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Rays see only upside in season's 2nd half

Tribune file photo by JASON BEHNKEN

If Ben Zobrist wasn't the Rays' first-half MVP, he was surely the most pleasant surprise.

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 15, 2009

ST. PETERSBURG - As they prepare to open the second half of the season Friday night in Kansas City, the Tampa Bay Rays still don't have a very good feel for exactly who they are.

Manager Joe Maddon has said that, on paper, he believes this team is better than the group that won 97 games and reached the World Series last fall. But that obviously didn't translate to the field in the first half, as the Rays performed in fits and starts but never seemed to get comfortable on the way to a 6 1/2-game deficit at the All-Star break.

That alone is an ominous number, as the Rays were never more than five games out of first last season – and they didn't have to contend at any point with a Yankees team that is playing as well as this year's version has. But the Rays knew what they were getting into when they pulled themselves into the rarefied air of the AL East's elite. They could end up being the third-best team in the game – though they haven't played that way so far – and not make the playoffs.

So their focus can't be on New York and Boston. It has to be internal, and when looking at themselves, the Rays don't see anything but upside.

"We did not play nearly our best baseball," Maddon said of the first half. "We're capable of playing a higher level of baseball on a more consistent basis."

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Though fellow All-Stars Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and Jason Bartlett all could make an argument in favor of themselves, Ben Zobrist has simply been a revelation in the first half. A guy who was up and down between Triple-A and Tampa Bay four times last year hit when he wasn't playing very often early this season and then hit even more when Akinori Iwamura's injury allowed him to settle in as the everyday second baseman.

Though Zobrist doesn't have nearly as many plate appearances as the Rays' other regulars, he has enough to qualify for the league leaderboards and entered the break second in the league to Minnesota's mighty Joe Mauer with a 1.012 OPS (on-base plus slugging average) and among the team leaders in runs, homers, RBIs and walks. Add in the little matter of the Rays being comfortable with him playing anywhere in the field besides pitcher and catcher and there's no disputing Zobrist's value.

MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE

Zobrist is the proper choice here, too, but he can't win all the awards. The runner-up has to be Randy Choate, who has come from nowhere to become an indispensable cog in the bullpen. You never would have guessed based on the way he has pitched that before this season he hadn't retired a big-league hitter since September 2006. His funky sidearm delivery has been death on left-handed hitters, giving the Rays a perfect situational option in Brian Shouse's absence.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

The Rays made a big play in the free-agent market this winter to reel in Pat Burrell, but the first half hasn't unfolded as the front office or the player envisioned. The transition from all-around player in the National League to designated hitter hasn't been smooth, as Burrell hasn't packed much punch at the plate until the last few weeks.

Part of his struggles can be attributed to injury, though. The traditionally durable Burrell, who played in an average of 149 games a year in his eight full seasons with the Phillies, spent five weeks on the sidelines in the first half because of a neck strain, further hampering his ability to get it going at the plate. He has been known as a streaky hitter in the past, and he and the Rays are hoping an unbelievable tear awaits in the coming months.

HIGH POINT

May 7, an 8-6 win at the New York Yankees: After hitting four homers off Andy Pettitte but watching their lead evaporate in the late innings, the Rays stunned Mariano Rivera with consecutive homers by Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria in the ninth to break a 6-6 tie. The first-ballot Hall of Fame closer had never allowed back-to-back homers in 862 previous big-league games, so the Rays made a little history in the second game they played at the new Yankee Stadium.

LOW POINT

May 25, an 11-10 loss at Cleveland: Nearly two months later, this one remains almost incomprehensible. Leading 10-2 going to the bottom of the eighth and 10-4 with three outs to go, the Rays suffered their worst collapse in history to spoil David Price's season debut. Four relievers tried and failed to finish off the game in the ninth, with Jason Isringhausen walking three consecutive batters before Victor Martinez delivered a game-winning single to seal the Rays' misery.

INJURY REPORT

The first half has provided no rest for a weary Rays medical staff, which once again has more than earned its collective paycheck in dealing with a slew of ailments. By far the most costly was the serious knee injury suffered by Iwamura on May 24 at Florida. Originally thought to be season-ending, arthroscopic surgery revealed it wasn't that serious and Iwamura hopes to be able to return this season – perhaps by early September. But he was hardly alone, as Jason Bartlett (19 games), Burrell (29), Scott Kazmir (33) and Chad Bradford (75) also spent significant time on the disabled list before returning to action. Still sidelined – possibly for good – are veteran relievers Isringhausen (elbow surgery) and Troy Percival (shoulder tendinitis). But the Rays hope to get something out of Shouse, Fernando Perez and Shawn Riggans at some point in the second half.

BEST OFFSEASON MOVE

Not content to assume the relievers who led a bullpen resurrection last season would maintain their form, the Rays shored up on veterans over the winter. Though they have had their ups and downs like every reliever does, Lance Cormier, Shouse and Joe Nelson played integral roles in the first half. And when Shouse went down with an elbow injury in May, Choate – signed to a little-noticed minor league deal two days before Christmas – came up and excelled.

WORST OFFSEASON MOVE

Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said on the very night he sent starting pitcher Edwin Jackson to the Tigers for outfielder Matt Joyce during the winter meetings that he didn't necessarily expect Joyce to step into a starting role this year, and his greater contributions probably would come in the future. Nonetheless, there's no question which team has been the biggest beneficiary so far. Jackson had an All-Star first half, going 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA for Detroit, while Joyce has spent the year at Durham aside from 11 games (in which he batted .188) for the Rays.

SEEING THE LIGHT

Price has displayed a strong preference for pitching during the daylight hours, even if he is under the roof at the Trop. Price is 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in four day-game starts this season and 0-3 with an 8.41 ERA in five nighttime starts. At least he hasn't drawn Kazmir's schedule – Price's fellow lefty has made 11 of his 12 starts at night.

3 PLAYERS WHO NEED TO STEP UP IN THE 2ND HALF

Burrell – His career numbers have been consistent, and as long as he stays healthy he's more than due for an uptick

Kazmir – With mechanical issues resolved, it's time for the former ace of the staff to at least pump out a string of quality starts

Dioner Navarro – The catcher began to come around at the plate late in the first half, but the Rays need more there, along with his help on the pitching front

MINOR-LEAGUERS WHO COULD PLAY MAJOR ROLE

They aren't in the majors now, but they may find themselves logging important innings for the Rays in the second half

Joyce – The right fielder of the future could be called upon for spot starts or left-handed pop off the bench as fall approaches

RHP Wade Davis – The Lake Wales native has been dominant as a starter for Durham, but could make big-league debut as a September reliever, following in Price's footsteps

SS/2B Reid Brignac – Triple-A All-Star already has spent some time with Tampa Bay this year and is a reliable option at either middle infield position

BY THE NUMBERS

5 – Teams in major league history to rack up 100 homers and 100 stolen bases before the All-Star break. The Rays did it in their 77th game, the fastest it has been done, and no team has matched their totals of 111 homers and 133 steals at the break

11 – Consecutive starts in which James Shields has worked at least six innings, second only to Toronto's Roy Halladay (13) this season

11-14 – Tampa Bay's record in one-run games after going 29-18 last season

44 – Stolen bases for Crawford. Only five AL players have recorded more before the All-Star break

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