David Price Pitches Masterfully, Rays Beat Red Sox 4-0

We seem to have missed recapping yesterday’s afternoon game between the Rays and Red Sox, so whoops — our apologies. For notes on the game, let’s turn to C.B. Jones over at DRaysBay:

Like Shields and Niemann yesterday, Price only allowed three hits against the potent Sawks and while he didn’t throw a complete game, he did end up with a mighty fine line: 8IP, 0R, 3H, 3BB, 1HBP, 5K. He mixed his pitches well, only throwing ~57% fastballs, but made those heaters count as he topped out at a tick under 98MPH on the night, according to PitchFX. Of his 116 pitches, he induced ten swinging strikes (8.6%).

My eyes tell me that Price was not as effective as Niemann was last night, but when you put up eight goose eggs against one of the league’s best lineups, ‘effective’ is a rather mild word. The closest the Red Sox came to scoring off the Velociraptor Jesus was when Jacoby Ellsbury tripled to lead off the sixth inning. Price would buckle down and strikeout Pedrioa on a borderline pitch (that the Imp would later walk on in the eighth). He then got Adrian Gonzalez to tap a ball back to the mound and catch Ellsbury in a rundown to end the scoring threat.

Offensively, the Rays were powered by Ben Zobrist, B.J. Upton, and Evan Longoria. Upton and Longo both had solo shots Over the Monster off of John Lackey, and Zobrist contributed with two doubles and two RBI. “They” say you can’t win games without putting up crooked numbers, but the Rays proved the haters wrong as they scored one run in the first, fourth, fifth, and seventh innings and like the cavemen of old, rode the Velociraptor to victory.

With this win, the Rays are now only 8 games behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card lead. The playoffs are still a far-off dream at this point, but the Rays do have plenty of games left against the Sox and Yankees in September. I’m keeping my expectations low, but crossing my fingers that Boston’s pitching utterly implodes.

With this road trip finished, the Rays return to the Trop to face the Mariners in a three-game series starting Friday.

Desmond Jennings Is The New Carl Crawford

Jeff Niemann Throws Complete Game Against Red Sox, Rays Win 6-2

Day and night, night and day. Not only can those words be used to describe the gametimes of the doubleheader today, but it’s also an apt depiction of the Rays’ performance. This may have been a night game, but the Rays played like a whole new team.

The big story of tonight’s game is Jeff Niemann. Niemann has been spectacular since his return from the disabled list in early July, posting a 1.65 ERA over 43 IP coming into tonight, and he kept his momentum going tonight. While he worked a slightly different pitch repertoire than he has in recent starts — working almost exclusively off his fastball (67%) and curve (22%) — Niemann kept the Boston hitters off balance all night. He struck out 10 batters, induced 8 swinging strikes, and allowed only four baserunners while throwing a complete game.

Niemann’s complete game was his first of the season, and it was also the second complete game the Rays threw in the same day (Shields threw one in the first game of the doubleheader). I’m having a tough time tracking down the information, but I’m willing to guess that’s the first time the Rays have had two complete games on the same day. At the very least, anyone out there able to find when the Rays last had back-to-back complete games?

On offense, the Rays finally decided to show up. It was a near thing, though; the Rays first got on the board in the second inning thanks to two soft singles, a groundout, and a throwing error by the third baseman. They clung to their lead throughout the game, tacking on one run thanks to a home run from Desmond Jennings, and then blew the game open in the eighth inning when they scored three more runs. And even then, the Rays got some help from the Boston defense, who couldn’t get either Zobrist or Upton out on a botched steal attempt by Upton.

But still, the Rays strung hits together throughout the game and put pressure on Boston’s defense. All their hits came from the top six batters in the batting order, and they were able to take advantage of a great pitching performance by Jeff Niemann. Talk about satisfying.

Game Notes:

• Desmond Jennings had an excellent game, making a spectacular catch jumping up the Green Monster and hitting both a double and home run. And that home run….wow. Jennings crushed it, hitting it over the Monster seats and into the street beyond. That’s his fifth home run of the season (~100 PA) and his second home run in the last three games.
• In the fourth inning, the Red Sox turned a triple play against the Rays. I broke the play down over at SB Nation Tampa Bay, but the basic gist is that with runners on first and second and no outs, Sean Rodriguez hit a hot groundball right at Jed Lowrie at third base. Lowrie was able to quickly step on third and start a 5-4-3 triple play, the second triple play ever turned against the Rays (the first was back in 2006 against the Royals).

GRAPHIC: Boston Red Sox Turn Triple Play Against Tampa Bay Rays

In the top of the fourth inning in Tuesday night’s game between the Red Sox and Rays, the Rays were threatening to break the game open. There were runners on first and second with no outs, and up to the plate stepped Sean Rodriguez. The Rays already had a 2-1 lead, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to put some distance between them and the Sox.

But it was not to be. Red Sox pitcher Erik Bedard got Sean Rodriguez to hit a hot groundball right at the third baseman Jed Lowrie. And from there, it was as simple as 5-4-3. (See video here.)

This was the first triple play turned by the Red Sox since 1994, and only the second triple play the Rays have hit into in their team’s history (the other was in 2006).

For more on the Rays, follow DRaysBay.com.

Rays Vs. Red Sox: Jeff Niemann And Erik Bedard Square Off In Game Two

In the second game of today’s day/night doubleheader between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, Jeff Niemann and Erik Bedard will be facing off.

The Red Sox won the day game 3-1, as Jon Lester shut down the Rays’ offense and James Shields made one mistake pitch to Jacoby Ellsbury that resulted in a three-run home run. It was Shields’ 9th complete game and 10th loss…which I think goes to show how little run support he’s received this season.

The Rays will send Jeff Niemann to the mound to try and at least split today’s games. While Niemann struggled in the early season, since returning from the disabled list in early July, Niemann has been an entirely different pitcher. Here are his splits:

Pre DL Trip: 40.1 IP, 47 H, 10 BB, 24 K, 5.58 ERA
Post DL Trip: 43 IP, 34 H, 10 BB, 39 K, 1.65 ERA

Here’s hoping Niemann continues to shine tonight, as Erik Bedard doesn’t look like he’ll be a walk over. For the first time since 2007 — back when he was an Oriole — Bedard has remained healthy for the majority of the season and has thrown over 100 innings. He’s still very effective, posting a 3.55 ERA and averaging nearly one strike out per inning, so the Rays may have a tough time kick-starting their offense after their dismal showing against Lester.

Rays Lineup:

Jennings LF
Damon DH
Longoria 3B
Zobrist 2B
Upton CF
Kotchman 1B
Rodriguez SS
Joyce RF
Chirinos C

Rays Lose 3-1 To Red Sox As James Shields Pitches 9th Complete Game

If I wasn’t at today’s game, I’d be afraid Sun Sports was airing a rerun. This game gave me a huge sense of deja vu; I could have sworn I’d watched this same type of game unfold countless times this season. The Rays get a solid pitching performance, but their offense is held in check and can’t put together enough for a win. Rinse and repeat.

The Rays started off the game on a promising note, as Desmond Jennings ripped a double down the left field line, stole third, and scored on a ground-out by Evan Longoria. Red Sox starter Jon Lester took a bit of time to find his rhythm, and Ben Zobrist also ripped a first inning double deep to left-center. Sadly, though, the Rays stranded Zobrist at second and then didn’t get another hit until Longoria looped a weak single in the sixth inning. Besides for one stray walk, those were the only baserunners the Rays had all game.

With the Rays’ offense being baffled by Lester, James Shields pitched well but not quite well enough. He struggled with his command early in the game, leaving fastballs over the plate and changeups up in the zone. He allowed a bunch of hard-hit outs, including some deep flyballs in the early innings, and it seemed as though he was walking a dangerous line. He made Red Sox hitters swing and miss on his change and curve (4 whiffs each), but it took him a few innings to start placing pitches right where he wanted them.

But by the time Shields settled down, it was a bit too late. He allowed two singles in the top of the third inning, and then he hung a changeup to Jacoby Ellsbury and he quickly gave the Red Sox a 3-1 lead. And even though Shields shut them down from that point on, that was all the Red Sox needed.

Game Notes:

• This was Shields’ 9th complete game of the season. It’s too bad that despite all his strong starts, Shields only has an 11-10 record. #deathtoWins #horriblerunsupport
• Desmond Jenning and Ben Zobrist both hit the ball really hard in the first inning. Maybe it’s the angle of my seat, but those balls both sounded like rockets.
• Casey Kotchman is now 0-7 over his past seven plate appearances. If he falls short of the batting title, you can feel free to blame me.
• The second game of tonight’s doubleheader doesn’t start until 7:10pm. The pitching match-up will be Jeff Niemann vs. Erik Bedard, so we’ll see which pitcher’s arm explodes first.

Shields Allows Three-Run Home Run To Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox Lead Rays 3-1 After Three

We’re only through three innings in the first game of this doubleheader between the Red Sox and Rays, but James Shields is a mixed bag at the moment. He’s mixing his pitches and throwing his entire repetoire - two- and four-seam fastballs, slider, curveball, and changeup — but his location is a little off at times. He’s missed over the plate with a couple fastballs, and every now and then he’s missing high with his changeup.

Just look at those green (fastball) and yellow (changeup) dots in the middle of the zone. That’s not a great sign:

Shields made it through two scoreless innings, allowing a couple deep flyball outs, but then he hit a rough patch in the third inning. He allowed singles to Josh Reddick and Mike Aviles, and then he left a changeup high in the middle of the zone to Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury promptly deposited the pitch into the right-field seats for a three-run homer.

That was Ellsbury’s 21st home run of the season. The most home runs Ellsbury had ever hit coming into this season was 9, back in 2008.

Rays Vs. Red Sox: Live From Fenway Park

The Tampa Bay Rays are in Boston for a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox. We'll have live coverage from Fenway for the first two games.