Despite injuries, Rays stay strong
ST. PETERSBURG -- The biggest breakthrough of the 2008 season is now being accompanied by an almost daily diet of adversity.
The status of the Tampa Bay Rays has vaulted all the way from obscure to elite in a matter of months. But this story has the potential to become even more noteworthy because the Rays' road to the top is becoming increasingly difficult.
First, there was the injury to outfielder Carl Crawford, a mainstay of this operation. Then there was the injury to the sensational rookie third baseman, Evan Longoria. And there was the injury to the veteran closer, Troy Percival.
All that occurred during the recent 10-game road trip. So the Rays return home this week and what do they get? For trouble's encore, the Rays receive Tropical Storm Fay.
By Monday night, the storm's projected path for Tuesday did not include a direct hit on the Tampa Bay area. The Rays have not postponed Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, although the possibility for postponement still exists, if the storm would intensify and/or change paths. One way or another, conditions in the area will not be particularly pleasant in the near future.
The Rays -- so far -- have been unfazed by either unfortunate injuries that have already occurred, or unfortunate climate that is coming. They went 7-3 on the road trip while three core performers were lost due to injury. And on Monday night, they defeated the Angels, the team with baseball's best record, with a score of 6-4.
The Rays have received at least encouraging word on the injuries to Longoria and Percival. Longoria's fractured wrist will not require surgery and he is expected back in early September. He's having a tough time sitting, but he's not worried about the Rays in his absence.
"Somebody goes down and two or three guys pick up the slack," Longoria said. "It's the way it's been for us all year. I know somebody is going to pick me up."
Percival needs surgery to repair knee cartilage, but he can delay it until after the season. In the meantime, it will be a matter of him tolerating the pain involved. All the relevant parties involved agree that Percival can do that. As far as the possibility of doing long-term damage to the knee, Percival, 38, smiled and said:
"How much longer am I going to play?"
The Rays believe that they can withstand the injuries. And why shouldn't they believe whatever they want to believe at this point? They are 76-48, tied with the Chicago Cubs for the second-best record in baseball. They are in first place in the AL East. They are a full 29 games better than they were at this point in 2007. Their fondest baseball aspirations are no longer far-fetched.
"We expect everything out of everyone in here," veteran Cliff Floyd said.
Floyd did his part on Monday night with a two-run home run. Eric Hinske did the same. The expectations haven't diminished at all for the Rays, regardless of the injuries.
"The three things we've had all year is our bullpen, our starting pitching and our defense," Hinske said. "And on top of that we've had timely hitting. Whoever gets hurt, offensively, I think we can plug guys in because our pitching and defense is so good.
Hinske, who played on a World Series championship team with the Red Sox last year, sees both the contrasts and the similarities.
"Last year with Boston, we were expected to win and we did," Hinske said. "Here, nobody thought we were going to win. We thought we'd be better, but nobody thought we'd be in this position in the middle of August. I think we learned how to win early and now we're hungry for more wins, and to show everybody that we're for real.
"Playing on different teams against this team, you knew they were talented. They'd give it up late, the bullpen would give it up, stuff like that. This year that hasn't happened and we've put it all together."
Realistically, some temporary dip in the level of the Rays' play could eventually be expected, given the talent that is now missing. The Rays' performance on the road trip gave the appearance that nothing at all would change, but manager Joe Maddon cautions that this judgment could be premature.
"It's probably too early to make that call," Maddon said. "I'd like to believe that, but when you're missing people of that caliber and you're forced to play people on a daily basis who aren't used to it, at some point you might see diminishing returns set in. You always have to be careful of that. People are regular players for a reason. To play every day in the big leagues to requires a special kind of an athlete and a baseball player. I like the way that we can sustain this, but I want to be very vigilant about it, too."
Still, on Monday night the Rays had plenty of everything, including poise, to go up against the best team in baseball. By now, the Rays are no longer strangers to games in which something valuable is at stake.
"If the breeding ground is the AL East, it kind of sets you up for these moments," Maddon said.
And even with some of their best personnel temporarily missing, the Rays can still have reason to believe going against the best in the game.
"I always say: 'If you want to be where they are, beat 'em,'" Floyd said.
The Rays, for all the current difficulties, still seem to be able to put that notion into motion.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Despite injuries, Rays stay strong
ST. PETERSBURG -- The biggest breakthrough of the 2008 season is now being accompanied by an almost daily diet of adversity.
The status of the Tampa Bay Rays has vaulted all the way from obscure to elite in a matter of months. But this story has the potential to become even more noteworthy because the Rays' road to the top is becoming increasingly difficult.
First, there was the injury to outfielder Carl Crawford, a mainstay of this operation. Then there was the injury to the sensational rookie third baseman, Evan Longoria. And there was the injury to the veteran closer, Troy Percival.
All that occurred during the recent 10-game road trip. So the Rays return home this week and what do they get? For trouble's encore, the Rays receive Tropical Storm Fay.
By Monday night, the storm's projected path for Tuesday did not include a direct hit on the Tampa Bay area. The Rays have not postponed Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, although the possibility for postponement still exists, if the storm would intensify and/or change paths. One way or another, conditions in the area will not be particularly pleasant in the near future.
The Rays -- so far -- have been unfazed by either unfortunate injuries that have already occurred, or unfortunate climate that is coming. They went 7-3 on the road trip while three core performers were lost due to injury. And on Monday night, they defeated the Angels, the team with baseball's best record, with a score of 6-4.
The Rays have received at least encouraging word on the injuries to Longoria and Percival. Longoria's fractured wrist will not require surgery and he is expected back in early September. He's having a tough time sitting, but he's not worried about the Rays in his absence.
"Somebody goes down and two or three guys pick up the slack," Longoria said. "It's the way it's been for us all year. I know somebody is going to pick me up."
Percival needs surgery to repair knee cartilage, but he can delay it until after the season. In the meantime, it will be a matter of him tolerating the pain involved. All the relevant parties involved agree that Percival can do that. As far as the possibility of doing long-term damage to the knee, Percival, 38, smiled and said:
"How much longer am I going to play?"
The Rays believe that they can withstand the injuries. And why shouldn't they believe whatever they want to believe at this point? They are 76-48, tied with the Chicago Cubs for the second-best record in baseball. They are in first place in the AL East. They are a full 29 games better than they were at this point in 2007. Their fondest baseball aspirations are no longer far-fetched.
"We expect everything out of everyone in here," veteran Cliff Floyd said.
Floyd did his part on Monday night with a two-run home run. Eric Hinske did the same. The expectations haven't diminished at all for the Rays, regardless of the injuries.
"The three things we've had all year is our bullpen, our starting pitching and our defense," Hinske said. "And on top of that we've had timely hitting. Whoever gets hurt, offensively, I think we can plug guys in because our pitching and defense is so good.
Hinske, who played on a World Series championship team with the Red Sox last year, sees both the contrasts and the similarities.
"Last year with Boston, we were expected to win and we did," Hinske said. "Here, nobody thought we were going to win. We thought we'd be better, but nobody thought we'd be in this position in the middle of August. I think we learned how to win early and now we're hungry for more wins, and to show everybody that we're for real.
"Playing on different teams against this team, you knew they were talented. They'd give it up late, the bullpen would give it up, stuff like that. This year that hasn't happened and we've put it all together."
Realistically, some temporary dip in the level of the Rays' play could eventually be expected, given the talent that is now missing. The Rays' performance on the road trip gave the appearance that nothing at all would change, but manager Joe Maddon cautions that this judgment could be premature.
"It's probably too early to make that call," Maddon said. "I'd like to believe that, but when you're missing people of that caliber and you're forced to play people on a daily basis who aren't used to it, at some point you might see diminishing returns set in. You always have to be careful of that. People are regular players for a reason. To play every day in the big leagues to requires a special kind of an athlete and a baseball player. I like the way that we can sustain this, but I want to be very vigilant about it, too."
Still, on Monday night the Rays had plenty of everything, including poise, to go up against the best team in baseball. By now, the Rays are no longer strangers to games in which something valuable is at stake.
"If the breeding ground is the AL East, it kind of sets you up for these moments," Maddon said.
And even with some of their best personnel temporarily missing, the Rays can still have reason to believe going against the best in the game.
"I always say: 'If you want to be where they are, beat 'em,'" Floyd said.
The Rays, for all the current difficulties, still seem to be able to put that notion into motion.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Lincecum OK after line drive pelts knee
HOUSTON -- "The Franchise" appears safe.
Giants ace Tim Lincecum sustained a bone bruise Tuesday night when Brad Ausmus' line drive struck him on the side of his right knee during the fifth inning of San Francisco's 12-4 loss to the Houston Astros.
X-rays taken at a hospital near Minute Maid Park revealed no fracture, and Lincecum was said to be walking freely upon returning to the stadium late in the game.
Whether Lincecum makes his next scheduled start Sunday at Atlanta will depend on his recovery and the results of follow-up examinations in coming days.
"It's hard to say right now," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
But center fielder Aaron Rowand had no trouble summarizing the Giants' reaction once they learned that Lincecum, a National League All-Star and the Major League leader in strikeouts with 182, wasn't seriously injured.
"We're all very relieved that it's just a bone bruise," Rowand said. "We all care about him, not only as a teammate but as a person, too. He got lucky. I've seen people get hit in the chest and miss the rest of the year with blood clots and all kinds of stuff. I told him that there were a lot of worse places he could have gotten hit -- pitching hand, pitching elbow, shoulder, face, you name it."
"Concern was there, and you're hoping for the best," Bochy said. "There's not a lot of meat on those bones."
Leading off Houston's fifth, Ausmus smashed a 3-1 pitch up the middle. The ball caromed off Lincecum's knee so hard that first baseman John Bowker easily recorded the putout. Meanwhile, Lincecum crumpled to the ground and rolled head over heels in pain.
Bochy said that the impact of Ausmus' drive briefly "paralyzed" Lincecum. The right-hander tried to stand but limped off the field to the clubhouse, ushered by head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner. Lincecum was not available for comment after the game.
It had been a typical performance for Lincecum until Ausmus batted. Lincecum allowed one hit and struck out seven. Houston scored a pair of tainted runs off Lincecum in the third inning. A Darin Erstad double that left fielder Fred Lewis struggled to corral and a fielding error by second baseman Emmanuel Burriss accounted for the scoring.
Lincecum also scored from first base on Randy Winn's two-out double in the fourth inning. Despite that all-out sprint, Lincecum had enough energy to strike out the side in the bottom of the fourth.
The Astros' admiration for Lincecum was as obvious as their regard for his health.
"You don't want the kid to be injured, because that's an awfully talented young man," manager Cecil Cooper said.
"I hope he's all right," said right-hander Roy Oswalt. "He's a great competitor, and I like the way he goes about his business."
Copyright 2008 Sporting Life UK Ltd, All Rights Reserved.
Webb wins 16th by beating Bucs
PHOENIX -- D-backs outfielders know that when Brandon Webb takes the mound every fifth day, it's essentially a night off for them.
On Tuesday night, the outfielders didn't set up any lawn chairs in the field, but they still had a pretty uneventful day at the ballpark.
Webb got all 27 outs for the D-backs, tossing his third complete game of the season in their 3-1 win over the Pirates. Among all the outs, there was one measly fly ball out.
"It's like I get my spot where my feet sit in the outfield, I just go out there for about five to 10 minutes, and then I go back to the dugout," said Chris Young, who made the lone putout in the outfield. "That's how it is when Webby pitches.
"Even when they hit the ball hard, it was a ground ball to the infield for a double play."
The D-backs moved to 2 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers, who lost in St. Louis in extra innings.
Webb cruised for eight innings, as no Pirates baserunner even reached second base until the ninth -- the first time the D-backs saw any real threat. Webb pitched at a speedy pace, as the time of game was one hour, 55 minutes.
"I wish it was about five minutes shorter," Webb said, acknowledging his ninth-inning struggles that saw the first three hitters reach base, one of which scored the Pirates' lone run. Webb stranded runners on second and third to end the game by getting two of his four strikeouts.
"Now I realize what [Brandon] Lyon and [Chad] Qualls are all talking about. The bullpen, they really tighten down there in the ninth inning."
D-backs manager Bob Melvin said Webb was at his last hitter regardless, when he got Jason Michaels to strike out to end it. He had already lost the shutout and had eclipsed 100 pitches.
"The only thing you worry about at that point is 'Has he lost a little bit because he loses the shutout?'" Melvin said. "He had a great sinker today. He didn't use that many breaking balls -- didn't have to. There were double-play balls when guys got on. That's his go-to pitch, and today it was about as good as we've seen it this year."
The infielders definitely got their fair share of work. Webb, who said his sinker was working as well as it has this season, was able to get three double-play grounders to help his pace.
"I was getting ahead and zoning my sights down, and they were just beating the ground up," Webb said. "If anybody has their good stuff and keeps the ball down in the zone, they're going to get these results like I did tonight."
Pirates first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz called it a "typical" performance for Webb.
"You know what you're going to get, and there's not much you can do with it," Mientkiewicz said. "You just hope that when you hit it on the ground, you don't hit it right at somebody, especially with guys on base, and we did that a few times. You're almost better off when a guy gets on first to just bunt him over to take the double play away."
Young got the D-backs on the board in the third inning with a 388-foot, two-run homer on a 2-1 curveball off Pirates starter Zach Duke.
The D-backs tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when Conor Jackson hit an RBI ground-rule double, scoring Orlando Hudson.
"Didn't need much," Young said. "When you have Webby on the mound out there, all you need is one or two big hits."
Webb leads the Majors with 16 wins. It is his third consecutive season with at least 16 wins, and he figures to have at least nine more starts this season. He has accounted for nearly 30 percent of the D-backs' wins.
Melvin reminded reporters after the game that Chase Field is still a hitter's park.
"It's not like we have Tiger Stadium grass or Yankee Stadium fences in the gaps," he said. "It's a nice place to hit, but a sinker plays anywhere. If you keep the ball on the ground, you can pitch in any park, and that's his forte."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Marlins don't get Manny, keep Hermida
MIAMI -- "Manny Mania" ran wild for about 24 hours in South Florida, but when the non-waiver Trade Deadline passed at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, the slugger headed out west and the Marlins ended up with veteran reliever Arthur Rhodes.
Upgrading the bullpen was a priority, and the Marlins obtained the 38-year-old Rhodes from the Mariners for pitching prospect Gaby Hernandez.
Florida had coveted Manny Ramirez, and team officials worked the phones until 2 a.m. ET on Thursday and resumed negotiations at 9 a.m.
Yet, the proposed three-way trade that would have had Ramirez coming to Florida, Jeremy Hermida heading to Pittsburgh and Jason Bay going to Boston fizzled early Thursday afternoon.
Before Thursday's deadline, Ramirez went to the Dodgers as part of a three-way trade that included Bay ending up with the Red Sox.
Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest would not give specifics or even confirm the Ramirez scenario.
"We had some things that we were looking at, that we were trying to improve, mainly with the 'pen, and we did that with Rhodes," Beinfest said. "We were trying to add catching depth, and we banged on I think every door. If we didn't, it's our fault.
"As far as any other opportunities, yes, there were other opportunities that we wanted to explore because we like to be active. With the minutes ticking, we wanted to take advantage of it."
So why weren't the Marlins able to reach a deal?
"Why some of those things didn't come to fruition could be a number of factors," Beinfest said, without mentioning specifics. "It could be the money. The players. To somebody else had different goals than we did."
Another reason is so many teams feel they are still in it. Last year, for instance, the Rockies were far off the pace in July, yet they went on a remarkable roll and reached the World Series.
"There were a lot teams that believe that could pull a Rockies deal from a year ago," Beinfest said.
As controversial as Ramirez is, Beinfest says the organization was mindful of keeping harmony in the clubhouse.
"[You don't want] to mess with it to the point where we thought it could upset whatever is going on here that helps this team win," Beinfest said. "Maybe it's the manager on the field. Maybe it's the rah-rah together as a group. They are tight, and they know what works. Call it togetherness. Call it chemistry. Call it whatever you like, we were mindful of that.
"The disappointment is these guys deserve to be helped as much as possible, and we would have liked to have done a little more. It's not like we're despondent and we feel terrible. In the front office, we wanted to help them as much as possible. We just would have liked to have helped them a little more."
The trade rumors clearly created rumblings within the clubhouse for a couple of days. Hermida, 24, never dealt with being part of trade rumors. A first-round pick in 2002, the left-handed-hitting outfielder spent two days facing reporters and the prospect of being dealt.
"It's completely out of my hands," Hermida said. "I played the game last night. I woke up today, and pretty much everything was out of my control. If it went through, it went through. If it didn't, I'm definitely ecstatic to be here. I love these guys, and I'm definitely happy to be here."
Dan Uggla actually woke Hermida up with a phone call on Thursday to see if the outfielder was being traded. And once the Trade Deadline passed, Cody Ross gave Hermida a hug.
"It's part of the game, and part of the business," Hermida said. "It was my first time going through it, and it definitely is a little uneasy to go through it. It is what it is. It's part of the business. It's a learning experience."
First baseman Mike Jacobs also felt he could be moved. The 27-year-old initially thought he could be sent to the Giants for catcher Bengie Molina. But early Thursday morning, he heard that if he was indeed dealt, it wouldn't have been to San Francisco.
"There have been rumors the last 24 hours," Jacobs said. "You show up ready to play until you get tapped on the shoulder and told you are going somewhere else."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
D-backs place Byrnes, Snyder on DL
PHOENIX -- Call them the Arizona Brokenbacks.
The D-backs made two major roster moves on Tuesday, as they placed both outfielder Eric Byrnes and catcher Chris Snyder on the 15-day disabled list.
Byrnes strained his left hamstring on Monday night while attempting to steal third base in the second inning. Snyder was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Milwaukee outfielder Corey Hart in the fourth inning. Snyder was diagnosed with a left testicular fracture and will have surgery on Wednesday.
D-backs manager Bob Melvin said he expects Byrnes to be out much longer than just the 15 days. He is hoping Snyder will require just two weeks to recover and will return after the All-Star Game when the D-backs open a three-game series with the Dodgers.
To fill their spots, the D-backs recalled right-hander Connor Robertson and catcher Robby Hammock from Triple-A Tucson.
The D-backs called up Robertson to fill Byrnes' spot because the bullpen had been taxed in recent days. Robertson's stay in Phoenix might be cut short with the need of a position player looming. Hammock arrived from Tucson during Tuesday night's game and was available. Melvin said Hammock will probably start Thursday's day game.
"We're going a position player short today," Melvin said on Tuesday. "We're a little thin in the bullpen. ... [Robertson] brings us some length."
Reliever Juan Cruz, who underwent an MRI on Tuesday, was not available during Tuesday's game because of a rib inflammation in his left side. Melvin is hoping he will be available on Wednesday.
Closer Brandon Lyon and setup man Tony Pena had both thrown in three straight games before Tuesday night, and Chad Qualls pitched 1 1/3 innings on Monday night.
In Monday's game, Byrnes was given the green light to steal with none out in the second inning. Melvin said before the game that he wanted Byrnes to expand his game. Just a year removed from a 50-stolen-base season, Byrnes was mired in a 2-for-22 slump. He led off the inning with a double, then strained his left hamstring as he neared third base.
"Part of him being back was him being healthy," Melvin said. "When he comes back, he's healthy and he runs the bases. That's the first time he really had to tax it like that. He felt pretty good up until the last couple of steps when it went on him.
"There are degrees of healthy. Over the course of 162 games, no one is 100 percent healthy, but being that he did what we asked him to do in the rehab in the times he was getting down the line, and how he felt and the feedback we were getting from him, he was healthy enough to come back and play on an everyday basis."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Amezaga deemed ready to pinch-hit
MIAMI -- Before the Marlins took the field to face the Rays on Thursday afternoon, Alfredo Amezaga spent a few minutes jogging in the outfield.
It was the first time he did some running since being lifted from last Saturday's game in the fourth inning with tightness in his left groin.
Under the supervision of trainer Sean Cunningham, Amezaga did a series of drills in the outfield to test his injury.
"He's available to pinch-hit," manager Fredi Gonzalez said.
The team has stayed away from using Amezaga the past few games. A versatile performer who has started 34 games in center field, Amezaga also is a backup middle infielder. Speed is a big part of his game.
Gonzalez said the progress Amezaga has made the past few days makes it unlikely that the team will have to place him on the disabled list.
Cody Ross has been playing a majority of the time in center field, and he is expected to remain there even when Amezaga is ready to go full speed.
Gonzalez likes using Amezaga off the bench, where he can enter as part of double-switches, and remain in the game. He is widely considered the best pure defensive player on the team.
With him out the past few games, Robert Andino has filled the role of Amezaga.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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