| Alex Noshirvan. 2nd September, 2005 - 3:59 pm
 So as we enter September, the Devil Rays are killing teams that are contending for a spot in October. No surprise for Tampa fans, who are still waiting for a 75 win season. (Don’t laugh at us for wanting 75 wins, laugh at us for being D-Rays fans) The role of a spoiler usually doesn’t get you the babes or the endorsement deals, but it sure can set you up for a huge year the next season.
Just recently the Los Angeles Angels came into the Trop leading the AL West. Well by the time they left town, Vladimir Guerrero was in a RBI drought of 1 in 13 games. What really makes that stat jump out is that these 13 games came against the “Mighty” pitching staffs of Toronto (without Doc Halladay), Boston, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay. Those mighty staffs all boast an ERA of over 4 a game by the way, and have some of the worst starting pitching in the game.
So how many teams are the Devil Rays going to keep out of the postseason? With 6 games against the Yankees still to come and 3 games each against Boston, the Angels, and the Indians each respectively, Tampa Bay impacts all three Divisional races in the American League. You could say the hunt for October will go through Tampa Bay for once.
By going against the Yankees and Sox a total of 9 more times, the Devil Rays could very well hold the keys to the AL east, as well as the wild card spot. By facing Anaheim and Cleveland they could also potentially spoil the AL West and Central races as well, especially if Oakland and Anaheim are still neck and neck coming down the stretch. Also if Chicago was to falter especially with six games to go against the White Sox, the series against Tampa will be huge for the Indians.
The key is Tampa’s starting pitching, which has been down right horrible the whole season. The only bright spots have been Scott Kazmir, who is arguably the most promising left handed pitcher in the game right now, and Doug Waechter, a local product from St. Pete who has started to come around lately. In his last six starts he has gone 2-2 with a complete game in there, and he has only allowed 19 earned runs in 41 IP over that time, which is huge for the kid’s confidence, especially with what he has endured since being called up. These two young guns progression will be huge if Tampa wants to play around .500 in 2006.
So all in all another slow start to a season doomed the Rays before May, but this whole team has stayed positive, and that includes Sweet Lou, sans a couple outbursts here and there, but who does not love those hat throwin’, umpire yellin’ signs of enthusiasm? |
