After 10 years of watching while the rest of baseball cleaned their cleats on them, the Tampa Bay Rays are now returning the favour.
I was looking forward to the Blue Jays visit to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to begin the second half of the 2008 season for a couple of reasons: For the Jays, a solid return to action might send them, fingers crossed, on a course back towards the post-season. That didn't happen and it's time to officially break out the 'Maybe Next Year' t-shirts; but for the Rays, I wanted to see how they would react to the adversity the team faced after losing seven-straight games heading into the All-Star break.
They addressed the losing streak in the first game by coming from behind in the opener with light-hitting shortstop Ben Zobrist blasting a two-run shot off A.J. Burnett in the seventh inning. The next day the Rays hung a five-spot on Roy Halladay, turning a pitcher's duel into a laugher. Two games removed from a lengthy losing streak and any thoughts of the Rays falling back into the pack were put to rest.
Now, do I think that they can continue this pace and qualify for the playoffs, something that no one thought possible back in spring training? Well, yes and no. Yes, they clearly have the talent - make that good young talent - to play with the likes of the Red Sox and Angels all the way to the end of the regular season. And no, because I believe that the young talent are heading into uncharted territory and will wear down following the trade deadline when the 'dog days' of the season kick in.
The Rays, actually, remind me of the 1983 Blue Jays who finally shed their expansion moniker under Bobby Cox and rode the maturing talents of George Bell, Jesse Barfield, Willie Upshaw and Dave Stieb. That flock of Jays finally broke through the .500 barrier that season, much like the 2008 Rays are doing, and two seasons later they beat out the Yankees on the second last day of the regular season to claim their first A.L. East title. And that would start a string of which saw the Jays make the post-season five times over a nine season stretch, culminating with back-to-back World Series titles in 1992-93.
Rarely has a player arrived with such hype as their slugging, rookie third baseman Evan Longoria. But all he has done is hit. 'Longo' drove in a run with his first major league hit back on April 12 and hasn't looked back. Through his first 88 career games he's driven in 60 runs, homered 19 times, smacked 23 doubles and posted a .274 average. Those are numbers that if the season ended today would land him the A.L. Rookie of the Year. Add in how he also lined a RBI double off Mets' closer Billy Wagner in the bottom of the eighth to send the All-Star Game into extra innings. A more magical freshman season could not be imagined, except, of course, if he can lead the Rays to the playoffs.
But this is not a one-man gang. Manager Joe Maddon employs an up-tempo offence with speedy outfielders Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton stealing bases at will while always taking the extra base. Japanese import Akinori Iwamura has become a reliable lead-off man at a new position - second base - so that third could be opened up for Longoria. Catcher Dioner Navarro has evolved into an all-star in just his second full season as the No. 1 guy. Slugging 1B Carlos Pena has turned into a strikeout machine, but still has the ability to go yard every time he steps into the box. And then there's Eric Hinske, basically thrown on the scrap heap last season after winning a World Series with the Red Sox. With his questionable work ethic and attitude, all Hinske could get this spring was non-roster invite by the Rays. But he's made the most of it, slamming 14 home runs as a part-timer. Yes, that's 14 home runs, or five more than the Blue Jays leader Matt Stairs.
This team can also pitch. Ace left-hander Scott Kazmir was the All-Star Game winner and is one of the top strikeout artists in the game. Matt Garza, James Shields and Andy Sonnanstine, although short on experience, are long in results and give the Rays a solid mid-rotation. The five-spot is where the Rays might look to add an arm at the trade deadline, but they are not willing to give up any of their bright future, so it seems likely they'll cross their fingers and make do with the talented but erratic Edwin Jackson. Closer Troy Percival has just returned from injury and gives the team an unflappable ninth inning presence. If the team does have a weakness it's in middle relief. That was never more apparent than on Sunday against the Blue Jays when Jason Hammel and Trever Miller allowed the game to get away by walking five of the 13 Toronto batters they combined to face.
In a long, 162-game regular season, many things have to break right, most significantly injuries for a team, especially an inexperienced one, to finally make the playoffs. To date the Rays have gone relatively unscathed. The fact that they also have the best record within their own division means that can compete with the Red Sox and Yankees. Will it be enough that we'll be watching this team in October? Check back with me on Labour Day on that one.
