To me, it's not even close, even adding Ellsbury and Cameron back in the mix I think the Sox as currently assembled is not a playoff team. And I thought that pre-season as well. But I didn't realize the Rays would be this good. But that rotation and lineup is scary.Originally Posted by roblyo33
The Rays starting pitching is much better, IMO, than the Sox. If Javy can straighten things out, I think the Yankees have a better starting five but, right now, I am very impresssed with the Rays top five pitchers. Shields, Garza and Price are legitimate studs.
I’m not an Insider, so I can’t post the link, but Buster Olney thinks these Rays remind him of the 1998 Yankees. This is the 2nd article he’s written on them in about a week – he seems a bit fixated.
I think they are better than the Yankees right now (and their pitching is incredible), but can we wait for the season to play out before he compares them to one of the greatest teams of all time?
Hughes Rules: Pleading the Fifth
I have espn insider and here is the article
The '98 Yankees had a major chip on their collective shoulder when they arrived in spring training, after being knocked out in the first round of the '97 playoffs. They had won the World Series in '96 and thought they had squandered an opportunity the next year, and with an incredibly deep and talented roster, the Yankees played throughout the '98 season with a sense of purpose. Tony Muser was the manager of the Royals then and the Yankees utterly destroyed his team, winning all 10 meetings between the clubs and outscoring Kansas City 78-22.
Getty ImagesJoe Maddon has his team playing with a chip on its shoulder.
But when Muser would go and speak to fans at functions, he would find himself defending that Yankees team against suggestions that they were just a collection of high-priced talent. Muser would talk about that team's relentlessness; he'd talk about the fact that they played every game against Kansas City as hard as they did when they faced a rival like the Indians. Muser felt that team showed a deep respect for the game.
I covered the '98 Yankees for The New York Times and that is whom the '10 Rays remind me of.
They clearly came into this season with a chip on their collective shoulder after failing to meet their own expectations in 2009, and with a very deep and talented roster, they are playing with a relentlessness day by day. After the Rays ran their record to 19-7 with a victory over Seattle on Monday, Joe Maddon mentioned this sense of purpose, as noted in this Associated Press story:
Last season, the Rays came off their first World Series appearance complacent, entitled -- and 11-15 at this point.
Now, manager Joe Maddon is wowed by how many of his players showed up for early hitting Tuesday, and were inside studying films and scouting reports four hours before the first pitch.
So he doesn't see complacency anymore?
"Oh, no," Maddon said, rubbing his chin. "Last year is still fresh in our minds."
Yes, it is. The Rays have the best record, at 19-7; they have the best run differential in the majors, at plus-70; they have scored the most runs in the American League, with 152. They have allowed the fewest runs, 82.
Time will tell if they can accomplish anything close to what that '98 Yankees team did, but so far, they are playing the part.
---
James Shields was outstanding Tuesday night against the Mariners, Marc Topkin writes.
Why Shields won, from Daniel Braunstein of ESPN Stats & Information: Mariners hitters were 2-for-9 against his changeup with five strikeouts. Shields threw just 20 changeups Tuesday, but 13 were with two strikes; Shields went to three-ball counts on just two of the 31 hitters he faced and fell behind 2-0 only twice.
A couple of Rays got some rest.
this was a very fear-inducing article.
"First batter up well here's the pitch: it's a curve. Second batter up because the first got served"
Have no fear.
The Rays' bull pen will break down soon.
You'll see.
To seek the sacred river Alph, To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honey dew, And drink the milk of paradise
^ya gotta think that, if a bullpen is the only thing that lies between them and a World Championship, they will bring up every and any and every potential ace starter in their minors (as well as future closer Hellickson) to seal the deal.
"First batter up well here's the pitch: it's a curve. Second batter up because the first got served"
Or.... Their manager will begin over-extending the starters which will tire them out a bit earlier in the season.
Anyway - I think the Yankees are WAY better than they are. And there is still 15 more contests between the two.
To seek the sacred river Alph, To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honey dew, And drink the milk of paradise
The main difference between the 2010 Rays and the 1998 Yankees is that the 98 Yankees didn't have any real competition. The Yankees were easily the best team in every way.
The 2010 Rays have to play the 2010 Yankees 18 times. The 2010 Yankees are really, really, really good.
It would have been nice if Olney actually mentioned that in his article.
Are you kidding me?
Why would any moron sports writer mention anything at all that might show the Yankees in a positive light?
To seek the sacred river Alph, To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honey dew, And drink the milk of paradise
I'm not sure he thinks that; he's got a fetish for the Rays. Hey, I truly respect them and their SP has been otherworldly, but the Yankees are exactly 1 game behind them...... For a WS winner, IMO, the Yankees are flying way under the radar. The Sox have had mucho attention because of their struggles and the Rays because of their start ; the Yankees? No one seems to remember they are even around.
Hughes Rules: Pleading the Fifth
I know it's early but, the Rays performance on the road has been amazing.
You gotta be kidding me. The Yankees have had a TON of attention. They're the Yankees.
What I've noticed about the Rays this year is that everyone seems to be darn near ignoring them, which is hilarious because they only have the best record in baseball and all that, or writing hysterical overreactions like this. I don't think this was a particularly fear-inducing article because it was all about intangibles, which are kind of silly. Not that I don't think the Rays are an excellent team, but this particular article was just kind of meh. And I don't think "entitlement" had anything to do with the Rays' relatively disappointing 2009.
Likes the Yankees.
The Rays are getting plenty of attention, not that they don't deserve it, but I don't see articles being written about the Yankees (and no, I don't count NY papers).
Hughes Rules: Pleading the Fifth
Sports Illustrated cover story? That trumps Olney's blog
"Trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late" -- Branch Rickey
It's fun to talk about a young team who's steamrolling the comp; not so much when it comes to a juggernaut who's a year removed from a WS title.
Our offense, bullpen, and rotation are better, I'm not worried about the Rays.
Tiger Woods:Sent: 01:28 PM 09/08/2009:
Have you ever had a golden shower done to you
http://www.fangraphs.com/The Rays stand at 20-7, and are owners of baseball's best record. They lead the American League in run differential, but that's only natural, considering they are first in runs scored and first in fewest runs allowed. While they might sustain the latter, with an excellent pitching staff and a terrific defense, their offensive performance is a bit more of a house of cards.
Despite leading MLB in run scoring to date, the Rays offense hasn't actually been all that great. They rank 10th in the league with a .337 wOBA, which is above average but not dramatically so. By comparison, the Yankees have a .365 wOBA, but have scored nine fewer runs. What gives?
Timely hitting. With the bases empty, the Rays are batting .227/.308/.373, and their .681 OPS in that situation ranks 19th in the league. With men on base, however, the Rays are at .306/.381/.490, second best in baseball. With runners in scoring position, they are hitting .319/.403/.524, again, second best in baseball.
The league average OPS goes up fifty points when a runner reaches base. The Rays OPS has gone up 190 points in those situations, and even further still when runners get to second or third. As such, they have a team Weighted Runs Created of 133 runs, or 27 runs fewer than they've actually scored.
This won't last, of course. No team can hit this well with men on base over a full season. If the Rays want to keep playing baseball at their current level, they're going to have to begin to start some rallies, rather than relying on getting so much production from the ones they're creating now.
OK so that implies the Rays will score fewer runs per game going forward, that doesn't change what the pitching has been doing.
Baseball is life;
the rest is just details.
Offense - clearly
Bullpen - not so sure about that the Yanks have pretty much a 3 man pen right now.
Rotation - if Andy's on the shelf and Vazquez continues to blow the Rays are better and it isn't close. Healthy Andy and Vazquez figures it out then I'd give the edge to the Yanks but its closer than you seem to think.
Baseball is life;
the rest is just details.
Since I don't expect them to win 74% of their games all year, the fact that they've had some luck isn't really surprising.
"Trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late" -- Branch Rickey
Olney is a Yankee fan first and foremost.
"First batter up well here's the pitch: it's a curve. Second batter up because the first got served"
thanks. Feel better now. snarkarella is right. facts > intangibles
"First batter up well here's the pitch: it's a curve. Second batter up because the first got served"
You mean 120 -42 is an unrealistic expectation?
Baseball is life;
the rest is just details.
The best thing about Tampa being such a good team is that, deep down, we know it kills bobby jr.
I heard this today...Did Coltrane actually exist? This is like being blind for 50 years, regaining sight, and then peering directly at the sun.
Well, that and it could keep the Red Sox out of the playoffs
"Trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late" -- Branch Rickey
double fun
I heard this today...Did Coltrane actually exist? This is like being blind for 50 years, regaining sight, and then peering directly at the sun.
Rays and Yankees in the ALCS this year. Book it.
I got the impression that the TB schedule has been a bit easier...so I looked it up...
AL East Detailed Standings
SHARESHARE [X] · Explanation of Simple Rating System (SRS)
Rk Tm W L
≥.500 <.500
1 TBR 26 11
7-3 19-8
2 NYY 24 13
12-7 12-6
3 TOR 23 16
7-8 16-8
4 BOS 19 19
11-14 8-5
5 BAL 12 26
8-17 4-9
espn RPI http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/rpi
so, other than the head to head series (where they went 1-2 against us), they've played 7 games against good teams?
Way to go out on a limb haha
tho they have the same 70% winning percentage against both the good and bad teams (SSS).
"First batter up well here's the pitch: it's a curve. Second batter up because the first got served"
But....Sox < .500
This is a very talented club. Their shortcoming exist in a lineup that is a little thin at the edges, and without Howell their middle relief took a big hit. If Soriano stays healthy like he rarely does, it should be ok. If he goes down, they have major pen problems.
Starting pitching is as talented as anyone's, if not moreso. The interesting question will be to see how many of the young pitchers hold up as the innings pile up. They are pitching so well that they are throwing deep into every single game. They do have enough depth to hold up if one of them falls off a bit, however.
I don't think you can make a case for any team in the big outside of the Rays and Yankees being close. These are the two best teams in the majors.
people keep saying that they're gonna crash because they've hit exceedingly well with RISP and poorly otherwise, but, given that they only have 3 or so guys with OPS+ above 100 on the whole team, once the good hitters start performing at their expected levels, I wouldn't be surprised if they continue playing at a high level...
"First batter up well here's the pitch: it's a curve. Second batter up because the first got served"
I think they are a very good team, but they aren't going to win 73% of their games (more than 118 wins) -- they are going to come back to earth at some point
"Trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late" -- Branch Rickey
sure... but "earth" may simply be .650 WP
"First batter up well here's the pitch: it's a curve. Second batter up because the first got served"
this was pretty much the consensus in 2008 and they played consistently good all season. Now they have a few more years under their belts and they know what it takes to win but I don't expect them to win 118 either, I think their "earth" will easily be a playoff berth whereas Boston's "earth" will be somewhere near the Mariana trench.
updating...
I'll go way out on a limb here and say they're a very good team.
sadly, Tampa does have a team this year
The real reason why the Yankees keep winning is cause the other team can't stop staring at the damn pinstripes
They lost to the Astros! Garbage!
carl crawford will be suspended a few games for bumping the umpire.
he should be suspended after for his comments about it too.
i'd have thought 3 reduced to 1, but maybe now 5 reduced to 3?
Nice irony. Luckily for the human Ray, the real ray did no damage.
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseb...ingray/1097665Infielder Sean Rodriguez earned a painful distinction this week he could do without: the first Ray to be stung by a stingray.
He should be commended for his statements after the game. That ump instigated everything and ought to be punished for his behavior. That "strike" was a foot off the plate and the way he got in the faces of both Crawford and Maddon was a joke. Even if Maddon and Crawford were behaving poorly, the ump should be more restrained than the players/managers. The players/managers have stake in the game and good reason to get really fired up. The umps job is to keep it fair and keep things in line. That ump ought to be fined and suspended.
while i might very well agree with everything you just said (i was waking up to it this AM and was a bit groggy), the fact is you can't blast officiating in the press. you do that, you're going to get a vacation. on top of bumping the guy...
crawford might be entirely right. and he'll have a few days off to reflect on his accuracy, too.
one of those 'life fair? not so much' things...
I think they need to be bashed in the press, regardless of the penalty (fwiw, i don't think he'll get suspended for his comments. He'll get suspended for contact but he'll probably just be fined for his comments). Something needs to be done in pretty much all sports. Officials are so sheltered and never held accountable for horrible performance.
They blow obvious calls, eject players who put up an argument and I'm quite sure they carry a grudge against players who have gotten in their face.
Ah, dammit! I want pancakes! God, do you people understand every language except English? Yo quiero pancakes. Donnez moi pancakes. Click click, bloody click pancakes!
-- Stewie Griffin
The first thing that Crawford did wrong was step out of the back of the box and approached the umpire.
There are ways to disagree with the umpire and showing him up is definitely not one of them.
The umpire's mistake was not taking off his mask sooner. That made it seem like he wasn't serious about what he was telling Crawford. The rule of thumb is to never talk to a player or coach with your mask on.
You can say what you want about umpire's being wrong, arguing with them to make them look bad is a huge no-no. Touching/bumping them is a bigger no-no.
There are umpires that sorta look for that kind of trouble, but last night, Davidson was provoked into that arguement.
And for the record - I hope Crawford gets suspended for 10 games.... (anything to weaken that team kinda tickles my fancy)
To seek the sacred river Alph, To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honey dew, And drink the milk of paradise
Here's the clip of Crawford's and Maddon's ejection: http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/video/p...877450&c_id=tb
I do think that Crawford will be fined and not suspended for his comments. He'll probably get suspended for bumping the umpire. However, Davidson should also be suspended for his behavior not that will ever happen with the pathetic excuse for a commissioner MLB has. I realize there are consequences for your actions, but it's beyond time for these umpires to be called out for their incompetence.
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