lee were in the top 5.

TV programming note of the day

MLB Network’s 30 Clubs in 30 Days tour stop at Rays camp airs at 6 tonight.

Rays at Astros

When/where: 1:05 today; Osceola County Stadium, 631 Heritage Park Way, Kissimmee

Tickets: $10-24, available by calling (407) 839-39009, via Astros.com and at the stadium.

Rays information: Toll-free 1-888-326-7297 (FAN-RAYS)

Pitchers: Rays — Wade Davis, Kyle Farnsworth, Cesar Ramos, Jake McGee; Astros — Bud Norris, Brandon Lyon, Mark Melancon, Fernando Abad, Ross Wolf

Heads-up

Farnsworth is back on the mound for the first time since hyperextending his left knee on Monday, making the first of scheduled back-to-back appearances.

Who is this Ray?

He graduated from Somerset (Mass.) High and played three seasons at Eckerd College. In five minor-league seasons, he has thrown out nearly half of attempted base-stealers and hit only four home runs. He has also pitched twice.

On deck

Friday: Pirates, 1:05. Rays — Jeff Niemann; Pirates — Charlie Morton

Upcoming schedule

26: Orioles

27: at Pirates

28: at Yankees, 7:05

29: at Red Sox

30: vs. Blue Jays at Tropicana Field, 4:10

Who is this Ray answer: C Craig Albernaz

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

[Last modified: Mar 23, 2011 10:15 PM]

Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2011 St. Petersburg Times

You must enable javascript to view and add comments.