DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Not sure this needed to be clarified but Andrew Friedman made it clear yesterday that David Price will be a starting pitcher in 2009 and is not a candidate to be a closer. [MLB]
  
• Rays Prospects takes another look at how starting pitchers throughout the organization pitched in 2008. This time we see that Andy Sonnanstine and James Shields both pitched within the range of major league #1 starters, while Edwin Jackson was no better than an average #5...We've mentioned this before. Sonny was clearly the better pitcher in 2008 (it wasn't even close). But the question for the Rays and for other teams looking to trade for a starting pitcher is: How good will Jackson be moving forward? Sonny is probably as good as he is going to get. And as we can see, that is pretty darned good. Jackson still has plenty of room for improvement and could be better than Sonny down the road, but will he be? [Rays Prospects]
• Her Rays is back with another installment of "Rays as Leading Men" in chick flicks. This time it is "Sweet Home Alabama" with Jason Bartlett and Rocco Baldelli...Ahhh, wasn't Bryant so adorable. But we think Jessica got the wrong character for Rocco, considering Rocco and Ethan Embry were "seperated at birth." [Her Rays]
  
• Here is Marc Lancaster's ballot for AL MVP. [Rays Report]
  
• Here is the first 2009 MLB Mock Draft we have seen. With the 30th pick, MyMLBDraft.com projects the Rays to take Josh Phegley, a catcher from Indiana. Who? Exactly. [MyMLBDraft]
• Rise of the Rays takes a closer look at the change in ticket prices for 2009. [Rise of the Rays]
  

This morning we linked to a story in which we learned that Jim Hickey has ordered the pitching staff to not even touch a baseball until January. Buster Olney references a number of recent teams that made deep October playoff runs and then suffered from a breakdown of the pitching staff the following year. The main concern is a sudden and drastic increase in innings pitched from one season to the next, especially on the arms of young pitchers.

Hickey and Joe Maddon have always been cautious with their pitchers so we decided to take a closer look at how much stress was put on the Rays' arms this year due to the extra games in October...

A few notes on the above table...

• The above table only includes pitchers that were significant contributors to the 2008 Rays and figure to be a part of the 2009 roster. All totals include any innings thrown while in the minor leagues or college.
  
• The above group increased their total innings pitched by 2.6% from 2007. If JP Howell is removed from the table (used as starting pitcher in '07), the increase jumps to 8.2%
• "Stress" is a statistical look at how much stress is put on the arm of a pitcher. The stress is based on the number of pitches thrown during a season after a pitcher has reached 110 pitches in a start. For example, if James Shields throws 115 pitches in a start, 5 pitches are considered stressful. Here is a list of the pitchers with the highest Stress levels in 2008. Nine pitchers had a stress level above 20 during the regular season, and Tim Lincecum led baseball with a 49 Stress level (what the hell the Giants are thinking is beyond us).
  
• Only Matt Garza saw an increase in Stress as a result of the postseason. Garza's Stress increased from 7 to 15 after postseason starts with 116 and 118 pitches. Scott Kazmir was the only other pitcher with a start in the postseason with greater than 110 pitches (111).
  

As can be seen in the table, the pitcher that should cause the biggest concern for 2009 is Matt Garza with James Shields and Edwin Jackson to a lesser extent. We are not sure how to judge Grant Balfour's sharp increase as a relief pitcher, but it should not be ignored.

Garza's Stress level, especially in the postseason, is worrisome. However, he does have a history of high inning totals. In 2005 and 2006, Garza posted innings pitched of 184 and 185.2 respectively. His 213.1 innings this season marks only a 14.9% increase over his previous career high. Shields had the exact same number of innings pitched in the regular season as he did in 2007, so his increase is due completely to the postseason.

As can be seen in the table, a starting pitcher's Stress shows a strong correlation to the number of starts with at least 110 pitches. We looked back at each of the starting pitcher's Stress from 2007. As we can see, Garza's Stress jumped considerably in 2008, from 2 to 15. At the other end of the spectrum, Kazmir's stress was much higher in 2007. That could explain the struggles that Kazmir experienced most of the season and could lead to a rebound in 2009.

Shields and Andy Sonnanstine were able to post relatively low Stress totals despite an increase in innings pitched. This bodes well for both pitchers moving forward.

The final factor to consider, that is difficult to measure, is the stress of pitching in the postseason. Scott Kazmir (520), Shields (412) and Garza (431) each added at least 400 pitches to their arm in the postseason. Sonnanstine threw an additional 261 pitches. It could be argued that a pitch in the postseason is more taxing on the arm than a pitch during the regular season. In addition to the stress of the postseason, there is also the factor that arms are tired after pitching for 7 months (including spring training). But how much more stressful is an October pitch? Certainly this varies from pitcher to pitcher, but is something that cannot be ignored.

Ultimately, we have to trust that Hickey and Maddon will take all the extra cautions needed this offseason as the pitchers get ready for 2009. But in the end, there are some serious concerns about how effective Garza and Balfour, as well as some of the other pitchers, will be in the coming season.

Rays pitchers told to take it easy this offseason [ESPN]

The St. Pete Times is reporting that Major League Baseball has already postponed tonight's continuation of game 5. According to the press release from MLB, the game is tentatively scheduled for 8:37pm tomorrow (Wednesday). Don't think Fox TV's desire to keep "House M.D." from being postponed was not a factor in this decision.

As for the Rays, this postponement means very little for the pitching staff. Joe Maddon will still go with Grant Balfour (or David Price) to start the final three and a half innings of game 5. Maddon will also likely stay with James Shields and Matt Garza as his games 6 and 7 starters.

One change could be the availability of the other starters in a potential game 7. If game 5 is completed tomorrow, games 6 and 7 would be held on Thursday and Friday (Halloween). Andy Sonnanstine would certainly be available on Friday (4 days rest) but conceivably he could also throw on Thursday in game 6 out of the bullpen. Also, Scott Kazmir could be available out of the bullpen in a potential game 7 (not that we would recommend that).

As for the Phillies, Charlie Manuel could choose to bring Cole Hamels back on three days rest to start a potential game 7. Hamels only threw 75 pitches last night.

Game 5 postponed ... again [St. Pete Times]

Depending on who you talk to, there is either a 70% or a 90% chance of rain during game 3 of the World Series. If game 3 is postponed, all three of the games in Philadelphia will be moved back a day. MLB will then eliminate the off-day between games 5 and 6. The final two games (if necessary) will still be held on their originally scheduled days (Wednesday, Thursday).

The biggest impact of the rainout would be on how the managers will shuffle the rotations. If game 3 is moved to Sunday, the teams could potentially play five games in five days. This means that either the teams will have to use a 5th starter in game 7 or they will have to bring back their game 3 starters on 3-days rest.

For the Rays it would mean a game 7 start for Matt Garza on three days rest or using 5th starter Edwin Jackson as a starter for the first time in the postseason.

The situation is more dire for the Phillies. They would have to choose between bringing 45-year old Jamie Moyer back on three days rest or starting a relief pitcher. The Phillies 5th starter, Kyle Kendrick is not on the postseason roster. [Ed. note: The Phillies could bring Cole Hamels back for game 3 on three days rest and then have him available again for game 7 on three days rest.]

Here is how the Rays rotation sets up without a rainout...


If game 3 is postponed, here is how the rotation sets up if Joe Maddon chooses not to make any changes...


As you can see both Scott Kazmir and James Shields will be on an extra day of rest. But the downside is Garza would only be on three days rest.

If game 3 is postponed, Maddon could choose to move Kazmir and Shields up a day to pitch on normal rest...


This scenario seems more likely if the Rays are trailing 2 games to 1 heading into game 4.

Of course Garza would still be on three days rest. The only other option seems to be starting Jackson in game 7. Jackson has not started a game since September 24. Maddon could also choose to start Garza on short rest and have David Price ready to go in the 4th/5th inning. This could all hinge on how many pitches Garza throws in game 3. If the Rays jump out to an early lead in game 3, Maddon may decide to go to the bullpen a little earlier than normal with an eye towards a potential game 7.

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, box scores or schedule...

THE GOOD: It was a perfect game for the Phillies. They had their best pitcher on the mound against the Rays #3 starter. They got a number of breaks during the game, including a safe-call on a pickoff attempt in the 2nd inning that showed the runner was out. In the 5th inning Pat Burrell was safe at first on an error when it appeared that he was clearly inside the base line. The Phillies had several excuse-me swings and bloop basehits. With the bases loaded and only 1 out in the 3rd, BJ Upton hit a ball about as hard as it could be hit, but the ball went right to Pedro Feliz at third base, who turned a double-play. And the biggest break may have been a non-balk call in which Cole Hammels picked Carlos Pena off first base with no outs in the 6th of a 1-run game. All of those breaks, with their ace on the mound and the Rays still only lost 3-2 and had several opportunities to win the game. If there is such a thing as a "good" loss in the World Series. This was it. With pitching matchup advantages in the next 3 games, the Rays are far from out of this...The DH is a big advantage for the Rays. Chris Coste was the Phillies DH and he didn't even look like a major league hitter...The Rays "double" lead-off combination of Jason Bartlett and Akinori Iwamura reached base each of their first 5 plate appearances...Lefties in the lineup went 4 for their first 7 with a home run and 2 RBI against Cole Hamels.

THE BAD: Scott Kazmir once again couldn't get out of his own way in the first inning giving up a 2-run home run. And even though Kazmir was a bit unlucky with some bloop hits after the first inning, he still allowed 11 base runners in the first 6 innings. If the Phillies didn't go 0-9 with runners in scoring position in those 6 innings, the game wouldn't have been so close...Phillies lead-off hitters were on base 4 times...With 2 outs in the 5th and a runner on second, BJ Upton fouled out to Ryan Howard who reached into the stands for the grab. Absolutely awful job by the crowd in that section. We have no idea how they can let an opposing player make that play...The Rays 2-4 batters went a combined 0-12 with 5 Ks....Why the hell is the "free taco" such a big story? Did people think there was a chance nobody would steal a base in the entire World Series? Taco Bell is giving away free Tacos. Good for them. We understand Fox TV making a big deal. It is a corporate sponsorship. But why are there so many news stories on the topic?

THE TELLING: Joe Maddon chose to start Ben Zobrist in right field with Gabe Gross struggling and preferring to keep Fernando Perez on the bench as a late-inning weapon. It was Zobrist's second start in right field in his career...10 of the last 11 World Series winners won game 1. Then again 5 of those were sweeps and another 2 were 4-1. Anybody think the Rays are getting swept? Didn't think so...There is about an 80% chance of rain in St. Pete tonight. Too bad the Rays don't play in a dome. Oh. Wait. Never mind...According to CoolStandings.com the chances of the Rays winning the World Series is now only 36.1%.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• In a strange story, Daisuke Matsuzaka apparently accused (in the Japanese media) the Rays of moving the pitching rubber to benefit James Shields. MLB checked the mound and found nothing wrong. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Big League Stew debates the non-balk call. [Big League Stew]
  
• In a classic case of "hindsight is 20-20", Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports says the Rays were "too cool" in game 1 and didn't play the game with urgency...Of course in game 1 of the ALCS everybody was saying the Rays played too uptight. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Gerry Fraley of Fox Sports says the game 1 win cannot hide the problems the Phillies have. [Fox Sports]
• Jerry Crasnick of ESPN says Joe Maddon gives his players 30 minutes after every game to either celebrate the win or stew about the loss. After 30 minutes, that game is done and it is time to focus on the next game. [ESPN]
  
• We always wonder what makes one team in a championship contest a "team of destiny" and the other is not. The Press of Atlantic City thinks the Phillies are destiny's darlings this year. [Press of Atlantic City]
  
• Philly, we'll make you a deal. We'll stop ringing the cowbells if you promise that the Phillies fans in games 3,4,5 will not yell any ignorant insults. Deal? Didn't think so. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• Peter Mucha of the Philadelphia Inquirer says a rainout on Saturday would move Cole Hamels up from game 5 to game 4. This will not change Hamel's availability for game 7. If game 4 is moved to Monday, game 7 will not change. There just won't be an off-day between games 5 and 6. Which means game 7 will be next Thursday regardless of when game 4 is played. So unless Hamels comes back on 2 days rest, Hamels is not pitching game 7. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
  
• Scott Kazmir just wishes he could get the one pitch back from the first inning. [MLB]
  
• Mark Newman gives us "Ten things to love about The Trop." [MLB]
• Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald says that the emergence of the Rays changes the landscape in the AL East and the Yankees and Red Sox should get used to it. [Boston Herald]
• BJ Upton's bat from the ALDS and ALCS was sent to the Hall of Fame. [Baseball Prospectus]
  
• Bud Selig sure doesn't seem upset about the Rays in the World Series when he says, "I just can't tell you how important this is...I'm really lucky I was able to see this." [USA Today]
  
• Troy Percival is still at home with his family in California...Joe Maddon says he would be with the team if he was on the roster. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Tigers new pitching coach has ties to Matt Garza. [Detroit Free-Press]
• Todd Kalas joined his dad in the radio booth during the 4th inning. [MLB]
• While the Rays were celebrating after game 7 of the ALCS, Trever Miller's 4-year old daughter nearly died in the stands. It does sound as if Miller's wife had the situation under control, as this is a condition that is not new. [MLB]

Just the links this morning. We should have more later.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Just in case you missed all the links in our "Happy Hour" edition yesterday afternoon, here is the link. [Rays Index]
• Joe Maddon still hasn't announced the rotation for the World Series, but look for Scott Kazmir to get the game 1 start followed by James Shields and Matt Garza. [MLB]
• Charlie Manuel first tough decision in picking a DH for game 1, which could affect the postseason roster. [Beerleaguer]
  
• The RAYSHEAD Army is growing and we couldn't be more proud. [Newsday]
  
• ALCS game 7 was the most watched baseball game ever to be shown on a cable network. [Awful Announcing]
• Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe tries desperately to find a silver lining for Red Sox fans. Ryan wants Red Sox fans to realize that the team overcame a lot just to get to game 7 of the ALCS...That is all fine and dandy, but that means nothing right now. it might mean something in a few months, but not now. The truth is, the Red Sox were in game 7 and they lost. End of story. It doesn't matter how they got there. The Red Sox had one shot at glory and flushed it down the toilet. [Boston Globe]
• Sox and Pinstripes takes a fairly even-handed look back at the ALCS. [Sox and Pinstripes]
• The Hardball Times looks at why the Rays beat the Red Sox. [The Hardball Times]
  
• Cliff Corcoran of SI.com takes a look at 4 things we learned about the Rays in the ALCS. [SI.com]
• Marc Lancaster says there is a sense in Philadelphia that the Phillies caught a break when the Red Sox lost. [Tampa Tribune]
• John Romano puts the Rays season in a historical context. [St. Pete Times]
  
• One Red Sox writer lost a bet on the ALCS and is now sporting a beautiful Rayhawk. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Gary Shelton says it had to be the Phillies. It is only fitting that the Rays go for their first World Series title against a team from Philadelphia. [St. Pete Times]
  
• The Joe Maddon song of the week, should be song of the year. [the somewhat manly nerd]
• Last week one Red Sox site tried to compare the Red Sox to Rocky. That one was lost on us. This week David Chalk compares members of the Phillies to characters from Rocky movies. This one makes more sense. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune joins the growing wave of national media that recognizes the Rays are not going to be a one-hit wonder. [Chicago Tribune]
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel also looks at the future and says Evan Longoria was a big part of the "master plan". [Orlando Sentinel]
  
• Several members of the Rays chat it up in "The Dugout" after winning the ALCS. [Fanhouse]
• SI.com wonders if the economy can have a positive impact on the World Series ratings. [SI.com]
• The Boston Herald talks about David Price's role in the ALCS and preparing for the World Series. [Boston Herald]
• One of the writers from Oh, It's THOSE Girls guest posts at Bugs and Cranks on the struggle of rooting for two of her former Twinkies, Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza...Speaking of which. Not sure where we first heard this, but shouldn't Garza's sports psychologist have been named the ALCS MVP? Maybe he/she deserves a playoff share? [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Another article trying to convince baseball fans that Phillies and Rays is a good series including "The Greatest Team Turnaround Story in the History of Modern Sports." [ESPN]
• After losing to Tampa Bay squads twice before in quest for championships, a Phillies fan is hoping the third time is a charm...Or as we like to say, three is a pattern. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• One Cleveland Indians fan is jumping on the Rays Bandwagon. [Kanka's Sports Page]
  
• The Rays have released Jorge Velandia from the Durham Bulls. Velandia appeared in 14 games for the Devil Rays in 2007. [Baseball America]
• Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the Red Sox may have gone to the World Series with Manny Ramirez, but that trading him was the right thing to do for the "greater good"...If by "greater good" he means bringing the Pink Hat Nation back down a peg, then we completely agree. [Boston Globe]

The Red Sox Nation rallying cry is "we have been here before." You would think Red Sox fans wanted to lose 3 of the first 4 games. Anybody with a pink hat on today will be quick to point to the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees and the 2007 ALCS against the Indians.

Funny how these fans also forget facing elimination in the 2005 ALDS against the White Sox. Down 2 games to none with game 3 at home. The Red Sox lost. And then there was the 2003 ALCS with the Red Sox losing an elimination game against the Yankees. And the 1999 ALCS against the Yankees. In a scenario similar to this year's ALCS, the Red Sox trailed 3 games to 1 with game 5 in Fenway. The Red Sox lost.

Oh yeah. The Red Sox have been here before.

And this just in...The '07 Indians aren't even in the same league as the Rays. Well, you know what we mean.

Bonus pic after the links (Thanks Brian)

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Scott Kazmir will indeed start game 5. Buster Olney reported this morning that this move was made at least in part because of the tumultuous history between Kazmir and umpire Derryl Cousins, who is scheduled to be the home plate umpire in game 6. [The Heater]
• One writer at Bugs and Cranks says Joe Maddon is waiving the white flag in game 5 by starting Scott Kazmir in place of James Shields...Of course they don't take into account the history between Kazmir and umpire Derryl Cousins, or Kazmir's history in Fenway or Shields' home/road splits or the off-day after game 5. Other than those reasons, then yeah, Papa Joe wants to lose game 5. [Bugs and Cranks]
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks says Joe Maddon's decision is "genius" because he is infallible. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Some are starting to notice that this Rays team is not a flash in the pan. [The Big Lead]
• We think we figured out where Willy Aybar's home run ball landed. The Citgo sign behind the green monster spontaneously caught fire today. [WMUR]
  
• Gerry Fraley points out that there is no Curt Schilling to bail out the Red Sox this year. [Sporting News]
• One Pirates fan wishes he was a Rays fan...To which we say: Why aren't you? Do it. Don't be afraid. Jump on board. You can keep the Buccos on the side. We don't mind. The RAYSHEAD Army is growing, and we are welcoming new members with open arms. And we don't even mind if you think Scott Kazmir's first name is "Eric". We can work on the details later. We would have trouble with the first name of any of the Pirates starting pitchers. [Fanhouse]
  
• 8 reasons why the Red Sox are losing...One thing we haven't mentioned today: Many are looking at the triple last night as a "coming alive" moment for David Ortiz. Why is nobody mentioning that even though he hit that ball well it still came well short of leaving the park? It seems that the triple just made it even more clear that Big Papi's swing is not well right now. [RBI Magazine]
  
• Anthony Rieber thinks the Rays are only good because of a "lot of luck."...Anthony, research is a writer's best friend. Try it some time. [Newsday]
• Hidden behind ESPN's "Insider" wall, Buster Olney breaks down the 4 things the Red Sox need to do in order to come back in this series. Really it is 3 reasons as one is based on Scott Kazmir pitching game 6. [ESPN]
• Really? One writer wonders if the Rays will sell out any potential World Series games. Never mind that the Rays sold out all the ALDS and ALCS games in less than an hour. This is the World Series we are talking about...Our IQ went down having read that post. [yoonewverse]
  
• The Hardball Times tries to project BJ Upton's '09 season based on his '08 stats, including his postseason performance to date. Of course, they don't take into account the shoulder injury that Upton battled most of the season. [The Hardball Times]

THE GOOD: Matt Garza was never dominating, but he was never in real trouble. Despite allowing at least 1 baserunner in each of the first 6 innings and a runner on at least 2nd base with less than 2 outs in each of the first 3 innings, Garza was able to work out of each situation...Hitters 2-5 in the lineup. BJ Upton, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford went a combined 2-13 with 3 walks and 5 Ks in the first game. In games 2 and 3 the group went 14-38 with 12 RBI...Upton now has 5 home runs in the postseason after hitting 9 all season. Kinda nice to imagine how good he is going to be next season once his shoulder is repaired...All 9 starters got a basehit...Leadoff hitters were on base in 6 innings, going 5-8 with a walk...Edwin Jackson. The game was out of reach, but it was nice to see Nuke come in and pitch a perfect 9th inning in his first postseason appearance. He threw 14 pitches, all fastballs, 8 for strikes, hitting 99 mph on one pitch. But before we start screaming about what a great relief pitcher he would be, let's keep in mind that he does seem a little too much like Kyle Farnsworth out of the 'pen. Not even relief pitchers can live on straight fastballs, even if they approach triple digits on the radar gun...P.S. What happened to Jon Lester the Invincible?

THE BAD: JP Howell may not be available tonight. Despite opening up an 8-1 lead in the top of the 8th, Joe Maddon kept Howell in the game in the bottom of the 8th for a second inning of work. Howell worked at least 2 innings in 25 appearances this season. Not once did he pitch the next day. Of course, the double play to end the 7th inning helped keep his pitch count down, and he only needed 20 pitches to complete the 2 innings of work, including 4 to get the three outs in the 7th...BJ Upton did something wacky on the basepaths again. Ohhh Melvin.

THE TELLING: The last time the Rays faced Tim Wakefield, both Willy Aybar and Fernando Perez started and batted right-handed. Both homered in their only plate appearance against Wakefield as he was chased after 2.1 innings. Of course Gabe Gross also homered in that game against Wakefield. The knuckleballer was 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA in 3 starts versus the Rays this season...Evan Longoria tied the record for most home runs by a rookie in a single postseason, with 4...Road teams that win game 3 are 8-2 in LCS...The Red Sox would have to win 3 of the final 4 games in order to advance to the World Series. According to CoolStandings.com the Rays now have a 68.5% chance of winning the ALCS.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• We will be back tonight with another Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo (Lite).
• As mentioned yesterday Joe Maddon may be leaning towards pitching Scott Kazmir in game 5 on normal rest and holding back James Shields until game 6 at home where he is more effective. Kazmir has a history of big starts in Fenway and the off-day after game 5 could come in handy should Kazmir need much bullpen support. We also wonder if the atmosphere at Fenway can be distracting to Kazmir in a positive way as his problems right now seem to be mental. The crowd intensity may actually help Kazmir focus and keep his mind off his mechanics. Yesterday all Maddon would say is they are "supposed to" pitch Shields in game 5. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Ken Rosenthal of Fox TV reported during the NLCS game last night that a scout for an opposing team told him that he believes Scott Kazmir "has some sort of arm issue."...Keep in mind that this is just speculation on the scout's part.
  
• A great article about Joe Maddon by Howard Bryant of ESPN.com as he tries to get into the mind of the Rays' manager. Joe Maddon does not consider himself a new-age manager. Rather he feels as though he is trying to get the Rays play 1920s baseball, by keeping the game simple.
  
• A Rays fan caught the Evan Longoria home run ball while sitting in the seats above the Green Monster. [Tampa Bay Rays Prospects]
• A few members of The RAYSHEAD Army made their way to Fenway Park including the guy that caught Evan Longoria's home run ball...We love this quote: “I’ve been suffering with this team since Day 1...I was at Red Sox games down at the Trop in ’98 and ’99 when there were 7,000 people. There was no Red Sox Nation. Now all of a sudden, everybody down there is from South Boston.” [New York Times]
  
• It is hard for us to think the St. Pete Times is objective when they shill for the Rays. Sometimes it is hard to tell. This one is pretty obvious. [St. Pete Times]
• "It was almost as if Red Sox Nation had already marked down a Game 3 victory with Lester on the mound."...We are pretty sure they did mark it down as a victory. As they also did with a potential game 7 matchup with Lester. [Fox Sports]
• Tom Van Riper of Forbes.com tries to predict the 10 sports franchises most likely to move. The biggest factor according to Van Riper is poor stadium conditions. The top 2 teams on the list are the Florida Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays. Only a couple of problems. The Marlins have a new stadium set to open in 2011 (never mentioned by Van Riper) and the Rays are in the works for a new stadium with the only apparent roadblock being location (also never mentioned by Van Riper). The other problem which is mentioned by Van Riper is that only 1 baseball franchise has moved in the last 30 years and that team (Montreal Expos) had to first be purchased by MLB. It just doesn't happen except under extreme circumstances. And yet basketball and hockey teams move all the time and NFL teams move occasionally. (Thanks Zenny) [Yahoo! Sports]
  
• Joe Maddon once put himself in as a pinch-hitter for Joe Carter. Yes. That Joe Carter. [SI.com]
• Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com takes a look at how the Rays are wining in the postseason. [ESPN]
  
• Josh Kalk of The Hardball Times takes a look at David Price. [The Hardball Times]
  
• Jacoby Ellsbury has yet to reach base for the Red Sox in the first 3 games. [Boston Herald]
  
• Jeff Pearlman of ESPN.com does not understand a world in which the Rays are a good ballclub. [ESPN]
  
• Rake Blog has a mancrush on Evan Longoria, calling him "as close to a sure thing as a young athlete can be on this side of Justin Upton or Lebron James," and insisting he is headed to the hall of fame. [Rake Blog]
  
• First it was the mascots. Now the managers are chatting it up in "The Dugout" and Scott Kazmir has an identity crisis. [Fanhouse]
• Transcript from Joe Maddon's post-game press conference. [MLB]
• Transcript from Matt Garza and Rocco Baldelli's post-game press conference. [MLB]
  

THE TELLING: There was a lot of discussion as to whether Eric Hinske or Fernando Perez would be left off the roster in the ALCS. We are not sure why it was even a question. Joe Maddon needs Perez on the roster. When Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox, Rocco Baldelli is the Rays right fielder, if he is ready to play the field. If Rocco can't go, it will be Perez in right field...We would never want Joe Maddon's responsibility to tell Troy Percival he is not on the ALCS roster. But could you imagine how much worse it would have been if the opponent was Percy's former ballclub, the Angels?

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Edwin Jackson has been added to the ALCS roster as the 11th pitcher. To make room, Eric Hinske was removed. This leaves Fernando Perez on the roster. [The Heater]
• Sweet. Fancy. Moses. Her Rays asked for it and now a Spa in the Bay Area is delivering. Rayhawks for women. Be sure to catch the end of the video. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Joe Maddon addressed the media. Among the questions was when Maddon thought the Rays turned the corner this season. He pointed to the Blue Jays series after the all-star break after the Rays had lost 7 in a row and everybody was predicting an end to that "nice story". [MLB]
• Here is a transcript of James Shields meeting with the media. [MLB]
  
• This may be satire, but at least one member of the Red Sox Nation remembers that the Sox sucked for 86 years and that winning the World Series is not a birthright. [Over The Monster]
• Several people suggested this for the ALDS. The Rays will have 11 original season-ticket holders throw out the first pitch for game 1 of the ALCS. Dick Vitale will do the honors in game 2...There is a nice symmetry to the number 11. It is the number of wins needed to win the World Series. [Rays Report]
• If the Rays win the ALCS, the Red Sox writer at Bugs and Cranks will have to cut his hair into a Rayhawk...Game On! [Bugs and Cranks]
• One computer simulation says the Red Sox have a slight edge in the series, winning 53% of 10,000 simulations. [Fire Brand of the American League]
  

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, box scores or schedule...

This piece by John Romano goes above the fold today. A must read...Joe Maddon is a manager that is not big on team meetings, but there were three this season that set the tone for the 2008 Rays. The "genius" label is tossed around in sports as loosely as a teen girl tosses around the label "best friend". In both cases, the overuse takes away from the significance. In the case of Maddon, we will just call him a brilliant tactician. He doesn't push buttons often, but when he does, you can be sure the move is well thought out, well planned and perfectly executed. Come to think of it. That pretty much describes everything about the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays. [St. Pete Times]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• In case you missed it yesterday afternoon, we ran a bunch of "Webtopia" links in the evening "Happy Hour" feature. [Rays Index]
• Joe Maddon said the goal will be to inflate Daisuke Matsuzaka's pitch count. Maddon also said that it is not out of the question to go back to James Shields in game 4 if needed...That does not seem likely considering how well Andy Sonnanstine pitched against the Red Sox in September. [Boston Globe]
  
• The Biz of Baseball has some quotes from Joe Maddon from the yesterday's team workout. [The Biz of Baseball]
  
• Manny Stiles breaks down the ALCS position-by-position and gives the Rays a slight edge. As usual, Stiles is short and too the point...Who are we kidding. This piece is over 5,200 words. To give you perspective, the average column in one of the local papers is usually under 1,000 words. [armchair gm]
  
• Marc Lancaster spoke with JP Howell. By our count Howell said "man" seven times during the interview. And he sure loves his PB&J and Doritos, man. [Tampa Tribune]
• Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe sure picked a funny time to rip the Rays because of their attendance, considering the playoff games all sold out in less than an hour. And that is without a sizable season ticket holder base. [Boston Globe]
• Sox and Pinstripes wants less cowbell in the ALCS...Because you know, cowbells are a million times more annoying than some drunken bandwagon Red Sox "fan" wearing a pink hat and screaming every obscenity in the book and doing their best job to pick a fight. [Sox and Pinstripes]
  
• Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe sure wants there to be bad blood in this series. Terry Francona and several players were asked about the potential for something to happen in the ALCS and they all sound as if they are not even considering it, which is smart considering what is on the line. But not satisfied with those responses, Kilgore finally gets a couple to give weak "I guess it could happen" responses. One thing we have learned from some reporters. If you ask questions long enough eventually you will get the answers you need for a story, even if the story is a stretch. [Boston Globe]
• Sox and Dawgs takes a look back at all 18 games between the Rays and Red Sox this season. [Sox and Dawgs]
  
• Joe Maddon says it is too easy to put a Cinderella label on the Rays. He says that it is no fluke that the Rays are in the position they are in. BJ Upton says the biggest difference is just believing they can win every time they take the field. [MLB]
• Pete Williams of The New York Times writes that the success of Tampa Bay sports franchises are no longer overshadowed by the Yankees. [New York Times]
• Tito Francona An AL scout offers his thoughts on each player in the Rays lineup. [Boston Herald]
• Hacks with Haggs breaks down various odds for the ALCS. The Red Sox are the favorite to win the World Series at 7/4 and the Rays are second at 5/2. The best odds of a Ray to win the ALCS MVP is BJ Upton at 7/1. There are 5 Red Sox with better odds to win the MVP. [Hacks with Haggs]
• Ticket prices for the ALCS are going sky high and the fear is that those tickets are more likely to be scooped up by Red Sox fans wearing pink hats. [Bradenton Herald]
  

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule...

Best and most telling quote we have read yet about the Rays first playoff game comes from Her Rays:

You know what was really refreshing about this game. It was the playoffs and the Rays still looked the same to me.

Perfect. That is exactly what Papa Joe would want.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• As will probably be the norm for the rest of the playoffs, we had the game recap and several "Webtopia" links in last night's "Happy Hour" feature. [Rays Index]
• Times for games 3, 4, and 5 have been updated above.
  
• As we mentioned last night Evan Longoria hit 2 home runs and he did not have a mohawk. He was sporting a freshly buzzed dome. Just sayin'.
  
• Joe Maddon still hasn't decided who will start in RF and DH tonight. It will either be Rocco Baldelli in RF and Willy Aybar at DH or Fernando Perez in RF and Rocco at DH. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Carlos Pena is wearing a clear contact lens and using antibiotics to speed up the healing of his scratch cornea...David Price will be saved for long relief, working only in games in which a starter gets knocked out early or if a game goes extra innings...Jason Hammel and Edwin Jackson will pitch today in the Instructional League with Troy Percival throwing tomorrow. [Tampa Tribune]
• John Romano tries to recap the 7th inning confrontation between Grant Balfour and Orlando Cabrera. Romano does the best he can considering the language involved. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Phil Rogers of Chicago Tribune says the Rays acted like they have been there before. [Chicago Tribune]
  
• Here is transcripts from the postgame press conference with James Shields and Evan Longoria. [MLB]
• Transcript from Joe Maddon's postgame press conference. [MLB]
  
• Transcript from Scott Kazmir's workout day press conference. [MLB]
• Sully Baseball tries to find a team for New York baseball fans to root for in October. [Sully Baseball]
• The White Sox will send their Ace to the mound tonight in a must-win game. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• According to CoolStandings.com the Rays now have a 74.2% chance of winning the ALDS, with the most likely outcome being a sweep (27.4%). [CoolStandings]
  

[Update: 8:24pm] The White Sox put away the Tigers 8-2. The Rays post-season opponent will now be determined tomorrow at 7:30 ET in a 1-game playoff.

[Update: 7:26pm] Gary Glover's first pitch was a grand slam for Chicago. About right. 6-2 White Sox.

[Update: 7:24pm] White Sox have tied the game at 2-2 and Detroit just brought in Gary Glover with the bases loaded, which should just about a guarantee a White Sox win and a 1-game playoff tomorrow with the Twins.

[Update: 6:08pm] Game announcers just said the Twins are in Minneapolis with a charter ready to bring them to Chicago.

The White Sox and Tigers are currently in the 4th inning with the White Sox leading 1-0. A Chicago win will force a 1-game playoff tomorrow at home against the Twins...Interesting question: Are the Twins in Chicago today? Today's game was delayed by rain for 3 hours. Would the Twins wait until after the game to travel? Can't imagine they would fly in tomorrow morning.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Carl Crawford went 0-4 in 5 plate appearances during an Instructional League game today. He reported no pain and indicated he was playing at 100%. Crawford also says his hamstrings "feel good", no doubt benefiting from the time off. [Rays Report]
  
• Reid Brignac is healthy and playing in the Fall Instructional League. Andrew Friedman said he would not hesitate to put Brignac on the postseason roster should an injury necessitate the addition of a middle infielder...Marc Lancaster also reports that Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and Juan Salas have been told they will not be on the postseason roster. [Rays Report]
• Ben Zobrist was named co-player of the week. He is the 4th Ray to win the award this season. [Rays Report]
  
• Outs Per Swing has a nice list of the Rays' top 10 pitching performances this season. A testament to this year's squad, all 5 of the Rays' starters make the list at least once. However, 7 of the outings came via Matt Garza (4) or James Shields (3) with the other 3 starters each appearing once. Our only argument might come with #1. We probably would have gone with Garza's 1-hit, 10-K performance against the Marlins (#2 on the list). That was the most dominating performance we have ever seen by a Rays' pitcher. Still, 1-hit shutout by Shields is hard to argue against. [Outs Per Swing]
  
• Sorry we missed this one yesterday...Baseball Digest Daily spoke with Buster Olney of ESPN.com during their weekly podcast. Among the topics covered were the Rays. You can catch the Rays segment at about the 35 min mark. [Baseball Digest Daily]
• The Angels "Ain't S#!t" compared to the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
• The first pitches for games 1 and 2 will be thrown out by senior VP John Higgins, the Rays' first-ever employee and Paul Azinger, the captain of the recent US Ryder Cup team, and Bradenton resident. [The Heater]

THE GOOD: James Shields. It had been a while since we had seen Shields paint one of his Shieldsian Masterpieces. When Shields is on his game as he was yesterday, it is like watching a young Greg Maddux. The Greg Maddux that actually threw fastballs in the low 90s and would work 8 innings. It really is a thing of beauty. 8 innings, 6 strikeouts, no walks. In only 1 inning (6th) did a runner even reach second base. We call him "James the Greater". But maybe "Bulldog" is more appropriate.

THE BAD: In the nightcap, Ben Zobrist put the Rays in a position to win with his second career grand slam and then put the Rays in a position to lose with his 7th error of the season. Instead of an inning-ending double play, Zobrist threw an easy toss to second into right field, leading to 2 runs...The Rays had at least 2 runners on base in each of the first 3 innings and failed to score...Prior to Ben Zobrist's grand slam, the Rays were 0-8 with runners in scoring position (if you count Fernando Perez' "sacrifice" in the 2nd when he was trying to bunt for a basehit)...After Ben Zobrist's grand slam with 1 out in the 4th, Yankees pitchers faced the minimum over the next 14 batters until Gabe Gross singled off of Mo Rivera to lead off the 9th...Matt Garza's control. He only walked 3 batters in 5 innings, but of his 83 pitches only 47 were strikes (57%).

THE TELLING: In the first game of the double-header, both Ben Zobrist and Fernando Perez, switch-hitters, batted right-handed against the righty Mike Mussina. Joe Maddon told both players they could start as long as they went along with the plan. Combined, they went 2-5 with a single and a double against Moose.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Our good friends at The Serious Tip, turn 2 today...Happy Birthday! [The Serious Tip]
• Because Joe Maddon switched Matt Garza and James Shields in the rotation on Friday and Saturday and because of the subsequent rainout on Friday, the Rays are without a starter for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox. That game would have been Garza's start and Papa Joe could still decide use Garza despite only 3 days rest. Garza only threw 83 pitches last night. Or Maddon could decide to use one of the trio of starters just called up from triple-A, David Price, Jeff Niemann or Mitch Talbot...This is where we would normally make an educated guess as to what Maddon will do. However this time we have no clue. We could make an argument for all 4. Our gut says Niemann. Thoughts? [St. Pete Times]
• Reason number 705 that we love Stuart Sternberg and why the Rays are lucky to work for him. [Tampa Tribune]

"I just want to be there with the Red Sox fans when they cheer Jeter on, and A-Rod, and their former Damon, and Giambi, and the whole crew. All the guys that they love all year long, year after year, as they sit there and root for them to get hits and strikeouts and all that good stuff. I'd love to share a bar seat with a couple of Sox fans as they root for the Yankees."

• Rays The Stakes wants to know why Troy Percival is still the Rays closer. [Rays The Stakes]
• John Romano thinks Francisco Rodriguez is a better comparison for David Price than Joba Chamberlain. [St. Pete Times]
  
• We saw in the nightcap that BJ Upton was sporting a fresh mohawk. And now we read that Evan Longoria went mohawk in between yesterday's games. Anybody have pictures? [St. Pete Times]
• Jose Molina took exception to being hit by James Shields in the 6th inning of the opener with the Rays up 7-0. Molina gave a long stare to Shields and then was called for interference when he went out of the baseline to try and kick Jason Bartlett, while sliding into second on a double play. [Rays Report]
  
• The Charleston Post and Courier interviewed Carl Crawford, in which he states a strong desire to have a grass ballpark for the Rays. [Charleston Post and Courier]
• If there is any doubt that a sports franchise can survive in the Bay Area, Forbes ranks the Tampa Bay Bucs as tied for the 6th most valuable team in football at $1.1 billion. [Forbes]
  

With the Red Sox loss last night, the Rays pull even with Pink Hat Nation in the loss column. The Rays still maintain their 2 game lead in the Wild Card race over the A's.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• The Rays still have not received official word as to when Edwin Jackson will begin his suspension, which will likely be either tonight or Thursday (at the conclusion of James Shields' suspension). Tonight is also the last game of Carl Crawford's suspension with Aki Iwamura to begin his tomorrow. [St. Pete Times]
• "No one could have imagined the Cubs-Rays series would be a possible World Series preview"...Those are the Chicago Tribune's words. Not ours. Reading that and something comes to our mind. Something about a "cart" and a "horse"?? [Chicago Tribune]
  
• The Cubs are just the latest good team to face the Rays. They will be the fourth series of the last six that featured a team in first place and 26 of the Rays last 28 games have been against a team with a .500 record or better. [Tampa Tribune]
• In addition to the first to the Trop for former Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella, tonight's game also marks the first return to the Trop for the Devil Rays original manager Larry Rothschild, who is now the Cubs pitching coach. [St. Pete Times]
• Lou Piniella said that if he had stayed with the Devil Rays for another year or two, he probably wouldn't be the managing today. [Southtown Star]

''I was crazy enough to think I could win anywhere with anything,'' said Piniella, who won two World Series rings as a player in New York and another as a manager in Cincinnati. ''Not crazy, but confident in my ability...At that time, you go on a road trip to New York, Boston and Toronto, and if you win one game in each city, it's a good trip,'' Piniella said. ''From a professional standpoint, I wasn't prepared for that. I'd won everywhere I'd been. I didn't enjoy the losses. And it wasn't going to get any better, so I got out.''

• Gerry Hunsicker was on The Show with Rob Dibble and Kevin Kennedy and talked about making deals at the trading deadline...Hunsicker said "...deals arent easy to make, atleast significant deals and you’re probably going to have to overpay regardless of what you get because of the supply and demand factor..." Overpaying is not something the Rays ever want to do, so don't expect any major deals from the Rays before the trading deadline. [MLB on XM]
  
• Cubs f/x breaks down the pitchf/x of Scott Kazmir. [Cubs f/x]