Most of the time you wouldn't want to read lips too closely when Grant Balfour is on the mound. By his own admission, he can be guilty of "saying stuff I shouldn't say out there" but it's just his way of getting fully into the moment. Relief pitchers tend to be a little nutty anyway, and Balfour definitely fits the profile. ...more

July 19, 2008

The Rays have been saying since their first half ended in lethargic fashion with a seventh consecutive loss Sunday that they just needed a break to refocus and they'd be right back to the kind of baseball that got them here. ...more

July 19, 2008

FIRST-HALF IMPROVEMENT 2007 •34-53, 5th place, 19 games back ...more

July 17, 2008

As someone who has never stood in the batter's box against Scott Kazmir, it took Dioner Navarro some time to fully grasp how miserable an experience trying to hit the lefty can be. ...more

July 13, 2008

The Rays' biggest power bat returned to the lineup Friday night, but the two men who have surpassed Carlos Pena as the team's most prolific homer hitters did most of the heavy lifting. ...more

June 28, 2008

The indoor batting cage at Tropicana Field got pretty crowded in the top of the ninth inning Saturday night. ...more

June 22, 2008

As any self-respecting big-time athlete would, Tim Beckham tried to play it cool Thursday afternoon. ...more

June 20, 2008

After a tempestuous trip that caught them in a whirlwind of emotional strife from New England to Southern California, the Rays returned to Tropicana Field on Friday and proved, once again, there's no place like Dome. ...more

June 14, 2008

DH Cliff Floyd was absent from the Rays' starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game Tuesday. ...more

June 11, 2008

In a way, the Rays actually are two teams. One wreaks havoc on right-handed starters. The other produces pedestrian results against left-handed starters. ...more

June 1, 2008