MLB: Tampa Bay Causing Devilish Problems

For all these years, Tampa Bay has had a devil of a time attempting to put together even a decent team that would compete in the always tough American League East.


2008-05-02

For all these years, Tampa Bay has had a devil of a time attempting to put together even a decent team that would compete in the always tough American League East. It may be early in the 2008 season, but there are positive signs. Still, very few Sportsbook bettors give the Rays a chance tonight in Boston.

As it turns out all they needed to do was exorcise the demons by changing nickname and suddenly they are competing for first place in the division.

The Rays are percentage points ahead of Boston for first place in the AL East, thanks to hot streak that has seen them win nine of last 11 games. Included in those nine victories were three last weekend at home against the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, whom they swept.

The Boston probably didn’t think their offense could sink much lower than it did last weekend at Tropicana Field. Once they returned home, however, it only got worse. The Red Sox will look to break out of their woeful offensive slump against the team that was responsible for starting it when they open a three-game series with the Rays on Friday at Fenway Park.

Boston (17-13, +3.5 units) was fourth in the major leagues in runs last season, and averaged more than seven a game in the postseason as it rolled to its second World Series title in four years. More high scores were expected from an offense that saw all of its core contributor’s return, but lately, the Red Sox haven’t been able to get anything going.

After scoring a total of five runs - one in the final two games - in Tampa Bay over the weekend, Boston returned to Fenway for three games against Toronto. Long known as a venue friendly to hitters, playing in their home park was no consolation to the Red Sox. They scored three runs in three games, one before the ninth inning. With solid pitching in their first two games, Boston used some timely hitting in the ninth to win both times, but manager Terry Francona’s team could only muster four hits in a 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.

“In a game when you need something to go your way, we took more good swings than the line score will show, but we just saw three really good arms the last three days,” Francona told the team’s official Web site. Boston will try to continue good opening game fortune, being 10-4 in series openers and 7-3 against the money line after scoring two runs or less.

They’re likely to see three more against Tampa Bay (16-12, +4.8 units). The surprising Rays are essentially tied with the Red Sox for first place in the AL East, and much of the credit for that has to go to their pitching.

Tampa Bay has a 3.61 ERA that’s second-best in the AL, including a 2.44 ERA from the bullpen that is tops in the league. Closer Troy Percival, who has allowed only two hits this season in 10 scoreless innings, picked up his sixth save in as many tries on Thursday as the Rays beat Baltimore 4-2. “Considering the past the organization has had with not winning, they are handling this with a lot of composure,” Percival said of the organization that’s never won more than 70 games. “I first saw in spring training that we could compete with anybody. … Right now we’re playing good baseball.” The Rays are 11-4 in road games after having won eight or more of their last 10 games.

Boston will face Tampa Bay’s two best pitchers - James Shields and Scott Kazmir - over the weekend, but Friday’s starter, Edwin Jackson (2-2, 3.86 ERA) has impressed as well. He limited the Red Sox to one run on five hits over seven innings on Saturday in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 win. “I was really pleased with E.J. I really liked the look,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He was pounding the strike zone. I just loved the aggressive nature.”

Sportsbook.com has Tampa Bay as +155 road underdogs to start three game series and Jackson and the Rays are 1-5 in this exact role.

Jackson’s mound opponent from that win will also be his counterpart Friday at Fenway. Clay Buchholz (1-2, 4.08) delivered his second straight impressive start, allowing two runs and striking out nine in eight innings, but he was saddled with the loss due to the Red Sox inability to put runs on the board. “Clay was great,” Francona said. “I thought he actually got stronger as the game went on.” The not so good news is Boston and Buchholz are 1-4 this season when he is the starting pitcher.

The struggles of designated hitter David Ortiz, who’s hitting just .196, have been well-chronicled, but Ortiz is hitting .306 with three homers and 11 RBIs over his past nine games. Left fielder Manny Ramirez, meanwhile, is hitting .336, but hasn’t driven in a run in his last 10 games.

These two sluggers need base runners if the BoSox are going to continue to improve upon 34-13 record as a home favorite of -125 to -175 over the last two seasons. Tampa Bay won series at Baltimore, a place they had seldom enjoyed success at in the past and head right into another unfriendly place at Fenway Park, where they are 4-14 the last two years.

Boston’s Buchholz should be delivering the first pitch right about 7:05 Eastern, looking to add to the Rays historical road dog woes, being 13-46 when money line is +150 to +200 over the last three seasons.

This division conflict will be on WXPX in Tampa and NESN in New England.

StatFox Power Line – Boston -199

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