At least the rain came to extinguish the Phillies because it’s become clear that the Rays won’t be able to do it. This was supposed to be the October of the Rays, the one where the little engine that could would will itself up onto their pedestal and look down on the rest of the world and say I told you so. Yet, here we are, waiting out the rains so that play can resume in this horribly lopsided series that has been completely bereft of the drama that the Rays have become known for this season. At least if the Rays wouldn’t have tied up Game 5 we would have been granted clemency from having to watch another inning of this horribly boring series.
What happened? Didn’t this Rays team used to play painfully exciting baseball? Didn’t they used to do all the little things right? Weren’t they the team that every Little League coach used as a launching point for their lecture on the fundamentals? They played 173 games with David Eckstein like intensity, albeit with far more talent, but now they appear completely deflated. Unfortunately, for us, we are now being subjected to a dreadfully forgettable World Series.
Things can turn around real fast in October. As soon as you get comfortable someone will show up to knock you out of the recliner, but it doesn’t seem like that is going to happen anytime soon. The Rays peaked in August and have been on life support since.
Sure, they suffered through a rash of injuries, namely to Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford, in September and still managed to hold onto the AL East lead, which is commendable, but they haven’t been the same since. They suffered their only losing month in September by going 13-14, got it back on track against the White Sox in the ALDS, and appeared to be on their way to eliminating the Red Sox in five games in the ALCS, but after dropping games five and six they appeared done. It took everything they had to even get here and now they have nothing left.
Or maybe they just forgot what got them here. Joe Maddon has been a complete none factor, if not a negative one. He’s lucky his team is even here. The finish of Game 7 in the ALCS was extremely exciting, it made David Price a household name and launched him towards his impending superstardom, but it was also extremely stupid. Price saved Maddon from becoming the goat of the 2008 Postseason. I don’t know if he was trying to be Tony LaRussa, or what, but there was no need to march Dan Wheeler, JP Howell, and Chad Bradford out there first to load up the bases before bringing Price to the mound. Some of his moves in the Fall Classic have been just as puzzling.
He’s already used 16 pitchers through the first four games, at times leaving his starters in far too long, and in others he’s shuffled through his bullpen far too quickly. In game three he pulled Chad Bradford from a 4-4 game after he struck out Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and picked off Jayson Werth in the eighth. Howell marched out to the mound in the ninth, beaned the first batter he faced, and was pulled for Grant Balfour who threw a wild pitch which advanced Bruntlett to third after a second throwing error, and then walked Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs, only to give up a single to the number seven hitter, Carlos Ruiz, which ended the game. Where was Price? Oh, he was on the shelf after almost blowing a 4-0 lead two nights before.
The next night he left Andy Sonnastine in to get beat on for five runs in the first four innings, and used up half his bullpen to get through the next four innings even though they were 6-2 after five.
You can’t win games when no on is hitting or getting on base. Rocco Badelli, Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena were all hitless through five games. Jason Bartlett was 2-11. The team as a whole was hitting .187. The Phillies are at .263. The Rays have only taken 9 walks. The Phillies have 20.
You can’t win like that. Especially if you’re pitching staff has a collective 4.50 ERA compared to the Phillies 2.83. It’s simple mathematics, you know, those pesky numbers that Joe Maddon apparently studies.
Let’s just hope this things ends quickly.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Marc 10.28.08 at 11:31 pm
I personally think the weather in Philly has really taken the Rays out of it. I mean let’s face it, none of these guys are used to playing in cold weather. They’ve never played ball into the cold weather of October (I don’t know all their backgrounds but I wouldn’t doubt if most of them have never even lived in cold weather), and have been protected from any real nasty weather by playing in Tropicana Field. Their intensity has gone the way of the weather.
I do however think that B.J. Upton’s Slip N’ Slide to tie the game may have put some spark back into the Rays, and if they can sneak out a win in the second half of Game 5, bring it back into their friendly home confines, the Rays still have a shot to finish this fairy tale on the winning side.
Tracer Bullet 10.29.08 at 8:26 am
If you’ve jinxed the Phillies with this, I swear to every diety in the earth and sky that I will hunt you down and give you the most vicious Atomic Wedgie the world has ever seen. Then I’m going to put scorpions in your shoes, short-sheet your mother’s bed and produce a pro-NAMBLA informercial in your name.
Nick Underhill 10.29.08 at 3:22 pm
Tracer-that was just a little extreme and disturbing- no?
Marc- I thought the same thing. Unfortunately, it’s been two days since that turning point. Any momentum they acquired is long lost by now. I guess we’ll see tonight. Hopefully we get an exciting game. If nothing else old Bud dodged a major blackeye