Bauman: Surging Rays should be optimistic

Posted by Donald D. Monahan at Jul 07, 2010 | No Comments »
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The outlook for the Tampa Bay Rays has progressed in eight days all the way from dim to dazzling. And the dazzling outlook is the much more believable of the two.

All systems are once again go for the Rays, who finished a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox with a 6-4 victory on Wednesday night. The Rays have won five in a row and seven of their last eight games, all against quality opposition.

They are getting superior pitching, timely hitting, outstanding defense. It reminds manager Joe Maddon of their work earlier this season when they got out to baseball’s best start at 32-12. They now have baseball’s secon-best record, although this is also the American League East’s second-best record thanks to the presence of the Yankees. And that is just the on-field portion of Tampa Bay’s encouragement.

Due recognition has come the Rays’ way. This is the first time in franchise history that two Rays have been voted in as All-Star Game starters. Joining third baseman Evan Longoria and left fielder Carl Crawford on Wednesday was closer Rafael Soriano, named as a replacement for Mariano Rivera. Soriano has been about as good as the law allows, converting 23 of 24 save opportunities. The one that got away was due to an unearned run.

“I’m very happy for Soriano,” Maddon said Wednesday. “He should have been there in the first place. That one blown save does not count, so he’s basically been perfect this season.”

The remaining Rays All-Star, David Price, was on display Wednesday night, beating the Red Sox. Price, who leads the AL in victories with 12, is a prime candidate to start the All-Star Game. Price, who had 10 strikeouts against one walk, while giving up just two runs in 7 2/3 innings, had a fastball that was so effective that he was able to rely on it almost exclusively for long stretches.

Additional off-the-field encouraging news came this week when Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said the team was willing and able to increase its player payroll in an effort to win this season. The Rays’ 2010 payroll is at $72 million, a franchise record.

“By any means necessary,” Sternberg said. “We’ll do whatever; money won’t be an object. Players are always an object for us. And the money will be an impediment, but we’ll figure it out if it makes all the sense in the world for this team.

“We’re well beyond stretched [in player payroll], but for me, personally, this is a very special year, it’s a special team, can be a special team, and we’re going to do whatever we can, whatever’s necessary, to try to give us the best opportunity to win this year,” Sternberg said.

The Rays cannot compare with the financial resources available to the Yankees and the Red Sox, but this circumstance does not lead them to a concession speech. Sternberg has supplied an encouraging word for everyone in the organization.

“Any time the group gets support from on top, that makes everybody feel better,” Maddon said. “I haven’t polled anybody, but I know everybody appreciates Stu saying that. Our guys get it. It’s great from the players’ perspective to have the owner say that in a manner that everybody can hear.”

With the announcement of the Rays’ willingness to spend, the Tampa Bay trade rumor mill can operate on a 24-hour basis. One report had underachieving center fielder B.J. Upton headed to Seattle for Mariners ace Cliff Lee. This would be the kind of trade a team with an eye on the postseason would make. Lee would give the Rays not only an obviously improved rotation down the stretch, but also a veteran postseason presence on the mound that few others possess.

Maddon, however, said there was absolutely no substance to the report. And most of the trade speculation surrounding the Rays is headed in the opposite direction, the Rays trading for a middle-of-the-order run producer to boost a sometimes iffy offense.

More encouragement? The Rays, even while they are back above the .600 winning percentage mark, are not firing on all cylinders. It is completely reasonable to believe, for instance, that first baseman Carlos Pena will not finish the season at his current .201 batting average. Pena has a career .352 on-base percentage, but is at just .318 this season. A player of his stature should come closer to his career numbers in the second half.

Upton, whose talent is unquestioned, is hitting .225, while his lifetime average is .261. Improvement from him would also not be an unreasonable expectation.

The Rays are a flexible bunch, willing to think well outside the box, and then act appropriately. Wednesday night, with setup man Joaquin Benoit and Soriano both unavailable, Maddon turned to starter Matt Garza to close the game. Garza had lasted only three innings in his last start on Monday night, but here, even with some anxious moments, he recorded his first Major League save.

Ultimately, when every other reason for optimism has been explored, the Rays have the old reliable: They lead the AL in team ERA — and by a sizable margin. They went 32-12, then 12-20, and now they’re back up again with the recent 7-1. But if the pitching remains constant as the AL’s best, and the rest of the team plays to its form, the Rays will have more than postseason hopes. They’ll have postseason games.

Mike Bauman is a national columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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