Oh, those pesky Devil Rays.
Tampa has a banged-up lineup that should be contained by the Jays' starters this week -- although all bets are off in Joe Kennedy starts, as far as the Jays are concerned. The cross-body-throwing lefty has been pure Kryptonite to the Blue Jays since he entered the league.
As for the rest of Tampa Bay's pitching staff, the "Tigers Conundrum" applies: Does a weekend against the Tigers soften up a pitching staff before a series against actual big-league hitters, or does it inject a little confidence into the rotation that will help them out against a squad like the Jays? Time will tell.
Though it's far from a foregone conclusion, a sweep will position the Jays above .500 and might start a little buzz around the GTA and the baseball world. Let's hope the Jays keep up their league-leading approach at the dish...
On to the Advance Scout!
* Although the Rays have the Jays' number in St. Petersburg, Tampa is only 12-26 all-time at SkyDome ....
* Killer instinct needed: Five times this season, Tampa Bay has taken games 1 and 2 of a three-game series -- but they have no sweeps ...
* Joe Kennedy, always a thorn in the Jays' sides, got absolutely bombed in his last start against Minnesota: 4-plus innings, 13 hits, 10 runs ... This after a complete-game one-hit shutout of the Tigers. "I went from the best game of my career to my worst...That's very drastic," said the thoughtful young lefthander ...
* Lou Piniella after the Twins' 11-6 romp on Wednesday: "You can't get this type of pitching we're getting from our starters and expect to win anything ... [H]ow many options do we have? They've got to get better." ...
* Rocco Baldelli continues to rip singles and doubles despite his otherworldly 4/36 BB/K rate. He's hitting .349, with 52 hits already ...
* Lightning-fast swing therapy: Former Phillies manager, former Jays bench coach and current Tampa hitting coach Lee Elia sat Carl Crawford out on Tuesday night, and instead worked one-on-one with the left fielder's swing. Crawford has been 7-for-17 (.412) since ...
* Although it was in a losing effort, Dewon Brazelton pitched seven strong innings against the Twins on Thursday -- seven hits, four runs (three earned), and only two walks ... Ron Gardenhire said that he "thought the kid threw the ball very well...Our guys were coming back and saying his ball moves all over the place"... Brazelton's out pitch? A solid changeup ...
* Kyle Lohse described the Tampa hitters as "a free-swinging team" ... Good news for the Jays' poison 'pen ...
* Aubrey Huff is on pace for another good season: He's at 288/362/575, with 10 home runs ... He already has 6 homers in May ...
* Damion Easley is back after suffering a bruised right kneecap -- from Carlos Delgado's face ...
* Yahoos at Tropicana Field cheered lustily for John Rocker's return on Friday night ... But the crowd turned on Rocker after he walked the only two batters he faced ... "As you can see, I'm not in midseason form," said Rocker, who really should never have a microphone in front of him ... For what it's worth, Rocker added that "Maybe I'm a little wiser than I was four, five years ago ... I just see things in a different light than I used to" ...Rocker pitched in the low 90s. He said he needs to be 94-plus to be effective ...
* Junkballing Jim Parque carried a no-hitter into the seventh on Friday. But it was against the Tigers ... Still, six-plus innings with one hit is impressive ... Parque said he wasn't going to get excited until "the ninth with two outs, 0-2 count"... Friday was his first start since coming off the DL for tendonitis in his pitching shoulder ...
* Jason Tyner was called up on Friday and has gone 3-for-8, all on doubles ...
* Opponents are hitting just .198 against closer Lance Carter ...
* Piniella played Javier Valentin instead of the slumping Toby Hall in two of the three Tiger games ... Piniella: "I like the results"...
* Fed up with what he called a lack of "personal discipline," Sweet Lou instituted a "Long Pants To The Ballpark" rule, even at home. Although the Rays adhere to a dress code on the road, many had been arriving at the park in St. Petersburg in shorts and flip-flops ...
* Rey Ordonez was placed on the DL with a left knee sprain ... Antonio Perez was called up to back up Felix Escalona ...
* Jorge Sosa was demoted after being bombed by the Tigers (!) for six runs in an inning and a third on Sunday ... Tampa is expected to call up Jared Sandberg to replace him, despite lousy numbers in AAA Durham ...
* Damian Rolls is out with a fractured thumb, but hopes to return after Tampa's current road trip ...
* Al Martin, Seth McClung and Baldelli are among the Rays to express SARS-related fears ... Baldelli said he was looking forward to touristy destinations, including "that tall needle, whatever it's called...I heard it was a cool place to visit and there's a lot of stuff to go check out ..." But not Piniella: "I'm going to Toronto and enjoy the city as I always do...It's a wonderful city." According to the St. Petersburg Times, Piniella enjoys Toronto restaurants and "Woodbine, a racetrack on the northwestern outskirts of Toronto" ... Baldelli has never been to Canada ...
* Troubled ex-super-prospect Josh Hamilton has declared himself out for the season due to unspecified personal problems ... Hamilton's mother said "he's just taking some personal time, like everyone else" ... Hamilton himself said earlier in the month that professional pressures and family issues were affecting his health, not drug, alcohol or legal problems ... Get well, Josh. Batter's Box is pulling for you ...
Probable Batting Orders
vs. LH
7 Crawford
4 Shumpert
3 Lee
8 Baldelli
9 Huff
DH Valentin/Martin
5 Easley
2 Hall
6 Escalona
vs. RH
9 Tyner / DH Martin
7 Crawford
8 Baldelli
DH/9 Huff
3 Lee
4 Anderson
2 Hall/Valentin
5 Easley
6 Escalona
Pitching Probables
Tuesday: LH Kennedy vs. Sturtze
Wednesday: RH Brazelton vs. Lidle
Thursday: LH Parque vs. Davis
Bullpen Usage
Long: Venafro L, Bierbrodt L
Short: Harper R, Colome R
Setup: Levine R, Rocker L
Closer: Carter R
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