THE GOOD: Edwin Jackson after the first inning. He seemed to gain a few inches on his fastball and settled down to hold the Yankees scoreless for the next 5+ innings after allowing 1 run in the first...JP Howell was once again his masterful self pitching 2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out 3...

THE BAD: The Offense. 1 run, 9 hits in 2 games. 3 walks, 17 strikeouts, in 2 games...We love that every announcer says that Carl Crawford is a "tough guy to double up" and yet CC has 7 GIDPs this season...Edwin Jackson struggled in the first inning, in which his fastball was in the 90-92 range. It was as if he needed about 15 more pitches in the bullpen before the game...How many running, leaping catches did the Yankees outfielders have to make in this series? First it was Melky Cabrera on Tuesday and then it was Melky (again) and Bobby Abreu yesterday, and all came in crucial situations.

THE TELLING: The Rays have now lost 3 in a row. It is the first time they have lost more than 1 consecutive game since June 10-11.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• With voting ending today, Evan Longoria still enjoys a slight lead for the final spot on the AL All-Star squad. If you haven't voted yet, or want to vote again, get your arse over there. [MLB]
• Evan Longoriawas named AL Rookie of the Month for June. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Fangraphs has been running a regular series looking at the most valuable players in baseball. Topping the list is the Rays' own Evan Longoria, based in large part on his team-friendly contract extension signed earlier this season. (Thanks Shawn) [Fangraphs]
• Are the Rays the new Atlanta Braves?...It is certainly a fair comparison and we would definitely take 14 straight division titles. [The Blue Workhorse]
  
• It is a good thing that Jason Hammel has not been in many games recently as he would most likely only be called upon when a starter exits a game early. And while it must certainly be a tough situation to be in, he is saying all the right things. [MLB]
• How much have some Minnesotans soured on Delmon Young? One writer for a local paper wants the Twins to trade Young and another player for...wait for it...wait for it...An 8th inning set-up man. Seriously. And this guy has more legitimacy than us just because he writes for a mainstream media source? [Rochester Post-Bulletin]
• The Rays once again sit atop Bugs and Cranks power rankings. [Bugs and Cranks]