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Rays 7, Mariners 0 (Game #9) [4-5]
Hallelujah! Edwin Jackson and the Rays avoided the sweep with an impressive win on Thursday. Jackson pitched magnificently with six strikeouts, giving up only two hits in eight innings. Boasting a 2-0 record, Jackson's season ERA is 0.68. Wow. Tampa Bay's last shutout was September 10th against the Red Sox. The slumping Rays opened a bag of hits in the fourth inning when Eric Hinske blasted a home run to center… it was Tampa Bay's first hit of the game. Also, catcher Mike DiFelice drove in three runs with two hits. The top five (Akinora Iwamura, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton and Hinske) in the lineup accounted for six of the ten hits with DiFelice and Jonny Gomes getting the other four. As I've mentioned previously, when the apex of the batting order has success with the bat, it tends to filter down to the bottom and becomes quite contagious. In the seventh inning, the Rays scored a bulk of their runs. To start the inning off, Iwamura and Crawford had singles to right and center. Eric O'Flaherty came in for struggling Miguel Batista. Pena was hit by a pitch, which loaded up the bases. With Upton's single to right, Iwamura and Crawford scored, Pena to third. Upton advanced to second base on the throw. After Hinske grounded out to the pitcher, Gomes was intentionally walked. Roy Corcoran replaced Flaherty. Pinch-hitter (for Nathan Haynes) Justin Ruggiano was walked, scoring Pena. DiFelice singled to right center, scoring both Gomes and Upton. Corcoran was able to get the final two outs by striking out Jason Bartlett and Iwamura, who started the inning. Five runs, baby! Luck number seven appeared to be enough as Jackson and Trever Miller closed the door on a potential comeback. As much as I was thrilled with the offense getting back in the zone, I was more happy with Jackson's feat. Hell, it took him until June 24th last year to get his first victory. Jackson finished last season with a 5-15 record over 31 starts. Ever since he was acquired from the Dodgers in 2006, I've been waiting for him to emerge as a dependable starter. Last year, I think I predicted a 15-win season for Jackson, but it looks like the 24-year-old has a better chance at accomplishing this statistic now. It's only the first two starts and he's bound to have some bumps along the way, but I think he's learning from his past mistakes and controlling his killer fastball. Very exciting to see. Well, it's time to face the Orioles again. Glancing at his numbers, Rays' first baseman Pena has seven homers and 18 RBIs in his last 12 games against Baltimore. With the Santo Domingo slugger only hitting .176 to start the season, the Orioles would be a perfect team to display his launching pads skills all over again. As much as I love Aubrey Huff, I'm not looking forward to seeing him playing against Tampa Bay. He's batting .366 with eight homers and 18 RBIs in 19 games against his former club. James Shields gets the starting nod for the Rays, while Jeremy Guthrie (0-1, 5.11) hopes for a better outcome as he faces the Rays (and Shields) for the second time this season. The Stanford alumnus gave up six runs and nine hits on opening day. Guthrie is 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in six appearances (four starts) against the Rays. As expected, I'm looking forward to this match-up… I've got a fever… and the only prescription is a weekend series against the Orioles (and more cowbell, of course)!
Hallelujah! Edwin Jackson and the Rays avoided the sweep with an impressive win on Thursday. Jackson pitched magnificently with six strikeouts, giving up only two hits in eight innings. Boasting a 2-0 record, Jackson's season ERA is 0.68. Wow. Tampa Bay's last shutout was September 10th against the Red Sox. The slumping Rays opened a bag of hits in the fourth inning when Eric Hinske blasted a home run to center… it was Tampa Bay's first hit of the game. Also, catcher Mike DiFelice drove in three runs with two hits. The top five (Akinora Iwamura, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton and Hinske) in the lineup accounted for six of the ten hits with DiFelice and Jonny Gomes getting the other four. As I've mentioned previously, when the apex of the batting order has success with the bat, it tends to filter down to the bottom and becomes quite contagious. In the seventh inning, the Rays scored a bulk of their runs. To start the inning off, Iwamura and Crawford had singles to right and center. Eric O'Flaherty came in for struggling Miguel Batista. Pena was hit by a pitch, which loaded up the bases. With Upton's single to right, Iwamura and Crawford scored, Pena to third. Upton advanced to second base on the throw. After Hinske grounded out to the pitcher, Gomes was intentionally walked. Roy Corcoran replaced Flaherty. Pinch-hitter (for Nathan Haynes) Justin Ruggiano was walked, scoring Pena. DiFelice singled to right center, scoring both Gomes and Upton. Corcoran was able to get the final two outs by striking out Jason Bartlett and Iwamura, who started the inning. Five runs, baby! Luck number seven appeared to be enough as Jackson and Trever Miller closed the door on a potential comeback. As much as I was thrilled with the offense getting back in the zone, I was more happy with Jackson's feat. Hell, it took him until June 24th last year to get his first victory. Jackson finished last season with a 5-15 record over 31 starts. Ever since he was acquired from the Dodgers in 2006, I've been waiting for him to emerge as a dependable starter. Last year, I think I predicted a 15-win season for Jackson, but it looks like the 24-year-old has a better chance at accomplishing this statistic now. It's only the first two starts and he's bound to have some bumps along the way, but I think he's learning from his past mistakes and controlling his killer fastball. Very exciting to see. Well, it's time to face the Orioles again. Glancing at his numbers, Rays' first baseman Pena has seven homers and 18 RBIs in his last 12 games against Baltimore. With the Santo Domingo slugger only hitting .176 to start the season, the Orioles would be a perfect team to display his launching pads skills all over again. As much as I love Aubrey Huff, I'm not looking forward to seeing him playing against Tampa Bay. He's batting .366 with eight homers and 18 RBIs in 19 games against his former club. James Shields gets the starting nod for the Rays, while Jeremy Guthrie (0-1, 5.11) hopes for a better outcome as he faces the Rays (and Shields) for the second time this season. The Stanford alumnus gave up six runs and nine hits on opening day. Guthrie is 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in six appearances (four starts) against the Rays. As expected, I'm looking forward to this match-up… I've got a fever… and the only prescription is a weekend series against the Orioles (and more cowbell, of course)!
