This Whole Rays Burglary Thing Gets Interesting

I am sure you guys all saw the story yesterday that the summer home of David Price, Evan Longoria, and Reid Brignac was broken in to. The burglars took a 60 inch HDTV, watches, jewelry, ect. I didn't think much of it, I mean shit happens. Then I read this today...

"But we hadn't heard about a certain "personal item" that belonged to Longoria. Nothing too important, you know, just your average run-of-the-mill ... AK-47 assault rifle. "It's a personal item," Longoria on Monday afternoon, before the Rays game against the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field. "Obviously they're going to say things that are taken. I think everything within the house is personal and we'll just leave it at that (Yahoo)."


Ummm, WTF? There is really no reason ever to have an AK-47. Honestly, lets think about this for a second. What are the reasons to have a gun?

Personal Protection - Well unless Cuba decides to invade Florida, I think he is all set with that much fire power.

Hunting - That's a little aggressive to take down a deer.

I have only come up with one idea. Evan Longoria is the Punisher. It makes sense. I don't really hear too much about what he does in the offseason, and I could totally picture him being a badass. Maybe him and Delonte can hangout and go all Mad Max on the South. Anyways, crazy story and I will not be asking Longoria for an autograph anytime soon.

Rays 14 Red Sox 5

Wow, well at least everyone knows the season is over now. Rice-K was fucking awful last night going 4 2/3 innings letting up 8 runs on 8 hits with 4 Ks.

"I knew very well that this was a critical game," Matsuzaka said, "so to allow what happened to happen so early in the game, I can really only apologize to my teammates and to the fans."

As much as I want to rip on Dice-K, in his defense this was the first time in his last 16 starts that he let up over 4 runs. Yet, it does seem like most of his starts are more of the 6 innings 4 runs variety, then anything dominant. Basically he is just another question mark going into next season.

The Sox bullpen didn't help anything as Dustin Richardson, and Robert Manuel (who?) combined to pitch 1 1/3 innings letting up 6 runs. This bullpen has to be completely redone this offseason because other then Papelbon and Bard there is a bunch of guys that shouldn't be in the majors.

David Price started shaky, but the Sox didn't take advantage. With the win Price is now 17-6 with a 2.87 ERA, and will obviously be in the Cy Young talk come the end of the season.

Gross Red Sox Gross.

Scott Kazmir, a party animal, bad influence?

According to two sources close to the Rays, the biggest reason for trading Kazmir was his negative influence on David Price. At the time, Price was struggling through a rookie campaign in which he would finish 10-7 with a 4.42 ERA.

According to our sources, it was accepted among those close to the Rays that prior to the 2009 season, Kazmir liked to partake in illegal recreational activities with his good friend Edwin Jackson. It is unclear if this played a factor in Jackson being traded prior to the 2009 season. We will let you draw your own conclusions on that one.

More importantly, when Kazmir and Price became friends during the 2009 season, the Rays apparently grew concerned. More

I don't know if this story is bs or not but it's pretty funny that when Kazmir was on the team Price went 10-7 with a 4.42 ERA and this year he's a cy young candidate 15-5 with a 2.97 ERA. So maybe that's why Scott Kazmir isn't any good anymore because he's doing a bunch of drugs. It would make logical sense because he has good stuff, and has always had potential, but just could never put it together. Maybe he should go visit Josh Hamilton.

Rays 6, Red Sox 4

At least this loss didn't hurt as much. With David Price facing Wakefield, even the most irrationally exuberant Sox fan could conceptualize losing this game. It was an easy night for catchers giving signals as Price threw almost exclusively fastballs, and Wakefield, of course, was 99% knucklers. But Price's fastball is better than Wakefield's knuckleball, and the Rays offense is better than the JV Sox lineup.

Walks killed Wakefield, and so did some second-rate fielding. It was a sloppy game for the Sox, who seemed resigned to defeat until Price left the game. But by then it was too little too late.

Then there's Youkilis, who did play, but did not look comfortable. If he does wind up getting the nod for the All-Star Game, he probably won't play. After the game, Francona said that the turf was bothering. Hopefully the turf in Toronto doesn't bother him either.

Part of me feels like with all these injuries, the Sox need to play Youkilis until he's clearly injured, especially as the gap with the Yankees widens. But the rest of me thinks that the Sox should be extra-careful with Youkilis. I'd rather bench Youk for 3 days than lose him for 6 weeks.

Sox at Blue Jays starting Friday. Lester vs. Ricky Romero.

-The Commodore

Photo Credit:
AP PhotoRay

Daily Red Sox Spring Training Update

Rays 8 Red Sox 6

- Rays prized left-hander David Price left the 8-6 win over the Boston Red Sox in the bottom of the second inning after being hit on the right hand by the barrel of a shattered bat. It is not considered serious and they don't think he will need stitches.

- Sox got a bunch better outing this time from Lester. He went 2 2/3 innings allowing 2 hits 1 run (0 ER) while striking-out 4.

- Jacoby Ellsbury had two home runs and three RBI, and Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis also had two hits for Boston.

- Basically Adam Mills killed the Sox he let up 6 runs on 7 hits in just 1 innings of work.

Overall whatever it is spring training, and overall the Sox really look good. They play the Mets tonight and I am hearing some rumors that it might actually be televised, if it is i'll put an update up. That game is at 1:05pm. Here is a look at the Sox lineup and pitching schedule...

Marco Scutaro SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Victor Martinez C
David Ortiz DH
J.D. Drew RF
Mike Cameron CF
Jeremy Hermida LF
Jed Lowrie 3B
Lars Anderson 1B

Pitching: RHP John Lackey followed by LHP Felix Doubront, RHP Joe Nelson and RHP Junichi Tazawa.

David Price Is A Pretty Girl

Red Sox 6 Rays 3

Finally the Sox had some success at Tropicana. Last night Buchholz pitched very well letting up 3 runs over 6 innings with 3 Ks. Boston is really going to need him to step up over the final month or so if they want to nail down the Wild Card.

Jason Bay continued his tear as he hit a 2 run double that put the Red Sox ahead 2-0 in the 1st inning. Tampa quickly responded with 2 runs of their own in the same inning, when Longoria (who just kills the Sox) and Zobrist got RBIs. Baldelli hit a HR in the 2nd, but an RBI by Zaun (another Red Sox killer) tied the game. Lowell put the Sox up for good in the 6th with a soc fly, and Boston was able to put the game out of reach in the 7th with 2 runs.

The key to this game was the fact that the Sox were able to get to the Tampa bullpen early in the game. Price was only able to go 5 1/3 innings, and the Rays bullpen is so bad that you just knew the Sox were going to win.

Boston's bullpen on the other hand was fantastic. Wagner pitched another scoreless inning striking out 2. Then Bard and Papelbon closed it out with 2 scoreless innings of their own.

With the win Boston is still just 2 1/2 games up on Texas for the Wild Card spot.

Top 25 under 25: #22 David Price

For only another 13 days, David Price makes the list at #22. The 24 year old future ace, playing for the Tampa Bay Rays, is bound to be an elite pitcher in the Major Leagues very soon.

Price played three years at Vanderbilt University with a 22-10 record over 313 IP, a 3.23 ERA, and 441 strikeouts. Price was the #1 overall pick in the 2005 MLB Amateur draft including the second highest signing bonus in MLB history ($5.6 million)and is currently in the fulltime rotation.

Price has yet to prove his capabilities this season in the rotation but showed an outstanding amount of potential in the Rays' 2008 playoffs.

Price's experience from Vanderbilt helped propel him through A, AA and AAA in just 2 seasons. Expect him to remain in the rotation and become an elite pitching mainstay for the Rays. Price's 90-94 mph fastball has good tail and can be rung up to 97 if needed. The ace lefthander also has an 87 mph late breaking slider and a mean changeup. His command along with the excellent speed and movement of his pitches is sure to spell dominance once he settles into the big league stage. The Rays and fans have no doubt that Price is the real deal; its only a matter of time. His worth is impressive enough to put him ahead of proven players such as Josh Smith (#23)...that should tell a lot about Price's potential as a future Cy Young candidate.

Red Sox 4 Rays 6

The panic button is not being pushed yet, but the Sox are giving every reason to be concerned. Penny once again had a bad outing going 6 innings allowing 5 runs, as the Sox just can't find a way to win at Tropicana Field.

Pena hit a two-run homer off Brad Penny (7-6) in the second inning. Crawford, celebrating his 28th birthday, went deep with a man on in the third. Burrell added a solo shot off Penny for a 5-2 lead in the sixth. Boston's offense eventually got something going scoring in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings, but the game was already out of reach.

David Price had himself a nice night throwing 6 innings of 2 run baseball. The only good news for the Sox is that Bay went deep at his first at bat, so hopefully that is a sign that he is healthy and ready to get back to his pre All-Star break form.

The bad news for the Sox is that they are 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees, and are facing them tonight with Smoltz on the hill...

Price Out Of Rays Rotation?

"Scott Kazmir likely will make his first start in more than a month this weekend against Florida, and manager Joe Maddon faces a decision on whether Andy Sonnanstine, rookie David Price or Jeff Niemann will be moved to the bullpen or minor leagues. Price has lost his last two starts and seems like the likely choice to get booted from the rotation considering the fact that he is a rookie and didn't start the season in the team's rotation (Sportsline)."

So far the Rays have underachieved this season. Price has all the talent in the world, but has struggled recently. This is not surprising for a rookie, even with all the hype around him. I think the Rays will take him out of the rotation, and try to plug him into the bullpen, which has been horrible this season. If the Rays can get Kazmir back to be an affective pitchers, and Price can right that bullpen the Rays will be making a lot of noise after the All-Star break.

David Price's First Start

The Highly touted prospect David Price had an extremely odd first outing. He did strike out 6 in 3 innings, but that is all he lasted. His line was 3.1 innings 2 ers, 5bb, and 6k's. I will give him a bye due to this being his first start, but if I were a Rays fan, I would be a tad bit nervous. He had a mediocre spring, and showed flashes of dominance in this start. I have a feeling he will have an O.K. year, this year and will see him dominate next year.

Oh yea the Rays lost because their bullpen sucks.

What Is Wrong With David Price?

We all expected to see David Price by now, but if you look at how bad he has been playing in AAA then you know why the Rays are taking their time.

His 2009 line is as follows:

One Win
24.2 Innings
4.74 ERA
1.65 WHIP
21 Strikeouts (7.66 K/9)
16 Walks (5.84 BB/9)
.292 BABIP

Not terrible, but he is struggling with his control, and that is something you really need to get a handle on when you have a division filled with teams like the Sox and Yanks (jays?). Price has been so hyped on we are all shocked when he looks human, but he is like any other prospect, and there are going to be bumps in the road. Now he could string together a couple good starts and be brought up, but for now it looks like he is going to have to put his time in. Remember he is still only 23 years old...

David Price To Minors

The Rays haven't officially announced it, but very indication is that rookie phenom David Price will start the year in the minors. Writers all over the country are pulling out their hair over this. They want to the story of David Price to continue, but it looks like they are going to have to wait at least a little longer.

Unlike most of America I think this is a great idea. The Rays aren't stupid, and they know they have to watch Price's pitch count. They also know that although he is very good he can be a lot better. Price is going to head to the minors to work on some of his offspeed stuff, also in the minors they will be able to better control the innings he pitches. When they finally do bring him up, and he is not overworked from innings pitched, so he will be able to go full boar, and dominate the league like everyone thinks he will.

I just wanted to take a minute to applaud the Rays for being strong against all the media scrutiny that will come with this decision, and keeping their eye on the big picture. What is really scary is that the Rays easily have the pitching depth to do this, and probably won't even miss a step.

The David Price Suckfest Needs To Stop

David Price may be the next big thing next year and for years to come, but people really need to stop talking like he is the greatest pitcher that ever touched a baseball. He has pitched in only nine games in his career. Nine.

Yesterday he pitched 2.1 innings, let up 2 runs (1 being earned) and 2 Ks. I mean those aren't that impressive. I know the media loves young guys pitching in the Playoffs, but all of Tampa Bays pitching is young, how about praise all of their starting pitchers instead of a relief pitcher.

Also, The "Big Game" James Shields stuff has to stop, it is ridiculous and he hasn't won shit yet. In my mind their is only one Big Game James and that is James Worthy.

Rays About To Get Better?

Over the past couple weeks the Sox have worked their way back in the AL East race. They had a chance to take the lead in the division before dropping a couple games to the Rays. The question all season has been whether or not this Rays team was going to have what it takes to string together a good season all year. Tampa is very good, but also very young, and many people thought (myself included) that they would fall off, but today the Rays may have got even better. All-Star rookie Evan Longoria is back, and they have also called up David Price, who might be the most highly touted prospect in the entire MLB. Langoria is obviously going to do what he does, but the addition of Price might be the thing that pushes the Rays over the top.

Here is what the official Minor League Baseball site says about David Price:
"He's got tremendous stuff, with a plus fastball, slider and above-average change up, excellent command of his pitches and the kind of leadership on the mound that screams "future ace." Price has great makeup and is extremely competitive. Add in the fact that this enticing package all comes in a left-hander".

If this guy is what all the scouts are are saying that he is, then the Sox are going to have a tough time taking back the AL East.

-BMack