2004 Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Youth Brings Hope

[BostonRS14]

Game 8: Tampa Bay 4, New York 5 (10)

Jeff Suppan's debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays was spoiled in the bottom of the 10th inning, when Danys Baez let inherited runner Jorge Posada score from third base with the game winning run on a single by Mike Bordick. The loss knocked Tampa Bay out of first place in the American League East.

The Devil Rays led the game three to nothing before the Yankees rallied with two runs in the sixth and seven innings to take the lead against Suppan, who earned a no-decision while surrendered nine hits in 7.2 innings of work. Tampa tied the game in the eighth inning when Mariano Rivera's pitch to Toby Hall bounced in front of the plate, getting by Posada and advancing Geoff Blum to third. Hall easily knocked him home with a single to short right-center that fell between Bordick and Kenny Lofton.

w: Paul Qauntrill (2-0); L: Al Reyes (0-1)
Player of the Game: Jorge Posada. 3-4, 3B (2), GW-Run, RBI (4)
Game Notes: Carl Crawford hit the longest homer of his career, it went 359 feet.

Game 9: Tampa Bay 9, New York 14

Tampa Bay starting pitching continues to let the team down. As the offense keeps putting up great numbers, the pitching staff keeps surrendering runs like it's going out of style. This time, it was Victor Zambrano who was unable to keep the Yankees off the board, allowing five runs in just one and a third innings. Alex Rodriguez opened the scoring, launching a solo-homerun to deep left field in the first for an early one run lead.

Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli, both batting better than .430 this season, continue to be the spark of Tampa's offense. The dynamic duo at the top of the order knocked in the first two Devil Rays run in the third to close the gap to 7-2 after three innings. Tampa sent nine batters to the plate in the sixth to come within one run, but Travis Harper gave the game away in the bottom of the inning, allowing four runs before being replaced by Trevor Miller after recording just two outs. The big hit of that inning was Alex Rodrguez's second homerun of the day, a three-run shot into the upper deck in right field.

W: Javier Vazquez (1-1); L: Victor Zambrano (1-1); SV: Mariano Rivera (2)
Player of the Game: Alex Rodriguez. 3-4, 2 HRs (6), 2 Runs, 4 RBIs (16)

[BostonRS14]

Upcoming Series

Chicago White Sox vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tropicana Field, Tampa, Florida

Team Records:
Tampa Bay: 5-4, .556 (HM: 5-2), 2nd AL East, -1.5
Chicago (A): 3-6, .333 (RD: 3-3), 5th AL Central, -3.5

Season Series: 0-0, 1st meeting.

Pitching Matchups:
04/16: Jon Garland (1-0, 2.84) Jeremi Gonzalez (1-0, 6.35)
04/17: Enemencio Pacheco (0-0, 0.00) vs. Mark Hendrickson (0-0, 2.45)
04/18: Mark Buehrle (0-2, 15.75) vs. Jeff Suppan (1-0, 2.87)

Series Preview:
The Devil Rays have lacked the pitching so far this season to be competitive in the AL East, and after suprising the baseball world with a 4-0 start have come back to Earth, losing four of the past five. A series against the struggling White Sox could boost their spirits and keep them in the race before the fall too far back. Everyone in Tampa is holding their breathes, becuase falling behind this early in the season will spell doom for the young club in its attempts to compete with Boston and New York.

The White Sox enter the series losers of five straight and are currently on the bottom looking up at their division. With a powerful lineup feature Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Lee any game they are capable of busting open so Tampa'a pitching will have to work around them if they get hot. Enemencio Pacheco will be making his major league debut in the second game of the series for Chicago.

Tampa Bay News: (4/13-4/15)

• 04/13:
  -1B Garrett Atkins was claimed off waivers from Colorado and sent to Triple-A Durham.
• 04/14:
  -MR Jamie Cerda was claimed off waivers from Kansas City and sent to Triple-A Durham.

Around the League: (4/13-4/15)
Transactions:

• 04/13:
  -Tampa Bay claimed 1B Garrett Atkins off waivers from Colorado.
  -Philadelphia claimed SS Nate Frese off waivers from Chicago (N).
• 04/14:
  -Tampa Bay claimed Jamie Cerda off waivers from Kansas City.
  -Oakland acquired 1B Randall Simon from Pittsburgh for MR Ricardo Rincon and $900,000 in cash.

[BostonRS14]

Rays slam 4 homers in 9th inning, still drop decision to White Sox
Game 10: Chicago (A) 14, Tampa Bay 12

The Devil Rays dug themselves a hole, but tried to battle back like they have all season. But, in what is becoming a familiar theme, the pitching staff couldn't keep the opponents quiet enough for the Rays to prevail. With only 14,432 fans in Tropicana Field (43,772) on Glove Day, Tampa tried to take advantage of Aubrey Huff's first two homeruns of the season, but were unable to kept up before time ran out.

Jeremi Gonzalez failed for the third time in four starts to get past four innings as his ERA rose to 8.16. Joe Crede's two-run blast in the 2nd down the right field line opened the scoring on the day. Frank Thomas added his own 3-run homerun in the 3rd to give Chicago a 5-0 lead.

The Devil Rays would chip away at it, Julio Lugo continued to surprise baseball fans everywhere. A 3rd inning homerun, his first of the season, got the Rays on the board. For the season, Lugo is batting .421, a 150 point increase over his career average (.274). He is one of four Tampa regulars batting over .340, joining Carl Crawford (.429), Rocco Baldelli (.432) and Geoff Blum (.342). Crawford, after stealing second, scored the second Rays' run on a Aubrey Huff single to left.

Chicago would increase the lead to 9-3 before the Devil Rays finally put some solid at bats together. In the bottom of the 7th, Crawford's RBI double was followed one batter later with Huff's first homerun, a two-run shot to deep right center that closed the gap to three and breathed new life into the game. A run in the 7th gave the few fans still in attendance hope, but Danys Baez was unable to record the final out of the ninth. Instead, he surrendered seven consecutive hits to the White Sox, allowing five runs, all earned, to cross the plate. Finally, Paul Konerko, batting for the second time in the inning flied out to short center to end the horror show.

Surprisingly, Tampa player's rallied around their closer, and tried to mount a comeback. Back-to-back solo homeruns by Aubrey Huff and Eduardo Perez got the crowd on their feet with one out. After a Tino Martinez single to left, Geoff Blum crushed a fastball to deep right field. When White sox manager Ozzie Guillen replaced Damaso Marte with Kelly Wunsch, Lou Pinella called back schedule hitter and put in pinch hitter Brook Fordyce. Not to be outdone by his teammates, Fordyce crushed his own 400 foot homerun, this one to left-center. Jose Santiago, the sixth White Sox reliever, emerged from the bullpen. Santiago, with the Rays now within 2, got Jose cruz and Lugo to ground out weakly to second base to escape with a wild win for the White Sox.

W: John Garland (2-0); L: Jeremi Gonzalez (1-1); SV: Jose Santiago (1)
Player of the Game: Aubrey Huff. 4-5, 2 HR (2), 2 Runs, 4 RBIs (9)
Game Notes: Julio Lugo hit the longest homer of his career, it went 429 feet. Aubrey Huff hit the longest homer of his career, it went 413 feet. Geoff Blum hit the longest homer of his career, it went 408 feet. Geoff Blum set a career high for hits (4) in a game! Brook Fordyce hit the longest homer of his career, it went 409 feet.

Rays victimize Chicago pen, earn easy win
Game 11: Tampa Bay 7, Chicago (A) 2

One thing can definately be said about the Devil Rays, they like to make this interesting. After a 4 and a half hour marathon to open the series that saw 26 runs and 38 hits, the Rays turned to Mark Hendrickson to give their bats a chance to win a game. Although no one will confuse him with a staff ace, Hendrickson was able to outpitch Enemencio Pacheco to earn his first win in a Rays jersey.

Brook Fordyce, fresh off his pinch hit home run in the game the night before, kept swinging the hot bat, stroking a second inning double to the gap in left-center that score Fred McGriff from first with the game's first run. Julio Lugo improved his impressive start, belting his second home run in as many days in the 6th. This one was a two-run shot to deep left field that gave Hendrickson a three-run cushion and proved to be the eventual game-winning run.

Chicago got on the board in the top of the 7th when Hendrickson surrendered three straight extra base hits to the White Sox. Frank Thomas, who led the inning off with a double to left, was followed by Paul Konerko with a triple down the right field line. Pinch hitter Miguel Olivo brought him home with a double to the gap in right-center to cut the lead to one. Edurado Perez, pinch hitting for the struggling Jose Cruz, slapped a single to left-center to bring Aubrey Huff home with an insurance run for the Rays in the 7th.

Kelly Wunsch walked Damian Rolls to start the 8th, before Shingo "Mr. Zero" Takatsu took over and surrendered a single to Tino Martinez. Carl Crawford followed with a three-run homerun to deep right-center to cap the scoring for the Rays. Wunsch ERA rose to 54.05 for the season.

Danys Baez rebounded from his poor performance the night before, to work the final one and two-third innings to earn his league-leading fifth save.

W: Mark Hendrickson (1-0); L: Enemencio Pacheco (0-1); SV: Danys Baez (5)
Player of the Game: Carl Crawford. 2-5, HR (2), SB (9), Run, 3 RBIs (12)
Game Notes: Carl Crawford hit the longest homer of his career, it went 408 feet. Carl Crawford extends his hitting streak to a career high 11 games!

Rays stumble early, drop series to White Sox
Game 12: Tampa Bay 5, Chicago 11

Jeff Suppan's home debut with the Devil Rays did not last too long. With an overworked bullpen, Lou Pinella was hoping that his top starter could work late into the game, like he has in his two previous starts this season. Instead, Suppan was gone after only one and a third inning, forcing Pinella to call on his bullpen once again to keep the game from getting out of hand.

Frank Thomas's three-run 1st inning homerun was the beginning of Suppan's problems. After Mark Buehrle sent the Rays down in order in the bottom of the second, Magglio Ordonez put an end to Suppan's day with a bases-clearing double into the left-center gap that scored Jose Valentin and Timo Perez easily. Lance Carter entered the game and let the inherited runner score on Carlos Lee's single.

Facing a seven run deficit is not too uncommon for the Devil Rays this season. But, like many times before, they were able to get close, but it was too little, too late. Jose Cruz's two-run linedrive homerun to left in the 4th gave the Rays some hope. Tino Martinez followed one batter later with a solo homerun to deep left-center to close the gap to four runs. With the score 8-4, the clubs traded solo homeruns by Martinez and Lee before two runs in the 8th by the White Sox gave them a six run lead and put the game out of reach.

W: Mark Buehrle (1-2); L: Jeff Suppan (1-1)
Player of the Game: Carlos Lee. 4-4, HR (6), BB, 3 Runs, 3 RBIs (11)
Game Notes: Juan Uribe set a career high for hits (4) in a game! Carl Crawford extends his hitting streak to a career high 12 games!

American League East Standings: (04/20)

Team      W-L   PCT  GB  Streak  Last10
Boston    9-5, .643        L1     6-4
Tampa Bay 6-6, .500 -2.0   L1     4-6
Toronto   6-6, .500 -2.0   L1     6-4
New York  6-8, .429 -3.0   W1     6-4
Baltimore 4-9, .308 -4.5   W1     3-7

[BostonRS14]

Upcoming series:

Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles
Orioles Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland

Team Records:
Tampa Bay: 6-6, .500 (RD: 0-2), t-2nd AL East, -2.0
Baltimore: 4-9, .308 (HM: 1-3), 5th AL East, -4.5

Season Series: 2-1, Baltimore.

Pitching Matchups:
04/20: Victor Zambrano (1-1, 8.31) vs. Sidney Ponson (0-2, 4.50)
04/21: Jeremi Gonzalez (1-1, 8.16) vs. Kurt Ainsworth (1-0, 5.40)
04/22: Mark Hendrickson (1-0, 2.51) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (0-1, 2.25)

Series Preview:
Despite playing .500 ball over the first twelve games, the Devil Rays find themselves sitting in second place in the American League East. The early success of the club is clearly derived from the bats of Carl Crawford (.404 batting average), Rocco Baldelli (.415) and the surpring Julio Lugo (.422). As a team, the Rays lead the league in hitting at .341. Tampa Bay also ranks in the top 10 in homeruns (t-9th: 19), stolen bases (3rd: 20) and runs scored (t-4th: 82). On the flip side, the pitching has been horrible, ranking 28th in ERA (6.32), 24th in Opponents AVG (.296) and 26th in runs scored (83). While not much was expected of the club with the third lowest payroll in the league, Tampa has surprised many and will look to take advantage of the struggling Orioles to keep the early success going.

The Orioles have been a disappointment. Javy Lopez, Rafael Palmeiro and Miguel Tejada have yet to spark the offense like the front offense had hoped. So far, the Orioles have batted a league low .226. The pitching staff has been the weakness. Their inexperienced has shown and, unless a veteran is acquired to take the responsibility of beign the staff ace away from Sidney Ponson, the season does not look good for the O's.

Tampa Bay News: (04/16-04/19)

• 04/16:
  -CF Jason Romano was sent down from Triple-A Durham to Double-A Orlando.
• 04/18:
  -CF Jason Pridie (A) improved his plate disclipine.

Around the League: (04/16-04/19)
Transactions:

• 04/17:
  -St. Louis claimed C Todd Hundley off waivers from Los Angeles.
  -New York (A) claimed MR Colter Bean off waivers from Boston.
  -Chicago (A) claimed SP Brett Tomko off waivers from San Francisco.
• 04/19:
  -Anaheim released SP Aaron Sele.
  -Oakland released 1B Randall Simon.

League News:

• 04/19:
  -American-Player of the Week: RF Juan Gonzalez (KCA). He batted .536 in 28 AB, with 3 HR and 8 RBI.
  -National-Player of the Week: CF Ken Griffey (CIN). He batted .500 in 28 AB, with 4 HR and 14 RBI

[BostonRS14]

Late Rally dooms Rays
Game 13: Tampa Bay 2, Baltimore 3

The Devil Rays looked strong for seven innings, holding the Baltimore Orioles scoreless, but the bullpen once again failed to shut the door. Three runs in the the inning stole the game from the Rays. Victor Zambrano rebounded from his poor showing against the Yankees to pitch seven and a third innings of 5 hits ball, walking three and striking out one.

After Luis Matos was forced out at second on a fielders choice off the bat of Larry Bigbie, Lou Pinella turned the game over to his bullpen, calling upon Al Reyes to stop the rally before it could pick up steam. After Javy Lopez reached on an error by Damian Rolls, Trevor miller came into the game and surrendered a three-run homerun to Rafael Palmeiro.

Sidney Ponson was victimized early, in the first inning, Rocco Baldelli singled to left-center, stole second and then scored on a single by Aubrey Huff. Tampa Bay added its second run in the 5th, when Jose Cruz drove Baldelli in with a single to left. Despite surrendering 8 hits, Ponson hung on to earn his first win of the season. B.J. Ryan came on in the ninth to work a perfect inning for his first save.

W: Sideny Ponson (1-2); L: Trever Miller (0-1); SV: B.J. Ryan (1)
Player of the Game: Sidney Ponson. 8 IP, 8 Hits, 2 Runs, 4 K's, 102 PI.

McGriff, 3-3, makes most of first start.
Game 14: Tampa Bay 6, Baltimore 3

When Fred McGriff was claimed off waivers from Milwaukee, many where wondering if the crime Dog still could contribute to the ballclub. With little avaliable playing time behind Tino Martinez and Aubrey Huff, McGriff made the most of his first start of the season with the Devil Rays, clubbing his first homerun, the 492nd of his career, in the first inning to spark the Rays to the win. Afer Jose cruz drove in Carl Crawford with a ground out to Miguel Tejada, McGriff crushed Kurt Ainsworth's 2-1 pitch to deep right-center, scoring Rocco Baldelli and giving the Jeremi Gonzalez a 3-0 lead.

Gonzalez followed McGriff's homerun with 8 scoreless innings of work, before getting into trouble in the ninth. Despite a six run lead, manager Lou Pinella left his starter in the game in an attempt to earn his first shutout of the season. Unfortunately, Gonzalez put Erick Almonte and Rafael Palmeiro on base before Luis Matos broke up the shutout with a single to right that scored Almonte. Travis Harper was summoned from the bullpened and subsequently allowed both inherited runners to score on a single by Javy Lopez. After Lopez was forced out at second on a fielders choice by Darnell McDonald , Al Reyes came in and got B.J. Surhoff to ground into a double play to end the game.

W: Jeremi Gonzalez (2-1); L: Kurt Ainsworth (1-1); SV: Al Reyes (2)
Player of the Game: Fred McGriff. 3-3, HR (1), Run, 2 RBI (3)
Game Notes: Fred McGriff hit the longest homer of his career, it went 417 feet.

Rays win rubber match, take series from O's
Game 14: Tampa Bay 5, Baltimore 4

Despite surrendering a towering homerun to Melvin Mora to open the bottom of the first, Mark Hendrickson was able to hold off the Orioles' bats to win his second consecutive decision.

After falling behind 4-1 when Javy Lopez lined a 3-run homerun to right field in the 3rd, the Devil Rays battled back. A Brook Fordyce run-scoring single in the 4th cut the lead to two before Rocco Baldelli's homerun in the 5th off starter Rodrigo Lopez tied the score at 4. A sca fly in the top of the 5th by Julio Lugo scored Geoff Blum with the eventual game winning run.

Hendrickson was able to settle down after the Lopez homerun and scatter seven hits over seven and a thid innings. He walked three batters and struck out two to earn the win. Al Reyes, Danys Baez, and Lance Carter combined with Trevor miller to throw the final inning and two-thirds to take the win.

W: Mark Hendrickson (2-0); L: Rodrigo Lopez (0-2); SV: Trevor Miller (1)
Player of the Game: Rocco Baldelli. 1-4, HR (3), Run, 2 RBIs (13)

American League East Standings: (04/23)

Team      W-L    PCT   GB  Streak  Last10
Boston    11-6, .647         L1     7-3
Tampa Bay 8-7,  .533  -2.0   W2     4-6
New York  9-8,  .529  -2.0   W4     8-2
Toronto   7-8,  .467  -3.0   W1     5-5
Baltimore 5-11, .313  -5.5   L2     3-7

[BostonRS14]

Upcoming Series

Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. Chicago White Sox
US cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois

Team Records:
Tampa Bay devil Rays: 8-7, .533 (RD: 2-3), 2nd AL East, -2.0
Chicago White Sox: 5-10, .333 (HM: 0-6), 5th AL Central, -5.0

Season Series: 2-1, Chicago.

Pitching Matchups:
04/23: Jeff Suppan (1-1, 6.23) vs. Mark Buehrle (1-2, 12.83)
04/24: Todd Ritchie (1-0, 3.38) vs. Esteban Loaiza (1-1, 4.03)
04/25: Victor Zambrano (1-1, 5.75) vs. Scott Schoeneweis (1-2, 4.96)

Series Preview:
While most thing have gone right for the Devil Rays so far this season, everything seems to be going wrong for the White Sox. While it is still very early, The White Sox are wlready five games back in the American League Central, and will need to take this series from the Devil Rays to stay within reach of the playoff race in the Central division. Currently, Brett Tomko is the only starter with an ERA under 4.95, which is not going to cut it for a team many thought should make it to the playoffs.As a team, the Sox have a 7-.49 ERA, worse in the league and a .259 batting average, 22nd overall.

The Devil Rays are coming off a strong showing against the Orioles and are hoping to stay within reach of the Red Sox in the American League East. The yankees have dusted themselves off and have climbed back into a tie for second with the Rays. Rocco Balldeli and Carl Crawford continue to be the spark for the offense, hittin above .400. A poor bullpen has plagued the team. Tampa bay has three relievers with ERAs over 4.00 and a 5.72 ERA (25th) as a team.

Tampa Bay News:

• 04/22:
  -Felix Diaz has been claimed off waivers from Chicago (A) and assigned to Triple-A Durham.
  -Kevin Cave has been claimed off waivers from Florida and assigned to Double-A Orlando.
  -Victor Hall has been claimed off waivers from Arizona and assigned to Double-A Orlando.

Around the League: (04/20-04/22)
Transactions:

• 04/20:
  -Seattle released 1B John olerud after he refued assignment to the minors.
  -Milwaukee claimed SP Juan Dominguez off waivers from Texas.
• 04/21:
  -Arizona released 1B Greg Colbrunn after he refused assignment to the minors.
• 04/22:
  -San Diego claimed C Sandy Alomar off waivers from Chicago (A).
  -Tampa Bay claimed Felix Diaz off waivers from Chicago (A).
  -Tampa Bay claimed Kevin Cave off waivers from Florida.
  -Tampa Bay claimed Victor Hall off waivers from Arizona.

League News:

• 04/20:
  -Milwaukee's Scott Podsednik was injured diving for a ball. He is expected to miss 4-5 weeks with Back Spasms which will require surgery.

[BostonRS14]

Late Error Costly in loss to White Sox
Game 16: Tampa Bay 2, Chicago 5

Despite another rocky start from Jeff Suppan, it was the Tampa Bay bullpen once again that let the game slip away. Solo homeruns from Timo Perez and Paul Konerko gave the White sox the early lead that Mark Buehrle was able to hold onto.

The Devil Rays wasted a bases loaded situation in the 5th when Jose cruz hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to score Julio Lugo. Aubrey Huff was unable to do anymore damage, as he was caught looking at a nasty slider on the outside corner to end the inning. Chicago got the run right back in the bottom of the 5th with a run-scoring ground out by Jose Valetin.

The White Sox stretched the lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the 8th. An error by Lugo on a easy ground ball off Aaron Rowand's bat gave the Sox's runners on the corners with one out. Juan Uribe and Joe Thurston each followed with two-out RBI-singles before Joe Borchard was retired for the final out of the inning.

Eduardo Perez drove in a run in the ninth to make it a three run defecit before Damaso Marte struck out Tino Martinez swining to end the game.

W: Mark Buehrle (2-2); L: Jeff Suppan (1-2); SV: Damaso Marte (4)
Player of the Game: Mark Buehrle. 6 IP, 8 hits, 1 R, 5 K's, 100 PI.
Game Notes: 57 minute rain delay in 3rd inning. Julio Lugo set a career high for hits (5) in a game!

Poor Bullpen Makes Ritchie Unfortunate Loser
Game 17: Tampa Bay 2, Chicago 3

Jose Valentin's game-winning run was charged to starter Todd Ricthie, but the blame for this loss rests entirely on the shoulders of the Devil Rays bullpen. Once again, Tampa was unable to keep the inherited runners from scoring late in the game. This time, it was closer Danys Baez who was the goat, surrendering a double to Frank Thomas that easily allowed Valentin to score all the way from first with the final run.

Richtie, much like Jeff Suppan the day before, was victimiez by two solo homeruns off the bats of Paul Konerko and Magglio Ordonez.

The Rays got their first run in the top of the 5th. Toby Hall scored Tino Martinez from second with a RBI-single down the first baseline. Rocoo Baldelli scored the second run on a throwing error by Ordonez in the 6th. Tagging up after a Jose Cruz fly out, Baldelli easily scored when Ordonez's throw home sailed past Miguel Olivo.

W: Esteban Loaiza (2-1); Todd Ritchie (1-1)
Player of the Game: Esteban Loaiza. 9 IP, 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 ER, 4 K's, 100 PI.

Bullpen blows another D-Ray win
Game 18: Tampa Bay 7, Chicago 8

Tampa Bay has proven that it can put runs on the board this season, accumulating 106, the 11th most in the league. Of course, its pitching staff has allowed 109, the 6th most in the league. It is easy to see the problem with this club. And late loss had manager Lou Pinella fuming: "We have to rethink our bullpen. I'm going to have a good long chat with the guys down there, but I see a shakeup coming soon if things don't get fixed fast! Our guys are working their butts off, but how can we expect to win when the game that is supposed to be our closer has a ERA over 7! Other teams are batting almost .300 of him. There are a more problems down there than solutions right now. If things don't work themselves out soon, some guys are gonna be looking for work!"

For the second day in a row, it was Danys Baez, brought to the club to close games, that was standing on the mound when the opposing teams scored their game winning runs. Joe Crede's two-run homerun off Baez in the 8th gave the White Sox the come from behind win and allowed them to sweep the three game series. It also capped off the season series, which went to the White Sox, 5 games to 1.

After falling behind 6-4, the Devil Rays scored three runs in the 5th off starter Scott Schoeneweis to take a 7-6 lead. The highlight of the inning was Aubrey Huff's baseloaded single which scored Eduardo Perez and Tino Martinez and gave Tampa the lead. Perez had four RBIs on the day, including three on homerun in the 3rd off schoeneweis. Jose Cruz also went deep, hitting his fourth of the season in the 2nd.

Fortunately for Danys Baez, the Devil Rays will not face Chicago again this season unless both clubs make the playoffs. In four appearances against the White Sox this season, Baez has allowed seven runs in 2.2 innings of work. His ERA in the four appearances is 23.63!

W: Shingo Takatsu (1-0); Danys Baez (0-1); SV: Damaso Marte (5-)
Player of the Game: Joe Crede. 4-5, 2 2B (3), HR (6), 2 Runs, 4 RBIs (14)
Game Notes: Jose Cruz hit the longest homer of his career, it went 436 feet. Joe Crede set a career high for RBI (4) in a game! Joe Crede set a career high for hits (4) in a game!

American League East Standings: (04/27)

Team       W-L   PCT  GB  Streak Last 10
New York  12-8, .600        W7    8-2
Boston    11-9, .550 -1.0   L4    4-6
Tampa Bay 8-10, .444 -3.0   L3    3-7
Toronto   8-11, .421 -3.5   L3    4-6
Baltimore 8-12, .400 -4.0   W3    5-5

[BostonRS14]

Upcoming Series

Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. Boston Red Sox
Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

Team Records:
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 8-10, .444 (RD: 2-6), 3rd AL East, -3.0
Boston Red Sox: 11-9, .550 (HM: 6-4), 2nd AL East, -1.0

Pitching Matchups:
04/27: Jeremi Gonzalez (2-1, 6.45) vs. Curt Schilling (0-4, 5.79)
04/28: Jeff Suppan (1-2, 5.63) vs. Byung-hyun Kim (1-1, 5.84)
04/29: Mark Hendrickson (2-0, 3.32) vs. Pedro Martinez (3-0, 1.09)

Season Series: 0-0, 1st meeting

Series Preview:
The Devil Rays have come back down to Earth after starting the season on a tear with a four game sweep of the Yankees. A series win against the slumping Red Sox could keep the season going and make them a legitamate contender this year, at least for the time being. A loss in this series will put them further out of the playoff picture in a division fight that is heavily matched against them. Their road woes have been made magnified by the inability of their pitching to hold the lead. Fortunately, both Jeff Suppan and Victor Zambrano will miss this series as neither has pitched well lately. Recently signed Greg Colbrunn (.167 avg w/ ARI) has been added to the roster in place of Robert Fick to give some boost to a sluggish middle of the lineup.

Tampa Bay News: (04/23-04/26)

• 04/23:
  -MR Kevin Cave was sent down from Triple-A Durham to Double-A Orlando.
  -CF Victor Hall was sent down from Triple-A Durham to Double-A Orlando.
  -MR Carlos Reyes was released.
  -Free Agent 1B Greg Collbrunn to a one year contract worth $2,093,000 and assigned to Triple-A Durham.
  -MR Mike Williams was placed on waivers.

Around the League: (04/23-04/26)
Transactions:

• 04/23:
  -Tampa Bay released MR Carlos Reyes.
  -Tampa Bay signed free agent 1B Greg Collbrunn to a one year contract worth $2,093,000.
  -Baltimore claimed 1B J.T. Snow off waives from San Francisco.
• 04/26:
  -Anaheim signed free agent 1B John Olerud to a minor league contract.
  -Montreal signed free agent MR Julian Tavarez to a one year contract worth $712,000.
  -Florida signed free agent SP Aaron Sele to a minor league contract.

League News:

• 04/23:
  -Cleveland's Omar Vizquel hit his 2,000 career hit against the Detroit Tigers. He hit a sinlge in the 2nd inning of starter Nate Cornejo during a 14-1 Indians' win at Comerica Park.
  -American-Player of the Week: 3B Corey Koskie (MIN). He batted .583 in 24 AB, with 1 HR and 8 RBI.
  -National-Player of the Week: LF Lance Berkman (HOU). He batted .381 in 21 AB, with 6 HR and 15 RBI.

[Goodsox]

This is a greaty dynasty! I love your format and will be reading along. Can you post all of the league standings?

[BostonRS14]

Originally Posted by Goodsox

This is a greaty dynasty! I love your format and will be reading along. Can you post all of the league standings?

there will be an end of the month wrap-up...

[BostonRS14]

Gonzalez outduels Schilling, Rays take opener in Beantown
Game 19: Tampa Bay 7, Boston 1

On paper, Curt Schilling and the Red Sox against Jeremi Gonzalez and the Devil Rays is not a matchup many Tampa Bay fans would expect to win. But, as the cliche goes, baseball games aren't played on paper. Fortunately for the Devil Rays, slugging right fielder Troy Nixon has yet to be cleared to play for Boston while shortstop Nomar Garciaparra is still shaking the rust off after missing most of the first month of the season.

Gonzalez scattered five hits over six and two-third innings, walking one and striking out 6. Schilling, on the other hand, was victimized by an unfortunate error in the 7th that opened the flood gates. With two outs, and Toby Hall on first, third baseman Bill Mueller booted a ground ball off Rey Sanchez's bat and was unable to beat the runner to first with the throw. Carl Crawford followed with a RBI single to right for the firt run of the game. Rocco Baldelli really made the Sox pay for the error though, when he followed Crawford's single with a three-run homerun down the right field line.

After the Red Sox scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to chase Gonzalez with two out, Trever Miller struck out Mark Bellhorn with the bases loaded to end the Sox rally. In the top of the 8th, Tampa put the game away with a two-run double by Crawford to the triangle in deep center to make the game 7-1.

W: Jeremi Gonzalez (3-1); L: Curt schilling (0-5); SV: Trever miller (2)
Player of the Game: Rocco Baldelli. 2-4, HR (4), BB, Run, 3 RBIS (16)


Suppan struggles in return to Boston, Rays drop to 4th in East
Game 20: Tampa Bay 1, Boston 8

Jeff Suppan, twice a Red Sox, has had his troubles pitching in Fenway Park. The Devil Rays starter has never shown the poise and maturity to pitch in big games, which explains his career path through Arizona, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.

Suppan allowed six hits and Six walks against his former teammates in six innings of work, suffering his third loss in four starts in a Devil Rays uniform. Byung-hyun Kim crusied through his six innings of work, surrendering only one run on three hits.

The Red Sox got on the board early, with 4 runs in the bottom of the first. After putting the first two runners on, things looked good for Suppan when Manny Ramirez popped out to shallow center field. But, a throwing error by Jose cruz on a double by David Ortiz allowed both runners to score. Nomar Garciaparra and Kevin Millar followed with run-scoring hits to give Boston all the runs they would need on the day.

The Devil Rays scored the only run in the 3rd, when Aubrey Huff hit a RBI double off the wall in left to socre Rocoo Baldelli from first.

Back-to-back doubles in the 7th for the Red Sox against Trever Miller pushed the lead to six runs. Boston added a final run in the 8th on a RBI-double by Bill Mueller.

W: Byung-hyun Kim (2-1); L: Jeff Suppan (1-3)
Player of the Game: Byung-hyun Kim. 6 IP, 3 Hits, 1 Run, 4 BB's, 5 K's, 98 IP.

Baez blows save, surrenders 3 in 9th!
Game 21: Tampa Bay 4, Boston 5

One of these days, Lou Pinella is going to have to make a decision about closer Danys Baez's role with the ballclub. In his last two appearances, Baez has blown saves and raised his ERA to a rediculous 9.26! With the Devil Rays poised to leave Fenway with a series win over the slumping Red Sox, Pinella called on his closer with two outs in the 8th with a runner on fist and a two run lead. Baez looked sharp, striking out Kevin Millar to keep the lead intact. After a quick 1-2-3 top of the 9th, Baez came back out to face the heart of the Sox lineup. Manny Ramirez opened the inning with a solo-homerun over the Green Monster onto Landsdowne Street to cut the lead to 1. Baez settled down and retired Nomar Garciaparra on a ground out for the first out, before surrendering a doulbe to Bill Mueller. With the tying run on second, Pinella called for the intentional walking of Brian Daubach and David Ortiz to create a force out at any base. Gabe "The Body" Kapler, hitless in last 10 atbats, drove the first pitch he saw off Baez to left field, driving home Mueller and Ortiz without a throw.

The Devil Rays took the early lead in the game, when Carl Crawford, who led off with a triple off Pedro Martinez, scored on a sacrifice fly by Rocco Baldelli.
Jose Cruz broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th with a RBI double down the right field line that skipped past Kapler, scoring Aubrey Huff from first. Goeff Blum followed with a single, scoring Cruz to make it 3-1. After Tino Martinez grounded into a double play, Mike Timlin replace Martinez and surrendered a Julio Lugo solo homerun to the seats in left field.

Mark Hendrickson was sharp for the Rays, allowing only two runs over six and two-thirds innings, before leaving with a 4-2 lead in the seventh.

W: Bronson Arroyo (1-0); L: Danys Baez (0-2)
Player of the Game: Manny Ramirez. 2-4, HR (6), Run, 2 RBIs (14)
Game Notes: Julio Lugo hit the longest homer of his career, it went 454 feet. Pokey Reese extends his hitting streak to a career high 10 games!

American League East Standings: (04/30)

Team       W-L    PCT  GB  Streak Last 10
New York  15-8,  .652        W10   10-0
Boston    13-10, .565 -2.0   W2    4-6
Toronto   10-12, .455 -4.5   L1    4-6
Tampa Bay 9-12,  .429 -5.0   L2    3-7
Baltimore 9-14,  .391 -6.0   W1    5-5

[BostonRS14]

Upcoming Series:

Oakland Athletics vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tropicana Field, Tampa, Florida

Team Records:
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 9-12, .429 (HM: 6-4), 4th AL East, -5.0
Oakland A's: 10-12, .455 (RD: 5-8), 4th AL West, -2.0

Season Series: 0-0, 1st meeting.

Pitching Matchups:
04/30: Tim Hudson (1-1, 5.60) vs. Victor Zambrano (1-1, 7.13)
05/01: Rich Harden (2-1, 1.89) vs. Todd Ritchie (1-1, 3.38)
05/02: Mark Redman (2-2, 5.70) vs. Jeremi Gonzalez (3-1, 5.28)

Series Preview:
Lou Pinella has already become frustrated with the performance of his pitching staff. Despite decent return from a starting rotation lacking star power, the ballclub currently ranks in the bottom third in ERA (25th: 5.40), Opponents AVG (21st: .283), and Runs allowed (22nd: 123). The lone bright spot has been the ability to keep the ball inside the park. Tampa Bay has allowed only 21 homeruns this season, the second best total in the league. Offensivley, it remains the Crawford and Baldelli show. Both men are hitting above .360 and have accounted for a third of the teams runs out of the top two spots in the lineup.

Oakland comes to town losers of 4 straight and six of their last seven. Rich Harden, whose names has come up in rumors surrounding Jose Cruz and Aubrey Huff amongst others, will be counted on to continue his development and to throw some big innings. Harden and Barry Zito are the only A's starters with an ERA under 5.10. Preseason rookie of the year candidate Boby Crosby (.220 vs. RHP) has struggled to replace Miguel Tejada's bat in the lineup. No protection for Eric Chavez and Erubiel Durazo has shown up yet in the Oakland lineup so GM Billy Beane will surely be on the lookout for a bat sooner rather than later.


Tampa Bay News: (04/27-04/29)

• 04/27:
  -MR Mike Williams was released.
  -MR Mike Holtz was released.
  -1B Robert Fick was placed on waivers and sent down to Triple-A Durham.
  -1B Greg Collbrunn was added to the 40 man roster and called up from Triple-A Durham.
  -MR Damian Moss was removed from the 40 man roster.
• 04/28:
  -1B Robert Fick was removed from waivers.
  -MR Lance Carter's control seems to have taken a bump.

Around the League: (04/27-04/29)
Transactions:

• 04/27:
  -Tampa Bay released MR Mike Williams and MR Mike Holtz.
  -Florida claimed SS Chris Gomez off waivers from Toronto.
• 04/29:
  -New York (N) claimed SP Eric Cyr off waivers from Anaheim.

League News:

• 04/28:
  -Colorado's Larry Walker hit his 2,000th career hit in the 3rd inning against Florida's Dontrelle Willis. After missing the first few games for the Rockies, Walker is batting .182 this season in just 44 atbats.

[BostonRS14]

Devil Rays bloe lead late, drop opener to A's
Game 22: Tampa Bay 4, Oakland 5

Lou Pinella's faith in Victor Zambrano has been slowly deteriorating this season. But, it has not been more evident than it was against the Oakland A's in the opener of their weekend series.

After Tampa took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th on Geoff Blum's RBI single, things were looking good for the Devil Rays. Zambrano retired two of the first three batters in the 6th before loading the bases with back-to-back walks. The next batter, 2B Mark McLemore, singled to the gap in left-center, scoring Erubiel Durazo and Marshall McDougall withou a throw. Desite allowing on four hits on the day, Pinella pulled his starer in favor of rookie reliever Chad Gaudin, who entered the game with a .142 ERA despite opponents batting .316 off him. As the bullpen has all season, Gaudin allowed the inherited runner to score, when he surrendered a single to Mark Kotsay.

Gaudin would surrender the eventual game winning run in the 8th. After a double by Adam Melhuse, Damian Rolls threw the ball away on a ground ball by McLemore, allowing Melhuse to come around froms second.

A bases-loaded fielder choice ground out by pinch hitter Brook Fordyce cut the lead to one before Chad Bradford replace Tim Hudson and ended the rally.

W: Tim Hudson (2-1); L: Victor Zambrano (1-2); SV: Authur Rhodes (3)
Player of the Game: Mark McLemore. 2-4, 3 RBIs (4), K
Game Notes: Aubrey Huff hit the longest homer of his career, it went 441 feet.

[BostonRS14]

Standings Report: May 1st, 2004

American League East			National League East 
 
Team 		W L 	PCT 	GB  	Team 		W L 	PCT 	GB
New York (A)    16 8 	.667 	- 	Atlanta 	13 9 	.591 	- 
Boston 	        13 11 	.542 	3.0 	Philadelphia 	12 10 	.545 	1.0
Toronto 	10 13 	.435 	5.5 	Montreal 	11 13 	.458 	3.0
Tampa Bay 	9 13 	.409 	6.0 	New York (N)    9 14 	.391 	4.5
Baltimore 	9 15 	.375 	7.0	Florida 	6 17 	.261 	7.5 
 
American League Central			National League Central 
 
Team 		W L 	PCT 	GB	Team 		W L 	PCT 	GB
Cleveland 	13 10 	.565 	- 	St. Louis 	16 7 	.696 	- 
Chicago (A) 	12 10 	.545 	.5 	Cincinnati 	14 9 	.609 	2.0
Minnesota 	12 10 	.545 	.5 	Houston 	13 10 	.565 	3.0
Detroit 	10 13 	.435 	3.0 	Chicago (N) 	12 11 	.522 	4.0
Kansas City 	9 13 	.409 	3.5 	Pittsburgh 	12 11 	.522 	4.0
					Milwaukee 	6 17 	.261 	10.0 
 
American League West			National League West 
 
Team 		W L 	PCT 	GB	Team 		W L 	PCT 	GB
Texas 		13 10 	.565 	- 	San Francisco   16 8 	.667 	- 
Anaheim 	12 11 	.522 	1.0 	Los Angeles 	13 9 	.591 	2.0
Seattle 	12 12 	.500 	1.5 	Arizona 	12 10 	.545 	3.0
Oakland 	11 12	.478 	2.0 	Colorado 	9 13 	.409 	6.0
					San Diego 	9 15 	.375 	7.0

Surprise Teams:
Positive: Cleveland Indians. Even with CC Sabathia struggling (2-4, 6.19 ERA), the Indians are still exciding predictions. Thought to be a year away from competing, the addition of Pat Burrell (.307, 4 HR, 10 RBIs) from Philadelphia has been key. Teaming Burrell with a solid core of Jody Gerut (.346, 5, 11) and Victor Martinez (.284, 2, 9), things might have turned around quicker than expected at Jacobs Field in a weak AL Central.

Negative: Florida Marlins. The defending World Series champions have yet to act like it. Injuries to Brad Penny and A.J. Burnett have hurt, but Miguel Cabrera is stuck in a sophomore slump and Hee Seop Choi is batting below .200.

[BostonRS14]

League Leaders: May 1st, 2004

		American League			National League

Batting Average:
		.410: D. Young, DET		.378: L. Berkman, HOU
		.402: J. Gonzalez, KCA		.378: K. Griffey, CIN
		.402: C. Koskie, MIN		.364, C. Miller, CIN
OPS:
		1.283: D. Young, DET		1.419: L. Berkman, HOU
		1.151: C. Coskie, MIN		1.336: K. Griffey, CIN
		1.138: E. Chavez, OAK		1.322: B. Bonds, SF
Home Runs:
		9: R. Palmeiro, BAL		13: L. Berkman, Hou
		9: C. Delgado, TOR		13: B. Bonds, SF
		9: E. Chavez, OAK		10: K. Griffey, CIN
Runs Batted In:
		25: D. Young, DET		33: K. Griffey, CIN
		24: B. Fullmer, TEX		26: L. Berkman, HOU
		24: E. Chavez, OAK		26: J. Bagwell, HOU
Runs Scored:
		22: A. Rodriguez, NYY		25: A. Pujols, STL
		20: E. Chavez, OAK		24: L. Berkman, HOU
		20: R. Baldelli, TB		22: B. Bonds, SF
Stolen Bases:
		14: C. Crawford, TB		16: J. Pierre, FLO
		14: R. Baldelli, TB		12: O. Cabrera, MON
		14: I. Suzuki, SEA		12: R. Furcal, ATL
ERA:
		1.16: D. Lowe, BOS		1.26: B. Webb, ARI
		1.41: B. Zito, Oak		1.37: S. Elarton, COL
		1.67: P. Martinez, BOS		1.85: E. Jackson, LA
Wins:
		4: K. Rogers, TEX		4: D. Hermanson, SF
		4: J. Affeldt, KC		4: P. Wilson, CIN
		3: J. Gonzalez, TB		4: H. Nomo, LA
Saves:
		8: M. Rivera, NYY		9: M. Herges, SF
		7: D. Marte, CHA		7: E. Gagne, LA
		7: D. Riske, CLE		7: M. Mantei, ARI
Strikeouts:
		43: C. Schilling, BOS		47: R. Johnson, ARI
		40: M. Mussina, NYY		38: H. Nomo, LA
		33: E. Loaiza, CHA		36, R. Oswalt, HOU

[BostonRS14]

Tampa Bay Roundup: May 1st, 2004

Record: 9-13, .409, 4th AL East
Home Record: 6-5, .545
Road Record: 3-8, .273
1 Run Games Record: 2 Wins, 6 Losses
X-Innings Record: 0 Wins, 2 Losses
Record vs LHP: 1 Wins, 3 Losses
Record vs RHP: 8 Wins, 10 Losses
Payroll: $29,621,000 (28th)
Fan Interest: 7/100 (30th)

Batting AVG: .290 (7th)
Homeruns: 26 (T-17th)
Walks: 73 (22nd)
Stolen Bases: 35 (3rd)
Runs Scored: 122 (T-12th)

Pitching ERA: 5.38 (24th)
Opponents AVG: .281 (21st)
HRs Allowed: 22 (2nd)
Walks Allowed: 87 (T-19th)
Runs Allowed: 128 (23rd)

The Devil Rays ended the month of April on a down note, dropping their third straight, 5-4 to the Oakland A's. Similar to most other efforts during the first month of the season, Tampa's bat supplied plenty of offense, but the starters were the unfortunate victims of poor bullpen that was unable to keep runners from crossing home plate.

Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli have played above anyone's expectations, leading the club in most every offensive category.

			Avg.	HR	RBIs	SB	OBP	OPS
C Toby Hall		.231	1	8	0	.364	.603
1B Tino Martinez	.240	2	5	0	.349	.716
2B Damian Rolls		.231	0	5	2	.322	.649
3B Geoff Blum		.275	1	9	0	.344	.744
SS Julio Lugo		.337	3	11	2	.367	.849
			Avg.	HR	RBIs	SB	OBP	OPS
RF Jose Cruz		.274	4	15	3	.349	.883
CF Rocco Baldelli	.354	4	17	17	.394	.925
LF Carl Crawford	.352	2	15	14	.379	.917
DH Aubrey Huff		.263	3	15	0	.372	.822
			Avg.	HR	RBIs	SB	OBP	OPS
BN Brook Fordyce	.364	1	4	0	.364	1.091
BN Fred McGriff		.412	1	3	0	.474	1.062
BN Greg Colbrunn	.111	0	1	0	.238	.349
BN Rey Sanchez		.222	0	2	0	.222	.444
BN Eduardo Perez	.316	3	9	0	.381	1.013
			ERA	W	L	SV     OAVG	WHIP
SP Jeff Suppan		5.40	1	3	0	.313	1.60
SP Jeremi Gonzalez	5.28	3	1	0	.228	1.28
SP Victor Zambrano	6.98	1	2	0	.278	1.92
SP Mark Hendrickson	2.86	2	0	0	.283	1.24
SP Todd Ritchie		3.38	1	1	0	.232	1.06
			ERA	W	L	SV     OAVG	WHIP
MR Al Reyes		2.79	0	1	2	.194	0.93
MR Trever Miller	6.17	0	1	2	.244	1.37
MR Chad Gaudin		1.93	0	0	0	.316	2.25
MR Travis Harper	4.82	1	0	0	.296	1.50
MR Lance Carter		4.15	0	1	0	.265	1.38
CL Danys Baez		9.26	0	2	5	.327	2.06

GM Chuck LaMar on changes: “Let me first say, No season is over in April! We don’t expect our bullpen to continue this path. Eventually, they will figure this out back there and get themselves in order. If not, they’ll lose their jobs. I’m trying to give Lou the best club I can, and I know his frustrations are gonna get the better of him sooner rather than later, but we are committed to a philosophy here finally and we will see it through. If we can make moves, like adding guys like Suppan, that don’t change our course, we will. I don't want to be a seller in this market, I'd like for us to be buyers. We have enough young prospects in our system, we need guys that are ready now or are damn close. Unless I get blown away, I won't be having a selling off any of our core.”

Manager Lou Pinella on the pitching problems: “Obviously, I’m tired of running our starters our there knowing that no matter what they do, the bullpen is gonna screw us. I’ve talked with the front office and we are gonna look at new opportunities. Right now, Baez is out as closer. I can’t trust him to get guys out. Once he shows that he can do it again, we’ll give him chances. We still have a shot, if we right this ship now, of doing something special. Getting out of the basement was our realistic goal, but now, with a playing field very level, we think we can do that one better and be in contention. We've lost two games in which we've scored 7 runs, another with 9 and one with 12. That shouldn't happen if you expect to be taken serious.”

Pinella on hitting: "Well, when you hit .290 as a team, you expect to win, and right now, we ain't. Aubrey has come hot of late (last 5 games: .429, HR, 5 RBIs) as has [Geoff] Blum (.412, 2 RBIs), but for the season both are batting below .300; not want we wanted for them. Those guys are almost as important as Rocco and Carl are right now. We need them to make contact to drive in the clutch runs. Our on-base percentage in .351, best in our division and we have scored more runs than anyone but the Yankees in the East. We should be winning games! But no, most guys aren't getting the clutch hits we need."

April Prospect Highlight:


Name: Melvin E. Upton
Nickname: B.J.
Birthday: Aug. 21, 1984 (19)
Height/Weight: 6'3"/170

Position : Shortstop
Current Team: Orlando (AA)
Bats/Throws: R/R

Drafted: 2002. 1st round, 2nd overall.

"Of course, the pride of our system is B.J. Upton. As much as he could produce in the lineup, we won't rush him like he might ahve done in the past. In 22 games at Double-A Montgomery, he's shown progress, but not enough to get moved up to Durham just yet. We will keep an eye on his advancement at the plate, which is behind where he should be. People forget, this kid is only 19 and has years ahead of him in a Devil Rays uniform." - Cam Bonifay, Director of Player Development and Scouting

"B.J. Upton has an abundance of talent, and he will develop into a very good shortstop in the near future. He has the talent to be one of the best baserunners in the league, a guy most managers will allow to steal at will. He should project nicely into a one-two spot in the lineup for this club, between Crawford and Baldelli in 2005." - Rival A.L. East scout


B.J. Upton during 2004 Spring Training with Devil Rays.

2004 statistics with Orlando (AA)

G  AB  H  2B  3B  HR  RBI  R  BB   K  SB   AVG   OBP   SLG   OPS
22 90  27  4   0   1   6  12   3  19   7  .300  .323  .378  .700

[BostonRS14]

Same Old Story, Bullpen blows lead
Game 23: Tampa Bay 5, Oakland 6

Despite a pinch hit homerun from Greg Colbrunn in the bottom of the seventh, the Devil Rays once again proved themselves incapable of competing with the top talent in the league.

After Colbrunn and Pinella had a heated discussion in the clubhouse prior to the game in the presence of the local reporters, Pinella removed the first baseman from the lineup. Colbrunn, hitless in six previous at bats since signing with the Devil Rays, explained the heated exchange after the game: "I thought I deserved more playing time and I let Lou know I was pleased to be in the lineup today. He took exception to something and things got out of hand. I just want to compete like everyone else, but I didn't come here to sit on the bench. That's not what they told me I'd be doing!" Pinella was not avaliable to reporters after the game.

After Colbrunn's homerun gave the Rays the lead, Trever Miller surrendered a single to Jermaine Dye, the first batter of the 8th for Oakland. After Pinella called upon new closer Al Reyes to hold the lead, Vance Wilson tripled down the right field line, scoring pinch runner Jamal Strong from first. Adam Melhuse followed a Mark McLemore strike out with a single to left that easily scored Wilson with the eventual game winning run.

Oakland got on the board first, with a RBI triple by Erubiel Durazo into the corner in right field in the 1st inning off starter Todd Ritchie. Tampa Bay responded with a solo homerun by Carl Crawford off Rich Harden to lead off the bottom of the first.

A two-RBI double in the bottom of the 4th by Brook Fordyce cut Oakland's lead to 4-3.

W: Justin Duchscherer (1-0); L: Al Reyes (0-2); SV: Aurthur Rhodes (4)
Player of the Game: Vance Wilson. 2-4, 2B (1), 3B (1), 2 Runs, RBI (1)
Game Notes: Bobby Kielty was ejected in the 2nd for arguing a strike three call. Greg Colbrunn hit the longest homer of his career, it went 374 feet

Rays drop 5th straight, Oakland completes sweep
Game 24: Tampa Bay 2, Oakland 4

Despite staking the A's to a four run lead, the Devil Rays didn't give up. Unfortunately, their late surge ran out of time. Brook Fordyce and Rocco Baldelli each hit late solo homerun to cut the Oakland lead to two runs, but the rest of the lineup couldn't produce enough to keep the rally alive.


Rocco Baldelli connects on his 5th homerun
of the season in the 9th inning.

Tampa Bay starter Jeremi Gonzalez was the victim of the long ball, surrendering all four runs on three Oakland homeruns. Eric Chavez hit two solo shots, one in the 1st and the other in the 6th to give the A's a 2-0 lead.

In the seventh, Oakland looked poise to blow the game open. Eric Byrnes hit a one-out single and proceeded to steal second. Bobby Kielty advanced Byrnes to third with a ground out before Damian Miller crushed a deep homerun for a four run lead. Mark McLemore and Bobby Crosby followed with infield singles. A walk to Billy McMillon loaded the bases for the hot hitting Eric Chavez. Lou Pinella called upon Travis Harper out fo the bullpen to relieve Gonzalez. Harper got Chavez to fly innocently out to right-center to end the thread.

Gonzalez finished the day allowing four runs, all earned, on eights hits and one walk. He tied a season high with six strike outs. Harper worked the final two and a thrid innings, surrendering one hit while walking two.

W: Mark Redman (3-2); L: Jeremi Gonzalez (3-2); SV: Aurthur Rhodes (5)
Player of the Game: Eric Chavez. 2-5, 2 HRs (11), 2 Runs, 2 RBIs (26)
Game Notes: Jermaine Dye was ejected in the 2nd for arguing a strike three call.

American League East Standings: (05/03)

Team        W-L   PCT   GB  Streak Last 10
New York   17-9  .654    -    W1    9-1
Boston    14-12  .538  3.0    L1    3-7
Toronto   12-13  .480  4.5    W2    5-5
Baltimore 10-16  .385  7.0    W1    5-5
Tampa Bay  9-15  .375  7.0    L5    2-8

[BostonRS14]

Upcoming Series

Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. Texas RAngers
Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Arlington, Texas

Team Records:
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 9-15, .375 (RD: 3-8), 5th AL East, -7.0
Texas Rangers: 14-11, .560 (HM: 8-5), 1st AL West, +0.5

Season Series: 0-0, 1st meeting

Pitching Matchups:
05/03: Jeff Suppan (1-3, 5.40) vs. R.A. Dickey (1-2, 6.04)
05/04: Mark Hendrickson (2-0, 2.86) vs. John "Way Back" Wasdin (2-1, 9.00)
05/05: Victor Zambrano (1-2, 6.98) vs. Glendon Rusch (1-3, 4.45)

Series Preview:
The Texas Rangers are the team the Devil Rays wish they were. A solid core of young players competing together despite obvious limitations and a lack of pitching depth. The Devil Rays are heading out on their first west coast road trip, having settled into their familiar last place position in the American League East.

The Rangers, on the other hand, are one of the surprise team of the early going. Despite an infield pack with potential, the Rangers were written off because of their pitching and the increase competition in the AL West made by Anaheim's offseason spending spree. The club has been carried by veteran Kenny Rogers (5-1, 3.332 ERA).

Tampa Bay News: (04/30-05/02)

none.

Around the League: (04/30-05/02)
Transactions:

• 04/30:
  -Florida released 3B Mike Lowell after he refused assignment to the minors.
• 05/01:
  -St. Louis released MR Kent Mercker after he refused assignment to the minors.
  -Milwaukee placed SP Juan Dominguez on irrevocable waivers.

League News:

• 05/01:
  -American League April Pitcher of the Month: Derek Lowe (BOS)! He had a record of 2-1 in 5 games started, with an ERA of 1.16 and 1 shutouts.
  -American League April Batter of the Month: Dmitri Young (DET)! He batted .410 in 83 AB, with 5 homers and 25 RBI.
  -National League April Pitcher of the Month: Brandon Webb (ARI)! He had a record of 4-0 in 5 games started, with an ERA of 1.26.
  -National League April Batter of the Month: Ken Griffey (CIN)! He batted .378 in 82 AB, with 10 homers and 33 RBI.

[BostonRS14]

Slide continues against Rangers, Rays drop 6th straight
Game 25: Tampa Bay 7, Texas 10

Jeff Suppan was able to avoid his fourth consecutive losing decision, but the Devil Rays were unable to snap out of their funk, losing by three to the Rangers in the Arlington. Suppan lasted just two and a third innings, surrendering 5 runs, 4 of which were earned, on hit hits and a walk.

The Devil Rays were able to get on the board first, creating a two run lead in the top of the 1st. Rocco Baldelli, after stealing third, scored on Jose Cruz's fielders choice with the first run. Geoff Blum followed with a two-out double to short right-center that easily scored Cruz from second.

Unfortunately, Suppan was unable to keep the Rangers quiet. In the bottom of the first, he surrendered a three-run to Brad Fullmer, his eight of the season, that landed deep on the grassy hill past the center field wall.

Tampa Bay tied the game in the 3rd with a sacrifice fly to right field by Jose cruz. Carl Crawford, who reached on an infield single, stole second and third before scoring easily with the tying run. Suppan gave the lead right back in the bottom of the inning. Laync Nix's sacrifice fly gave Texas the lead and Hank Blalock's solo homerun pushed it to two and ended Suppan's afternoon. Former closer Danys Baez, fighting for his life with the ballclub, entered the game and retired the final two batters of the inning.

The Devil Rays came back to tie the game in the top of the 4th on a two-run double by Damian Rolls. Valerio De los Santos replaced R.A. Dickey (3.1 IP, 5 Hits, 5 Runs, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's) on the mound and retired Crawford and Baldelli on week ground outs before any more damange could be done.

The Rangers took the lead for good in the 5th with three runs against Baez. With two outs, Blalock broke the tie with a double to right, scoring catcher Eddie Perez. Brad Fullmer followed with a walk, and Brian Jordan hit a single, scoring Blalock. Travis Harper replaced Baez and surrenderd the eventual game winning run on a single by Kevin Mench, which scored Fullmer from second.

In the top of 6th, the Devil Rays loaded the bases with one out. Texas pitcher Ron Mahay walked in two runs to cut the lead to one run before Geoff Blum flied out softly to left field to end the threat. Texas added two insurance runs in the 7th to take the opener of the three game series.

W: Valerio De los Santos (1-0); L: Danys Baez (0-3), SV: Francisco Cordero (4)
Player of the Game: Hank Blalock. 3-3, 2B (4), BB, HR (7), 4 Runs, 2 RBIs (15)
Game Notes: Hank Blalock set a career high for runs (4) in a game!

Wasdin outperforms Hendrickson, Rays lose again.
Game 26: Tampa Bay 1, Texas 6

John Wasdin revival continued last night in Arlingon where he pitched six innings against the Devil Rays, surrendering one run on three hits, leaving the game only due to a lenghty rain delay. Wasdin, who has appeared in only three games in the majors combined in 2002 and 2003, won his third consecutive decision. On the losing end was Mark Hendrickson, who once again was the victim of poor run support. In his 5 starts, Tampa Bay is averaging only 3.2 runs a game. For the other 22 games, the Rays are averaging 5.8 runs a game.

Unlike the night before, this game started quiet, with both clubs scoreless after 3 innings. Kevin Mench's two-run homerun in the 4th proved to be all the run support Wasdin needed on this night. The closest Tampa Bay would make it was 3-1 in the 6th, when Gerg Colbrunn singled home Carl Crawford.

Hendrickson got into trouble in the 7th after walking the lead off batter, DH Brad Fullmer. Gerald Laird's double down the left field line scored Fullmer from first and ended the game for Hendrickson. Lance Carter retired the first batter he faced, Hank Blalock with a weak groundout to first that advanced Laird to third. A pitch to the next batter, pinch hitter Laynce Nix, got past Toby Hall, scoring Laird with the fifth run of the game for Texas. carter would surrender one more run in the 8th before Trever Miller retired Michael Young with the bases loaded to end the 8th.

W: John Wasdin (3-1); L: Mark Hendrickson (2-1)
Player of the Game: Gerald Laird. 3-4, 3 2B (9), 2 Runs, 2 RBI (13)
Game Notes: Kevin Mench hit the longest homer of his career, it went 393 feet. 54 minute rain delay in 6th inning.

Rays win in extra innings, end losing streak at 7 games
Game 27: Tampa Bay 6, Texas 5 (11)

The Devil Rays can't be too happy about walking away from this game with a win. After rallying late to take the lead, another sloppy performance by the bullpen almost gave the game back to the Rangers. Aubrey Huff, hitless in four previous atbats, responded to an intentional walk to Jose Cruz with a single to left-center that scored Rey Sanchez from second without a throw. Chad Gaudin, who had entered the game in the 10th after Danys Baez surrendered a single to Alfonso Soriano, pitched a perfect 11th for his first win of the season.

With Al Reyes on the mound looking to close out the win, the Rangers rallied to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Pinch hitter David Bellucci was hit by Reyes, putting the tying run on first with no outs. Reyes then followed that up with a wild pitch, moving the runner to second, before a single by Kevin Mench brought Dellucci around the second, barely beating the throw home by centerfielder Rocco Baldelli.

The Devil Rays, trailing 4-3 entering the 8th, took a one run lead with solo homeruns from Geoff Blum and Julio Lugo. Eduardo Perez, in the lineup against the left handed Glendon Rusch, also had a homerun, a solo shot in the 3rd that, at the time, tied the game at three. For the season, Perez is battign .500 against lefties, with an inpressive slugging percentage of 1.038.

W: Chad Gaudin (1-0); L: Ron Mahay (1-1)
Player of the Game: Julio Lugo. 2-5, HR (4), 2 Runs, 2 RBIs (13)
Game Notes: Hank Blalock hit the longest homer of his career, it went 424 feet. Eduardo Perez hit the longest homer of his career, it went 429 feet. Geoff Blum hit the longest homer of his career, it went 425 feet. Rocco Baldelli extends his hitting streak to a career high 11 games!

[BostonRS14]

Upcoming Series:

Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. Anaheim Angels
Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California

Team Records:
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 10-17, .370 (RD: 4-10), t-5th AL East, -7.5
Anaheim Angels: 15-13, .536 (HM: 7-5), t-2nd AL West, -1.0

Season series: 0-0, 1st meeting.

Pitching Matchups:
05/06: Todd Ritchie (1-1, 4.09) vs. Ramon Ortiz (1-3, 7.58)
05/07: Jeremi Gonzalez (3-2, 5.30) vs. Kelvim Escobar (1-4, 6.40)
05/08: Jeff Suppan (1-3, 6.12) vs. Bartolo Colon (4-2, 5.40)
05/09: Mark Hendrickson (2-1, 3.67) vs. Jarrod Washburn (4-2, 3.67)

Series Preview:
The Anaheim Angels are in a tight battle in the AL West, where the four clubs are separated by less than three games. Meanwhile, the Devil Rays are in a free fall, losing eight of their previous ten games. With Tampa's season is disarray, Anaheim will be looking to use this series to get themselves back into first place in the West.

Tampa Bay News: (05/03-05/05)

• 05/03:
  -CF Jason Romano was sent from Double-A Orlando to Single-A Bakersfield.
• 05/04:
  -SP Juan Dominguez was claimed off waivers from Milwaukee and assigned to Triple-A Durham.
• 05/05:
  -SP Rob Bell increased his lower body strenght, resulting in his duration rising.

Around the League (05/03-05/05)
Transactions:

• 05/03:
  -San Francisco signed free agent 3B Mike Lowell to a one-year contract worth $2,052,000.
• 05/04:
  -Colorado claimed SP Matt Kinney off waivers from Milwaukee.
  -Tampa Bay claimed SP Juan Dominguez off waivers from Milwaukee.

Injuries:

• 05/03:
  -Cleveland MR Matt Miller was injured while throwin a ball. He will be sidelined for about 5 weeks with back spasms.
• 05/05:
  -Oakland RF Jermaine Dye broke his hand while making a catch and will be out for 5 weeks.
  -Los Angeles SP Wilson Alvarez pulled his rotator cuff muscle and will be day-to-day for about 3-4 weeks.
  -Chicago cub RF Sammy Sosa strained a rib cage muscle and will be day-to-say for about a week.

American League East Standings: (05/06)

Team        W-L   PCT   GB  Streak Last 10
New York  18-10  .643    -    W1    8-2
Boston    16-13  .552  2.5    L1    5-5
Toronto   14-14  .500  4.0    L1    6-5
Baltimore 11-18  .379  7.5    L1    4-6
Tampa Bay 10-17  .370  7.5    W1    2-8