Have Rays Lost Their Underdog Mojo?

I'm pretty sure I saw Rays mascot Raymond lose some intensity and focus after the Rays put up a 7 spot in the 3rd! He was clearly loafing in the Soda Pop race! Everyone in a Rays uniform last night was at fault for this record setting debacle and it's clearly a trend this season. Never before has a Rays team blown a 7 run lead at the Trop. Heck...never before has a DEVIL RAYS team blown a 7 run lead and think how God-awful some of those teams and bullpens were!  Remember Esteban "Gone" Yan? He got lit up more than a University of Colorado Bong!

So what as changed? Same pitchers for the most part (but I still wonder why you let JP Howell and his 1.21 WHIP get away for 1 year 2.85 Million and give Roberto "Fausto" Hernandez $3.2 Mill?) but they have almost all regressed statistically and velocity wise. Apparently David Price and Jake McGee's fastballs both spent the off season vacationing at Sandals getting drunk, fat and losing their edge. Price's fastball is down 2 MPH and has he's not hitting 97-98 like he did on put-away pitches last year. McGee only throws fastballs and this season his velocity is down and his ERA is up...way up...from 1.95 to 10.64. Kyle Farnsworth has gone from high 90's fastball in his huge 2011 year to low 90's now and a 6.43 ERA. He is clearly not the same pitcher post injury and at this point not reliable. Fernando Rodney's velocity seems fine but his effectiveness is way down after being overused in the WBC. Nobody expected Rodney to reproduce last seasons record setting .60 ERA. Still a 5.06 ERA and the overall staff ERA of 4.39 is 12th in the AL and a huge reason the Rays have given up leads in 12 of their 17 losses. 

In the "Monday Night Meltdown" there was so much blame to go around. Hellickson has now blown leads of 6-1 and 7-0. After getting a 7 run lead he went out in the 4th and had a 39 pitch inning! He began nibbling at the corners instead of challenging hitters. Jake McGee came in throwing all fastballs (he finally found 97-98 last night) that even .200 hitter Mark DeRosa can hit out. He needs to have to have the swagger to throw the slider/cutter he worked on in spring training. Escobar blew a routine double play that could have saved a run in the 8th. In the 9th, Molina throws a ball into CF allowing the tying run to get to 3rd with nobody out. The offense went dormant, the defense went south and Joe Maddon let Rodney pitch too long...and shouldn't have had him pitch at all to Arencibia (9HR, 18 RBI) with first base open and DeRosa waiting on deck!

Maddon believes this is all temporary and he may be right...he usually is. Maddon doesn't think the problem is "attitudinal" and I trust his evaluations perhaps more than any other manager I've covered...but I might disagree.

I think it's something more sinister. It's the thing that has sunken great teams since Rome's Legions were upset at Teutoburg Forest by the Germans. Complacency, arrogance and apathy. This is the first season where pundits actually picked the Rays to win the World Series. They have become the "hunted" and and have forgotten their "hunter" DNA. I asked Maddon preseason about this philisophical and motivational shift and he said it was something he acknowledged but wasn't concerned about. Fair enough...but how do you measure "killer instinct"? Focus and effort at key moments? By the number of lost leads? Seems like the best indicator to me and the Rays have been unusually horrible in this category. Last year the Rays lost leads in about 42% of their losses...this year it's 70%! When the Rays went up 7-0 in the third inning they managed just 3 singles the rest of the way. Did they lose that intensity? Were they apathetic? Complacent? Did they arrogantly think the pitchers would take care of business like they did last year? Was Escobar's blown double play and Molina's throw into center field a lack of focus at key moments?

To me it seems this team has lost that "underdog, never say die, us against the world" mentality that has been their core DNA for many years. Did that depart with Bull Dog and vocal team leader Big Game James Shields? Is there a lack of credible leadership in the clubhouse? There are whispers that Longo isn't revered like Shields was.

That "hunter" "underdog" mentality is a very fleeting and elusive vibe and it's hard to just manufacture. The 2 incidents against the Yankees in the spring of 2008 (Elliot Johnson runs over Cervelli, Gomes tackles Shelly Duncan) gave the Rays that "were mad as hell, were not gonna take it any more" attitude. But if there is one manager in the game that can do it...it's the progressive JoJo Ma. Be it penguins, or DJ's or magicians he will find a way. I would be shocked to see this team continue to struggle like this but the path to progress is to accurately identify the problems and fix them. That has been the critical strength of the 2 time Manager of the Year. I expect him to fix all these ills...including whatever is keeping Raymond from being his best self!

When Rays resident choir boy Jeremey Hellickson gets ejected from a game, you KNOW something has gone sideways. It all started when controversial umpire Tom Hallion was struggling behind the plate in Sunday's Rays/White Sox game. His strike zone was smaller than a Tiger Woods tip. Rays pitcher David Price was getting squeezed from his first pitch and frankly did a great job of holding in his frustration until the 7th inning. The reigning Cy Young Award winner had yet to win a game and the Rays were 0-5 in his starts which already had the uber competitive Price on edge. With the game tied at 3 Price delivered a 1-2, 94 mph four seam fastball right down Broadway. Instead of Hallion doing his controversial convulsive, spasmodic strike three punch out...Hallion just glared as Price stared shockingly at the no call. Price did not say a word. He then delivered the same pitch at 95 and Dewayne Wise hit a comebacker that Price fielded with gusto. Price then stared straight down and murmured a few words of displeasure but didn't show up Hallion. That's when Hallion became the aggressor. He walked down the line toward the obviously frustrated Price and said...according to multiple players, coaches and yes fans (via twitter) "Just throw the ball over the f-kn plate". That's when Price turned an said something to Hallion. After Hallion dropped the f-bomb the Rays dugout reacted.

Hellickson, a notorious low talker, no talker and All-American choir boy said something to get ejected. It's debatable he would disturb you if he was being swallowed in quick sand! 

"Uh excuse me...I really hate to bother you but I seem to be being eaten alive by this aggresive sand box...could I trouble you for a life line" but I digress.

Hallion ejects Hellickson setting off an even more reprehensible and suspendable part of the story.

You see Hallion told a pool reporter he didn't drop the F-bomb! And then he called David Price...and Helly...and the dozens of fans...and everyone in the dogout...liars.

"I'll come right out bluntly and say he's a liar," Hallion said, voice raised. "I'm denying what he said I said, pretty strongly.”

Price was just as adamant about his side of the story...and demanded MLB take action.

"For him to talk to me that way, no … ," Price said. "Something has to be done about that."

Price later took to Twitter to express his side of the story.

David Price        ✔ @DAVIDprice14

1. I am not a liar 2. I would not make that stuff up 3. My own dad doesn't speak to me that way 4. Again I am not a liar #accountability

David Price        ✔ @DAVIDprice14

Someone please give me the definition of accountability...

 

David Price        ✔ @DAVIDprice14

Someone give me the definition of a coward please

6:35 PM - 28 Apr 2013

 

Hallions sins are many in my opinion. First, he was the one who instigated the confrontation and that is NEVER the role of the umpire. 

Second, he lied about what happened. Clearly the dugout would not have erupted if he didn't drop the f-bomb and certainly the mild mannered Hellickson would not have gotten ejected over Hallion telling Price to just throw the ball over the plate.

Third...Hallion compounds his mistakes by going all "Roger Clemens" and misremembering what he said and calling Price a liar! The level of arrogance here is only surpassed by the level of his narcissism displayed in his little punch-out dance. He makes the great Enricco Pollazzo punch-out dance in Naked Gun look like the hokie-pokie.

Hallion is a noted hot head and was suspended in 1999 for bumping 2 players. And remember, the Umpires Union is more powerful than the freakin FBI. For an umpire to be suspended you have to commit 3 major felonies.

The real problem will come when Hallion and his crew have to work another Rays series. Umpires hold grudges and that's not professional. What's worse is Hallion initiated the entire confrontation!

Fans don't pay to see or hear umpires but clearly Hallion does not subscribe to that theory. Suspend him and while your at it...outlaw that ridiculous punch out party.

 

6:45 PM - 28 Apr 2013

 

 

JP Chats with Rays Rookie pitcher Chris Archer after his first 2 starts in the Big Leagues that included some tears, some gutsy pitches, 14 K's and finding out his "stuff" is big league worthy. Check out some hilarious moments at the end as Archer describes his pinch running adventure.

Alex Cobb talks about how he mentally prepares to start against a very difficult Atlanta Braves team and some of the perks of advancing from AAA ball to the Big Leagues.

James Shields recaps spring training and talks about taking the mound on Friday for opening day at The Trop. Shields also shares the teams expectations for the 2012 season. 

Bill Chastain chimes in on the highlights and the shortcomings of Rays baseball through the first 12 games of the season.