It’s a good thing I’m not superstitious, otherwise I could never write this post. The Rays… yes, I’m talking about the baseball team, not the UV index… are one quarter of the way through a remarkable turnaround. They’re one game short of thirty wins, and we’re nowhere near August. They drew more than 30k people to the Trop last night, and neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox were in town. Their young starting pitching has continued to grow, and the bullpen looks like it’s staffed by ACTUAL major league players. And best of all, it looks like the defensive infield has remembered to bring their gloves to every game.
So who could possibly have a problem with all of this, besides the rest of the AL East?
Dunkin’ Donuts.
That’s right, the northeastern icon of fried dough is struggling through this winning streak. In ten years, the only promotion safer than the ones tied to wins were tied to attendance, and Double-D is giving away free donuts every day the Rays win.
Well fellow Floridians, the Rays won last night, so go out there and get yourself a creme-filled.
You know what’s utterly preposterous about this whole thing, possibly just as much as the Rays record? Navarro is leading the team in batting average. That just about pops the lid on my brain case.
Maddon may have seen something in Navi all this time, but I’ll admit I never quite saw it. Though I’m still not blown away by his defense.
What’s absolutely KILLING me is seeing Josh Hamilton put up big numbers in Texas. That may be the only mistake Stu’s folks have made (leaving him unprotected). Can you imagine the possibility of Pena batting before Hamilton? I wonder if that could have matured into the kind of one-two punch that Boston has in Ortiz and Ramirez.
IF Baldelli ever gets over his problems, he could be an answer in right (it’s my hope anyway). That seems like the only legitimate hole right now in the Rays line-up. Hinske’s got the bat, but not the speed or the talent covering the field. Gross has got the arm and the speed (and what an arm it is), but not the bat. Baldelli is the whole package – but I know it’s a big ‘if’ (with a pinch of wishful thinking).
Looking back over the last 6 years, on this date, the Rays have always been in last place. Usually by 12 to 16 games. I’m beginning to feel the let down that I have been expecting might not come. The pitching keeps getting better, we’ve made it through a rash of injuries, and Pena is just now starting to get it in gear. Add your own superlatives about Longoria, Navarro, Sheilds, and the others.
We’ve been for the ride before with the Bucs and the Bolts. I know that it’s early, but when have the Rays EVER been one win away from the best record in all of baseball. I almost want to try to jinxs it to prove that it can’t be done, or at least prove that its not me doing the jinxing.