Welcome back Maniacs!
After my weekend long hiatus of Father’s Day fesitivites, grilling, and a Rays series victory over the Mets, I am back and ready to comment on the important series ahead.
However, as the Spanish poet George Santayana once said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Therefore, I shall divulge on the events since my last post, both the good and the bad, using the handy Bullet Points option:
- The steadiness of the bullpen – The bullpen has definitely been coming together as of late, and this past road trip was no exception! The Rays were forced to come from behind in both victories vs. the Mets, and the bullpen (with the exception of a misplaced pitch by red-hot Joe Nelson), allowed us to make our move in both games. Hopefully this momentum can carry over as the Rays finish interleague play this week.
- The Resurgence of B.J. Upton – Anybody that has been reading this blog over the past month knows that I am not the biggest fan of B.J. Upton hitting at the leadoff spot in the order, but B.J. certainly made his case this past week. He was able to get the right hits at the right times, quietly racking up AL player of the week honors in the process. Do I think he should be hitting in the leadoff spot now, no. I think that B.J. has shown signs of taking off in regards to power and average, but Jason Bartett is also quietly riding a 16 game hitting streak, only two less than the Rays all-time record set by Quinten McCracken back in 1998. I still think Bartlett and his average should be leading us off in the order, but now B.J. is turning into a decent alternative for me.
NOTES FOR THE HOMESTAND!
Alright Rays fans, our team is back home for six interleague games in six days, three against the Philidelphia Phillies, the ’08 WS rematch, and then three against our cross-state “rivals” the Florda Marlins. The Phillies are coming to the Trop having lost six games in a row and eight of their last nine. However, all of those games for the Phillies were at home, where they sport a horrendous 13-22 record. Unfortunately, that means their road record of 23-9 is one of the best in the Majors. The Rays need to calm the bats of Utley and Ryan Howard, who will be returning to the lineup after missing time with flu-like symptoms. As long as the Rays starters keep the game close going into the late innings, a injury-ridden Phillies bullpen gives the Rays a fine chance to get a late inning W. Look for the Rays to take two out of three from both the Phills and the red-hot Marlins (a series which I will comment on later in the week).
Get to the Trop this week! I’ll be there everyday! You don’t want to miss these games!
-Out
