New Look Rays
April 28th 2008 01:02
Who is this team playing in Tampa Bay? The organization goes and changes the name and now they have become a winning team. After Sunday's 3-0 win against the Red Sox, the new look Rays swept the series and have won 6 straight. They are tied for first place with the Orioles and Red Sox in the AL East division. It might be more shocking the Orioles are in the race early on but also the Rays. It shouldn't be that surprising when you look at their lineup. They have Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and prospect Evan Longoria and Eric Hinske is carrying most of the load. Hinske is batting .294 with five home runs and 13 runs batted in. Carlos Pena only has 16 hits this season but six of them were home runs. Surprisingly the bullpen is the reason for the team's early success. They are currently first in the major leagues with a 2.26 earned run average. The starters have struggled with the absence of Scott Kazmir but James Shields has stepped up. Shields is 3-1 with a 2.54 earned run average and threw a complete game shutout Sunday, outpitching Josh Beckett. They also have some young aces including J.P. Howell and Jeff Niemann, who were top draft picks after successful college careers, and both have shown promise in the minor leagues. Sooner than later they are going to be asked to permanently step into the rotation and be the future of the franchise. I'm not sure how long this team is going to stay in the running for the division but this young team is showing upside going forward.
Carlos Delgado hits two home runs Sunday against the Braves. Just a few hours after I wrote the blog about his early struggles and how he has no more power left in his swing. He might have some power left but this isn't going to last. This might be a good time to trade him away because of today's performance but I would wait to see what happens. You might be able to get more in the trade if he starts heating up. He won't stay warm long so trade him while his stock is up.
Carlos Delgado hits two home runs Sunday against the Braves. Just a few hours after I wrote the blog about his early struggles and how he has no more power left in his swing. He might have some power left but this isn't going to last. This might be a good time to trade him away because of today's performance but I would wait to see what happens. You might be able to get more in the trade if he starts heating up. He won't stay warm long so trade him while his stock is up.
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