We’ve had a tremendous team first half, but individually, not as glorified. … If you look at us, it’s been a group achievement. If you can take a team to the All-Star Game, you take us.” –Joe Maddon

The Rays will send catcher, Dioner Navarro(1st All Star appearance) and Pitcher, Scott Kazmir(2nd All Star appearance) to New York for the mid summer classic. Navarro’s candidacy gained a lot of steam and as we got closer and closer to the announcement it seemed he would definitely make the team.

Navi has made huge strides over the past 12 months offensively and defensively. In this first half of the 2007 season, Navarro was hitting just .177/.238/.254 and looked like he was on his way to being replaced. Howver, the Rays stood by Navi and he had a much better 2nd half hitting .285/.340/.475. Navarro started off the 2008 season where he left off in ‘07. To this point, Navarro is hitting .318(2nd for AL catchers min 225 PA)  and has an OPS of .805. 

This year it has been defense where Navi has made the biggest strides. Early in his career Navarro was given the nickname “little pudge” after All Star catcher, Ivan Rodriguez. This year Navi is showing a Pudge like presence behind the plate. He leads the AL is fielding %(.998) and caught stealing %(38.1). He also carries the 2nd best ERA when he’s catching(3.56). Navarro was once thought of as Jorge Posada’s replacement in the Yankee Organization, so it’s only fitting that his first all star game comes in Yankee Stadium. Congratulations, Dioner, you’ve earned it with all the hard work you put on the field and off the field you’ve put in.

Joining Navi in the Bronx will be Ace Scott Kazmir. It will be Kaz’s second appearance in the All Star Game(2006). Kazmir started the season on the DL with an elbow strain and didn’t make his first start of 2008 until May 4th. After that first start, Kazmir went on a six game tear in which he was 6-0 with a 0.87 ERA. He became the first Rays pitcher ever to win six consecutive starts. 

Since then Kazmir has cooled off considerably and is just 1-2 in his last five starts. His biggest problem has been pitch counts which has lead to a string of games in which Kaz has gone less than six innings. Kazmir has logged just 27.2 innings in his last five games. He hasn’t gone six innings in either of his past four starts. However, Kazmir is still 7-3 with a stellar 2.63 ERA and WHIP of 1.125. His ERA+ so far this season is a career high 155. Congrats to Kaz as well.

Sadly, B.J. Upton, J.P. Howell, Dan Wheeler and Evan Longoria were all left off the all star team while some how Jason Varitek, who is hitting .219 with a .661 OPS was voted in by his peers.  Joe Crede was also picked by the players even though he trails Longoria in HR, RBI, 2B, OBP, SLG, OPS of course, OPS + and fielding percentage. Longoria’s VORP is 23.1 while Crede’s is 10.2. In fact how Crede made it over Longoria AND Mike Lowell, who is also doing better than Crede, is a head scratcher. 

We can still make the world a little better by voting Evan in as the “final man” on the AL All Star team.  Simply click this LINK and click cast vote for Evan Longoria or text A4 to 36197.  Standard rate messaging fees may also apply, check with your carrier. For our Canadian fans send the word VOTE to 88555 and reply with Evan Longoria’s name. Come on Rays fans lets get Longoria to the All Star game. J.P. Howell is already leading the charge.

“Oh yeah, I’m going to be texting [for Longoria] all night, texting my boys,” Howell said. “I’m all ready”

Courtsey of Yahoo! Sports:

Rays 11, Royals 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Edwin Jackson took a two-hitter into the eighth inning and Carlos Pena homered and drove in five runs to help AL East-leading Tampa Bay win its fifth straight.

Jackson (5-6) matched his win total for last season, limiting the Royals to David DeJesus’ first-inning single and Mark Grudzielanek’s solo homer in the seventh before giving up two singles and an unearned run in the eighth.

Tampa Bay won for the ninth time in 10 games, improved baseball’s best record to 53-32, and maintained a three-game lead in the AL East over second-place Boston.

Pena’s first homer since June 3 was a three-run shot off Brian Bannister (7-8) that made it 7-0 in the fifth. He also had a RBI single in the first and a sacrifice fly in the third.

Inside The Box Score:

• Carlos Pena: 2-4, HR(12), 5RBI(43), 2R
• Carl Crawford: 3-5, 2RBI(46), SB(22), 3R
• Aki Iwamura: 1-4, RBI(25), 2B(14), R
• B.J. Upton: 1-3, RBI(42), SB(26), 2R, 1BB
• Evan Longoria: 3-5, 2B(22)
• Dioner Navarro: 2-4, R
• Edwin Jackson: W(5-6) 8IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 2K

Rays Next Game:  Andy Sonnanstine(9-3, 4.60) squares off against Zach Greinke(7-4, 3.65).  Sonny’s going for his fourth straight win, and the team is looking to match it’s season high win streak of six.  In his only other start against the Royals Sonny went seven innings while giving up three runs, but didn’t factor in the decision of an 8-7 loss at KC.

I hope everyone had a great, and safe, Fourth of July.

To replace Bartlett the Rays recalled a pair of shortstops from Durham, including one of their top prospects, Reid Brignac.  They also recalled Ben Zobrist.  I’m expecting, and hoping, that Brignac will take over the starting duties while Bartlett is out, with Zobrist being here as a backup plan.  This will give the Rays a chance to see what a future left side of Brignac and Evan Longoria would look like at the Major League level. Brignac was hitting .265/.312/.431 with 7 HR and 38 RBI at Durham. According to several scouting reports his defense has improved tremendously in the past year or two.

It will also allow the Rays to showcase Brignac to other teams as he is one of the Rays’ most attractive trade pieces. Many wondered about the future of Brignac once the Rays acquired Bartlett, and Brignac’s future became even more cloudy when the Rays drafted SS Tim Beckham with the 1st overall pick.  I have wondered if the Rays would move Brignac to RF, but we won’t see him play anything but the middle IF in this call up.

To make the additional room on the roster, the Rays sent Mitch Talbot back down to Durham a day after being called up. The Rays opted to go with 14 position players and 11 pitchers. If they need a pitcher Zobrist or Brignac can simply be sent down and a pitcher recalled.  We are sad to see Mitch go before throwing a pitch.

The Rays lead the all time series (42-38) vs. the Royals. The Rays only lead two all time series against AL teams. This matchup with the Royals and the all time series against the Detroit Tigers (38-37). The Royals come into the four game set with their top four starters going in the series, while the Rays will be in the middle of a rotation role over.

Here are the pitching matchups:

Friday

Edwin Jackson(4-6, 4.33 ERA) vs. Brian Bannister(7-7, 4.88 ERA)

Jackson is making his second career start against the Royals. He is 0-1 with a lovely 14.73 ERA in two appearances(one start).

Saturday

Andy Sonnanstine(9-3, 4.60 ERA) vs. Zack Grienke(7-4, 3.65 ERA)

Sonny will also be making his second career start against the Royals. In his only other start against KC, Sonny gave up four runs in seven innings(3.86 ERA) and did not factor in the decision.

Sunday

James Shields(6-5, 3.70 ERA) vs. Luke Hochevar(5-6, 4.91 ERA)

Big Game James takes the hill against the Royals for the fourth time in his career. Shields is a pefect 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA against the Royals in his previous three starts. He has struck out 16 Royals hitters in 21 career innings while walking just two.

Monday

Matt Garza(7-4, 3.47 ERA) vs Gil Meche(6-8, 4.66 ERA)

“The Camel” Matt Garza is 0 for 3 in three career starts against the Royals, however, he has good numbers against KC. In those three games, Garza carries an ERA of 3.20, a BAA of .254 and a WHIP of 1.07. He has also struck out 19 and walked just three in 19.2 IP.

The Blockbuster

The annual Rays vs. Royals series also brings back memories to both teams of June 21, 2006, when the Rays swapped OF Joey Gathright and IF Fernando Cortez for LHP J.P. Howell. Back when the trade was made the Rays pictured Howell as a piece of the rotation while the Royals were looking to improve speed and defense.

Gathright has provided speed and defense, but not much else. Gathright has a career line of .262/.326/.305. This year he’s hitting below his career line with .250/.301/.268 with 18 steals.

Howell, however, failed as starter with the Rays, but is now considered by some(Rays Manager Joe Maddon included) as the teams MVP as a relief pitcher. J.P. is 6-0 with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.142 WHIP. In his first season as a reliever he has notched his first two career saves and has an ERA + of 137. He is 2nd in the AL in innings by a reliever with 51.2 and leads the AL in W’s for a relief pitcher with six.

We can’t forget about Fernando Cortez. That wouldn’t be right. Cortez played eight games for the Royals in 2007 hitting .283/.333/.357. He is currently playing for the Triple A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

I think it’s safe to say that at this point the Rays are the winners of the deal. And with that being said we would like to take the time to tease one of our favorite writers Joe Posnanski* who told us this in an earlier interview we did with him.

EH: Who do you think won in the JP Howell for Joey Gathright blockbuster?

JoePo: I’d say the Royals … I still see some value with Joey, either as a fourth outfielder or a platoon guy or maybe even someone who could develop into an every day slappy hitter. But I see JP is pitching better this year, and a lefty can always emerge.We’ll give him credit for “a lefty can always emerge” line, but he did say the Royals won the trade.

*Joe is currently writing a book about the 1975 Reds, we think.

(Editors Note:Just a heads up posting will be sporatic over the Holiday weekend. We will do our best to keep up to date with the game recaps and any breaking news. Be Safe and Enjoy! )

Monday:  

Rays 5, Red Sox 4 

W: Shields(6-5) L: Masterson(4-2) S: Howell(2)

What Went Right:  James Shields.  Shields pitches well his first time back against the Red Sox since the brawl in June.  It was important for him to come out and set the tone early.  He did just that and the rest of the bullpen, sans Troy Percival, followed his lead.  He went 6.1 innings and only threw one bad pitch, a home run to J.D. Drew. 

What Went Wrong:  Troy Percival coming into the 9th inning with a three run lead. He allowed two runs on three hits, though one pop up turned into a hit when it bounced off the catwalk.  The tying run ended up on third base and J.P. Howell had to come in to relieve an injured Percival.  He obviously wasn’t right and it’s good to see him land on the DL so he can rest his legs. 

Pivotal Moment:  J.P. Howell coming into the game after Percival left with an injury and getting Julio Lugo to line out to short.  Howell didn’t have any time to warm up in the bullpen before he was summoned by Maddon, yet still got Lugo to end the game.  Howell’s been fantastic all year and I don’t know if I would have trusted anyone else more in that situation.–EH

Tuesday:

Rays 3, Red Sox 1

W: Garza(7-4) L: Wakefield (5-6) S: Balfour (2)

What went right: Matt Garza. The righty from Selma, CA. delivered a gem for the second straight start. While he wasn’t as dominate as his one hitter against the Marlins, Garza handled the better Red Sox lineup to the tune of 7 IP, 5 H, 1 unearned run, 0 BB and 3 K’s.  Grant Balfour finished up the game with some thunder from down under. The Aussie recorded the final four outs, including striking out the side in the 9th exclusively on blazing mid 90’s fastballs.

What went wrong: All the close plays on Jacoby Ellsbury. The Rays made three errors on the night and they all were on plays that Ellsbury probably would’ve beaten anyway.  The first error by Navarro led to the only run by the Red Sox, which was unearned off of Garza because of the error.

Pivotal Moment: Dioner Navarro’s RBI single in the 4th inning. With Boston tying the game in the top of the fourth inning, in part because of a Navarro error, Dioner came up with two outs and drove in what turned out to be the game winning run. Navarro had two two-out RBI on the night and provided the little offense the Rays mustered in the 3-1 victory.~TR

Wednesday:

Rays 7, Red Sox 6

W: Glover(1-2) L: Hansen(1-3) S: Wheeler(3)

Erik’s Take:  On a night when Kazmir wasn’t at his best, the offense came through and bailed him out to complete the sweep.  For the fourth straight start Kazmir didn’t go six innings, and threw over 100 pitches again.  He also only struck out three batters while walking four.  His control obviously isn’t there yet.  He’s not trusting his pitches yet, especially his slider. 

What more can you say about Evan Longoria?  The kid had another clutch hit, putting the Rays up in the 7th inning.  The two guys I have the most confidence in to get the big hit are Longoria and B.J. Upton.  Longoria upped his average to .275 as he continues his hot hitting.

I love seeing Jason Bartlett on base.  He’s easily our smartest and best baserunner.  If he gets his .299OBP up to the .350 range…watch out.  It’s also nice to see Upton walking twice without striking out. 

I’d like Wheeler to NEVER close a game if that’s possible.  I know the bullpen had been stretched the past couple of nights so Balfour wasn’t available, but there’s a reason his nickname is Cardiac Dan.  Wheeler got the job done, but not without some suspense.

Who’s going to be there Saturday night to see the LoverBoy concert after the game?  Anyone?  Just me?  Ok.

Tommy’s Take: That is how you finish off a series. The Rays looked like they were all but dead after six innings. Scott Kazmir was very “un-ace” like yet again. For the fourth straight start, Kazmir failed to get into the sixth inning and has just two wins in his last six starts. He’s averaged just five innings and 107 pitches over that span. He needs to get with Jim Hickey and pound it out in side sessions and get it straight.

Evan is Amazing. The guy just hits in big situations. Longoria has a .930 OPS in innings 7-9. In extra innings his OPS is 1.167. However, while his hit put the Rays on top the Rays don’t win that game without Jason Bartlett.

Bartlett had two hits, two RBI, and a steal last night. The best part is all of that came in one inning. Bartlett led off the 7th with a double, stole third and scored on an Aki Iwamura infield hit. He then drove in the deciding two runs with a two out RBI hit later in the 7th.

Cardiac Dan Wheeler… has there ever been a nickname that fit someone so well. Wheeler is a great, great, great set up man, however, in a save situation all bets are off. Wheeler needs to get a little of what Balfour has if we are going to rely on him to close out some games.

OPS Notebook: Rays SWEEP edition

• Rays Record: 52-32, 3.5 games ahead of Boston.
• Season Series tied 6-6.
• The home team is a perfect 12-0 on the season.
• Next meeting: Sept 8-10 in Fenway.

Just because our anthem “Feel The Heat” sucks, badly.

From rockymountainnews.com

RAYS’ INTEREST RATE

Tampa Bay’s interest in left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes picked up in light of Rays closer Troy Percival returning to the disabled list after aggravating the left hamstring that originally forced him to the disabled list.

The Rays are looking for a left-hander to work late innings and to provide late-inning protection for Percival in their bid to claim a postseason bid for the first time. Al Reyes, Tampa Bay’s other experienced closer, has been out since June 9 with left elbow tendinitis.

In my opinion this rumor makes much more sense than the C.C. Sabathia talk. Fuentes is somebody the Rays should seriously consider. With Percival and Reyes on the shelf the Rays don’t have much closing experience. Yes, I love Grant Balfour in the interim but it would be nice to pick up a guy like Fuentes who has 98 career saves and playoff experience. 

Another positive is Fuentes wouldn’t be that expensive. It would probably cost the Rays a good prospect, maybe Mitch Talbot plus a lower level positional player. That is pure speculation on my part, but at age 33, Fuentes isn’t exactly lighting it up. He is 1-4 with a 3.94 ERA, 1.375 WHIP and 13 saves, but has had good success over the past three season with ERA+’s of 164, 142 and 155. His ERA+ this year is still above average at 117, so the Rockies shouldn’t be commanding a top level Wade Davis or Reid Brignac type prospect.

In addition to those reasons, though he is a LHP, Fuentes, isn’t limited to the lefty/lefty match up.  Hat tip to Jason Collette for doing the research, but over the past three seasons Fuentes has held righties to a .221/.318/.372 line while completely dominating lefties, who are hitting just .184/.274/.292 off Fuentes over the last three seasons.

How nice would a bullpen of J.P. Howell, Al Reyes(healthy), Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, Brian Fuentes and Troy Percival look down the stretch?

Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports:

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Matt Garza pitched seven strong innings in his first outing since throwing a one-hitter, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Boston and nemesis Tim Wakefield 3-1 on Tuesday night.

The win extended their lead in the AL East to 2 1/2 games over the second-place Red Sox.

Garza (7-4) allowed an unearned run and five hits, and Dioner Navarro snapped a fourth-inning tie with an RBI single off Wakefield (5-6), whose 19 career victories against Tampa Bay—nine at Tropicana Field—are the most by an opposing pitcher.

The Rays have won seven of eight, improving the best record in the major leagues to 51-32. They are 5-0 at home against the Red Sox, who have won all six games the teams have played at Fenway Park this season.

Inside The Box Score:

• Dioner Navarro: 2-4, 2RBI(33)
• Jason Bartlett: 1-3, 2B(7), SB(17)
• Evan Longoria: 1-3, R, SB(5)
• Matt Garza: W(7-4), 7.0IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K
• Grant Balfour: S(2), 1.1IP, 1H, 1BB, 3K

Erik’s Take:  I think every pitcher on the staff needs to get into a fight with Navarro at some point this season, cause it sure seems to have worked for Matt Garza.  He followed up his one hit complete game against the Marlins with a strong outing against the Red Sox.  The game really should have been a shut out, and probably would have been if not for a rare Navarro error in the fourth. 

The offense didn’t do much last night, but they never do against Wakefield.  That knuckleball dances so beautifully at the Trop.  The team had 13 men left on base, the second game in a row they’ve left over 10 men on.  Their pitching has been fantastic the past two games, and thankfully so because they can’t continue to leave that many men on base.

It looks like Grant Balfour is going to be getting the save chances with Percival out.  He lookd great last night.  Tommy’s going to have more on that today. 

The Rays are on ESPN tonight and hopefully the nation can see the Rays sweep the Red Sox out of town.

Tommy’s Take: It was Dioner Navarro’s turn to be the hero last night. Navi came through twice in the clutch to drive in two RBI that put the Rays on top. Matt Garza, J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour made sure it stayed that way. If Francona picks Jason Varitek over Navarro for the All Star game then MLB should change the name from All Star Game to “Popular guys voted by fans and guys who their manager wanted to take” Game.

Navi is hitting .316/.368/.439 with 33 RBI. His OPS is over .800(.807)  and his OPS + is 119. Varitek is hitting .220/.306/.370 with an OPS + of 74. Navi doing even better with in the clutch where he is hitting .339/.391/.468 for a OPS of .859 with RISP. Getting into some deeper stats Navi has a EqA of .281, GPA of .281 and VORP of 12.1. Varitek’s EqA is .233, GPA .220 and VORP of -1.60.

I agree with Erik. Every Rays pitcher should go a round or two with Navarro. Since his argument on the mound with Navi, Garza, is 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA in four starts. The guy has stuff, plain and simple, and he is getting more and more command.

Can’t say how pumped I was when Grant Balfour was just rocketing fastballs in the 9th inning. Balfour just went out there, threw fastballs, and dared somebody to hit one. They didn’t(beside Alex Cora) and he earned his second save of the year. With Percival out for few weeks this is the type of guy you want in the 9th.  Balfour has just been dominating since his call up, and even before that he was dominating in Durham. Balfour has 25 K’s and just seven BB’s in 16.2 IP. He has a 1.08 ERA, 0.780 WHIP and an astronomical ERA+ of 376. Not bad for a guy who didn’t make the team out of spring and was passed over by all 30 teams after he cleared waivers.

Rays Next Game:  Scott Kazmir(7-3, 2.28) takes on Daisuke Matsuzaka(9-1, 3.21).  Kazmir hasn’t gone six innings in any of his last three starts, so hopefully he can continue his dominance against the Red Sox who he is 6-6 with a 2.82 ERA against lifetime.

OPS Notebook

• Rays Record: 51-32, 1st place in AL East and best record in baseball.
• The Rays 2.5 game lead over the Sox is their largest of the season.
• Franchise record 19 games over .500.
• Improved to 5-0 against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field.
• The home team is 11-0 in the series this year.
• The Rays are 11-1 when the home attendance is over 30,000.
• With their 50th win on Monday the Rays became the fastest team to reach 50 wins(82nd game) in a season after they finished with the worst record.
• The Rays have won 15 of their past 20 series and 17 overall this year.
• David Price continues to dazzle hitters with his stuff at the minor league level. In his second start for Double-A Montgomery, Price threw six shut out innings allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out five. He is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in his first two starts with the Biscuits. Overall he is 5-0 with a 1.74 ERA in eight minor league starts.

Percival

 ”We can only tape it so tight. We’ve been taping it, taping it, taping it. And I’m not getting much better. Finally last night, I can’t back up bases. If there’s a play at first base, I’m not sure I can get over there. I’ve had to deal with that until last night. I haven’t had to do a whole lot of running. “

Maddon

“We’ve just gone through that whole thing and the guys have all risen to the occasion,” Maddon said. “I believe there are several guys on the team who can get the last out.”

In the interim, the Rays will go to closer by committee for a while. Expect Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour to get the call on most nights with J.P. Howell and Trevor Miller in the mix depending on the the situation. Personally, I wouldn’t mind Balfour getting most of the opportunities with Wheeler and Howell serving as his setup men.

With Percy down, and Al Reyes a litte more than a week away, the Rays needed a short term addition to the bullpen. Scott Dohmann is out of options so bringing him up to DFA him in a week didn’t make sense. The Rays chose one of their young starters from Durham to get some work in a long relief role. Mitch Talbot will make his major league debut for the Rays some time soon after getting called up. Talbot was 7-6 with a 4.41 ERA in 17 starts at Triple-A.  Talbot led the International League last year in wins with a 13-9 record.

Calling up the young righty will allow the Rays to showcase Talbot in the Major Leagues, and with a good performance could increase his trade value come the July 31st deadline.  It also gives the Rays a chance themselves to see what they have in Talbot. Talbot was acquired with Ben Zobrist from the Astros in exchange for Aubrey Huff.

This move will press Jason Hammel and Gary Glover into more pressure situations. Maybe the Rays are actually trying to showcase Hammel for a trade instead of wasting him on the bench and are bringing up Talbot to slowly take over his spot.  We can only guess.

Sabathia is ok against the Red Sox, but is just down right terrible against the Yankees. The Rays will see these teams a combined 12 times in September, and history is saying Sabathia won’t give the Rays the edge they need. There’s a big risk in trading for Sabathia because you’re risking two or three projected studs for two months of a guy who isn’t exactly Curt Schilling or John Smoltz in the clutch.

There is another SP option out there, and while the move is risky, it is definitely less long term gamble and could be potentially better down the stretch. That option is the recovering Freddy Garcia.

Garcia is coming off shoulder surgery and is scheduled to audition for teams before the July 31st deadline.  Garcia says ”I feel like I have a new shoulder” and could be pitching in the big leagues by August. Of course with Garcia there is a huge injury concern and the Rays would have to outbid other teams, but Tampa Bay is a hot story and I’m sure Garcia would like the publicity. The Rays wouldn’t have to commit to a contract after this year nor would they have to give up prospects like Wade Davis, Reid Brignac or Desmond Jennings. The Rays would keep the farm intact and Garcia has a better track record against the six contenders I named earlier.

Garcia is working out in Miami now and will hold an audition in about three weeks. At age 33, he could also bring that “veteran presence” that is currently missing from the Rays rotation.

As I mentioned above, the Rays will play the Red Sox and Yankees a combined 12 times in September. Six games on the road and six games at the Trop. Here is how the two pitchers match up in these venues.

Sabathia would give the Rays the edge in Fenway, but is just brutal in the Bronx. Garcia is just so-so in Boston and New York, but has better post-season success. In nine playoff starts, Garcia is 6-2 with a 3.11 ERA. Sabathia, on the other hand is just 2-2 with a 7.17 ERA in four post season starts. Garcia also brings a World Series ring and was the winning pitcher in the White Sox World Series clincher.

So before you anoint C.C. Sabathia as the man who will lead the Rays to the promised land, ask yourself this; Is it worth it to mortgage the farm for two month of possible fools gold? Or is it better to give Garcia a chance, like Troy Percival, and see if Andrew Friedman can strike lightning in a bottle once again.

Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports:

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—James Shields scattered five hits over 6 1-3 innings and B.J. Upton and Gabe Gross homered Monday to help Tampa Bay Rays beat Boston 5-4 to open a 1 1/2 -game lead in the AL East.

The Rays (50-32), surprising owners of the best record in baseball, have won six of seven and ended a six-game losing streak to the Red Sox. It was the first meeting between the teams since their June 5 benches-clearing brawl at Fenway Park that led to the suspensions of eight players, including Shields (6-5).

Shields limited Boston to two runs before Tampa Bay’s bullpen barely held on, giving the Red Sox their first three-game losing streak in more than a month.

Boston scored twice in the ninth to trim the deficit to one. Closer Troy Percival limped off the mound after appearing to tweak a sore hamstring backing up the plate on Jason Varitek’s sacrifice fly. J.P. Howell earned his second save when Julio Lugo lined out.

J.D. Drewhit his 16th homer for Boston, trimming the lead to 4-2 in the sixth

Inside The Box Score:

• Gabe Gross: 2-2, HR(6), 2RBI(20), 2BB, R
• B.J. Upton: 1-5, HR(6), RBI(41), R, 1st career leadoff HR.
• Carlos Pena: 1-3, 2B(9), RBI(37)
• Jonny Gomes: Pinch hit with the bases loaded, knocked in what turned out to be the winning run on a fielder’s choice.
• James Shields: W(6-5), 6.1IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 5K
• Troy Percival: 0.2IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 1K.  One earned run was a double hit off the catwalk.
• J.P. Howell:  0.1IP, Save(2).  Came in and got the final out with the tying run on third.

Erik’s Take:  Well that was more exciting than it needed to be.  You could tell it was going to be a good night when Upton took the first pitch he saw off the Batter’s Eye Restaurant in straight away center.  Good to see B.J getting his power stroke back.

Shields pitched a good game, though I’m sure he wishes he could have back the pitch he hung to Drew.  I wish Shields could pitch all of his games at home.  He’s 4-1 at home with a 2.08ERA and .212BAA, and 2-4 with a 6.09ERA and .301BAA. 

The crowd last night was pretty raucous.  The section I was sitting in nearly had a fight every inning.  I’d like to say that it was drunk Boston fans that were causing all of the trouble, but I can’t.  It was mostly Rays fans degrading the Sox fans.  I’m all for smart, intelligent trash talking, but last night was terrible.  The Rays fans were throwing derogatory comments around like it was their job.  I’m happy I don’t have children, I’d have had to move sections or buy giant ear muffs so they weren’t subjected to that.  Let’s not bring ourselves down to that level Rays fans, we’re better than that.

Percival needs to go on the DL.  We’ve said it before, but after last nights near blown save it’s obvious he needs to rest his legs.  We’re in favor of letting J.P. Howell have a shot in the 9th.

I love the Trop, but we can’t have pop flys turning into doubles because they bounce off a catwalk.  Imagine if the Rays are one win short of a playoff spot, and a ball hits the catwalk and falls for a run scoring hit and the Rays lose.  You can’t have that.  We need a new stadium.

Tommy’s Take: Before the game I heard Joe Maddon refer to James Shields as “Big Game James” and Big Game James definitely delivered last night. Shields pitched extremely well, especially with a Sam Holbrook strike zone that was tighter than a fat man in spandex.

At least Holbrook was consistent in not giving Shields borderline strikes all night, but this different strike zone for different umpires is ridiculous. MLB has ONE strike zone and it should be the same for all umpires. That’s like a referee in football placing the ball a yard ahead or behind on each play because he has a different “first down” than another Ref.

The different day, different hero theme continues for the Rays. Gabe Gross reached base all four times and hit a monster blast. Jonny Gomes is starting to make a contribution. He smashed a game tying HR after a 15 pitch AB on Saturday and last night drove in what turned out to be the game winning run. J.P. Howell came into a hostile environment to get the third out in the 9th. Hats off to Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler also. Howell, Dioner Navarro and Evan Longoria should all get serious all star considerations.

You have to feel for Percvial. He’s the ultimate competitor, but he can’t continue to do this. He is hurt and he needs to take the time off and go on the DL because we need him healthy down the stretch.  If he goes now, he can use the DL and the All Star break to rest and come back healthier. I know he wants to take the ball in the 9th every night, but his performances lately haven’t done the team or my stomach any favors.

Rays Next Game:  Matt Garza(6-4, 3.76) takes the hill against Tim Wakefield(5-5, 3.88).  Garza, coming off a one hit CG his last time out, is looking to continue his string of strong performances.  Wakefield has killed the Rays over the years, so let’s hope they can get to him tonight.

OPS Notebook:

• Rays Record: 50-32, 1st place in AL East and American League overall
• The Rays are percentage points ahead of the Cubs for the best record in baseball.
• 4-0 at Tropicana Field against the Red Sox. 0-6 at Fenway
• Rays are 31-13 overall at home including 27-6 in the last 33 home games
• The Rays reached the 50 win plateau in just 82 games this year. Last year the Rays won #50 on August 25th(game #129)
• What a difference a year makes. On July 1, 2007 the Rays were in last place in the AL East with a record of 33-46, 16 games out of 1st place.
• Some quick injury notes
  •  Rocco Baldelli will rest a sore groin for a few days before the Rays make a decision on what to do next with him.
  • Al Reyes could start his minor league rehab assignment next Monday
  • A second opinion for Dr. James Andrews confirmed that LHP prospect Jake McGee will need Tommy John surgery. 
• Troy Percival and Joe Maddon got into a heated conversation on the mound when Maddon came to pull Percival after the pitcher pulled up due to a hamstring injury. After a beer, Percival spoke about the situation. From TBO.com

“It had nothing to do with Joe. I knew Joe was doing the right thing,” said Percival. “At the time I was just frustrated about the ring shot, I was frustrated that my leg just popped again for the 12th time and I just needed to yell at somebody and he was there.

“I hate coming off the mound in the middle of the inning. It’s just not something I’ve ever done, I don’t like doing it and it’s embarrassing, but Joe did the right thing. Fortunately, Joe knows me better than any coach can possibly know me and he saw it in my eyes that there wasn’t any way.”

“He knew it when he saw the first [warm-up] pitch, he said, ‘Percy, that’s not going to work,’ and I said, ‘Let me try one more,’” Percival said. “So I tried to hide it and fake it a little bit on the next one and he goes, ‘Percy, it’s not going to work.’

“He did the right thing. I apologized to him immediately. I know better than to even act like that, but my frustration got the better of me right there.”

• Evan Longoria was named AL Player of the Week. Longoria hit .433/.438/.900 with five doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI for the week.