Rays Baseball Insider: Roster Shuffle Recap

As I speculated, it was a busy 24 hours for the Rays. Here are the moves

Troy Percival placed on the 15-Day DL
Willy Aybar activated from the 15-Day DL & placed on active roster

Ben Zobrist optioned to Triple-A Durham
Grant Balfour's contract was purchased from Durham and placed on active roster.

Lets break down the first move. Percy had the MRI on his left hamstring and while the news was good(no structural damage or tear) the Rays went the cautious and wise rout of placing him on the DL to rest. This will give Percival more than enough time to heal the hamstring and also gives him arm a little rest. Percy is the ultimate competitior and I'm sure would've liked to gut it out, but cooler heads prevailed.

Willy Aybar was activated and placed right into the lineup last night(1-4, 2B, run) as the DH. Aybar hits lefties well so he should see regular time at DH against LHP. He will also be the backup at 1B,2B,3B. To me Aybar is a welcome addition back to the lineup.

The second move was a fallout of the first. With Aybar now up, Ben Zobrist's value is greatly diminshed. His only value was as a backup at SS, but with Jason Barlett's arm feeling better and Evan Longoria's ability to play SS in a pinch, Aybar's bat won that battle and Benzo will play regular at Durham. He is only a call away if something happens to Bartlett.

Grant Balfour gets a chance to prove his AAA numbers aren't a fluke. He brings a 0.38 ERA and a 39:10 K/BB ratio up from Durham. Should he continue to have success at the next level, he will have the chance to stick around when Percival returns and Gary Glover would likely be sent packing.

Rays Baseball Insider: Price Checks Pedro; Percival Injured

Two different stories, both very impactful for the Rays and their future. First, David Price made his 2nd start for the Vero Beach D-Rays last night against the St. Lucie Mets and some guy rehabbing named Pedro Martinez. Martinez was effective for the Class-A Mets throwing six innings of two run ball. Pedro also struck out six and walked none. However, his performance was not as good as that of David Price's. Price also went six innings, but gave up zero runs, only two singles while striking out nine and walking none. In his 11 pro innings, Price has allowed just five singles, zero runs, one walk and has struck out 13. He is now 2-0

While that was good news for the Rays future, there was some bad news during the Rays MLB game on Wednesday that could impact the immediate future of the team. During the 9th inning yesterday, Troy Percival landed awkwardly and fell after throwing a strike to Texas Rangers batter, Brandon Boggs. Percival got up, threw one warm up pitch, shook his head and walked off the field limping, but under his own power. After the game it was revealed that Percival had re-aggravated a left hamstring injury that was tweaked two weeks ago in St. Louis. Pervical will have an MRI today and we should know if a DL stint in needed by game time tonight.

If Percival should go on the DL, I would expect Grant Balfour, who has been lights out to get the call up from Durham. Dan Wheeler would be the first option to close out games with Al Reyes setting him up or closing if Wheeler is unavailable.

Mediocrity - and what about Joba.

Hi to my Red Sox colleague - hadn't seen your posts before.

Wanted to respond to my O's colleague's post about Joba and the New Boss (same as the old Boss?).

I don't really think Hank is the driving force here - following some of his comments he sometimes doesn't seem too knowledgeable about the org plans, though he never lacks an opinion. His prerogative.

The consensus is that the Yanks are merely executing what the plan was all along - although in a rather unconventional manner. And while I agree last night might have a been the ideal situation for Joba, he had thrown 40 pitches 2 nights prior, with the plan to stretch him out in game action and afterwards in the pen tonight (as was done) to 50+ pitches. That Kennedy has hit the DL and with the Yanks having an off day, he may next step in with an abbreviated start of up to 65-70 pitches when next required.

The big concern remains who's going to handle his set up responsibilities. It seems no one has stepped up. Farnsworth just seems an accident waiting to happen, Hawkins got a chance in a more significant role the first 2 games of the O's set and truly spit the bit. Veras gassed the 1st Hawkins game, and Ohlendorf struggled again in a longer role with a 4 run lead in the 2nd.

The out of the ordinary reliance by the Yanks on homegrown talent this year has really not panned out well. The 2 kid starters struggled mightily and are both on the DL. Veras and Ohlendorf were mentioned above. Edwar Ramirez has surprised so far, yet to give up a run, but
can he be counted on? Must we? Britton and Patterson in AAA haven't been given any real chance to help. Cano and Cabrera are struggling as well, and Shelly Duncan hasn't delivered much in his few opportunites.

A frustrating year for a fanbase accustomed to success. That it isn't as bad as last year rings a bit hollow. Much like my Red Sox colleague below discussed in her home and away point, it's 2 steps forward, 2 steps back.

But we're not out of it - last year we were 14.5 games out on May 29. Tampa's playing great ball, especially pitching and defense (is this the first sign of Armageddon?), but they've got a bit to prove yet in a long season. The joke aside, I mean no disrespect. If any franchise deserves some good times, it's got to be Tampa. Should be a more interesting AL East season for those outside NY and Boston. Every team seems to have flaws - who can handle them best will tell the tale.

Just sick of the mediocrity. Maybe next post as a digression I'll talk minor leagues.

In Case You Missed It

Wrapping up the previous week in Red Sox news and ephemera, all in a tidy little 5 item list (in no particular order).

1. Sweeps!
Want a capsule summary of the entire Red Sox season so far? Look no further than last week. A four-game sweep at home of the Royals... followed by getting swept by the Athletics in a three-game road series in Oakland. The Sox have perfected the art of winning at Fenway, compiling a monster home record along the way. Unfortunately, they've also mastered the ability to tank spectacularly on the road- so until they manage to cobble together a decent road record, they'll always be looking over their shoulder in the standings. Or looking up at the Rays above them.

2. No.
None.
Zero.
Nil.
Zip.
Zilch.
Nada.
Goose Egg.
Nyet.
Nothing.
NO FREAKIN' HITTER.

3. Reversal Of Fortune
Just a few short days after Jon Lester no-hit the Royals, the Red Sox were facing down a no-hitter of their own. Justin Duchscherer tried his darnedest to "pull a Lester" on the Red Sox -- and he got as close as the 7th inning, before David Ortiz smacked a single into the outfield. Of course, the A's still got the 3-0 victory... but at least the Sox got their revenge for Curt Schilling's near no-no last year.

4. I Don't Trust His Smile
There's a scary predator roaming the outfield in Oakland, scaring off Sox outfielders and forcing them to make silly errors and drop catches. And he hides behind a creepy smile and doped-up eyes... but make no mistake, he is pure evil. No, I'm not talking about Jack Cust, I'm talking about this guy:



PURE EVIL.

5. Speed It Up
As part of MLB's efforts to "speed up the game", they're instituting some fun and exciting new rules to keep things lively. Fun stuff like: the batter can no longer add pine tar to a replacement bat after his bat breaks- the bat boy must hand him an already pre-prepared bat. Unfortunately, Manager Terry Francona forgot to read the memo. How embarrassing.

What A Game

Wow. That game between the Yanks and O's last night was unbelieveable. The ball was flying out of the ballpark like they were playing in Denver. Even though it wasn't a terribly well-pitched game, but the game was very exciting. Any baseball fan would have loved that game. Even though the Yanks lost, I believe my esteemed colleague would agree that the game was one of the best in years.

I think, however, Hank Steinbrenner is interfering and has hamstrung Joe Girardi. Had Joba not been transitioning to starter there was a perfect spot for him to come in to the game. Steinbrenner's insistence reminds me of the many years of Orioles ownership for the past decade. Maybe when Joba pitches for the Yanks tonight, backing up Andy Pettitte (who can beat the Orioles in almost any situation) the Yanks will pull off a win, but I hope not.

We Are All Made Of Stars

I'm all for raw-rawing the home team until my body requires Vasoline and lozenges, but I have to call out a ridiculous article appearing on the Blue Jays official site today celebrating the fact that Scott Rolen Greatest Blue Jay of All-Time is currently ranked fifth in AL All-Star voting for third basemen.

Rolen, who missed the first month of the season, is sadly the highest ranking vote-getter on the team. I know Jays fans everywhere are all holding our collective breath that a Jays position player will win a popularity contest and start in such a meaningful game as the Midsummer Classic, but it looks like we'll have to invest in some artificial respiration yet again this year. Rolen, with more than 92,000 votes, remains a mere 320,000 votes behind AL third base leader Alex Rodriguez.

Canada, a land of acceptance, is forever getting excited about mediocre accolades for average athletic achievements, but a story celebrating Rolen's current position induces more eye-rolls than reading Mitch Albom while listening to Feist. Could it be any more obvious that MLB mandated that their reporters write a story promoting the All-Star Game?

I'm not mocking MLB.com Blue Jays beat writer Jordan Bastian's efforts on this one. Unless you're an over-acting Richard Dreyfus, it's hard to sculpt a David out of instant mashed potatoes. In fact, it's to Bastian's credit that a cookie-cutter story like this is so easily spotted among the regularly insightful stories that he frequently churns out.

Sputtering Offense Finds Life

After a five game losing streak in which they did not score, the Orioles finally broke through against the Yankees. Darrell Rasner pitched well until Nick Markakis connected for a home run and a 1-0 lead. Markakis was struggling terribly until he broke loose today and gave Garrett Olson win.

All the fans knew that the O's were going to struggle to hit this year, but this is worse than expected. Coming in to the game against New York today none of the Orioles, save Alex Cintron due to a lack of at-bats, were hitting higher than .263.

The pitching is there and so is the defense. The hitting must get better if the Orioles are going to compete with the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox and now Tampa Bay. Eventually they will start to hit, but it might be too late in the year. Hopefully the Orioles turned the corner today and will be able to hit moderately for the rest of the year; giving them a decent win-loss record.

Ray Baseball Insider: Week in Review

Time for another Rays Week in Review

Week in Review: 5/19-5/25

Overall Record: 30-20

Standing in the East: 1st place

Week Record: 5-1

Best Game: 5/24, 11- W against Orioles

Worst Game: 5/21, 1-9 L against A's

Fresh off two straight walkoff losses from the Cardinals, the Rays went right back to work in Oakland, where they have struggled historically. The Rays took two out of three in Oakland including a 13 inning win on Monday and a great pitching performance from Scott Kazmir on Tuesday. Andy Sonnanstine failed to complete the sweep and was roughed up for 7 runs. The Rays had an off day Thursday and returned home to open a 10 game homestand on Friday starting with division rival Baltimore.

Matt Garza had arguably his best start leading the Rays to their six shutout of the season, blanking the O's 2-0. On Saturday the bats came alive. Carlos Pena broke out of his slump, as RJ Anderson said he would earlier that day, and was a HR shy of the cycle. As mentioned in a previous post Evan Longoria had a career day with two HR and six RBI. The Rays completed the sweep on Sunday thanks again to Evan Longoria, who drove in Carlos Pena on a walk off double in the 9th inning.

The win put the Rays a top of the AL East as well as the entire American League. They are also tied with Arizona for the best record in the Major Leagues. The 10 games over .500 are a franchise record.

The Rays will try and continue the winning streak tonight as they host the Texas Rangers. Tonight will mark the Tropicana Field debut of former Rays top prospect, Josh Hamilton. The debut, however, comes a few years too late and in the wrong uniform.

RBI: Longoria's races toward ROY

Photo Credit(Dbullsfan, flickr)

Normally I wouldn't make a post about a one game performance, but last night was special. It was an offensive explosion for rookie phenom, Evan Longoria. Longoria blasted two HR( one 458 ft) in the first innings of a Rays 11-4 victory. It was Longoria's first multi HR game and he also had a career high six RBI. So how does Longoria's numbers stack up against his fellow AL Rookie of the Year hitters?

7 HR-1st

26 RBI-2nd

.241 Avg-3rd

.316 Obp-4th

.460 Slg-2nd

Longoria is on pace to hit .241/.316/.460 with 27 HR and 101 RBI. Oh and by the Way he's leading the AL in fielding % amongst all 3B with .981.

Stretching while (hopefully) Winning

The big story in Yankeeland - aside from what the hell is wrong with our bats - is the conversion and stretching out of Joba Chamberlain into a starter. And of course the concomitant debate - should this be done?

Joba has always (if one year of pro ball and some in college can be called always) been profiled and performed as a starter, excepting his dynamic stint with the Yankees as the 8th inning setup up guy for Mo last year and so far this. But the plan according to the org and in ST was touse him as a starter. The obstacle being his potential limitation in innings given the current focus on not growing young pitchers innings loads beyond about +30 IP each year to avoid injury. At all pro levels last season he tossed about 115, so the limit is around 145. Thus he started in the pen, with a "plan" to convert him back to starting at some point in May / June. Apparently the plan was initiated on Wed. with a 2 IP stint against the O's, to be followed by a 45 pitch appearance on Saturday following a bumped forward Moose. Typically stretching a pitcher out entails minors stints of increasing length to build arm strength for the demands of up to 100 pitch starting assignments. The Yanks are trying to have the best of both worlds by stretching Joba out in the majors while maintaining their focus on winning games.

How this will ultimately play out tactically is anybody's guess. The Yanks haven't ruled out any possibilities nor laid out the plan. Presumably he should hit about 45-50 IP by the end of this ramping up, leaving about 90-95 IP as a starter and a margin for the playoffs (presumptuous perhaps, but 13 straight appearances means we presume that). How this will actually play out is anyone's guess - it's much more manageablewhen your not focused on winning at the same time. Do we pull a starter performing well because it's Joba's day for 4-5 IP? Does he start at that IP load point with starters being pushed back or relaegated to a turn in the pen? Who will he replace in the current rotation - Moose, Rasner, Kennedy (this will likely be decided by effectiveness and adaptability)? What about whwen Hughes returns from injury? Plenty of questions, few answers on the hows.

Many also question the why. Mike Francesca of WFAN is notorious for raging on this topic about the need for him in the pen. The opposite view is that a pitcher that effective should pitch as many innings as possible - starting is his destiny. Of course, the fear of what happens in the 8th innings of close games (the Kyle "Farnsworthless" nickname sums this up) looms for all, buoyed by hope for a multitude of prospects in our near the majors. But of course, largely untested in the role.

Interesting times in Yankeelend indeed. Plus we've got to start winning consistently to get back in the playoff hunt on top of it all.

What is it about May lately?

My esteemed colleague below asks whether the Yankees are somehow as bad as they've looked lately or are the O's much better. His choice was some of each.

I can't completely disagree. From the O's side, their pitching - perhaps their 1 big organizational strength - has really stepped up. All their young guys are doing pretty well. Guthrie's following up nicely on a breakout '07 - though calling him a young guy might be pushing it. Cabrera seems to have gained a measure of control that was always his Achilles heel. Burres and Olson have stepped it up. In the pen, Johnson has added to the mix that long / swing man Albers and solid pick ups Sarfate & Sherrill have turned to a strength.

But the offense hasn't held up it's end. No one's hitting even .280, only Markakis has an OBP above .360. And a closer look at the pitching numbers suggests some concerns. Across the board mediocre K rates and high BB/K ratios are a possible dark cloud. Then of course there's the immortal pitchers' BABIP. Cabrera, Guthrie, Albers, Johnson, and Sherrill are all below .250, the last 2 below .200 (not unknown for a closer mind you). Even the pinata Trachsel is below .300, and Burres is at .281. Now the argument was made about defense, and while these aren't the only or parhaps even the best metrics, the O's have a slightly lower fielding percentage and 2 more errors than the aging Yanks. All this suggests to me there could be - stress on could - a fall in the future, though I suspect the offense should improve some. I don't see Roberts and Markakis hitting in the mid-.200's for the season. But I'm not convinced there's massive upside elsewhere.

Now clearly the Yanks have, as Girardi said yesterday, hit rock bottom. A woeful offense impacted by 2 key injuries and plenty of underperformance has been a problem all season. Lately the starting pitchers they've relied on to keep them afloat (Pettitte, Wang, and Moose) have delivered 3 consecutive crappers. The kids at the back were woeful, though Rasner has thrown 2 good games after taking Hughes' spot - why did we skip him in the last turn? And a number of the players seem to be showing some aging. Damon has struggled a bit, and never had a functional OF arm. Abreu seems a bit lost on D. And even in NY no one thinks Jeter's there for his range. It seems all are frustrated and pressing. Just like this time last year.

But perhaps contrary to the O's summary above, do I expect this is it? Will Cano, a .342 & .306 hitter the last 2 seasons, hit .200 this year? I think not. Melky Cabrera might be trying to carry the bottom of the order burdened by fill-ins Molina and Ensberg / Gonzalez plus the ice cold Cano and the nearly done Giambi, but he's not expected to shoulder a significant offense burden. I am concerned about Giambi and Damon in the short term, but they could contribute and should elevate some from their current offensive levels. I further expect improvement from the pitching side. Hughes and Kennedy aren't 9 ERA pitchers - nothing in their history suggests that. Chamberlain's shift to the rotation could help, but that won't happen for another month, and filling his pen role could be a problem.

To me its a tale of underperformance that should even out, and on the O's side some overperformance that may well lead to the opposite. But stranger things have happened in baseball. NY will and should be engaging in some continued rebuilding / reloading come 2009. But with about $90 million coming off the payroll, and a reasonably solid minors organization, I like our position. Baltimore isn't done with it's restructuring either - see Mora, Millar, Payton for example - and their minors cupboard isn't quite so full.

It comes down to avoiding conclusions based on 1 game in a 162 game season. I'm not ready to throw dirt on NY's grave yet, though I know plenty out there are.

Whoa!

After tonight's 12-2 beating of the Yankees by the Orioles, I have to ask are the Yankees really that bad or are the Orioles really that good?

I think it's a mixture of the two. From what I have seen, the Yankees are old in some key positions. Their rotation is either too young or too old except for Wang and they are long in the tooth around the infield. Giambi, to me, seems like a statue at first base and Jeter can't get to as many balls as he used to at shortstop. Johnny Damon, now a left fielder, wasn't all that great a center fielder, has trouble getting to routine balls. Tonight, Damon dropped a ball that was hit right to him. There just seems to be the "it" factor lacking in the Yankees this year.

The Orioles, on the other hand, seem to be doing everything and anything it takes to win. It's almost as if the up-and-coming Orioles are beginning to get it. The "it" factor for the O's seems to be pitching and defense, something the Yankees of the 90s had and don't have anymore.

Blue Jays Fandemonium

Just past the quarter point of the season, the Toronto Blue Jays have already inspired their fans to ponder a World Series parade route, cut off their planning fingers in frustration, then reattach their appendages so they could high-five their buddies, only to use a power drill to their temples to ease the pain of watching outstanding pitching efforts go to waste because of impotent bats.

Now, sitting at .500 in the AL East, 3.5 games back of the wild card, our bodies and minds a beaten, bloody mess, we have faith yet again. To say it's been a maddening season to date, is an understatement worthy of referring to Red Sox fans as annoying.

The Jays just finished a topsy-turvy 10 game road trip in which they started 0-3 and had everyone in Toronto talking about the inevitable dismissal of manager John Gibbons. One week later and despite a gruesome injury to centre fielder Vernon Wells, the Jays have won six of their last seven and Gibbons has returned home to a hero's welcome.

Suddenly, and without explanation, the Jays have broken out of their collective slumps, made run scoring more than a novelty and evicted themselves from the cellar of the American League East.

As such, it's time to get back on the bandwagon. Throughout the ridiculous slump that the Jays found themselves in, hitting at an historically poor level with runners in scoring position, the starting rotation and bullpen refused to let the team down. Now that the bats are starting to find balls again, there's a palpable excitement that if the pitching and hitting can remain in sync (or 'n sync if you prefer), we might just see this team meet expectations for once.

I realize what kind of terrible "Homer" I sound like here, but with Toronto embarking on a seven game homestand tonight against the Los Angeles, California Angels of Anaheim, California, there's cause for some delusional hope once again.

A Top Prospect

Matt Wieters, Orioles first round draft pick from 2007, is tearin' it up for Single-A Frederick. Wieters leads the Carolina League with 11 home runs. Is it time for a promotion?

From talking to some of my colleagues, they don't think Wieters should be above Double-A Bowie. I tend to agree. He needs to play at least a season and a half in the minor leagues.

Wieters seems ready and is the top prospect in the Orioles improving farm system. I think he will be a great catcher for the Orioles in the latter part of 2009 and all of 2010 when Ramon Hernandez isn't with the team anymore, but for now, he's just right. His development is more important than being a major leaguer at this point in time.

RBI: Rays Baseball Insider

Matt did a good job on introducing everyone in the opening post so I won't waste much on that. I'm here to provide the coverage for the Rays in a column I like to call RBI or Rays Baseball Insider. I'm here to provide the main stories, some opinions and once a week I would like to give a review of the week in Rays baseball. So sit back and enjoy.

Week in Review: 5/11-5/18

Overall Record: 25-19

Standing in the East: 2nd place, 1 GB

Week Record: 5-3

Best Game: 5/12, 7-1 W against Yankees

Worst Game: 5/18, 4-5 L against Cardinals

The Rays started out the week on a high by taking three of four against the Yankees at the Trop. The success seemed to roll with them into St. Louis Friday night when Andy Sonnanstine was a jack of all trades on the mound and at the dish. However, the weekend was a nightmare for the Rays. They lost both games in walkoff fashion and thoughts of the 2007 bullpen crept into the head of Rays fans. In the final two games the Rays pen combined for 8.2 IP and gave up six runs on eight hits and six walks(all on Sunday).

Rays RP Trever Miller didn't seem poised to hit the panic button after the weekend meltdown and thought the planets were just aligned differently this weekend.

"Maybe the moon is in alignment with Uranus or Saturn or something," Miller hypothesized. "[It was] just one of those days, you know? And you can't do much about it. We're not trying to throw balls. We're obviously trying to get ahead and get guys out."

The Rays will look to get back in the win column in Oakland, starting a three game set tonight. Here how the matchups with go:

James Shields(4-3, 3.05 ERA)
vs.
Joe Blanton(2-6, 3.69 ERA)

Scott Kazmir(2-1, 1.69 ERA)
vs.
Greg Smith(2-3, 3.26 ERA)

Andy Sonnanstine(6-1, 4.53 ERA)
vs.
Dana Eveland(3-3, 3.23 ERA)

The Rays are throwing their top three starters, but it won't be easy. Just look at the ERA's of the A's starters, all of them are under 3.70 and they have a big advantage playing at the Coliseum. The Rays are 10-35 all time in Oakland, but the Rays have been reversing trends like that all season. Now would be a great time to start that in Oakland.

Who's That Man?

Minor league starter, long man, middle reliever or set up man/closer? Jim Johnson has played myriad of roles for the Oriole organization this year. Lately he has been used as a set up man to get to closer George Sherrill. Earlier he was used as a long man while Adam Loewen couldn't get the ball over the plate. Many fans here see him as a closer.

Johnson has been in jams night after night and has been able to get out of them. Last night against the Nats Chad Bradford had two men on and two out before being removed in favor of Dennis Sarfate. Sarfate let the two inherited runners score. Manager Dave Trembley turned to Johnson. After Johnson loaded the bases by blasting Lastings Milledge with a pitch to the back of the shoulder he struck out Austin Kearns.

Quite an impressive year it has been for Johnson who started at Triple-A Norfolk in the rotation this season. So what next?

My speculation, and that's all it is at this point, is the Orioles may trade George Sherrill for some more minor leaguers and let Jim Johnson close. Chris Ray, on the shelf after Tommy John surgery, may not be back this season and Johnson has proven he can get out of jams. I say, go get'em J.J.

Interleague Play Basement and Hoey

First, I'd like to answer the Yanks fan. It doesn't bother me so much when guys are on the DL with an injury. Yes, they happen and all teams deal with it; what bothers me is with a guy like Jim Hoey who should be in the minors gaining major league service time because of the CBA.

Now for Interleague Play.

The O's begin tonight against their "rivals" the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park. I think the problem with Interleague play is trying to hype up rivalries that aren't there. For example, Boston and Atlanta. I understand the history of the Braves being in Boston and then moving, but these two franchises really don't have any bad blood, nor are they geographic rivals.

Baltimore and Washington. As a native Baltimorean I have grown up disliking just about everything Washington has to offer due to the perpetual inferiority complex that we have, however, the Nats are not a rival. Boston Red Sox, yes, big time rival. New York Yankees, knock down drag it out make them a rival. But the Washington Nationals?! Two teams that have been, to put it nicely, non-contenders in separate leagues are not rivals.

I think Interleague play would be better if it followed the model of the NFL where each team in the AFC plays each team in the NFC once every four years (it would be three for baseball). I think then, maybe it would bring more interest. Also, Major League Baseball needs to even its divisions out and have each team play 15 Interleague games, not 18. Just a proposal, but what do I know?

Interleague Play?

Figured I'd fire off 1 more before I go.

Has Interleague play played out?

Sure, there are a few interesting matchups, especially in our division. The battle for Fla., the Subway Series, now Baltimore vs. Washington (Beltway Series?). But does Toronto vs Philly, even with the Series history matchup, really compel? And Boston vs. Milwaukee - do Sox fans really care for Gabe Kapler that much? Plus the initial and traditional rivalry matchup kickoff isn't even happening in Fla, as the Rays are in St. Louis. Compelling history there?

But put aside the matchups themselves. Is this really still the attention getter it once was? And does it skew the playoff hunt, since teams schedules vary so? And, despite my age, I'm not one of those diehards opposed to the DH - do we really need to see pitchers bunt with a guy on 1st and 1 out already. Micah Owings aside, watching pitchers bat is typically like watching paint dry. And the NL strategy intrigue (oooh, the mysteries of the so confusing double switch!) really means little. Do we bat for our starter in the 6th, hmmm? And waiting for the dramatic pitcher home run is like watching a blind squirrel hunt for nuts.

As a Yanks backer, I like the Mets' matchup. After that, BFD. These games hold the potential of skewing the playoff hunt due to disparate scheduling. For example, though I might have viewed it differently entering the season with expectations about each team, the Rays face Florida (1st place) for 6, Cubs and Cards for 3 each (battling for 1st), Houston chasing them, and Pittsburgh. The Yanks have the struggling Mets for 6, Houston & Pittsburgh, then Cincy and San Diego. Seems like an advantage, not that we don't need one right now.

Just not sure it's still up to the hoopla. And AL pitchers hitting - ugh!

Welcome to all fans of the Evil Empire

A quick intro - no names - from your host. NYYFaninLAALand.

I'm a little long in the tooth for this stuff.

The first baseball game I attended - in THE Stadium - was won on a pinch hit home run in the bottom of the 9th by none other than the Mick himself. The monuments were in CF in play then. Beat the Tigers. Earl Wilson, Detroit pitcher, hit an upper deck HR to left. Joe Pepitone and Steve Whitaker also cranked one for the Yanks. Detroit C Bill Freehan broke his arm. I swear to this day Al Kaline hopped into the RF stands to try to catch Mantle's HR. Back in the days of the right field fence that was about 4 feet high, and 299 down the line. And they call it a short porch now!

Of course, I was young and stupid, and for a few years (good ones for Detroit) I was a Detroit fan. Through the year of McLain winning 30 and one of the greatest World Series ever in 1968 against Bob Gibson's (and Joe Torre's? - don't know and not gonna look it up) Cardinals. Mickey Lolich stole McLain's thunder when the Tigers won in 7. I soon came to my senses (guess I was a bit of an iconoclast then) and returned to the fold of my original home team, suffering through the lean years of the early 70's, The Boss' takeover and crazy early free agent forays, etc.

And so it goes - enough ancient history! Back in those days there was no AL East, not until 1969, but Detroit was in the original East in the 2 division days, so I never left what wasn't yet. Huh???

But hey it's today, May 15, 2008. I'm still alive. And hopefully so are the Yanks - though it 's been a little hard to tell of late according to Little Boss (or Boss Jr. - is there a consensus on this yet?). By the way, I share Little Boss' initials, and that's probably about it.

Frankly, it's been a little hard to tell for many of us. I always thought baseball involved hitting, but perhaps that isn't true anymore. Anyway, the AL East is a bit turned on its head today after a rather desultory set of games in the Yanks hometown in the South. Today we're the AL Least!

I could go on and on about the problems, but today I choose to harken back to just 1 year ago, minus 2 weeks. May 29, 2007. I made a bet that day with a Red Sox fan friend of mine that we'd catch them for the Division title. On that day the Yanks were 21-29, 14.5 games behind the Sox - and tied with the D Rays (no fine for me Mr. Silverman) for last place. So they're doing a bit better. A dark day indeed!

But while I lost that bet, it sure was fun watching him squirm with every Gagne pitch in September and that made it worth it. Then the midges spawned and that was that.

The point?

It don't look so good right now, but it still looks a lot better then then. And there's hopeful signs.

The kid pitchers could hardly be worse, and while IPK had a rough one again, there were signs of hope. The injuries should heal, the bullpen looks a lot better, we've got options for starters, Cano seems to be thawing, and what kind of voodoo is Moose subscribing to? I still think we'll hit, and I don't think we'll have to hit as much as last year.

Normally I'd be a bit more focused amd somewhat more brief, but it's an intro after all.

Fortunately, you won't have to hear from me again until at least Tuesday. My son is graduating school this weekend in SF and I'll be gone all weekend. A Subway Series weekend of all things!

Santana, the one spoken about too much in the Hot Stove season, the 1 Free Agent the Yanks would never have passed on in the past, faces Darrell Rasner tonight! When did we become David? I like our chances for 2 out of 3 - and I'm not conceding tonight! Gotta get the ball rolling sometime.

Back next week with a less gabby approach. Maybe.

Jim Hoey and the CBA

Orioles minor league pitcher Jim Hoey is out for the year. This would normally be alright if not for the Collective Bargaining Agreement. According to the CBA, once a player is hurt at the major league level, they must stay on the disabled list until they heal.

In this case, Jim Hoey isn't ready for the big leagues, yet is getting his service time in. This is bothersome because he now will have only five years until free agency instead of six.

Hoey had stints in the big leagues over the last two years and pitched unevenly. He obviously isn't ready to be brought up, but is earning his service time. Thoughts?

Welcome!

This post officially launches the beginning of not only a blog, but an entire blog network. This network will consist of six divisional blogs. The AL East Blog is the first to launch, but the other five will follow shortly. Each blog will consist of a writer representing each team, so that the division can be seen from the viewpoint of each fan base and also offer news related to each team evenly. Our goal is to offer any person the ability to come to our blogs and find anything they need to know about the division at hand. We also hope that the comments section will offer the fans of the AL East division the opportunity to interact with each other, regardless of which team you support. The writing staff for the other five blogs is nearing complete, but if you are interested in the position you can email me at gatorbish@gmail.com

As we kick off this blog, I would like to start by introducing each of the writers and their backgrounds. In an effort to get this site fully objective, you will not see myself posting regularly...unless it is in a pinch-hit capacity. This staff is dedicated to keeping you informed at all times. I am proud to present to you the following writers:

Blue Jays - Dustin Parkes
Dustin has written about his beloved Toronto Blue Jays for the last two years as the co-founder of the morally deplorable Drunk Jays Fans website. Fate has perfectly matched his lifelong ambition to achieve unprecedented levels of mediocrity with a team that considers anything above third place an immeasurable success. His musings on drunkenness, womanizing and baseball can also be heard on a weekly podcast produced by The Score, a national Canadian sports network that is the mediocre equivalent of a poor man's ESPN.

Orioles - Jeffrey Wolfson
Jeff has a degree in Mass Communications with a focus on Journalism and New Media from Towson University in Maryland. He is 21 years old and has grown up watching the Orioles. He plans on keeping every reader as informed as possible about the Orioles including trade rumors, roster moves and injury updates. His experience in writing comes from being a high school newspaper editor and writing for school websites.


Rays - Tommy Rancel
Tommy has made himself known as one of the most knowledgeable Rays bloggers out there. He currently writers for Out Per Swing, which has grown into one of the top Rays blogs in just a small amount of time. He has also written for The Stat Pack and can be seen visiting multiple other Rays sites.

Red Sox - Melissa
Melissa might be the biggest Red Sox fan in all of Texas, which can be seen through her writing. She has been successful with her own site Out in Centerfield, which is a great source for anything Red Sox related. Melissa also writes for a separate blog called Babes Love Baseball. Not living in Massachusetts hasn't stopped Melissa from going to ballgames, as she claims to have attended 78 baseball games in 2007.


Yankees - Hank Sager
Hank may be one of the most level-headed Yankees fans you will ever meet. Not only is Hank informed about anything to do with the Yankees, but he may even spend more time on opposing teams blogs sizing up the enemy. You can often find Hank leaving detailed messages under the handle "nyfaninlaaland", and you can be sure that his opinion will always be objective.

We hope you enjoy everything that this blog has to offer throughout the rest of the season and beyond.