Sports Commentary
The Rays have already done something this season they had never done before. They had a winning April. The most exciting thing about these Rays is the palpable sense in the clubhouse and in the standings that this won’t be the last winning month or franchise first in 2008.
“It’s better than being in last,” joked Tampa Bay principal owner Stuart Sternberg during his team’s recent trip to Baltimore.
There’s no obvious reason the Rays are poised to break the .500 mark or maybe even win 90 games this year. There was no blockbuster trade or big free agent signing this winter. Instead, their improvement has been subtle -- more about maturity and stability than a complete overhaul. In the end, the shift in the standings might be more dramatic.
It starts with the relief pitching. “Our bullpen’s flipped a 180,” says starter James Shields. That’s probably an understatement. Tampa’s bullpen had a major league worst 6.16 ERA last year. This year, Rays relievers have a 2.96 ERA, the fourth best mark in baseball. “For us starters, knowing going into the game that we can come out in the sixth inning and not have to worry about it, that’s huge.”
Bringing veteran Troy Percival in to handle the ninth inning has played a big part in the bullpen’s success by putting some of the higher leverage innings in his hands. As a World Series winner, he’s also helped change the locker room culture.
“This year the guys come to the ballpark to win, last year they kind of came to play nine innings,” says Percival of the new outlook in the Tampa clubhouse.
There have been other changes too. Stability on defense has led to a similar transformation in that facet of the game, pleasing manager Joe Maddon, who talks about fielding as something his team can “carry as a constant.”
Last year, Akinori Iwamura spent a lot of time at third base, while B.J. Upton struggled at second base before finally getting comfortable in center field. Now Evan Longoria is entrenched at third, Iwamura has taken over at second and the Rays upgraded at short getting Jason Bartlett as part of the Delmon Young-Matt Garza trade. In 2007, the Rays converted a league worst 66.2 percent of balls in play into outs, according to Baseball Prospectus. This year, they have the eighth best mark in the majors, converting 71.8 percent of balls in play into outs.
And of course, there’s the rotation and the lineup, both of which are burgeoning with young stars and maturing rapidly. The lineup has four potential All-Stars in Upton, Longoria, Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena.
Meanwhile, when Scott Kazmir made his first start of the season over the weekend, for the first time maybe in franchise history, the Rays had a tough choice about who to bump from the rotation for the reigning AL strikeout king. (They settled on Jason Hammel).
Indeed, when you account for the fact that David Price, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis and Jacob McGee are all ready or close to contributing in the majors, the Rays’ pitching depth might just be the envy of all of baseball. “That’s a good problem to have,” quips the optimistic Shields.
Cleveland Indians' Cliff Lee pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 1, 2008, in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
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The Minnesota Twins are in contention at midseason because of their reliable rotation which includes Glen Perkins, left, and Kevin Slowey, shown Wednesday, July 2, 2008 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Brandon Backe reacts to giving up a two-run single to Los Angeles Dodgers' Blake Dewitt in the first inning in a baseball game Thursday, July 3, 2008 in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Blake DeWitt heads toward first base on a two-run single in the first inning against the Houston Astros in a baseball game Thursday, July 3, 2008 in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier breaks his bat on his way to a ground-out to the mound in the first inning against the Houston Astros in a baseball game Thursday, July 3, 2008 in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
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Los Angeles Dodgers Chad Billingsley delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Houston Astros in a baseball game Thursday, July 3, 2008 in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya pumps his fist after Minnesota Twins' Joe Mauer grounded out to end the game as the Tigers beat the Twins 5-4 in a baseball game on Monday, June 30, 2008, in Minneapolis. The Tigers' flame-thrower is back and, after a few false starts, seems to be heating up. For at least one pitch, the radar gun read 99 mph during Zumaya's 1-2-3 inning stint in Monday's win over the Minnesota Twins. It's a step in the right direction for the reliever who became one of the most popular athletes in Michigan by throwing triple-digit pitches. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
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San Francisco Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti is shown in the dugout before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 2, 2008. Friday July 4 marks the 25th anniversary since Righetti no-hit Boston for the Yankees in 1983.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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San Francisco Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti is shown in the dugout before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 2, 2008. Friday July 4 marks the 25th anniversary since Righetti no-hit Boston for the Yankees in 1983. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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San Francisco Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti is shown in the dugout before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 2, 2008. Friday July 4 marks the 25th anniversary since Righetti no-hit Boston for the Yankees in 1983. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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On the other hand, Percival, who won the World Series with Angels in 2002, knows better than to get too excited too early. He’s not ready to compare this Rays team to those Angels, who came out of nowhere to capture baseball’s ultimate prize. “This team’s way more talented, though, way more talented,” he says.
One thing’s certain, getting to .500, much less the playoffs, won’t be easy in the high-powered American League East. With two titles in four years, the Red Sox have a dynasty in the making. The Blue Jays have reeled off nine straight quality starts entering Tuesday and are allowing a stingy 3.5 runs per game. And of course, the $200 million Yankees are still lurking.
“We’re not backing into anything in this division,” says Sternberg. “We’re in the ballpark with them now,” he says of trying to topple the Red Sox and the Yankees.
As for Percival, a guy who’s been through the grind of a major league season 12 times and played on good teams and bad ones, he’s being patient, but you can tell he sees the potential for something special.
“Give us another month,” he says cautiously.
If the Rays are still hanging around come June, the AL East could go from a two-team slugfest to a four-team free-for-all. That will just add to the drama in what was already baseball’s most compelling division.
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