Minnesota 12, D-Rays 5.
Edwin Jackson threw 66 pitches in 3+ innings and only 33 were for strikes. He also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. The defense did not help matters by throwing a few of their own wild pitches. After going the entire first week without an error, the team is starting to make them in droves, including 3 more last night. BJ Upton, who looked solid at second base in the spring committed his 5th error of the young season and was lucky that he was not credited with a second error later on. After forcing one runner at second, Upton threw wildly to first trying to turn the double play (an official scorer cannot give an error on a double play attempt). Ruddy Lugo continues to struggle mightily, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits in 1 inning of work. He has now allowed 15 base runners and 8 runs in 3 innings this season. Carlos Pena continues to hit the ball well, connecting on his 2nd home run as a pinch-hitter in the 9th. It will be interesting to see if it is already pre-determined to head to Durham when Greg Norton comes off the DL.

• The Rays still have not won back-to-back road games since June 30 of last season.
• Edwin Jackson says that he "pitched like a ------". Actually, the Tampa Tribune used the word "wimp" in place of the actually word used by Jackson. Hmmm? What could it have been? Jackson has a potty-mouth.
• This just in...The Rays bullpen is not so good.
• Joe Maddon wants to treat the 2007 season like an instructional season in the hopes that all the athletes on the team become better fundamental baseball players. One of the glaring problems early in the season has been the Rays inability to lay down a successful sacrifice bunt.
  
• The Rays now a team era of 6.41, almost a run and a half more than any other team. The preseason projections that had the Rays pitching staff giving up more runs in 2007 may have been right. Simply put, the Rays have the offense of a .500 team, but the pitching of a team that could lose 100 again.
  
• Today Carl Crawford will wear #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. CC admits that before he was drafted by the Rays he knew nothing about Jackie Robinson. Let's hope that today's tribute will help inform many others about Mr. Robinson and his legacy.
• Joe Maddon hopes that more players on the team will follow Akinori Iwamura's lead and start working counts.
  
• Another baseball power ranking. Devil Rays #25. That's about right.
• Was Friday's win over the Twins and Johan Santana the greatest win in the history of the franchise?
• Maintaining a trend started last season, the Rays have held the lead in 8 of their first 11 games.
• The Brad Lidge to Tampa Bay rumors just won't die.
  
• The Reds Ryan Freel may start playing infield for the Reds. This would help Josh Hamilton to become an everyday player.