Tagged: Blue Jays

7/29 Rays vs. Jays Game Preview/ Thread

Probable Pitchers:

Matt Garza

(8-6) 3.83 ERA

vs.

Roy Halladay

(12-7) 2.82 ERA

 

Lineups

Rays:

1. Akinori Iwamura 2B

2. BJ Upton CF

3. Carl Crawford LF

4. Evan Longoria 3B

5. Carlos Pena 1B

6. Cliff Floyd DH

7. Dioner Navarro C

8. Eric Hinske RF

9. Jason Bartlett SS

Blue Jays

1. Joe Inglett 2B

2. Marco Scutaro SS

3. Alex Rios CF

4. Lyle Overbay 1B

5. Rod Barajas C

6. Matt Stairs DH

7. Scott Rolen 3B

8. Adam Lind LF

9. Brad Wilkerson RF

BREAKING NEWS:

Mark Texiera was dealt to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher. This takes the Rays out of the running for him and they will need to look elswhere for a power hitter.

Tonight’s Game:

The Rays need to win this game to show they can win pressure games on the road. It will only be tougher since they are facing Roy Halladay.

Players to Watch:

Matt Garza- We will need him to give us a good performance to keep us close on offense and just hope Halladay has a bad game.

Carlos Pena- He has done relatively well over the years against Halladay. We need him to start doing well in order for us to be able to coast into the playoffs.

Rumor Central:

The Rays are apparently talking to both the Cubs and Braves about their lefties Will Ohman and Scott Eyre. This would likely mean that Trever Miller may be out the door soon after. 

 

7/28 Rays vs. Blue Jays Game Preview/ Thread

Probable Pitchers:

James Shields

(9-6) 3.66 ERA

vs.

AJ Burnett

(11-9) 4.73 ERA

Lineup:

  1. Akinori Iwamura 2B
  2. BJ Upton CF
  3. Carl Crawford LF
  4. Evan Longoria 3B
  5. Carlos Pena 1B
  6. Cliff Floyd DH
  7. Dioner Navarro C
  8. Eric Hinske RF
  9. Jason Bartlett SS

 

Roster News:

FINALLY Gary Glover was designated for assignment Monday. He just could not hold a lead or keep the Rays in contention. Hopefully he can get his act together in AAA and come back. Now it is time to trade for a bullpen guy and a power bat.

Rumor Central:

Beltre anyone?

According to MLB.com Beat writers, the Rays have inquired about Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre. He would be the power bat the Rays are looking for to boost the lineup. He would most likely DH since we have third base reserved for Evan Longoria.

Tonight’s Game:

It would be great to get the series off on the right track by winning the first of three between the Rays and the Jays. This will show how we will fare in the rest of the series if we can beat AJ Burnett who needs to show teams interested in trading for him that it is worth it.

Look Ahead:

This will be a tough series for the Rays as they draw both AJ Burnett and Roy Halladay, two outstanding pitchers in the first two games of the series. They need to take 2 of 3 to hold off the Yankees and Red Sox. After this series they draw the Tigers back at the Trop. As many know, the Tigers are a great team who just can’t show it by record. 

 

Concert Series leaves Opponents singing the Blues

Date           Concert                        Result

May 24        The Commodores         Win

May 31        Trace Adkins                Win

June 21        Kool and The Gang       Win

July   5         Loverboy                      Win

July 19          MC Hammer                Win

August 2       LL Cool J                      ???

 

Bring back the concert series for next year. It seems to be a good luck charm.Every concert seems to be a celebration of a win.

Rays News:

Rays Win 6-4 powered by a Garza gem and a Longo grand slam. The problem is our bullpen gave it up. We need to think long and hard about bringing in a bullpen guy.

 

The Rays, along with the White Sox, sent scouts to Washinton to watch Jon Rauch. He would need a heftier package to bring him to the Trop as he is younger and is locked up for longer time than Fuentes.