DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Each member of the Rays' postseason roster took home a $223K bonus for reaching the World Series. In all, 43 coaches, players and staff got a full-share, while the team also awarded partial shares to players that spent time with the Rays during the regular season...A $223K bonus is quite a haul for players making at or near the major league minimum of $400K. [St. Pete Times]
• While some feel the Rays should only be targeting the top-tier free agents, Marc Lancaster takes a more logical approach to projecting the Rays' off-season, listing a number of players that the Rays may target. [Tampa Tribune]
• Mike DiFelice is interested in the opening in the Rays TV booth left by the departure of Joe Magrane. DiFelice first wants to see if he can catch on with another ball club in spring training. [USA Today]
  
• Here is a short video clip of an interview with David Price from when he was selected as one of ESPN the Magazine's "Next". [Bob Croslin]
  
• Trever Miller's deal with the Cardinals may not have been finalized because he may have failed a physical after questions were raised concerning his shoulder. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon one of the top 10 worst dressed coaches? C'mon that seems a little unfair since he is the only one that was judged based on how he dressed away from the job. [No Guts, No Glory]
  

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]
  

Marc Topkin is reporting that Dan Johnson and Michel Hernandez have been added to the 40-man roster and will report to the Rays. To make room on the 40-man roster, Joel Guzman has been designated for assignment.

Johnson will start tonight in left field, with Eric Hinske in right and Gabe Gross in center. Sweet Fancy Moses. That might be the worst defensive range ever for a major league outfield.

Johnson was originally added to the Rays' roster in April, when he was claimed off of waivers from the A's, but was with the Rays for less than a week, appearing in only 1 game. He was designated for assignment and assigned to Durham. At Durham, Johnson led the IL in OBP (.424) and OPS (.980), hitting 25 home runs. Johnson also expanded his defensive range. Prior to this season, Johnson had only played first base as a pro, but has seen time at third base and the outfield in Durham.

Hernandez is a journeyman minor leaguer who has only appeared in 5 major league games (with the Yankees in 2003) in 11 professional seasons. He was only recently acquired by the Rays to fill the void on the Durham roster after the promotion of John Jaso and release of Mike DiFelice.

Guzman, the Dodgers' former top prospect, was originally acquired (with Sergio Pedroza) for Julio Lugo. The former shortstop flashed a good glove at several positions and immense power, but never was able to command the strikezone. This season Guzman had 103 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 116 games.

With the Durham Bulls playing game 1 of the IL championship series tonight, Craig Albernaz and Rashad Eldridge have been added to the active roster. Both players were most recently with double-A Montgomery.

C Hernandez, INF/OF Johnson called up [The Heater]

[Update: 11:29pm] Marc Lancaster is reporting that the Rays will recall Salas in time for Tuesday's game. At this point, Salas will not be eligible for the post-season roster, since he will not be on the active roster at midnight tonight. However, the Rays also put the injured JK Ryu on the major league DL. With Ryu and Chad Orvella on the DL, the Rays will have the option to add two players to a potential playoff roster, even after tonight's midnight deadline, to replace the injured players.

Lancaster says Perez was chosen over Jonny Gomes due to his defensive abilities and Jaso was chosen over DiFelice because the Rays do not expect to use their third catcher much, except as an occasional late-inning pinch-hitter.

Lancaster also indicates that this will be the only promotions until the Bulls complete their post-season run, which begins next week.

[10:56] Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays promoted Fernando Perez following this afternoon's game. To make room, Juan Salas was optioned back to Durham. Andrew Friedman also announced that John Jaso, and not Mike DiFelice, will be promoted prior to Tuesday's game.

With the Rays deciding to use Jaso as the third catcher for the final month, DiFelice was released so that he may have a chance to catch on with another club for the final month.

Perez, a center fielder, was hitting .288/.361/.393 with 5 home runs and 43 stolen bases for the Bulls. Jaso, a catcher, spent the first half of the season with the Montgomery Biscuits in double-A and was hitting .278/.339/.481 in 31 games since being promoted to Durham. Jaso, a left-handed batter, had 72 walks to only 47 strike outs this season. He is generally considered a work-in-progress defensively, but a source close to the Montgomery team told us he has shown improvement behind the plate.

To fill the void left by the loss of two catchers from the Durham roster, the Rays also acquired Michel Hernandez from the Pirates organization for cash. The Bulls won the Southern Division of the IL and has qualified for the playoffs. Hernandez is a veteran of 11 minor league seasons, spending half of the 2007 in the Rays organization, playing 51 games for the Bulls. He made a brief 5-game appearance for the Yankees in 2003.

OF Fernando Perez called up; C John Jaso likely, too [The Heater]
Maddon convinced Orioles intentionally plunked Bartlett [St. Pete Times]

Marc Lancaster is reporting that the Rays have traded cash to the Cleveland Indians for Jorge Velandia.

Despite what MLB.com might have you believe, though, Velandia is NOT being added to the Rays’ 40-man roster. Not to say he might not end up here eventually in case of an injury, but it’s not happening now.

The Rays do have an opening on their 40-man roster, but we expect Mike DiFelice to take that slot tomorrow or Tuesday and be added to the 25-man roster with Dioner Navarro expected to miss the opening game of the Yankees series.

Velandia will join the Durham Bulls during their playoff run. In 14 games for the Rays last season, Velandia was 16-50 (.320) with 2 home runs.

Rays bring Velandia back to Durham [Rays Report]

THE GOOD: After all that has happened in the past 3 days the Rays still lead the Red Sox by 4 games in the loss column with the hapless O's coming to town next and the Red Sox still have 2 more games in Yankee Stadium and then have to face the White Sox...And thanks to 4 straight losses by the Twins, the Rays magic number to clinch at least a wild card spot is now 26 with a 7-game lead over Minnesota in the loss column.

THE BAD: For a few fleeting moments on Sunday it looked like the Rays had a very good chance to stretch their lead on Boston to 6.5 games. A dropped-throw from the outfield, a horrific call by an umpire, Roy Halladay, an extra-inning win by Boston and a blowout of the Yankees later, the Rays lead is down to 3.5.

THE TELLING: We are suddenly reminded why football is so much more painful than baseball. If the Bucs have a bad loss: a) that game represents 1/16th of their season and; b) we have to wait an entire week with that loss and all the missed plays swirling in our head. A bad Bucs loss messes us up for an entire week. A bad Rays loss and there is hope for redemption the next day.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Dioner Navarro took himself out of last night's game in the 6th inning with cramps in both hamstrings. He is calling it a "day-to-day thing"...If he is shelved for more than a day or two, the Rays will need to call up a catcher. The first choice would have to be Mike DiFelice, but somebody would need to be removed from the 40-man roster. John Jaso is already on the 40-man and is hitting well at Durham, but the consensus seems to be that he is not ready to catch at the major league level. [The Heater]
  
• Evan Longoria had x-rays on his broken wrist and everything looked good. Longoria is still aiming for a Sept. 1 return from the DL...The plan is for Longoria to start taking batting practice later this week. [MLB]
• Brittany Ghiroli reports Troy Percival threw about 30 pitches from a mound yesterday and expects to be activated on Saturday. [MLB]
  
• Instant Replay will be in place for Friday's home game against the Orioles. Replay will only be used to determine whether home runs cleared a fence or whether it was fair or foul. [The Heater]
  
• Buster Olney says Carlos Pena got his best hitting advice from Manny Ramirez and Steve Henderson reminded Pena when Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford were injured to just "see the ball" and not try to over think things as a hitter. [ESPN]
• Marc Topkin has his list of "5 things to watch in Rays' stretch run." One great point he brings up is facing the Yankees. Our instincts tell us to fear the Yankees, but if they continue to fall off the pace, will their veteran players be motivated to play hard? [St. Pete Times]
  

PARENTAL ADVISORY: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AHEAD. We have our editors bound and gagged in their office, so some explicatives might not get deleted...

THE BAD: Shawn Riggans. This is just one reason why if (and that is a big IF), the Rays make the playoffs, we feel Mike DiFelice should be the Rays' backup catcher. With 2 outs in the 9th and the Rays up 1 run, a single to left was fielded by Ben Zobrist who made a throw to the plate that 2-hopped Riggans, but still beat the runner by 10 feet. Riggans let the ball bounce off his mitt tying the game. Does Dioner Navarro miss that throw? Maybe. Does DiFelice miss that throw? We doubt it.

THE WORSE: BJ Upton. In 9th inning of a 1-run game take nothing for granted. With AJ Pierzynski on first base and no outs in the 10th inning, Upton went back on a flyball and allowed Pierzynski to tag up up and move to second. Before we bash Upton too hard, we noticed earlier in the game that the wind was playing havoc with flyballs, all the more reason for Upton to go back harder and then come in if needed. And Upton claims he was aware there was a chance of the tag-up saying: "Obviously, there was a chance he might tag. I just didn't get my feet under me to get the ball in…I couldn't get my feet set under me to make a strong throw." We call bullshit. After he catches the ball, he takes two more steps towards the wall before even thinking about throwing it back in. It was just another case where Upton had his head stuck up his ass...And of course the Upton-apologists are at it again. You guys have to stop. And we are not saying that the people who think Upton is somehow responsible for children with cancer are any better. But Upton sometimes makes boneheaded plays. Occasionally...rarely even...he doesn't hustle. To say otherwise is to ignore the obvious and suggests that either you are related to Upton or just aren't watching the games...Not exactly the best timing for this article.

THE WORST: The Grim Reaper, Jason Hammel. We know Hammel has pitched better recently, but we call him the Grim Reaper for a reason. He should only be coming into games when death is imminent. We do not want Hammel within 500 feet of the mound when the game is still undecided. And we know we was hosed a bit but he still allowed AJ Pierzynski to get on base and he still gave up the winning hit.

THE WORSTEST: Doug Eddings. In the history of bullshit made up c***-sucking calls that was the bull-shitiest most made up c***-suckiest off all calls. It was like calling travelling with 3 seconds left or like a pass interference call on a hail Mary. Even if there is contact...and we still aren't sure there was...you swallow the mother-effin whistle unless you are absolutely certain. Really, Doug? An obstruction call in extra-innings? Really? Did you really see that, or did you let AJ Pierzynski make the call for you?

THE MOST WORSTEST: Our first-ever stomach punch game as a Rays fan. It is the next morning and we still feel sick to our damned stomach. And there is no game tonight so we have to deal with this stench another day. We feel like the ump kicked us in the groin and then clubbed a baby seal while we were curled up in fetal position. This is maybe the worst we have felt since the Bert Emmanuel play in the 1999 NFC championship game.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks posted a list of "206 Things We Like About Joe Maddon". One for every victory he has as manager of the Rays and apparently one for each of the two games the Rays won when Maddon took a vacation (and yes, we are still bitter about that). The list includes contributors from throughout the Rays blogosphere, including us...To the list we would add, "Able to recognize importance of Sunday's game and somehow keep his cool enough to not get thrown out." If we were in his shoes, we would have been ejected 3 times and would probably be facing a hefty suspension. [Bugs and Cranks]
• This wasn't the first time that Doug Eddings has made a bone-headed call that cost a Joe Maddon squad against the White Sox. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Rays are now #2 in the Chicago Tribune power rankings. [Chicago Tribune]

Buffalo 12, Durham 2. Heath Phillips made his first start since being signed by the Rays. He was pulled after 2.2 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 4 walks...Chris Richard was 2-3 with a double and his 20th home run.

Montgomery 9, Huntsville 8. Mike Prochaska gave up 7 runs in 6.2 innings, but only 2 were earned...Rashad Eldridge finished 3-4 with a double, a walk and 2 RBI. He raised his average to .306.

Daytona 7, Vero Beach 2. Ryan Royster drove in 2 with a triple.

Columbus 6, Augusta 5 (11). After giving up 4 runs in the top of the 11th, the Catfish rallied for 5 runs in the bottom half of the inning. The last 3 runs came off a walk-off home run from Greg Sexton. Mike McCormick also homered in the 11th to lead off the inning...Alex Cobb started and struck out 9 in 5.2 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 run...

Tri-City 17, Hudson Valley 9.

Princeton 10, Johnson City 6. Tim Beckham played for the first time in 4 games and had the best game of his young career going 4-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. He did commit his 7th error on a throw, but did contribute to 2 double-plays.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Mike DiFelice, a modern-day Crash Davis? We don't see it...Yes, DiFelice is an old catcher playing for the Durham Bulls, but he has plenty of big-league experience and these Bulls are a triple-A ballclub, not single-A as they were when Bull Durham was filmed. [Deadspin]
• MiLB interviews the Durham Bulls' director of media relations about the Bulls franchise. [MiLB]
  

Louisville 5, Durham 3. John Jaso was 3-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI. This was his 3rd 3-hit game since being promoted to triple-A a week ago.

Montgomery 8, Tennessee 1. Rocco Baldelli played 5 innings in the outfield. He committed an error on his only fielding chance. At the plate, he went 2-3 with 3 RBI including a 2-run home run in the first inning...Chris Nowak homered twice and finished 3-5. He is hitting .303 with 12 home runs.

Daytona 7, Vero Beach 4.

Greenville 15, Columbus 9.

Hudson Valley 4, Aberdeen 0.

Pulaski 14, Princeton 6. Tim Beckham went 1-5 with a single, his 2nd stolen base. He also committed his 6th error on a throw.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• It is a fantasy baseball report, but one blogger is not convinced that Jeremy Hellickson deserves recognition as a top prospect. [Baseball Handyman]
• Mike DiFelice talks about Wade Davis...audio link. [Durham Bulls]
• The Rays traded for a minor league pitcher. [Biscuits' Batter]
  

THE GOOD: A rare sac bunt from the Rays as Aki Iwamura moved Dioner Navarro to third base in the 3rd inning. Navi would score the Rays first run on a Carl Crawford ground out. How rare? That was the Rays second sac bunt this year. AL teams are averaging 5 sac bunts so far this season...The Rays drew 7 walks...With the bases loaded in the 5th, Rays down 3-2, Evan Longoria sac fly tied the game and then a would-be 4-6-3 double play ended with every body safe on two bad throws. BJ Upton scored and Dioner Navarro followed with one of his standard soft line drives for the third run of the inning...Willing to bet we will be able to count on one hand, how many times Gary Glover shows up under "Good". With Dan Wheeler unavailable, Glover came on in the 7th with 1 out and a man on 2nd. He got the next 2 batters to end the 7th and retired the first 2 batters of the 8th before giving way to Trever Miller...Troy Percival pitched the third straight game and made things interesting but was able to get through the 9th for his 4th save. Percy's velocity appeared to be back, hitting 92 several times, after only being in the upper-80s 2 nights ago.

THE BAD: The Rays struck out 5 times in the first 2 innings...1st run scored without a hard hit. Infield single off of Andy Sonnanstine's glove/perfect hit-n-run/bloop to center...2nd run was the direct result of another Dioner Navarro brainfart. For the second time this series, Navi inexplicably left home plate with a runner on third and without calling time. Second time this season that the Rays forgot to call time and a runner advanced...In the 4th inning with 1 out and the score tied, Eric Hinske, was thrown out trying to steal second (definitely not a missed hit-and-run). That was bad but what made it worse is that Joe Magrane thought it was a good idea because it "keeps the pressure on". Huh-wha? We could be mistaken here, but by being thrown out, that took the pressure off of the Jays. Just sayin'...Later on Dwayne Staats, during a conversation about Dan Wheeler and Troy Percival being unavailable, notes that "there are some good arms out there...Dohmann, Glover". Really? Five pitchers in the bullpen and the best two names he could think of were Scott Dohmann and Gary Glover? We're not saying Goose Gossage is out there, but geez...Shawn Bleepin' Camp owed us and he had the perfect chance to pay up last night, coming on with runner on 3rd and for some strange reason, he did not allow the inherited runner to score, after allowing about 742 inherited runners to score last year.

THE TELLING: The Rays are 6-0 all-time in Orlando...The 3-game winning streak is the longest this season and the longest since the second week of September last season...In 2007, the Rays won 3 in a row, three times, and won 4 in a row twice. They did not have a winning streak longer than 4...The Rays have not been .500 this late in a season since 2004 when they were 42-42.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Mike DiFelice cleared waivers and will rejoin the Durham Bulls. [The Heater]
• Justin Ruggiano was demoted to Durham to make room for Matt Garza who will make the start tonight. [MLB]
• Matt Silverman said the Orlando series was a success, specifically noting that there were a lot more Rays fans in the stands this year. [Tampa Tribune]
• Still, this year's 3-game set drew 119 fewer fans than the series last year and none of the games sold out. The Orlando Sentinel cites a number of reasons that attendance may have been down and Matt Silverman would not commit to another Orlando series in 2009. [Orlando Sentinel]
• We love this story...Having spent a few years in the midwest, we have a number of friends that are Twins fans. We warned them about Delmon Young. There were the obvious warnings about not standing within 50 feet of Young if he is holding a bat. But there were also the warnings that Young is not the best "team player" ever born and warnings that changing his free-swinging style would not be easy. Those Twins fans and a number of Twins fans on the internet shouted the same company-line. The Twins play baseball the right way...Just being around the rest of the guys will make Delmon want to change...He is going to be a perrenial MVP candidate...Well, we are now almost a month into the season and Young is hitting .262/.287/.321 with ZERO home runs and a 14-to-3 strikeout to walk ratio...And now Twins fans are starting to get antsy and blaming Ron Gardenhire for not only allowing the free-swinging, but encouraging it. [Fire Gardy]
  
• One website has BJ Upton third in the MVP race in the early going. Disturbing is that they have Josh Hamilton second...Also, Evan Longoria is third in the Rookie-of-the-Year race. [Roto Advice]
• There are few places we are not willing to go on this site. You need not worry though. David Chalk picks up the slack. Of course by linking to it, we could be accused of being "enablers". We are OK with that. [Bugs & Cranks]
• Troy Percival is now 11th on the all-time saves list, only 2 away from the top 10. [MLB]
• Gabe Gross talks about making the transition to his new team. [MLB]

Durham: Off

Montgomery 5, Birmingham 4. Jake McGee improved to 2-1 after holding Birmingham to 3 runs in 6 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 2. He did give up a solo home run in the 3rd...Erold Andrus and Sergio Pedroza had 2 hits apiece. Andrus added his 8th double and Pedroza drove in 2.

Palm Beach 3, Vero Beach 0. Matt Walker dropped to 0-3 after allowing 3 runs in 4.1 innings...The offense didn't help matters, as the D-Rays managed only 2 hits, a Garret Groce single in the 4th and a Chase Fontaine triple in the 9th.

Charleston 5, Columbus 3. Brian Flores got his first start in place of Jeremy Hall. He worked 3 innings and gave up 1 run on 4 hits...Henry Wrigley hit his second home run of the season a solo shot...The Catfish managed only 3 other hits, all singles.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Scott Kazmir's next rehab start will come on Monday for the Durham Bulls. [Our Sports Central]
• Rays of Light takes a look at Desmond Jennings. [Rays of Light]
• Calvin Medlock and Mike DiFelice both cleared waivers and will be assigned to Durham. [Rays Report]
• Justin Ruggiano will be joining them, as he was demoted to make room for Matt Garza at the major league level. [MLB]
  
• Rhyne Hughes will have a CAT scan today after missing his 10th straight game after receiving a concussion as a result of a collision with Matt Spring. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  

THE GOOD: The Rays did not lose their 12th game.

THE BAD: The Rays are still in last place in the AL East.

THE TELLING: The Rays will still be in last place tomorrow.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• A programming note: The Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo will be held tonight at the RAYSHEADS Facebook Group page. [RAYSHEADS Facebook Group]
  
• Another programming note: We are now running the "Down on the Farm" feature as the first post each day. Call it our calisthenics. So if you missed it, just scroll down a little farther.
• The Rays will be hosting the Jays for the next three days just outside of Orlando at Disney's Champion Field. The Rays say that the Orlando area is beginning to embrace the Rays. [St. Pete Times]
• The Rays are expected to activate Dioner Navarro in time for tonight's game with Mike DiFelice being DFA'd to make room. [Rays Report]
  
• You might be a redneck Rays fan if... [Her Rays]
• Marc Lancaster caught up with Juan Salas who had his first bullpen session yesterday and is at least a week away from seeing live action. [Rays Report]
• Beyond the Boxscore notes that Andy Sonnanstine is not using his fastball nearly as often as he did last year, while he is throwing more cutters and curve balls. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• Elliot Johnson's home town paper talks to the rookie about his first month in the big leagues. [Eastern Arizona Courier]
• Sabernomics takes a look at the Economics of the Evan Longoria extension. [Sabernomics]
• DRays Bay makes a case for Jason Hammel to keep his spot once Scott Kazmir returns from the DL. [DRays Bay]
  

THE GOOD: The Bullpen? Are we the only ones that think a huge bullpen implosion is just waiting to happen? Yesterday, four relievers combined for 4.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk and no runs, while striking out 5. The bullpen now has an ERA of 2.70, a number that is unfathomable for a Tampa Bay relief corps.

THE BAD: Edwin Jackson's last two starts. Since pitching shutout ball for 8, 2-hit innings against the M's, Nuke has allowed 11 runs on 11 hits and 7 walks in 9.1 innings. That line looks an awful lot like the '07 Jackson...The offense. 9 strikeouts and ZERO walks. After Sunday's shutout, their second of the year, the Rays have now been held to 2 runs or less in 6 games.

THE TELLING: Since the 4th game of the year the Rays are averaging only 4.2 runs per game. The offense is supposed to be catching up to the pitchers not losing ground...The Rays are now 2-5 in their last 7 and 5-10 in their last 15...The Rays have used 5 people in right field but so far they haven't been too terrible. So far Rays right fielders have hit .281-4-9 with an .854 OPS. Delmon Young is hitting .236-0-6 with an .559 OPS...Jonny Gomes is hitting .304/.429/.565 versus right handed pitchers.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• The Rays finally added Dan Johnson to the 25-man roster with Jeff Niemann being optioned to Durham giving Justin Ruggiano a stay of demotion until Matt Garza is promoted on Friday to start that night. With the off-day, Andy Sonnanstine will move a spot and make the start on Thursday. Marc Topkin also suggested that Mike DiFelice will be DFA'd on Tuesday to make room for Dioner Navarro. [The Heater]
• Rays of Light questions the move of adding Dan Johnson, noting that he adds less flexibility to the roster, not more...We have to agree that the Rays won't be printing any Dan Johnson jerseys as his tenure with the Rays is likely to be a short one. Look for Johnson to be DFA'd once people start returning from injuries. [Rays of Light]
• MLB Trade Rumors has a bunch of links and discussion on the Evan Longoria deal. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  
• Fanhouse thinks the new deal for Evan Longoria is a bad deal for the Rays because of the risk that Longoria will be a bust. We don't have a link, but if you go back and look at the top hitting prospects in Baseball America's annual lists you will see that hitting prospects almost never bust. The worst they become is usually an average player. Pitching prospects on the other hand bust all the time. This is a great deal for the Rays. [Fanhouse]
• Portfolio.com wonders if the Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki deals signal an end to baseball's mega-deals...That may be a little extreme considering the Mets just gave Johan Santana $137.5 million. [Portfolio.com]
  
• Rays Digest wonders if the Rays would be interested in Frank Thomas...Thomas is angry and he would very likely welcome another AL East suitor for a chance to play the Jays 18-19 times this season. And he is sufficiently motivated to resume his role as the "Big Hurt". He would also certainly be cheap as the Jays are still paying his $8 million salary this year. Still, we have to wonder how Thomas fits with the Rays who already have Cliff Floyd and Jonny Gomes at DH. Thomas is less of a fielder than Barry Bonds. And is Thomas really that much better than Floyd? [Rays Digest]
• Beyond the Boxscore also takes a look at the Rays as one of several potential suitors for Frank Thomas. [Beyond the Boxscore]
  
• We love that the Yankees super-duo of Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes is struggling so far this year. As much time as we spend in New York, it was starting to reach ludicrous levels this off-season with Yankees fans and Red Sox fans fighting over which team had the best rotation in baseball. And time after time, Yankees fans would talk about Kennedy and Hughes as if they were locks to win 17-20 games this season. [Baseball Musings]
  
• Our new friends at Hugging Harold Reynolds are having a fundraiser to try and get enough money to "hire" the real Harold Reynolds to blog at their site. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
• One blogger compares Stuart Sternberg to Barack Obama, both beacons of change. [The Year Is Coming]

Now, if Obama could be as successful turning our country around as Sternberg and Matthew Silverman (president/GM) has been turning the Devil Rays around, I wouldn’t be surprised if within three years, we all have global health care and Iraq has a settled, stable government.

THE GOOD: Jonny Gomes and Justin Ruggiano started against the lefty and went a combined 3-6 with a walk and an RBI...Last night during the Live Blog-A-Baloo we introduced a new nickname. McGlovin. For Gary Glover. He really is faking the whole major league pitcher thing (For those unfamiliar with the reference, google 'McLovin').

THE BAD: We don't know what to call Edwin Jackson's performance. If he had pitched like that in '07 against the Yankees, we might have actually been impressed, but this was a little dissapointing for the '08 Jackson. At least when he isn't on top of his game against a good team he didn't embarras himself or the team. He very easily could have given up 9 runs...However, the pitching staff as a whole which was walking less than 3 batters per 9 innings entering last night's game, walked 9, including 5 from the bullpen in only 4 innings...Twice early in the game the Rays had a runner on third base with 1 out and failed to score...

THE TELLING: Getting swept, even if it is just a 2-game series. The Rays need to be winning series and right now they are letting opportunities slip away...Joe Maddon wanted to give Aki Iwamura the night off. He had Elliot Johnson start at second. That's fine. But he replaced Aki with Jason Bartlett at the top of the order. Bartlett who entered the game with an OBP below .200. He did go 2-5 and drive in a run, but Bartlett at the top of the order is not something we want to see very often. We know Carl Crawford doesn't like leading off and we know Maddon likes stability in the order, but would it kill CC to lead off 4-5 times a year when Aki is given a night off?...Mike DiFelice is hitting .429 and the staff has a better ERA with him behind the plate.With Dioner Navarro returning soon, might Shawn Riggans be on the way out to make room for the veteran catcher the team always said they wanted?

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Matt Garza had his first bullpen session since going on the DL. He said he threw pain-free after he was diagnosed by the team doctor's and given a cortisone shot. Garza says he feels good enough to come off the DL the first day he is eligible, April 24. [MLB]
• Here is one issue that we have with Fantasy Baseball...You websites that run stories titled "Who Is Better: Evan Longoria Or Kevin Youkilis". Would this ever be a question in real life? [Fake Teams]
• A preview of things to come? Andy Sonnanstine will be available for relief duty tonight rather throw his usual between-starts throwing. The Rays say it is because the bullpen has been overused recently...Mike DiFelice is not only hitting well, but the pitching staff has a better ERA with him behind the plate (3.25) as compared to Dioner Navarro (5.21) and Shawn Riggans (4.50)...Juan Salas is expected to return to the US today. [St. Pete Times]
• Dioner Navarro will play in extended spring training games today and tomorrow and then will catch Scott Kazmir's rehab start at Vero Beach on Friday. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Sean Deveney of The Sporting News says that it is only one start but Jeff Niemann's performance was a glimpse into the future of the Tampa Bay Rays. Niemann is the first of several top pitching prospects that will eventually make their way to the Rays. [Sporting News]

No one is confusing the Orioles with the 1927 Yankees. But Niemann is 25, making his debut. The fact that he -- and catcher Mike DiFelice -- had confidence in his entire repertoire says a lot about where this guy's stuff is. He wasn't just using the breaking ball when he was ahead. He was throwing it when he was behind or even in the count.

• Fanhouse says a Yankees-Rays rivalry is good for baseball. [Fanhouse]
  
• DRays Bay continues their profiles of the candidates for the top pick in the June draft. Up next is Aaron Chow. [DRays Bay]
• Outs Per Swing has moved shop over to the MVN Network, replacing the previous Rays blog. We had forgotten there was a Rays blog on MVN. [Outs Per Swing]
• Sports Indeed is clearly depressed over the loss of Rays Anatomy...Nahhh! We're BS'n you. Sports Indeed threw a party. [Sports Indeed]
• Home Run Derby notes that Carlos Pena may be leading MLB in home runs but he is not hitting anything else. [Home Run Derby]
  
• Evan Longoria recounts his first major league home run. [MLB]
• Sticks of Fire noticed some peculiarities in the treatment of governor Charlie Crist and Mike Alstott on opening day. [Sticks of Fire]
  

DRG here again to get you through the weekend...

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays.

• The Good: Scoring 13 runs in Yankee stadium in the first regular season game since the incidents in spring training. Like Prof keeps saying. If you want respect, you gotta punch the bully right in the mouth...The Bullpen was solid, even with the game out of reach. Three relievers combined for 3 hitless innings with only one walk...Carlos 'El Gato' Pena hit his second home run in 3 games. Anybody still think he will only hit 30 this year?...Cliff 'Dr. Huxtable' Floyd with his second also. After the game he sat Elliot Johnson on his knee and taught him some lessons picking on his sisters too much...Shawn Riggans came on after Dioner Navarro had to leave the game with an injury and delivered the knockout blow. A huge 3-run double to right-center.
  
• The Bad: Scoring 13 runs in Yankee stadium in the first of a 4-game series. The Yankees were undoubtedly embarrassed by their performance. Let's hope the Rays did not wake the sleeping giant...Carl Crawford grounded into a double-play. Still trying to figure that one out...
  
• The Telling: Eric Hinske made his first start at third base since July 22, 2006 over Elliot Johnson and of course poor Joel Guzman who of course is still in the minors 26 years after the Dodgers signed him as a 16-year old prospect...Jonny Gomes was originally penciled in to make his first start of the season in right field even with a right hander on the mound. Instead he served his 1-game suspension...Dioner Navarro was in the 6th spot of the lineup rather than his usual 8-hole. It appears as if Joe Maddon was ready to ride his hot bat before he was injured...With a 1:05 start today, it is unclear if Mike DiFelice will make it to the ballpark in time for the game. If he does he very well could get the start in a day game after a night game.
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Jonny Gomes had his suspension reduced from 2 games to 1 and he served it last night. Melky Cabrera and Shelley Duncan also had their suspensions reduced by one game. Cabrera served his suspension last night and today. Duncan will serve his 2-game suspension starting Sunday. [The Heater]
  
• Dioner Navarro has been placed on the 15-day DL and Mike DiFelice has been recalled from Durham to take his place on the roster. Navarro slipped entering the dugout and cut two fingers on his hand. He needed 12 stitches. [MLB]
  
• Sounds like a little luster has come off Ian Kennedy already which if you ask me is awesome because I am sick and tired of hearing from Yankees fans how great their pitching staff is this year. [New York Post]
• Edwin Jackson makes a huge start today in his career. Joe Maddon is hoping that Jackson can focus on every pitch and try not to rush when things start to unravel. [MLB]
  
• DRays Bay found some rather disturbing photos of BJ Upton. [DRays Bay]
  
• Brian Griese will throw out the first pitch at a Rays home game on April 18. Good thing for Griese, Shawn Riggans will not be moving or else the pitch would certainly be about 5 yards behind him. [Tampa Bay's 10]
  

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (2 days until opening day)

DRG here again to get you through the weekend...

Yesterday: Reds 6, Tampa Bay Rays 3.

• The Good: Carl Crawford was 3-4 with 2 doubles...Carlos Pena hit a ball so hard off the top of the wall in right field that he was held to a single...Dioner Navarro continues to hit, adding 2 more hits and is at .366 in March...Matt Garza went 5 allowing only 2 unearned runs...Jason Bartlett and Aki Iwamura combined on yet another picture-perfect double play.
  
• The Bad: Miscommunication in center field with BJ Upton allowed a routine fly ball to drop, leading to 2 unearned runs, after Matt Garza cruised through the first four frames.
  
• The Telling: Joel Guzman had a great game in the field getting several tough plays and handling them well including throwing a runner out at home. With the addition of Nathan Haynes, Eric Hinske is probably out meaning the third baseman is either Guzman or Elliot Johnson if Willy Aybar is not ready on opening day...Oops. Just found out this morning that Guzman is out, Hinske is in.
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• A total of 8 players were cut yesterday. Other than Grant Balfour, the biggest names were Mike DiFelice, Josh Paul and Andy Cannizaro meaning that Shawn Riggans will indeed be the backup catcher and Elliot Johnson will be the backup-whatever. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• Word just came down that the final roster spot will go to Eric Hinske with Joel Guzman being optioned. [The Heater]
  
• Scott Kazmir threw in the outfield yesterday and all reports were that he looked and felt good. [Tampa Tribune]
• Willy Aybar and Cliff Floyd are both on track to be ready for opening day while Rocco Baldelli was officially transferred to the 60-day disabled list opening a spot on the 40-man roster. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Baseball Prospectus looks at the leading candidates for the top pick in the June amateur draft, with hot shot high school shortstop Tim Beckham looking like the odds on favorite these days. Sweet Fancy Moses! I am drooling just reading the scouts takes. Better than Justin Upton? Sign me up. [Baseball Prospectus]

Beckham is without question the toolsiest player in the draft, and he's lived up to expectations this year, if not exceeded them. A true shortstop with outstanding hitting skills, power potential, plus speed, and good fielding skills, most insiders agree that no position player comes close to his overall upside. "He looks like Justin Upton to me, only Upton had the throwing problem in high school and this kid doesn't," said one scouting director. "He's also a lot stronger than I thought he was," he continued. "I wasn't sure of the power before, but I'm pretty convinced now." Another scouting director agreed that he was one of the elite players in the draft. "He's a guy who has proven it at every event and every showcase, he plays up the middle and he doesn't have to move," he said. "It's hard to classify high school players as safe, but this one is about as safe as it gets."

• The Wall Street Journal grades the managers in three categories and then ranks them. Joe Maddon comes in at #14. Interestingly, he is tied with his former boss Mike Scioscia. [Wall Street Journal]
  

Tampa Bay Rays (42 days until Opening Day)

Joe Maddon stated that Shawn Riggans is the favorite to be the backup catcher on opening day. Papa Joe then commented on what his criteria is for a backup catcher.

"The backup guy should be pretty effective defensively," Maddon said. "It's not an easy position. The guys that do it well make it look easy, but it's not easy. Part of their job really is to help the starting catcher. ... It's like a good backup quarterback in football."

This only surprises us because Maddon actually commented on the situation, but it does not surprise us that he named Riggans even though we project Josh Paul to win the job. Keep in mind that Riggans is the only candidate that is actually on the 40-man roster at this point. Paul and Mike DiFelice are in essence getting "tryouts". They are on minor league deals and have done nothing yet to earn a major league contract. If the team had absolute confidence in one or the other, they would not be on minor league deals.

The team has made it clear that they prefer a veteran backup catcher to help further the development of starter Dioner Navarro. Just don't expect Papa Joe to admit that publicly because he would have to say that he prefers a player that is not on the team over a player that is on the team.

At the end of the day, we still feel Josh Paul will be the Rays backup catcher and it is Riggans that needs to "win" the job. Paul has the edge in experience, better defensive abilities and a strong familiarity with the pitching staff and Navarro. Riggans would have to outperform Paul defensively in Spring Training to make the roster and we are not convinced he can.

Notes: Iwamura ready for second base [Tampa Bay Rays]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Marc Topkin takes a look at the Rays trio of young talented starting pitchers. Jim Hickey feels that 26 teams in the league would prefer to have Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza as their top 3 pitchers. [St. Pete Times]

As Rays officials went back over the last several decades, they came up with only a few teams that had three starters who were so young with the chance to be so good. There were the A's of the early 2000s with Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito. The Marlins of the same era with Josh Beckett, Brad Penny and Dontrelle Willis. The Braves of the early 1990s with Steve Avery, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. And not too many others..."It's certainly a rare commodity," senior vice president Gerry Hunsicker said, "to have three young pitchers with the talent level that we're going to run out there."

• A quick video interview with David Price as well as a look at him throwing off a mound. (Link will open a video player) [Tampa Bays 10]
• Rays of Light begins a series in which they will spotlight certain Rays. First up is Akinori Iwamura. [Rays of Light]
  
• Beyond the Boxscore makes an argument for Fred McGriff to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. We think the Crime dog was a very good and very consistent player, but he was what Mike Francessa would call a "compiler". His numbers look good because he played for a long time, not because he was a great player. We witnessed most of McGriff's career and never once did we watch McGriff and think "There goes one of the greatest baseball player's ever". Sorry. Great guy, very good player, but when the voting comes, we would be surprised if he cracks 25%. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• We were in Austin this weekend. Apparently so was Matt Silverman. He was running in the Austin half-marathon. We were sitting in the front yard drinking Mimosas watching the half-marathoners and marathoners run by. [Rays Report]
• Baseball Prospectus projects the Rays to finish 82-80. The biggest change will be in the pitching. They project that the Rays will increase their scoring from 782 to 788 runs in 2008 and will decrease their runs allowed from 944 to 776. [Baseball Prospectus]
• Sean Deveney of The Sporting News feels the Rays and the Nationals have a special kinship because they have both sucked recently. The similarities are a stretch and include small fanbase (usually goes hand-in-hand with sucking), long odds to win the 2008 World Series (again, sucking), good young third basemen (1 spot out of 25 is similar), and both teams want to improve their image (as do most sucky teams). [The Sporting News]
  

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (43 days until opening day)
DRG here again to get you through the weekend...

Joe Maddon noted that he hopes that the Rays will become a better baserunning team in 2008 with the addition of Dave Martinez as bench coach. He also stated that the biggest factor in deciding the last two spots in the rotation will be the ability to throw strikes consistently.

Five pitchers are vying for the final two spots in the rotation. Four of those players pitched for the Rays in 2007. Let's take a look at their ability to throw strikes.

Name	Pitches	Balls in Play	Strikes	Balls	Strike%
Andy Sonnanstine	2098	397	975	726	65.4%
Edwin Jackson	2967	460	1286	1221	58.8%
Jason Hammel	1588	230	703	655	58.8%
JP Howell	947	160	401	386	59.2%

Jeff Niemann did not appear in the majors last year and we do not have his minor league pitch stats handy. Still, if Maddon bases most of his evaluation on 2007 as he has repeatedly stated, we can assume that Sonnanstine's job is safe as he is head and shoulders above the other (not surprising). And while we expected Howell to be better than Jackson and Hammel, we didn't realize it would be as close. That suggests that he tries too hard to paint the corners. In the end the numbers don't give us an indication that one player has an edge over the other two if the ability to throw strikes is the major criteria.

Rays Camp: Day 2 [Herald-Tribune]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Outs Per Swing is back with more pictures from Rays camp. [Outs Per Swing]
  
• Akinori Iwamura is not worried about his transition to second base. "Wiggy can do it, so I can do it." The kid's got a point. [Rays Report]
  
• Joe Maddon says that the only thing that will change about his managing style in 2008 is that players will be held more accountable and he will not be as patient when players fail to perform. [St. Pete Times]

"We're at the point now where we think we've moved this along a bit, so you're not going to give somebody as much rope. You still want to develop, and you still want to see people. But they may not get the same opportunities to fail as much as we've given people to fail in the past."

Mental mistakes might not be tolerated as much either, which will be a good thing.

• According to Andrew Friedman, the main reason the team may be skeptical to start Evan Longoria at the big league level in April is that he has been too good. The idea is that the team is not sure what his faults are yet and they don't know how Dirtbag will react to adversity. [Herald-Tribune]

"It's kind of a Catch-22," Rays vice-president Andrew Friedman said. "You don't want him to fail. But at the same time, if he had failed some, you would have the complete picture."

If a player fails for a period of time, management can see what adjustments need to be made.

"Most guys we have we've got a good sense," Friedman said. "When you watch guys experience some highs and lows, you have a better idea about the player. With Evan, he hasn't failed yet."

Longoria hasn't had a slump.

"That's a big part of fully understanding the player," Friedman said.

• Chris Mason, last year's AA pitcher of the year, is a non-roster invitee to Spring Training this year but he has shown up without having his hair colored. This could be a sign of trouble for the right-hander that went 15-4 with a 2.57 ERA last year under several different incarnations of hair color. On a side note, the Biscuits last year were 10-1 in games in which Mason had a no-decision. That makes for an impressive 25-5 in games he started. [Tampa Tribune]

"I thought, 'Man, I'm coming into my first big-league spring training, I'm not going to come in looking like a clown,'" Mason said. "I'll give it a couple weeks. I can't just come in here as a rookie with blue hair - that's just a big target for the guys to get on me...In the winter I kept it shaved down," he said. "I have a girlfriend I met in Montgomery, and I'm trying to keep it in shape for her."

• Joe Maddon spoke highly of Mike DiFelice after Saturday's workout, but the comments sounded more like a player that is not going to make the roster, as the compliments were more of his personality and less of his play on the field. [Tampa Bay Rays]

"DiFelice does a nice job," said the Rays manager. "He's well spoken, well thought-out, and he has a professional sternness about him."

• The Sporting News predicts the Rays will finish in third place in the AL East. Although for some reason they don't expect Carl Crawford to be able to repeat his 2007 numbers. That is curious considering CC has shown steady improvement in almost every offensive statistic each of the past 5 years. [The Sporting News]
  
• Not every business owner is against the new Rays stadium. A group of residents and business owners have created a Political Action Group to support the proposal. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Jason Hammel, Al Reyes and Troy Percival met with Bradenton little leaguers yesterday. [Bradenton Herald]