On Friday the Rays chose not to offer Jonny Gomes arbitration. The move most likely ended Gomes' career with the Rays.

Marc Topkin spoke with Gomes, who indicated that he would be open to a rejoining the Rays on a minor league deal if he is unable to find major league work someplace else. Gomes is also in the process of exploring options to improve his vision (that explains drinking beer out of an athletic cup) and feels being drafted by the Rays may have saved his life.

"If it wasn't for the Rays, I'd probably be in Iraq right now," Gomes said Saturday. "Back in '01, I had two contracts in front of me, one to go play for the Rays as an 18th-round draft pick and one to go into the Marines...So I may owe the Rays my life. I'm one of the few people who leaves the Rays with a smile."

We will certainly miss Gomes' enthusiasm. And we will miss his aggressiveness. And we will miss his ability to always steal second base with two outs to get into scoring position. And we will miss his honesty (when asked how the team felt about Evan Longoria being demoted, he answered that the only person that liked the move was the triple-A manager). But we won't miss his "Keystone Kops" routine in the outfield or his penchant for thinking one home run was a sign of more to come or how he swung at over 50% of pitches that were out of the strike zone (seriously).

So, with Gomes' career with the Rays now in the rear view mirror, let's take a look back at some of our favorite stories of Gomes. Have your own favorite Jonny Terrific story? Let's hear it in the comments.

Jonny Gomes Webtopia...

• Teams learned not to mess with the Rays as long as he was on the team. [Yankees Play Dirty After Whining About Clean Play]
• Our love affair with Gomes began early on and may have had something to do with how much he used to look like a certain TV teacher. [Hey Mr. Gomes...Up Your Nose With A Rubber Hose!]
• But that took a big hit when he started looking more like the ex-Mr. Brittany Spears. [Separated At Birth?]
• The again, who can deny his animal magnetism. [Bugs and Cranks]
• We would be remiss if we did not point out the great work Gomes did with children with cancer. [MLB]
  
• And he looks like he could have kicked our ass, even when he was 12. [Pearls of Wisdom]
  
• Gomes had an interesting (to say the least) choice of walk-up music prior to his at bats. We always wondered why a team like the Rays, that strives to be a family-friendly atmosphere, allowed that song to be played. [Jonny Gomes Is A Crazy B!tch]
• Gomes is the only player in baseball that can drink beer from an athletic cup and people are not surprised. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Or show up for warm ups with an axe. [Bugs and Cranks]
• He once showed up in the clubhouse with a "good luck" rooster. [MLB]
  
• We could never get over Gomes' inability to button his jersey. [Jonny Gomes: DH/Outfielder For The...RAAYS?]
• But we loved his appearance in the "History of the Fist Bump." [The Fist Bump: All The Cool Kids Are Doing It]
• What could have been...if only the Rays let him practice against right handed pitchers. [Jonny Gomes Never Even Got To Hit Against Right-Handers In Batting Practice]
  

Departed Jonny Gomes appreciates time with Tampa Bay Rays [St. Pete Times]

Marc Topkin is reporting that Jonny Gomes has been non-tendered by the Rays and is now a free agent. The Rays did offer arbitration to the remaining five players that were arbitration-eligible (Willy Aybar, Grant Balfour, Jason Bartlett, Gabe Gross, Dioner Navarro).

With the Rays offering Gross arbitration, it suggests that there is at least a possibility that Matt Joyce will begin the season in triple-A as both players offer a similar skill set.

And so it is. Jonny Gomes' career with the Rays has now come to an end...and yes, the 2009 season will indeed be less Jonny-Terrific.

Gomes non-tendered, now a free agent [The Heater]

Tonight is the non-tender deadline for the Rays and their six arbitration-eligible players. So it might be a good time to say your good-byes to Jonny Gomes, as 2009 has a very good chance of being less Jonny-terrific.

Willy Aybar, Dioner Navarro, Jason Bartlett and Grant Balfour will certainly be offered arbitration. Gomes is a good candidate to be non-tendered and Gabe Gross is on the cusp.

If the Rays offer Gross arbitration it might be an indication that they want to have the option of sending Matt Joyce to the minors to open the season. If Gross is not offered arbitration, Joyce will almost certainly be on the opening day roster.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Good news for the Rays. The first corner outfielder/DH signed. Raul Ibanez signed with the Phillies for three years/$30 million. With the deal also costing the Phillies a first round draft pick (Type A free agent) we can expect most of the remaining corner outfielder/DHs to come in under that mark. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  
• Matt Joyce, who is currently playing in Mexico and is from the Tampa area, called the trade to the Rays "a dream come true." [St. Pete Times]
• Joe Maddon spoke highly of Matt Joyce the person and the ball player. [Tampa Tribune]

"I like the thunder in his bat, I like the effort with which he played," said Manager Joe Maddon. "He's a very good outfielder, he throws well and he's young. He's the kind of guy I think, as he learns more about himself at the plate, is going to be a very productive offensive player, too."...Maddon added that several baseball people had approached him since the trade was made to tell him how much they thought of Joyce as a person, and Friedman heard the same thing.

• FanGraphs breaks down the Edwin Jackson/Matt Joyce trade noting that Joyce is the better player right now and will likely get better. They compare Joyce to Jayson Werth and note that Joyce teamed with Carl Crawford and BJ Upton is easily the best defensive outfield in baseball. [Fangraphs]
• Keith Law's take is not quite as uplifting, saying Matt Joyce is best suited to be part of a right field platoon. [ESPN]
• Drays Bay shows that Matt Joyce compares favorably to Carl Crawford both defensively and against lefties and wonders why anybody would want to platoon Joyce...First off, they might be right and we are not sure Joyce isn't an everyday player (we hope he is). While they have to use Joyce's minor league splits, it is just silly to think that those numbers will translate perfectly to the major leagues. If Joyce is already near the bottom of the list in OPS against lefties with just his minor league numbers, is it too much of a stretch to worry that it might actually regress a little (or a lot) in the majors? And while Joyce's minor league OPS versus lefties (.721) is greater than Carl Crawford's major league OPS versus lefties (.695), three of the four seasons were actually worse. In fact, in 2008 at triple-A, Joyce posted an OPS of .656 versus lefties. It was only 46 at bats, but it was a crappy 46 at bats (1 HR, .308 OBP, 18.2% fly balls). And let's say Joyce does maintain his OPS versus lefties. A starting outfield with Joyce and Crawford both playing positions that we should expect offensive production from, would be atrocious against left-handers. [Drays Bay]
  
• John Romano says the Matt Joyce at worst, is a younger, cheaper Gabe Gross. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Originally Matt Joyce was to be dealt to Seattle for JJ Putz. With Putz now a Met, that leaves the Tigers without a closer. Might Joyce have been traded for a closer after all? Might Edwin Jackson close for the Tiggers? [The Flint Journal]
  
• The "Rays Digest Podcast" will be back today with another installment as Tyler Hissey recaps the Winter Meetings. [Rays Digest]
  
• Pearls of Wisdom has gone to all stops to make sure Jonny Gomes is not tendered a contract tonight. [Pearls of Wisdom]
  
• Peter Abraham is reporting that Jason Giambi is open to returning to the Yankees for less years and less dollars. This is contrary to previous reports that said Giambi preferred to play on the west coast. [The LoHud Yankees Blog]
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks welcomes Matt Joyce to Devil Ray Town and hopes this means Jason Giambi is not to be a Ray. [Bugs and Cranks]
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Ken Davidoff of Newsday is reporting that the Rays have some interest in the Mets' Aaron Heilman...Heilman scares us because we think there is still a part of Heilman that wants to be a starting pitcher even though the Mets have kept in the bullpen the last 4 seasons. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• Mets Fever wonders if the Mets could swing a deal with the Rays in which Aaron Heilman and Edwin Jackson are the main pieces. If the price is too high, they wouldn't mind Heilman for Jonny Gomes, noting that "Heilman absolutely has to be moved, [they] don't think he can succeed [with the Mets] and needs a change of scenery." [Mets Fever]
• A tale of two fans that roadtripped from Bloomington, Indiana to St. Pete for game 2 of the World Series. [Sixty Feet, Six Inches]
  
• Creative Loafing takes a look at the impact of the Rays World Series run on the chances of gaining support for a new stadium. They feel that the increased support for the Rays may actually hurt their chances. [Creative Loafing]
  

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

Just the links this morning and we will be off the grid most of the day. We will be back this evening with a "RIGO!", so we will see you then...

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• We are having a hard time finding a link but we heard from several sources that Joe Maddon said after game 5 was suspended that he was well-aware of the rule that the World Series would not have ended had the game been suspended with the Phillies in the lead. However, Maddon made it clear that he did not inform the players of this because he wanted them playing with a sense of urgency.
• Jonny Gomes when he was a paper boy. [Pearls of Wisdom] [via Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Jorge Ortiz of USA Today breaks down how the rest of Game 5 will be managed. [USA Today]
  
• Marc Lancaster reported that as of game time last night it was not raining and had not rained in a couple of hours. He does mention that the conditions (cold, wind) would have made last night an unpleasant time to try and play baseball. [Rays Report]
• David Lennon of Newsday says the Phillies have every reason to be upset but that they won't have any problem moving past it as the players follow the lead of their manager, Charlie Manuel. [Newsday]
  
• Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Philadelphia is ready to lay all the blame at the feet of Bud Selig if the Phillies lose the World Series...Way to have confidence in your team guys. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• Or maybe they will just blame God. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• Or as Mike Lopresti of USA Today puts it, the "gods must be crazy" as Bud Selig's no-win situation was just the latest in a very odd World Series. [USA Today]
• John Romano wonders if destiny is indeed on the Rays' side. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Tyler Hissey says BJ Upton's postseason has helped many to forget their criticisms from the regular season. [Rays Digest]
  
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks has a plan to save the World Series. [Bugs and Cranks]
• The World Series umpires chat-it-out in "The Dugout". [Fanhouse]
  

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

Online Surveys & Market Research

Just the links for now...the "Pepper" post for games 1 and 2 will be up in a little bit.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Ben Zobrist will get the start in RF tonight over Gabe Gross. [The Heater]
  
• Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays' roster is official and it is the same as the ALCS. No Eric Hinske and no Shawn Riggans. [The Heater]
• The World Series preview is up at Deadspin. [Deadspin]
  
• "If you care about sports, you will root for the Rays when the World Series opens tonight". Dan Shanoff goes on to list a number of reasons why all fans outside of Philadelphia should be firmly behind the Rays. [The Sporting Blog]
• Wag Rankings breaks down the players' wives. (thanks Kevin) [Wag Rankings]
  
• Jayson Stark and Jim Caple debate who will win the World Series. Caple says Rays will sweep. [ESPN]
• Hugging Harold Reynolds peruses Craigslist looking at the ticket market for the World Series. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
  
• Tyler Hissey interviews a Phillies writer about the team. [Scout.com]
  
• The Blue Workhorse has "23 Reasons to Root for the Rays". [The Blue Workhorse]
  
• Here is a breakdown of the World Series, position-by-position...We are not sure where they got Dioner Navarro's statline. Not even close. [SI.com]
• A new take on the old "Rays are bad for baseball" shtick. Rumors and Rants feels that the Rays are proving that equality in baseball is not necessary. [Rumors and Rants]
  
• The Phillies have lost a World Series to every team in the AL East, except the Rays. [The Big Lead]
• A World Series preview from Rays Digest. [Rays Digest]
  
• Jonny Gomes says the brawl with the Yankees in Spring Training set the tone for the season. [New York Daily News]
• Howard Bryant wonders if the Rays will be able to maintain the success if they win the World Series or if they will go the way of the Marlins after each of their titles. [ESPN]
• Philly Burbs breaks down each team's "intangibles". (thanks Chris) [Philly Burbs]
• A look at where several of the players on the field tonight were the last time the Phillies won the World Series. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
  
• Stu Sternberg also runs a softball team in Rye, NY. [New York Times]
• A roundtable at Fanhouse discusses the World Series. They (mostly) like the Rays. [Fanhouse]
  
• The Hardball Times has a scouting report on Scott Kazmir. [The Hardball Times]
  

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

THE GOOD: Say it with us. The Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series and it starts TONIGHT! It never gets old. We will be mumbling that to our selves all day.

THE BAD: Mrs. Professor scheduled a dentist appointment this morning. Did she not look at the calendar. Buck the heck! The most important day yet in Rays history and we are going to the damn dentist?!?!

THE TELLING: We stopped shaving when the playoffs started. This shite itches like a mofo.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Can anybody confirm that the Rays played a "Victory!" chant by Johnny Drama of "Entourage" on the jumbotron following the Rays win in game 2 of the ALCS? [Newsday]
• More Rays Index "jacked up on caffeine". We did a "Good/Bad/Telling" for the entire ALCS over at the Hardball Times. [The Hardball Times]
  
• We answered some questions about the Rays yesterday over at Balls, Sticks & Stuff. [Balls, Sticks & Stuff]
  
• Coolest thing we have seen all week? Maybe...Of course we went with "Seven Nation Army". (Thanks Brian) [More Cowbell]
• Sam Donnellon points out that Cole Hamels won game 1 in both the NLDS and NLCS and is as cool as they come. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• Apparently we had some awkward ad placement on this site a couple of days ago...Fairly annoying, but still not as bad as all the ads for "Barry Bonds Ringtones" earlier this year. [Ed. note: We do not control the specific ads on this site. They are generated automatically based on keywords] [The 'Ropolitans]
• If you love Jonny Gomes...You will love this post. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Jonny Gomes is blogging during the World Series for his hometown paper. [Petaluma Press-Democrat]
• One USA Today writer is predicting a Rays sweep...Is it just us, or is this setting up well for the Rays. Most of the "experts" are jumping on the Phillies bandwagon because they want to be the "expert" that predicted the upset. Go ahead. Doubt the Rays. We dare ya. [USA Today]
• Like the Rays, the Phillies defense is a strength and could be the key to winning the series. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
  
• Scott Kazmir and Cole Hamel were picked 2 spots apart in the '02 draft. [Fox Sports]
• Rob Neyer says it is hard to find any weak links in the Rays lineup. [ESPN]

...perhaps not enough has been said for management's decision to move Iwamura from third base to second. Could they have known he'd be as good as he's been? I do suspect that Marchman overstates Iwamura's case somewhat, but that's beside the point. We come back to Epstein's notion about weak links, and it's almost impossible to find a weak link in the Rays' defense. Throw in a pitching staff that ranked second in the American League in ERA and fourth in strikeouts, and Tampa Bay's 97 wins begin to make sense...You wonder why everyone's picking the Rays to beat the Phillies? Probably because they don't have any glaring weaknesses and they play in the Big Boy League.

• Brittany Ghiroli has a story about Carl Crawford appearing at a pep rally at a local middle school. [MLB]
• The World Series is causing some trash-talking in the Kalas family. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
  
• When are people going to realize, that this isn't about "bandwagons". It is about thousands of baseball fans that have been yearning for a team worthy of rooting for. [USA Today]
  
• Yesterday we told you about a site breaking down the cheer squads for each team. Now the highly biased editor at Deadspin gives the edge to the Phillies girls. [Deadspin]
  
• Transcript from Joe Maddon's press conference yesterday. [MLB]
• Happy belated birthday to Gabe Gross who turned 29 yesterday. [MLB]
• If the Rays win the World Series, it is going to cost Vegas casinos a lot of money. [Game On!]
• It has been 9,276 days since the City of Brotherly Love won a title in one of the 4 major sports. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• This column is a little confusing. Are they saying the Phillies will win the World Series because the Red Sox came back in game 5 and then JD Drew struck out in game 7? [Philadelphia Inquirer]
  

We know some of you hate the cowbells. But you know who will hate it more? Phillie fans.

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

THE GOOD: With several pitching roles still up in the air, Troy Percival looked healthy in 1 inning of work and will likely be on the post-season roster. David Price looked solid coming in with the bases loaded and 1 out and not allowing a run...The Rays first round opponent is still undecided. The White Sox will play a make up game today versus the Tigers. A win will force a 1-game playoff against the Twins tomorrow. With the possibility of a both teams playing tomorrow, the Rays' potential opponent will not have a fresh bullpen and will not be able to setup their rotation for the ALDS. With the Twins likely to start Nick Blackburn, the first two pitchers in the ALDS figure to be Nelson Liriano and Kevin Slowey. The White Sox have been working with a 4-man rotation. Gavin Floyd will start today and John Danks would likely go tomorrow. Javier Vazquez and Mark Buerhle would be the starters for the first 2 games of the ALDS.

THE BAD: With Joe Maddon wanting to see how Edwin Jackson would look in relief, Jackson, blew a 2-run lead in the 9th and may have pitched his way off the post-season roster...The Rays will open the ALDS series at 2:30 on Thursday and will play game 2 at 6:00 on Friday. Yes, it sucks. But really, did you expect anything different? Nationally, this series has the least draw. There are just too many big market teams in the playoffs.

THE TELLING: Starters for the first 2 games will be James Shields and Scott Kazmir, although the exact order is still undecided as is the rest of the post-season roster which will be finalized this afternoon...The Rays are the first team not from Boston or New York to win the AL East since 1997. The Rays finished the season having spent 111 days in first place. In the first 10 seasons they spent 20 days in first place combined. The Rays are just the 2nd MLB team and only 7th team from one of the four major sports to finish in first place the year after having the league's worst record. They are the first team ever to win 97 games in the first season following a streak of 10 consecutive losing seasons. They are only the 10th team to improve at least 30 games over the previous season.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• On Friday we linked to a report that claimed Rocco Baldelli had been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. While Baldelli's condition is one of the 43 diseases covered by the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Rocco has done a PSA for the MDA, mitochondrial myopathy is in fact not a form of muscular dystrophy...We are not a real doctor. We just play one when we are teaching undergrads. [The Heater]
  
• Carl Crawford was reinstated from the DL and appeared as a pinch runner on Friday night. He has had two successful batting practice sessions and will participate in an instructional league game today. Crawford still has hopes of being ready to return to the lineup in time for Thursday's game 1 of the ALDS. [The Heater]
• David Price has reworked his warmup routine so that he can get ready quicker for work out of the bullpen...Also, Jason Bartlett continues to battle a cold. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Rays were happy they will play game 1 on Thursday, receiving the extra day of rest before the start of the series. [St. Pete Times]
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks has started his playoff edition of "Your Team Ain't S#!t" compared to the Rays...Chalk took a lot of heat for this series prior to the season. Only 2 teams finished with better records than the Rays and the Rays went 9-3 combined against the Angels (6-3) and Cubs (3-0) [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• We love the title of this piece. Apparently the Red Sox conceded the division title as if they decided they did not want it. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Outs Per Swing has a collection of quotes from the players in reaction to winning the AL East. [Outs Per Swing]
  
• 1,200 fans greeted the Rays upon their return to St. Pete-Clearwater airport...Anybody else surprised the Cowbell Kid hasn't cut that blue afro into a mohawk? [Tampa Tribune]
• Want to see a picture of Jonny Gomes drinking beer out of an athletic cup? Neither did we. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Bill Chastain says the Rays are built for postseason success. [MLB]
  
• When somebody tries to rip apart Marc Topkin's subjective column by starting their own piece with a subjective statement like "Posnanski - best sportswriter in the world", which is then followed up by several more opinions, it takes away any credibility from the rest of the argument. [DRays Bay]
  

Last night's contest was rained out. The Rays and Yankees will play a day-night double-header with the first going at the originally scheduled 1:05 and the night-cap will be at 7:05...Boston beat the Jays last night 7-0, and will also play a double-header today...The Twins were rained out in Baltimore so the magic number remains 10.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• DRays Bay doesn't understand why all 29 Major League GMs, who are actually, you know, paid to make such decisions, passed on the opportunity to add a guy to their roster who had 103 strikeouts and only 19 walks in triple-A. A player that will be out of minor league options in '09. A player that has a career minor league OBP of .311. A player, who despite all of his "power potential" has only hit 20 home runs once in 7 minor league seasons...And when we *tried* to have an intelligent discussion on the matter in their comments section, the only responses were vile attacks on our website and on us personally. Having a conversation with them is like a Martian talking to a fungo. [Drays Bay]
  
• In case you missed it last night in the Twitter updates in the right-hand column or this morning in the "Down on the Farm" segment, David Price, Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and Jonny Gomes will join the Rays today, now that Durham's season is over. Despite pitching on Tuesday, Price is available to pitch during today's double-header. Niemann last pitched on Wednesday, so we expect he will not be available today. All three, Price, Niemann and Talbot will work out of the bullpen for now. [Rays Report]
• Evan Longoria will return to the lineup in game 1 today. He will not start in game 2. BJ Upton is not expected to play today and Troy Percival is expected to be day-to-day for the rest of the season. [Tampa Tribune]
• John Romano wants to give Joe Maddon the benefit of the doubt, but if Maddon truly has the team's best interest at heart, then Romano thinks Troy Percival should not be closing any longer. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Take away the historical context and the $20 million players, and we fully agree, the Trop is better than Yankee Stadium. And unlike 99% of the people that badmouth the Trop, we have actually been to games in both stadiums. I would also say that the level of comfort and enjoyment of the Trop is better than Fenway where only people 5'2" can be comfortable and half the seats face the outfield wall, Shea Stadium which is a dump and new Commiskey, which is boring. We are sure there are others. [Bugs and Cranks]
• The Rays lost the coin-flip to decide who would host a matchup should a one-game playoff be needed to decide the AL East crown...To clarify, a one-game playoff will only be necessary if both the White Sox and Twins have better records than the Rays and the Red Sox. One-game playoffs are not used if both teams are guaranteed a playoff spot. In this case it is very likely that both the Rays and the Red Sox will be in the playoffs making this entire matter moot. [The Heater]
• The Florida Aquarium has given five new baby Rays some familiar names. [Tampa Bay's 10]
  

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 20, Durham 2 (Scranton/WB wins 3-1). Wade Davis gave up 8 runs (5 earned) in only 2 innings, as Scranton had innings of 5,5 and 8 runs...Phil Hughes struck out 12 Bulls in just 5 innings as the Yankees won the IL Governor's Cup Finals...Gaby Martinez hit his first triple-A home run for Durham.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Following the game, the Rays promoted last year's top pick David Price as well as Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and Jonny Gomes. The only name that surprises us a bit is Talbot. You may recall that Talbot was acquired along with Ben Zobrist in the trade that sent Aubrey Huff to Houston. Talbot has been the Rays most consistent pitcher in triple-A all season. He has clearly earned the promotion, but we did not think Joe Maddon would have enough room in the locker room. Papa Joe has repeatedly stated that he did not want to many new bodies in the locker room at this time of year. However, with injuries the Rays have now promoted 10 players, about twice as many as expected. [Rays Report]
• This will be the final "Down on the Farm" segment of 2008. Any minor league news over the next few months will go in the daily "Hangover" posts...See you next Spring.
  

Scranton/WB 1, Durham 0 (13; Scranton/WB leads 2-0). Two nights ago, both the Bulls and the Rays played a dramatic game that was decided in the 9th inning. Last night both the Bulls and the Rays both played extra innings. While the Rays won both matchups, the Bulls dropped their second straight. Mitch Talbot pitched 8 strong innings, striking out 8 and allowing only 3 hits and 3 walks. But the game was still scoreless at the end of 9. After Heath Phillips and Dale Thayer threw 4 more scoreless innings, Ben Hendrickson walked the first batter he faced in the 13th. The runner was sacrificed to second and then scored on a single to end the game...The Bulls had chances to score, loading the bases in the first, only to have Elliot Johnson strike out to end the inning...They also had 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out in the 2nd inning, and even loaded the bases with 2 outs before Jonny Gomes struck out. In the 4th, the first 2 batters walked, but Gaby Martinez was picked off 2nd base. The next batter singled which would have scored Martinez. Instead it was 1st and 3rd with 1 out, which was followed by a double play. In the 5th, the first 2 batters reached on singles, but the next 3 batters struck out. In the 7th, the Bulls had 2 on with only 1 out and failed to score. However, then the bats went cold. Over the last 6 innings, 13 Bulls in a row and 17 of the last 18 batters failed to reach base. The only baserunner after the 7th was a 2-out walk in the 12th. Jeff Niemann will pitch tonight in game 3 as the series shifts to Durham.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Jeff Niemann will be the starter in game 3 tonight. If he is to be called up to the Rays, and we fully expect him to be, it could happen as early as tomorrow. Other players we could see once the series concludes are Heath Phillips (to add a lefty to the bullpen), Jonny Gomes and David Price.
  

THE GOOD: We thought Joe Maddon had been out-managed in the 9th inning. With Cliff Floyd due up, Terry Francona was going to leave the lefty in. So Papa Joe put in Justin Ruggiano as a pinch-hitter. Of course, Tito counters with Jonathan Papelbon. At the time we wondered which was the better situation, Floyd versus a lefty or Ruggiano against one of the better closers in baseball. We chose Floyd. But then the depth of September came through. Papa Joe switched batters again, going with Dan Johnson, who had joined the team only minutes before the start of the game. We still wondered if this was a good idea. Using a player that has not had a major league at bat in months and didn't even get a chance to hit BP prior to the game, against Papelbon. Seemed lose-lose to us. Of course Papelbon fed a steady diet of fastballs to a fastball hitter and eventually Johnson got the timing down and tied the game...It would be impossible for us to understate just how important this game was. Sure the Rays were still going to the playoffs, but the psyche of the team was in legitimate danger of being destroyed last night. It is not just losing. It is playing like the Rays do not even belong in the playoffs...The odds of making the playoffs is now 99.6% according to Baseball Prospectus and the odds of winning the division just went up from less than 50% to 61.9%.

THE BAD: Just knew Jason Bay was going to happen. It was too obvious. The guy that many RAYSHEADS thought the Rays had acquired at the trade deadline, only to have him go to the Red Sox instead. After walking a batter, and setting up a situation in which Bay had a chance to put the Sox up. The only possible ending to that situation was a home run...The Rays continue to struggle with runners in scoring position. The Rays left a runner in scoring position in every inning from the 2nd through the 7th.

THE TELLING: Dan Johnson was originally scheduled to start in left field, but did not arrive at the park until just before the first pitch. Ben Zobrist got the start in center with Gabe Gross moving to right field and Eric Hinske shifted over to left...How many times have the Rays scored a run when a player was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded?...Interestingly, Andrew Friedman chose to promote Michel Hernandez, rather than sign Mike DiFelice who is still a free agent...The Rays magic number to win the division is 18 and the magic number to clinch at least a wild card spot is 12*.

*The White Sox and the Twins play each other 3 more times. The most wins the second place team in the Central can have is 96. So technically, the Rays magic number is 11. We could mark off the "guaranteed" loss now or we can do it when it actually happens...We choose the latter.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• In case you missed it last night, Dan Johnson and Michel Hernandez were promoted from Durham to give the Rays some added depth. [Rays Index]
• We also updated our 2009 25-man and 40-man roster projections. You can find those in the sidebar.
• Marc Lancaster says Shawn Riggans could be out a while, making the decision to promote Michel Hernandez instead of signing Mike DiFelice all the more perplexing. Hernandez has 5 games of major league experience and DiFelice has 13 seasons...Also Lancaster says Jonny Gomes is likely to be called up once the Bulls conclude their playoff series. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Last night was could have been a demoralizing loss for the Rays. Instead it was a demoralizing loss for the Red Sox. Several Sox players refused to talk to the media after the game. [Boston Globe]
• Bugs and Cranks pushes the envelope in recapping last night's game, quoting "Hamlet" and insinuating that the Rays did something naughty to the Red Sox...Our eyes...Our eyes!! [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Joe Henderson may have said it best: "There are moments in any pennant race that transcend the ol' "one game at a time" bromide. Some wins really are bigger than others, just as some losses are as well. This is one of those moments...A loss that would have been devastating turned instead into the kind of moment that validates what the Rays have been saying all along. They've been knocked down and beaten up, but a baseball team such as this is rare. This team with the pint-sized payroll showed its 10-gallon heart again Tuesday night." [Tampa Tribune]
  
• David Price has completed his season with the Bulls. If he is to be called up, it could happen as early as today. [Rays Index]
• Baseball Analysts take John Romano to task for predicting the Rays may be succumbing to pressure and "won't have that pressure much longer." [Baseball Analysts]
• The Rays will televised nationally on ESPN tonight and Friday. [St. Pete Times]
  

THE GOOD: Something good? Something good? Guess we could say the Rays chances of making the playoffs are now 99.4% according to Baseball Prospectus and 98.4% according to CoolStandings...That's good, right?

THE BAD: Of course what the hell does it matter if the team makes the playoffs if they are just going to be swept in 3 games when they face the Angels in the first round? Huh? Is that what we want? To go into the playoffs and just prove on the friggin' national stage that the Rays are still the Devil Rays and shouldn't be playing with the "Big Boys". If this doesn't turn around, this is going to get ugly...We picked a bad week to quit drinking whiskey...BJ Upton left the game in the 5th after straining his left quad while running (hard) to first base...The home run Edwin Jackson gave up in the first inning landed an hour earlier than the time it left the bat...With Jonathan Papalbon called on with 2 men on base and 2 outs in the 8th, Joe Maddon decided not to pinch hit for Rocco Baldelli. It was not like he was calling on Ben Zobrist or John Jaso. He had Cliff Floyd on the bench. We haven't gone through the at bats, but how many times has Rocco faced a 98-mph heater in the last 2 years? Once? None? And Rocco hadn't touched a pitch all night, and Papa Joe "felt good" about Rocco in that situation? Floyd would have been better prepared. And he had the match-up advantage being a lefty. $#%@#!!!!

THE TELLING: The Rays haven't scored a run since the Truman administration.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Juan Salas suffered an epileptic seizure prior to last night's game and was taken to a Boston hosptal. This is apparently not the first time this has happened to Salas and the Rays say he should be fine. [Rays Report]
• Evan Longoria was available to pinch-hit last night, and we assume that will be the same tonight and tomorrow. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Marc Lancaster says BJ Upton actually injured his quad while running (hard) after a flyball in the first inning, and won't be back until the weekend series. Joe Maddon said he will talk to Andrew Friedman about adding a player from Durham, possibly Jonny Gomes or Elliot Johnson...Did we mention that Upton was injured while running hard? It's true. [Rays Report]
• Cliff Floyd called a players-only team meeting prior to the game yesterday. Marc Lancaster says the meeting was "productive"...How productive could it have been. The Rays scored ZERO RUNS. [Tampa Tribune]
• John Romano is preaching to the choir, but at least somebody isn't afraid to say it...Translation: the Rays are pissing away the division. [St. Pete Times]

But there is considerable shame in the way the Rays are allowing this to happen...No matter how you frame it, the Rays are giving the division away. For five months, they were the best team in baseball, and they have allowed much of that prestige to unravel in eight September days...Trust me, this is not a question of semantics. It matters whether the Red Sox take the division, or the Rays surrender it. And, as of this morning, the white flag is halfway up the pole.

• Peter Gammons reports that Jeff Niemann has been so impressive recently that he "will definitely fit into the Tampa bullpen this month." Also, Andrew Friedman makes it sound like the Rays will not promote David Price...This would not surprise us at all. Also, we will reiterate what we have said before: If the Rays can clinch early, Niemann will make at least one start and possibly two, to give the regular starters a chance for a couple of extra days rest. [ESPN]

"We don't want people getting ahead of themselves, anointing [David Price] a savior and putting undo pressure on a kid in his first full professional season."--Andrew Friedman

• Matt Wieters was named the "Minor League Player of Year" by Baseball America. This is different from the USA Today player of the year award, for which David Price is a finalist. [Baseball America]
  

THE GOOD: BJ Upton's catch in the 2nd inning, maybe the best we have ever seen from a Rays player...With both the White Sox and Twins losing, the Rays still managed to knock one off the magic number to clinch at least a Wild Card spot. The number is now 18*.

THE BAD: The offense managed 12 hits, including 4 doubles and yet could only score 2 runs...Eric Hinske. After a leadoff single by Willy Aybar, Hinske hit a ball off the wall. Aybar stopped at third. Hinske either assumed Aybar would score or he forgot Aybar was on base and never looked at third as he rounded second. Both players ended up on third with Aybar being tagged out. Instead of second and third with no outs, it was man on third with 1 out and the Rays would fail to score...Aki Iwamura and BJ Upton were a combined 2-10 with 6 strikeouts.

THE TELLING: Troy Percival was activated prior to yesterday's game...

* The White Sox and Twins play each other 3 more times, so the second place team in the Central is guaranteed 2 more losses. So technically the Rays' magic number is 16. We could choose to knock off those losses now, or we can choose to knock them off when they actually happen. We choose the latter.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• For those of you that think Jonny Gomes never got a real chance to make an impression this season, here is more ammunition...The Durham Herald-Sun recently interviewed Gomes. When asked why he struggled hitting right-handed pitchers: "I don't think that was the problem. It's just that they signed [Eric] Hinske and [Cliff] Floyd and [Gabe] Gross, and they wanted them in the lineup. I never even hit [batting practice] off right-handers. I was always hitting off Dave Martinez."...Kinda hard to hit right-handed pitchers when you never even get a chance to take BP against a right-handed pitcher. (Thanks, Chris) [Durham Herald-Sun]
• Joe Maddon would not rule out a return for Evan Longoria this weekend in Toronto...The team has said Dirtbag needs 3 days of BP before being activated. He has yet to take BP. [St. Pete Times]
  
• This has to be a first...Tom Jones has the story of a Bucs season-ticket holder who is trying to trade tickets to a Bucs game for tickets to a Rays game. [St. Pete Times]
• In Spring Training last year, we showed you a video of a fan getting Carlos Pena to sign his taco...We missed it, but apparently it happened again this season...Think Pena will be looking for this kid next spring? [Deadspin]
• Tom Jones gives us 10 reasons "it's cooler to be a Rays fan than a Bucs fan." [St. Pete Times]
  
• Jason Bartlett batted .389 in August, the second-highest one month mark in franchise history. [MLB]
• Stories on how strong the attendance was this past weekend? Nope. Rather we have more stories on how bad the attendance is. [Newsday]
• There is even one in the New York Times. [New York Times]
  

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• BJ Upton was benched for this afternoon's game for not running out a ground ball back to the pitcher in the 9th inning of last night's game. Joe Maddon did not rule out using him late in the game. [The Heater]
  
• As we expected, Rocco Baldelli is waiting for a roster spot to come available. Marc Lancaster speculates that Ben Zobrist will be sent back to Durham tomorrow when Jason Bartlett is ready to play SS. However, we wonder if Zobrist will stick around as a utility-guy for a few more days as the Rays are not scheduled to face a lefty until at least next Tuesday. [Rays Report]
• Jason Bartlett and Carl Crawford are both expected back in their familiar positions on Thursday. [MLB]
• The Tampa [sic] Rays have become the business-model for at least one non-sports entity. [tvnewsday]
  
• Remember way back in Spring Training when RF and DH was supposed to be a 3-headed monster, with Jonny Gomes, Cliff Floyd and Rocco Baldelli? Yeah, us neither. [Herald-Tribune]
• Jonny Gomes is starting to wonder aloud if his career with the Rays is over. [Herald-Tribune]
• Last night was only the 5th time in franchise history that the Rays posted win #67. Bugs and Cranks compares last night's win to the previous 4. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Jerry Crasnick says the Rays are only the 9th best bullpen of all the teams still in contention. [ESPN]