All Out Of Balance
April 25th, 2016
Catcher’s interference was just a microcosm.
Only the 2016 Rays, or perhaps the 1962 Mets or Bad News Bears, could insert a catcher as a defensive replacement and see the guy immediately get slapped with a catcher’s interference call.
That’s what happened Saturday to Curt Casali, and it was a huge turning point in the walk-off win by the hated Yanks.
Yeah, it was one play, and Jacoby Ellsbury is the master at drawing that call, but it was a microcosm of the Rays’ profound lack of balance all season.
The offseason sacrifice of defense for offense has been a mess, from Logan Morrison to Brad Miller, to the adventures behind the plate and the wacky worlds of Tim Beckham and Steven Souza, Jr. The Rays have to lead the league in outfield collisions, too.
The starting pitching also has been inconsistent, and thoughtless at times. Ellsbury stealing home on Friday night? C’mon. That just can’t happen.
Joe embraced — and embraces — the effort to adjust course under a tight budget, but so far it’s been really no better than the mess of the past two years. It’s just more unpredictable.
April 26th, 2016 at 12:39 am
Tight Budget ? Paying James Loney 8 million to play for San Diego’s minor league team is inane. I hear the Ray’s apologists stating that Loney lost 15 points off of his career batting average numbers. That STILL means he’s batting .280. What are the M & M Turds from Seattle hitting ? Combined, they don’t match Loney. Plus Loney was in excellent shape when he got to camp. The front office was just stubborn because they already made a trade to replace him. It’s past time to reconsider James Loney and his beautiful hair !
April 26th, 2016 at 2:10 pm
Darth go to Gravatar.com and get an avatar. We need to see you