Times wires
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Rockies 13, Dodgers 3
DENVER — Wilin Rosario hit a two-run homer and the Rockies took advantage of four Dodgers errors for their fifth straight win. Chris Nelson and Michael Cuddyer had back-to-back homers in the eighth.
Times wires
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Angels 4, Rangers 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout hit an RBI triple in the sixth inning and a tiebreaking two-run single in the seventh for the Angels. Jerome Williams allowed two runs and seven hits over seven innings and struck out four against the American League West leaders. The Angels won for the ninth time in 11 games. Colby Lewis was charged with four runs — two earned — and four hits in 62/3 innings.
Times wires
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Giants 4, Cubs 3
SAN FRANCISCO — Melky Cabrera remained the hottest hitter in the National League and Madison Bumgarner picked up his first win in nearly four weeks for the Giants. Cabrera had two hits to raise his average to .376, tying him with Paul Konerko of the White Sox for the highest mark in the majors. The Cubs lost for the 15th time in their past 20 games.
By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG
When Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia discusses the Rays' strengths, he first points to their stellar starting pitching and style of play.
But Arencibia believes one key aspect goes beyond the numbers.
"You watch Tampa, those guys look like they're having the best time of their life every game out there," Arencibia said. "That's what it's about."
The fact that Charles P. Pierce from Grantland.com labeled the Rays the most fun team in baseball in a story last week comes as little surprise to many. Ever since Jonny Gomes donned his custom-made white robe and Rayhawk hairstyle in 2008, the Rays have set the trend in taking the wild — and sometimes weird — side to the World Series. Just this year, they've worn Gladiator helmets, sported bow ties for a nerd-themed road trip, and greeted Hideki Matsui with a music-filled, strobe-light celebration before his first game.
And to hear the players tell it, the loose — sometimes partylike — atmosphere is one reason for their success in recent years.
"I think it's everything," reliever J.P. Howell said. "They allow us to have this kind of environment, you can be yourself, and you're never limited on how you can think 'outside the box' — and you're not a weirdo. You learn more about yourself, and eventually, it makes you a better ballplayer."
Pitcher James Shields said the fun helps them forget about losses, get through the grind of a 162-game season and get the most out of themselves.
"I really feel like if guys are too tense or too intense out there, they're not going to play to their capabilities," Shields said.
The environment has enabled reliever Fernando Rodney to thrive, converting his first 15 save chances while starting his tradition of shooting a pretend arrow from a pretend bow into the sky afterward. And it has made it easier for new Rays to feel welcome and contribute quickly. Injured outfielder Brandon Allen, who hit a walkoff homer in his eighth at-bat with the club, joked that "if you're not having fun, you're an outcast."
Matsui, a 10-year veteran who homered in each of his first two starts with the Rays, said he has never experienced anything like his wild welcome Tuesday afternoon; players mobbed him in the clubhouse as if he had won them a game.
"He went right with it," Howell said. "He was shocked, but he acted like he just hit the walkoff hit. I thought he might be thrown off, but he fit right in."
When Matsui was asked if he ever had that type of moment in his seven seasons with the Yankees, he smiled, saying through interpreter Roger Kahlon: "They're not quite the team like that."
Not many are.
By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2012
It has been almost exactly a year since the Rays brought in a historic draft haul with 10 picks in the first 60. With that opportunity, executive vice president Andrew Friedman said they made a conscious effort to get players with big upsides. "We weren't looking for guys that have a chance to get to the major leagues," Friedman said. "We were looking for the guys that have a chance to have an impact in the major leagues. We're anxious to see how this plays out in four to six years." Friedman and scouting director R.J. Harrison have been pleased with the progress of their picks. Here's a look at how some of them have fared in their first taste of pro baseball:
RHP Taylor Guerrieri
He was arguably the biggest prize, and he definitely was the most talked-about pick of the Rays' 2011 class. Guerrieri, selected 24th overall from Spring Valley (S.C.) High, intrigued the Rays with his power and potential but had an incident in his past that raised concerns about his maturity: He switched high schools during his senior year, done, he said, after he was caught at a football game after drinking one beer. He has received rave reviews in extended spring training for his three "plus pitches" and his makeup. Expect him to get sent to either short-season Class A Hudson Valley or Rookie League Princeton in the coming weeks. "He's everything you would want in a young pitcher," said Mitch Lukevics, director of minor-league operations. "Taylor has really matured. … He's right where he needs to be."
OF Mikie Mahtook
The former LSU standout is showing the kind of athleticism, versatility and work ethic that had some saying he could move through the Rays' system quickly. Mahtook, the 31st overall pick, earned a spot in the Florida State League All-Star Game with his strong start at Class A Charlotte, hitting .287 with 21 RBIs and 10 steals in 50 games. "Mikie is a very mature young man, very serious about his craft," Lukevics said. "He has found a real home in rightfield. He's an above-average outfielder with a very good arm. One thing you like about him is he competes every at-bat, every inning of every game."
SS Jake Hager
He started slowly with Rookie League Princeton last year but rebounded nicely to hit .269 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 47 games. He is now with low Class A Bowling Green and batting .250 with eight errors. Lukevics says Hager, 19, has "matured beyond his age. You experience failure for the first time in your life and you don't succumb to that, it tells me great things about Jake Hager."
Other notables
• SS Brandon Martin (1st round, supplemental, 38th overall): In extended spring training. He played 11 games at shortstop last year for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Rays, hitting .255 and with a .957 fielding percentage.
• 3B Tyler Goeddel, (1st round, supplemental, 41st overall): Holding his own at Bowling Green, hitting .263 with four homers and 20 RBIs in his first 42 games (38 at third base).
• RHP Jeff Ames (1st round, supplemental, 42nd overall): Went 4-2 with a 7.12 ERA in 11 appearances (five starts) for rookie-level Princeton last year, with 39 strikeouts and seven walks in 301/3 innings.
• RHP Lenny Linsky (2nd round, 89th overall): In extended spring nursing a sore elbow; should be back in three weeks. Former University of Hawaii standout went 3-0 with three saves and a 1.23 ERA in 291/3 innings between Hudson Valley and Bowling Green last season.
Rays rumblings
In its latest mock draft, Baseball America has the Rays picking Bishop Gorman (Nev.) High 3B Joey Gallo with their No. 25 selection Monday. … If you think the 30 Japanese media members who were at the Trop for Hideki Matsui's Rays debut last week were a lot, wait until he goes back to Yankee Stadium this week. … The next wardrobe-themed road trip is this week: "All White" from New York to Miami.
Gotta minute? UTL Drew Sutton
Best meal you can make? (Thursday night) I cooked steaks, with mashed potatoes, crescent rolls, and I make homemade ice cream.
Band you'd like to be on stage with? The Red Hot Chili Peppers. That'd be intense. They're like the modern-day rock band.
Go-to karaoke song? Garth Brooks' Friends in Low Places. Get the crowd into it.
Favorite movie? Braveheart.
With wife Staci's permission, dream date? (Country singer/actor/dancer) Julianne Hough. But I bet my wife is a better two-stepper than Julianne.
Sock it up
B.J. Upton had already decided he would wear high socks the rest of the season when he saw a post on RaysIndex.com on Thursday analyzing how he has better offensive numbers when he wears them. "It's amazing what people break down these days," Upton said. He asked home clubhouse/equipment manager Chris Westmoreland to get him a healthy stock of the socks. "I wore high (socks) my whole life until I got to the big leagues," he said. "You still see a couple guys doing it. Juan Pierre has always done it. I like the look." But as far as a correlation between sock choice and success, Upton smiled and shook his head: "The pants ain't got nothing to do with it."
By Bryan Burns, Times Correspondent
Saturday, June 2, 2012
TAMPA — When the U.S. men's soccer team takes the field against Antigua and Barbuda on Friday night at Raymond James Stadium for the first match of an 18-month journey to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, it will do so with a decidedly Bavarian flair.
And not just because German legend Jurgen Klinsmann is its coach.
A quick look at the roster shows three players — Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson and Terrence Boyd — who were born in Germany or spent the majority of their childhood there. Johnson represented Germany at the youth level while Jones made three appearances for its national team from 2008-09 before both switched to the United States.
Then there is Danny Williams, who competed for the German under-15 squad before applying for a U.S. passport in September and debuting for it in October 2011, and Alfredo Morales, born in Germany to Peruvian parents.
The pair were among 27 invited to the U.S. camp in May before being left off the 23-man roster for the first two World Cup qualifiers. Morales is eligible to play for the United States because his father served in the military.
"I think it's a very exciting situation that more and more happens to us," said Klinsmann, who made 108 appearances, scored 47 goals and helped then-West Germany win the 1990 World Cup. "It happened in the past, obviously, with Mexican-Americans or with Central American-Americans. That's part of the melting pot here in the United States.
"But then, they mainly came through the U.S. environment with dual citizenship. Now for the first time, we have dual citizenship kids coming from a European background or even from a South American background."
When Klinsmann, 47, was named coach July 29, 2011, one of his first priorities was expanding the talent pool from which the United States could draw. So he took advantage of the U.S. military installations throughout Germany and the marriages of service personnel to German citizens. That's how Jones and Boyd became eligible. (Johnson has dual citizenship.)
Boyd scored 20 goals for Borussia Dortmund's reserve squad during the club season, helping it earn a promotion to the third level of the German Bundesliga.
"I heard somebody joke that maybe we should start a military base in Brazil so in 20 years we can get some Brazilian-American players," he said.
The credit for this Euro-centric shift can't be given entirely to Klinsmann, however. He's simply reaping the benefits of a German-American pipeline that was constructed largely by former U.S. youth coach Thomas Rongen (also the coach of Major League Soccer's Tampa Bay Mutiny for its inaugural season in 1996).
Klinsmann, though, has expanded that push, drawing from his experience coaching the famous German team Bayern Munich (2008-09) to recruit players who have the option of playing for two or more national teams.
"It's nothing unusual from our end because when you work in the club world, it's all about free agents," Klinsmann said. "It's trying to attract the best players from all over the world, and hopefully, they sign up for you.
"It's a different dynamic now than maybe 15 years ago, which I think is exciting. For me, it's not a disadvantage that I kind of have the connection to all these European countries in my background. I can always check on (the European players), see how they're doing."
By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2012
tom jones' two cents
This Saturday, I'll Have Another will try to win horse racing's Triple Crown. It is one of the most impressive accomplishments in sports. So, in honor of the spunky horse, we take a look at the most impressive individual accomplishments in the sports world. • Let's not count things such as an unassisted triple play or hitting for the cycle. That's more about luck and opportunity than skill. Same with 99-yard touchdowns and holes-in-one or other one-day, one-game or one-play performances. A perfect game in baseball, too, also doesn't make our list. While it takes skill, no doubt, there is also a lightning-in-a-bottle aspect to it. After all, pitchers such as Don Larsen, Len Barker and Dallas Braden have thrown perfect games. • Finally, there are some incredible sports records that will never be broken simply because times have changed, records such as Cy Young's 511 pitching victories or Wayne Gretzky's 92 goals in a season. And it seems as if hitting .400, which hasn't been done since Ted Williams in 1941, will never happen again. • What we're writing about today is those moments and accomplishments over a long haul, such as a season or career, that truly impress us. You might have your favorites. These are the ones that impress us:
Triple Crown in baseball
Winning a Triple Crown in horse racing has become extremely difficult. Winning one in baseball has become nearly impossible. It has been 44 years and counting since anyone has led his league in batting average, homers and RBIs. From 1878 to 1967, a Triple Crown was won 16 times. Two players — Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby — did it twice. The last was Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Yaz batted .326 with 44 homers and 121 RBIs. For years, Albert Pujols seemed a candidate to do it. The Reds' Joey Votto looked to have the makeup to make a run. And, today, Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton seems to have the best shot at the elusive Triple Crown.
Winning a Grand Slam in golf
This might be unrealistic. After all, only five golfers have won all four of golf's modern majors — the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship — in their careers. That would be Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. The great Bobby Jones is the only one to pull off a true Grand Slam, which is winning all four majors in the same calender year. That was in 1930, before the Masters when the open and amateur championships in the United States and the United Kingdom made up the Grand Slam. Woods actually held all four titles at the same time, although not in the same calender year. He won the U.S. Open, the British and the PGA in 2000, then kicked off 2001 by winning the Masters. That became known as the Tiger Slam. Meantime, LPGA's Grand Slam tournaments have changed over the years, but six women — Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster, Annika Sorenstam, Louise Suggs, Karrie Webb and Mickey Wright — are considered to have won career Grand Slams. No woman has won a one-season Grand Slam.
Winning a batting title in baseball
Yeah, you heard us, we're impressed by batting titles. True, two men win a battling title every season — one in the American League and one in the National League. Still, think of how hard it is to do. You have to have a higher batting average than something like 250 other players. It's mind-boggling, really, to think that Ty Cobb won 11 batting titles and that Tony Gwynn won eight in today's game.
Winning Olympic gold medal
Not everyone participates in the same sports. For example, to win a gold medal in the luge or curling or something like that means you are the best among a small group of people. That's not meant to diminish it, just to point out there aren't a lot of lugers in the world. But let's think of this in just plain sheer numbers. Say you're an American swimmer. In order to even qualify for the Olympics, you have to be a better swimmer than pretty much 312,800,000 people. That, you see, is the approximate population in the United States right now. That just qualifies you for the Olympics. Now, to win a gold medal, you have to be the best swimmer on a planet that currently has something like 7 billion people. Okay, so we're kind of taking this whole population thing out of context, but I tell you, if I ever won a gold medal, that is how I would look at it.
Averaging 30 points a game over an NBA season
To get 30 points in just one game is good enough to get your name in a newspaper headline or up near the top of SportsCenter. Now try averaging 30 points a game for an entire season. It's not that uncommon. Six of the past eight NBA scoring leaders averaged 30 or more for the season. Consider how good, how dominant the Thunder's Kevin Durant is. He has won the NBA's past three scoring titles. Yet, only once in those three seasons did he manage to average more than 30 a game. The current greats such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade find it challenging. That means we find it impressive.
Winning a Grand Slam in tennis
Officially, five singles players have won the tennis Grand Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open): Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962, 1969) on the men's side, and Maureen Connolly (1953), Margaret Court (1970) and Steffi Graf (1988) on the women's side. That might suggest that it really can't be done. We disagree. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have come so close in recent years. Novak Djokovic has won the past three majors and certainly is capable of serving up a Grand Slam in 2012.
Scoring 60 goals in an NHL season
Heck, these days, it's impressive if an NHL player scores 50 goals in a season. That's still the magic number in hockey, and it has become increasingly harder to do. For example, in the 1992-93 season alone, there were 14 50-goal scorers. Compare that to 12 50-goal scorers over the past six seasons combined. That's why what the Lightning's Steven Stamkos did this past season was so impressive. He scored 60 goals, joining Washington's Alex Ovechkin (65 in 2007-08) as the only 60-goal scorers of the past 15 seasons. Stamkos joined the exclusive 60-goal club, which has only 19 members. We would bet that he will reach that number again in his career.
Triple Crown in horse racing
Today's list was inspired by I'll Have Another's bid for horse racing's first Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. What's interesting, however, is Affirmed was the third horse in a six-year span to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, joining Seattle Slew (1977) and the legendary Secretariat (1973). But Affirmed, the 11th Triple Crown winner, was the last. Since 1978 and Affirmed, 11 horses, including greats such as Smarty Jones, Funny Cide and Alysheba, have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, only to come up short in the Belmont. I'll Have Another will try to end the 33-year drought.
By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG — Ben Zobrist said he was licking his chops coming to the plate in the eighth inning.
With the bases loaded, one out and the Rays down a run to the Orioles, Zobrist — a fastball hitter — knew hard-throwing reliever Pedro Strop would throw him a two-seamer.
But Zobrist admitted he was "overaggressive," swinging at the first pitch and hitting it right to second baseman Robert Andino, resulting in an inning-ending double play that thwarted the last Rays threat in a 2-1 loss to the Orioles on Saturday in front of 21,693 at Tropicana Field.
"We have to get that timely hit," Zobrist said. "We're not going to score 10 runs a game, we know that. But we need that hit that'll push you over the edge."
The Rays (30-23) could have used a hit, period, considering they were held to a season-low two as they dropped into a first-place tie with Baltimore atop the American League East.
Tampa Bay still had a chance, despite two key errors, thanks to another strong start by Jeremy Hellickson. But manager Joe Maddon said that though they're not playing their best brand of baseball, especially on defense, you have to "outhit your mistakes" and find a way, and the Rays are hitting .141 on what is now a 1-4 homestand.
"The bottom line is we've got to do a better job of swinging the bats," DH Luke Scott said. "It's been like the last three weeks, really struggling with the bats as a group. No one has really gotten hot; guys have been just not feeling right."
It didn't help that Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz was sharp, keeping the Rays off balance with his slider and holding them hitless into the fifth.
That's when Sean Rodriguez led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a heads-up, headfirst slide into home to beat an Andino throw on a fielder's choice.
But Baltimore regained the lead for good in the seventh. Hellickson, impressive again in allowing just one earned run over 6? innings, left with two out and two on after Ryan Flaherty reached on catcher's interference.
Lefty Jake McGee got Andino to hit a slow roller to third baseman Drew Sutton — who had made a great leaping catch earlier — but he rushed the throw, sailing it past Carlos Peña at first to allow the run to score.
"I felt worse for Hellickson, because he pitched awesome," Sutton said. "He doesn't deserve to get the loss that way."
Zobrist helped Hellickson with two impressive defensive plays of his own in rightfield, including one against the wall to end the fourth. But he wished he had come through in the eighth inning, when the Rays got a rally going thanks to an error and two walks. Zobrist said Strop's two-seamer just tailed away from him to the perfect spot.
"I think he puts that ball anywhere else closer to my barrel, I think it was going to do some damage," Zobrist said.
The Rays have lost five of their past seven, mustering fewer than five hits in three of those games, but they are still in the thick of what Maddon believes will be a tight race until the end.
"We still haven't played our best baseball yet," Zobrist said. "And we're still in a great position right now."
Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com.
By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2012
OKLAHOMA CITY — USF's historic run to the softball College World Series ended Saturday by the smallest of margins. LSU eliminated the Bulls 1-0 on a run scored without a hit.
"You're in the final eight. You're going to see great pitching," USF coach Ken Eriksen said after each team totaled two hits in the elimination game. "You're going to see 0-0 games, and that one break is going to happen."
USF (50-14) was the third Big East team to make it to ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. In its Series debut, it lost 5-1 to Oklahoma on Thursday.
Saturday, pitcher Sara Nevins held LSU in check until the sixth inning.
A.J. Andrews, a graduate of Clearwater's Countryside High, led off and was hit by a pitch from the Pinellas Park High graduate. With one out, Eriksen turned to Lindsey Richardson on the mound. Her first batter, Ashley Langoni, sent a shot to deep right-centerfield that bounced in and out of centerfielder Janine Richardson's glove.
Richardson was charged with an error, which left runners on second third.
After another hit batter, LSU got its run in unusual fashion: Andrews tagged up on a popfly to the shortstop.
USF's Ashli Goff walked with two outs in the seventh. But the season ended when Gina Kafalas' bunt hit her after she left the batter's box.
"It was just a great experience for us," teary-eyed shortstop Kourtney Salvarola said. "This experience just helped us learn, get better and actually prove to ourselves … that we can play with these teams."
The Bulls were held to two hits by senior Brittany Mack. But they had opportunities:
• They had runners on first and second with no outs in the first.
• Kenshyra Jackson was caught stealing in the second.
• Goff was thrown out at home in the third.
• Jessica Mouse, a Chamberlain High graduate who played three seasons at LSU, struck out with runners on second and third to end the fifth.
After the game, LSU's players crowded around Mouse.
"LSU was crying their eyes out … because of Jess Mouse," Eriksen said. "That's a classy showing. How could you not be proud as an opposing coach of the other team?"
LSU's Andrews said she wasn't recruited by USF. But Eriksen said his 22 players are the only 22 he'd want.
"I wouldn't trade anybody on my team for anybody. Period. No way, no how," he said. "You've got to win it in the locker room first. And if you win it in the locker room, you win it on the ball field. And that team won in the locker room."
By Jim Huddleston, Times Correspondent
Saturday, June 2, 2012
What's hot: As the summer brings higher tides, many game fish use the increased water to hunt in the shallows and find bait among the mangroves. Redfish are notorious for tucking into the shade of the trees to feed on small crabs, worms and pinfish among the roots. Anglers need tight, accurate casts into the pockets, where the bait sit among the shade. This will attract aggressive reds. Often, a cut-bait such as ladyfish and mullet expands the coverage as it exudes a scent. Once hooked up, anglers need to keep the rod tip below the water to pull the bruisers out from the cover of mangrove limbs and roots. The higher water pushes these reds deep into the mangroves. Often, anglers have to wait for the schools to leave the trees for a bite.
Summer snook: The flooded tides of summer make for strong outgoing tides. These dumping tides find the biggest snook sitting on points and troughs to feed on bait flushed off the flat. A large, nose-hooked pinfish works great as it stays near the bottom and hangs where the snook hold. This stronger baitfish also lets anglers know when a snook is nearby as it bounces and gets nervous before it gets hit.
Jim Huddleston charters out of Tampa, Palm Harbor and Clearwater and can be reached at (727) 439-9017 and at jim@captainhud.com.
By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2012
OKLAHOMA CITY — LSU's coach was surprised. The batter was surprised. The USF shortstop who caught the ball was surprised. The three surprising words that ended USF softball's season Saturday?
Infield sacrifice fly.
Freshman A.J. Andrews, a speedy outfielder who graduated from Clearwater's Countryside High, gambled and scored on a bases-loaded pop fly in the sixth to give the Tigers a 1-0 victory that eliminated the Bulls from the College World Series.
"I've been in softball for a long time, seen a lot of things," said LSU coach Beth Torina, who also serves as the third-base coach. "I don't remember if I've ever seen that before. But it was a pretty amazing, gutsy play by A.J. — not me."
With the bases loaded, one out and USF's infield playing in hoping for a force at home or a double play, Allison Falcon's pop fly sent shortstop Kourtney Salvarola toward the outfield. She made the catch with her back facing the plate. Andrews took off, and Salvarola — "pretty shocked" — sent the throw home just wide.
"No, I was not told to go," Andrews said. "(Torina) said, 'Tag,' but I guess that doesn't mean go. But I think because she was facing backward, my instinct is just to try it. It was a really close game. So I knew that it would come down to something really close, like a close play."
Just as LSU won the game with a risky move, USF lost its best chance at a run with a risky move. Ashli Goff led off the third with a walk. She stole second, saw the throw sail into centerfield and saw the throw to third get away.
In a split-second, she took off for home — with no outs and the top of the order up. Pitcher Brittany Mack, who was backing up third, threw home, and Goff was tagged out.
"Ashli got an aggressive baserunning deal. Their catcher made a great play at home plate," USF coach Ken Eriksen said. "That's one of those things that you play and you play and you play. It's a chess game, and somebody's just going to king it.
"They got their break, and they kinged it."
By Gary Shelton, Times Sports Columnist
Saturday, June 2, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG
For years it has been their hidden strength. Nobody, nobody, has caught the ball the way the Rays have caught the ball.
Across the nation, everyone has talked about their pitching. Every so often, the talking heads have mentioned their knack of getting a bit hit in the big moment of a big game. Everyone has talked about the values in the lineup and how smart the Rays have been for finding them.
No one, however, has seemed to talk about the Rays' defense but the Rays themselves. There has not been a ball they could not catch, a space they could not cover, a play they could not make.
They have played defense like the '85 Bears, like the '02 Bucs. Once, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg suggested that if the defense had a nickname, it should be "the Tarp" because of the way it covers the field. It has turned doubles into outs and triples into highlights.
And now it does not.
Now there are holes in the gloves and errors on the arms, and for whatever reason, the ball is in rightfield as the winning run crosses the plate.
Suddenly, the defense — the solid, dependable, gold-plated defense of the Tampa Bay Rays — has sprung a leak. The most unsettling trend of the 2012 season struck again Saturday in a 2-1 defeat to the Baltimore Orioles. Suddenly, the Rays' defense might as well have Keith McCants, Broderick Thomas and Rod Jones in the starting lineup.
And furthermore, oops.
It has been an alarming sight, these defensive sputterings of the Rays, something like the sun rising in the west or dropping a brick and having it fall upward. There have always been days when the offense did not hit, and even days when the occasional pitcher has struggled. But since Joe Maddon's arrival, the Rays have always filled their gloves.
No one has known how many runs they might score, but defensively they weren't going to give up many, either.
This year has been a different story. The Rays have now committed 23 errors in their past 20 games. In a third of a season, they have committed 46 errors, second worst in the league. Compare that to last year, when they committed 73 errors, best in the majors. In other words, gold gloves have turned to lead.
As a result, the Rays have allowed 28 unearned runs in 53 games. By comparison, they gave up 37 unearned runs all last season.
And you wonder: What might the standings look like if the Rays had been catching the ball with their usual efficiency?
"We're making too many mistakes out there," Maddon said. "This is who we are right now. This is what we've got going. We're going to support our guys. We're going to keep working at it and try not to make those mistakes."
Much of the reason for the Rays' slippage, granted, has been injury. Evan Longoria is a Gold Glove third baseman. Yeah, the Rays miss that. Desmond Jennings is one of the fastest leftfielders in the game. Yeah, the Rays miss that. No one counted on this many innings from Drew Sutton or Will Rhymes or Elliot Johnson. Yeah, that factors in, too. Players such as Sean Rodriguez have played out of position. And so forth.
The maddening thing for the Rays, however, is how many errors have come on fairly routine plays. Great plays? This team still has them. Ben Zobrist caught one ball against the fence Saturday, dived to catch another and threw a runner out at the plate. On Friday night, Matt Joyce made two impressive plays, and B.J. Upton threw a runner out at second in what may have been the play of the game.
Then there are the moments that hurt your eyes to see. The Rays had scraped their way back into a tie Saturday — which is difficult when a team has only two hits for the game — and considering the way Jeremy Hellickson was throwing, victory seemed possible.
But with two out in the seventh inning, Ryan Flaherty reached on catcher's interference by Jose Lobaton (error). Then, on a chopper by Robert Andino, Sutton rushed the throw, and it sailed wide of Carlos Peña.
This is how errors beat a team. They force a pitcher to throw more pitches. They reduce the margin of error for hitters. They turn the opponents' at-bats into a four-out proposition.
"The mistakes we made are pedestrian mistakes," Maddon said. "Catcher's interference. A chopper to third base. Those are plays we usually put in our back pocket easily. We're not doing that. It's like the routine play is beating us up."
Around here, that hasn't happened for a while. There is a reason for the Gold Glove on display in the Rays' clubhouse, and for the one that is painted on the wall at the spring training facility in Port Charlotte. There are reasons that every spring, Maddon challenges as many as a half-dozen players to win a Gold Glove.
Now? "We aren't up to our gold standard," Maddon said.
If the Rays are going to last in the AL East, that has to change. After all, if the trophy is in the air, someone has to catch it.
Times wires
Saturday, June 2, 2012
NEW YORK — Johan Santana came off the field after celebrating his no-hitter with his Mets teammates and saw manager Terry Collins waiting on the top step of the dugout. The two embraced and Santana said: "I told you to trust me."
"I said, 'Yeah you did,' " Collins said Saturday, a day after Santana threw the first no-hitter in team history — a wait of more than 50 years and 8,000 games.
Santana said his surgically repaired left shoulder felt fine in the aftermath of throwing a career-high 134 pitches.
Collins said he was conflicted about letting Santana pitch for so long against St. Louis but ultimately realized he was not going to deny the Mets ace a chance at making history. The former Angels skipper has been with the Mets for only two years, but he knew how much getting a no-hitter would mean to the organization and its fans.
"He wasn't coming out. I wasn't going to take him out," Collins said. "The fight that would have taken place on the mound had I taken him out would have been a bigger story than the no-hitter."
If Santana winds up missing more than a few days, that could overshadow one of the finest moments in team history. Santana wasn't thinking about that. Not with a no-hitter just a few outs away.
"When I had that situation there, I knew I have to take the most out of it. And then we'll figure it out tomorrow," Santana said. "(Saturday) I felt fine. Definitely, next couple days are going to be important to see how I recover, and if we have to take an extra day, there's nothing wrong with that.
"Terry and all the staff, they know what they're doing. We're going to do whatever's best for all of us. If that means taking an extra day, there's nothing wrong with that."
In other Mets news, OF Jason Bay, out more than a month with a nondisplaced fractured rib, was set to begin a rehab assignment at Class A St. Lucie.
VETERAN SIDELINED: Phillies RH reliever Jose Contreras was diagnosed with tears in his ulnar collateral ligament and his flexor pronator tendon. Contreras, 40, is out for the season.
CUBAN STAR ON MARKET: Slugging OF Jorge Soler, 20, a Cuban defector living in the Dominican Republic, was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball.
ORIOLES-YANKEES TRADE: Baltimore acquired OF/1B Steve Pearce from New York for cash. INF/OF Bill Hall was designated for assignment.
BREWERS: LF Ryan Braun sat out a day after aggravating an injury to his right Achilles tendon and straining his right hip.
MARINERS: Ace RHP Felix Hernandez is expected to make his next scheduled start after tweaking his back Friday night.
RED SOX: 2B Dustin Pedroia took batting practice, swinging a bat for the first time since slightly tearing a muscle in his right thumb five days earlier. Manager Bobby Valentine said the team hopes to avoid putting Pedroia on the disabled list.
ROCKIES: RHP Juan Nicasio left in the second inning with a strained left knee.
TWINS: RHP Carl Pavano will return to Minneapolis today to have an MRI exam on his sore pitching shoulder.
Times wires
Saturday, June 2, 2012
PARIS — If love means never having to say you're sorry, what about 6-love?
That depends on which side of the French Open scoreboard you're on.
Maria Sharapova feels not a shred of remorse about the way she has been finishing off opponents at Roland Garros. She has lost a total of five games through three matches, including a 6-0, 6-0 win in the first round. She advanced to the fourth round Saturday with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over No. 28 Peng Shuai.
"My job is to go out on the court and to try to win," Sharapova said. "Whether it's 6-0, 6-0, whether it's a tough three-set match, you're trying to do what you have to do.
"The last thing that's on my mind … is thinking about who paid for a ticket and how long they're going to watch my match for."
Russian Mikhail Youzhny, meanwhile, was on the wrong end of a shutout set and decided he needed to apologize immediately to the ticket-buyers at Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Finally having won one game after losing the first eight against No. 6 David Ferrer, Youzhny, seeded 27th, used the toe of his right sneaker to carve out in the red clay near the baseline "SORRi!" — stamping the dot atop the lowercase last letter for emphasis before heading to the sideline for a changeover.
"People in the stands may not have noticed, but I think I had to do this," Youzhny said after his 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 loss. "There was a lot of people. That's why I write 'sorry, because I can't show them a nice game. The way we played in the beginning, it was not really interesting for people."
Ferrer, who said he didn't see Youzhny's lettering, was part of Spain's 5-0 showing Saturday, led by Rafael Nadal. He continued his bid for a record seventh French title by overpowering Eduardo Schwank 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.
"Now the first week has gone by," said Nadal, who is off today, his 26th birthday. "It's always the most complicated week to manage."
An apology may be coming from former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who lost 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 to No. 23 Kaia Kanepi in a match in which she got into a few arguments about line calls with chair umpire Poncho Ayala. One came after a second-set shot by Kanepi that landed near the baseline to earn her a service break.
"How can you sit there and be so arrogant? Have you gone to school?" Wozniacki said to Ayala, drawing boos from spectators.
At her news conference, Wozniacki said: "When the ball is clearly out, I don't think there should be anything to argue about. … If they cannot see, they should have other umpires on the lines or (use replays) on these courts. It's a disgrace that mistakes like this are made."
No. 12 Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion and 2011 runnerup, was a 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 loser to Varvara Lepchenko, who joined Sloane Stephens to give the United States two unseeded women in the fourth round of a major for the first time in 10 years.
Lepchenko, 26, was born in Uzbekistan and moved with her father and sister to Florida more than a decade ago. She became a U.S. citizen in September.
Times wires
Saturday, June 2, 2012
DUBLIN, Ohio — Spencer Levin realizes a one-shot lead going into the final round means next to nothing.
If he didn't learn that by blowing a six-shot lead at the Phoenix Open earlier this year, he was reminded of it on the back nine Saturday at the Memorial Tournament.
For the longest time, Levin couldn't miss. He chipped in for eagle from behind the fifth green. He holed a chip from 30 yards short of the 10th green for birdie, this one giving him a four-shot lead on a tough day at Muirfield Village.
Eight holes later, his lead was one over Rory Sabbatini.
Levin relied on a few good breaks and one good par save to match the day's low round at 3-under 69 and an 8-under 208 total, giving him another chance at his first PGA Tour victory and an opportunity today to get into the U.S. Open without having to go through a 36-hole qualifier.
The circumstances are far different from when Levin lost that lead in Phoenix, not only the margin but the caliber of players chasing him. He'll find out today if he learned from his failure, though he already is loaded with perspective.
"I did learn that I still got to play golf, I still got to eat the same stuff, still have the same friends, still have the same family, so nothing really changed," he said. "Obviously, you want to win when you're in position. But I'm just going to go out there (today) and have fun."
Levin, who had one of only three rounds in the 60s, was at 8-under 208 and plays in the final group with Sabbatini, a six-time PGA Tour winner who shot 71.
The attention figures to be on the twosome in front of them: Rickie Fowler (69), the Quail Hollow winner who has been playing his best golf over the past month, and Tiger Woods, whose other win this year came in demanding conditions at Bay Hill. Woods bogeyed two of the last three holes for 1-over 73.
Right behind them were Ryo Ishikawa (71), Henrik Stenson (71) and Jonathan Byrd (72).
"Four shots is definitely manageable around this golf course, considering the conditions and what they're going to be (today)," Woods said. "A lot of guys are still in this ballgame. It'll be an exciting day."
LPGA: Stacy Lewis holds a commanding six-stroke lead in the ShopRite Classic in Galloway Township, N.J., after tying a tournament 36-hole record with a second-round 65.
Lewis' two-day total of 12-under 130 put her six strokes ahead of Anna Nordqvist, who shot a second-round 67.
Defending champion Brittany Lincicome of Seminole shot 70 and is tied for 25th at 142.
CHAMPIONS: Jay Haas carries a three-shot lead into today's final round of the Principal Charity Classic after shooting a 6-under 65 in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Haas, who won the event at Glen Oaks Country Club in 2007 and 2008, will try to become the first golfer to win three times in Iowa. He is at 11-under 131 after his bogey-free performance in the second round.
Larry Mize eagled the 18th hole to get within three of Haas.
LATE-NIGHT CHASE: Masters champion Bubba Watson said he and his wife, Angie, were chased by another car Tuesday night after he hosted a Christian music concert in Columbus, Ohio. "Angie was driving," Watson said. "She had to pull over. I switched to driving so I could drive through someone's yard if I had to. But we had to drive away from our house, the house we rented. We drove for 37 minutes" until the danger passed.
LITTLE RECOURSE: Two days after Phil Mickelson, clearly agitated by spectators taking pictures with cell phones, withdrew from the Memorial, tournament founder Jack Nicklaus said the practice is nearly impossible to police. The PGA Tour began allowing cell phones at tournaments a year ago but bans the use of cameras. "There is no way in the world you could have a tournament police that policy,'' Nicklaus said. "What do you want, the Gestapo out there? It's kind of ridiculous. You've got 30,000, 40,000 people out there. How are going to go out there and do that? That's crazy, you can't do that.''
Saturday, June 2, 2012
DOVER, Del. — Joey Logano had wasted enough shots at winning Dover to feel like he was on the brink of doing it again.
Out in front for 154 of Saturday's 200-lap Nationwide race, Logano fell back after a four-tire pit stop, paving the way for Ryan Truex to take the lead.
Back in the pack, Logano wondered if he had blown another race at Dover's oval known as the Monster Mile. But instead, Logano regained the lead with six laps left when Truex got mired in lapped traffic to win the 5-hour Energy 200 at Dover International Speedway.
"When you lead it and you think you gave it away, and then you get it back there at the end," said Logano, who got his fourth Nationwide win, "that's exciting."
Truex started from the pole and raced for the first time since he needed an appendectomy nearly two weeks ago. He got loose with fewer than 10 laps left.
"I'm not happy," said Truex, who finished ahead of Brian Scott. "It's second, and I should be happy with it, but we had a winning car."
Elliott Sadler took seventh and wrested the points lead from Ricky Stenhouse, who wrecked early and finished 32nd.
Indycar: At the Detroit Grand Prix, Scott Dixon won his first pole of the year, snapping Penske Racing's streak of having the fastest car in series qualifying this season. Dixon hopes the favorable position — he clocked a track record of 1 minute, 10.3162 seconds — will help him end a five-race winless skid. It was his 18th career pole. Penske's Will Power, the series points leader, starts today's race alongside Dixon in the front row. Dario Franchitti, the Indy 500 champ, starts 15th in the 25-car field.
NHRA: Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Spencer Massey (Top Fuel) will try to have their historic category runs from Friday qualifying certified as national records at today's eliminations at Englishtown, N.J. Capps posted a time of 3.964 seconds at 320.89 mph, and Massey ran his dragster in 3.728 seconds at 329.14 mph, the fastest runs ever in those classifications. To be certified, Capps needs a run of 4.004 or quicker and Massey needs a 3.765 or quicker.
By Dave Brousseau, South Florida Sun Sentinel
Saturday, June 2, 2012
FORT LAUDERDALE — The Rowdies allowed three goals in the second half to lose 3-1 to Fort Lauderdale before 3,255 at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday.
The Rowdies had not lost to the Strikers in any of their nine games and had won four in a row against them, including 3-1 on April 28 in St. Petersburg.
But with the win, Fort Lauderdale (3-3-4, 13 points) passed Tampa Bay (3-4-3, 12 points) for fourth in the NASL.
After sustained pressure and several corner kicks during the first half, Tampa Bay broke through in the 33rd minute. Midfielder Shane Hill sent a long cross from the right side that eluded a defender and landed at the feet of forward Luke Mulholland. He buried the shot in the right corner for his first goal of the season.
The Rowdies were 3-0-1 this season when scoring first.
But the Strikers scored twice in three minutes to take the lead.
First, Abe Thompson converted a penalty kick in the 52nd minute. The kick was awarded for Draymond Washington's foul in the penalty box.
Fort Lauderdale took the lead when a corner kick eluded goalkeeper Jeff Attinella and Mark Anderson converted.
"It was just a quick corner, and I put it to the back post," Anderson said.
The Rowdies got consistent pressure for the next 35 minutes. But the Strikers sealed it on Walter Restrepo's goal during injury time.
"It was a great response out of halftime," Strikers coach Daryl Shore said. "This was a battle with two good teams. We were just happy to get a result."
Saturday, June 2, 2012
DOVER, Del. — Mark Martin has more poles than candles on the birthday cake.
Not bad for a driver pushing limits in a stock car long after many athletes have settled into retirement.
Martin took the last qualifying ride of the day and turned a lap of 158.297 mph to win the pole for today's FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway.
Martin, 53, now has 54 Sprint Cup poles, winning the one Saturday in the No. 55 Toyota.
That 53-54-55 trifecta paid off big for Martin on the Monster Mile. He has three poles this season in 10 races while racing a limited schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing. He will be looking for his first Cup win today since 2009.
"I feel like a lucky guy to be strapping in that 55," Martin said.
Michael Waltrip was among the first to greet Martin.
"I'm so proud of you. That's amazing," Waltrip told him.
Martin has turned into a driver-for-hire over the latter stages of a career that has seen him do it all except win a Cup championship. He spent the past three seasons with Hendrick Motorsports but changed teams in the offseason, joining Waltrip for a partial season.
Martin is slated to run 24 of 36 races this season while sharing seat time with Waltrip. He has four top-10 finishes over his first nine races and was third at Texas.
"They're learning about me, I'm learning about them, and we're having a blast," Martin said.
When the green flag drops today, Martin will officially make his 840th start. He has 40 Cup wins, but none since he won five times for Hendrick in 2009.
"If any young driver ever wants to think about racing in NASCAR, that should be their role model," Waltrip said. "He's committed, he's focused, he's energetic, he's enthusiastic, he's appreciative. I couldn't be prouder that he has on that suit with Michael Waltrip Racing on it."
Martin almost retired in 2005 and dubbed the season the "Salute To You" tour as a seasonlong thank you to his fans.
Seven years later, he's here and still a threat to win.
Not yet Jimmy: Jimmie Johnson, who has six career wins at Dover, was poised to earn the pole for today's race with a lap of 158.263 mph until Martin knocked him off. Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth round out the top five, while Cup points leader Greg Biffle starts seventh.
Johnson has yet to win a pole this season. But the winner of the All-Star race in Charlotte wants to keep Hendrick Motorsports' recent of run of strong finishes going at Dover. Johnson and teammate Kasey Kahne won the past two Cup races. Teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. start 14th and 17th, respectively.
"We don't want to let the boss down," Johnson said of Rick Hendrick. "We want to get all four in the Chase."
Last pit stop: Pit reporter Dick Berggren, 70, is retiring after the race. He has been Fox's lead reporter for the past 12 years and worked his first NASCAR race in 1981.
By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG — Manager Joe Maddon says RHPs Jeremy Hellickson, James Shields and Alex Cobb are all "cut from the same fastball, curveball, changeup cloth."
But Maddon believes they sometimes don't utilize their curveballs enough, which is why he was so pleased Hellickson went to it a lot in Saturday's strong start against the Orioles.
Hellickson picked up a hard-luck loss, allowing just one earned run over 6⅔ innings, but continued his impressive consistency. He has given up two earned runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts this season.
And Maddon said Hellickson's curve could be a key to prolonging the streak.
"Jeremy has been outstanding," Maddon said. "He's been using his fastball a lot, and a lot of 92 (mph), and because of that I think it really sets up everything else. And now that he's reintroduced the curveball to the mix, I love it, because I think by doing that, that's going to enable him to sustain this kind of a run longer. It's a really good pitch."
Hellickson said he used 10-15 curveballs Saturday and "they all felt good." It was the most he has thrown the pitch recently, partly because it was consistent.
Hellickson made one main mistake, a "2-1 fastball right down the middle" to Endy Chavez, who ripped a solo homer in the third.
"I had command of everything, and I felt really good," Hellickson said. "I threw a lot of strikes and didn't get deep in a lot of counts."
ON TARGET: Maddon said not many players in the league have the arm strength to do what CF B.J. Upton did Friday night, making a throw from near the warning track to nail tagged-up Steve Tolleson at second base.
"It was spectacular," Maddon said.
Maddon said Upton, who is tied for the major-league lead with six outfield assists, has a better arm than last year.
"It looks like his arm stroke is better," Maddon said. "His release is better, the ball is coming out hotter. He looks like he did a couple years ago."
LEANING LEFT: OF Matt Joyce was feeling under the weather Saturday or he likely would have started against Orioles LHP Brian Matusz.
Maddon said Joyce will get more opportunities against left-handers, considering his improved approach against them recently. Joyce has seven hits in his past 20 at-bats against lefties after starting the season 4-for-27.
"Against left-handed pitchers right now he's doing a better job of swinging at strikes and taking balls like he does against the righties," Maddon said. "I think, in the past, he was really way ahead of left-handed offspeed pitches and then he'd take a fastball. I think he's got that rearranged."
MORE MOORE: LHP Matt Moore enters today's start encouraged by his last outing, when he gave up two earned runs over seven innings and struck out a season-high 10.
Moore said a key was not getting into a lot of deep counts — he walked just one — and "attacking every pitch."
But Moore has continued to struggle against left-handed hitters, who are batting .353 (18-for-51) against him, the highest mark against left-handed pitchers in the majors.
Moore said he's comfortable and confident facing lefties, but "there's probably been some situations where I get too behind those guys and would up having to serve something up."
Maddon said the numbers are an "aberration."
"It's a matter of location with his fastball, just to get it more consistently down and away," Maddon said. "And then starting to utilize his breaking pitch more against the lefty, which I don't think he has."
MINOR MATTERS: OF Desmond Jennings (left knee sprain) got the night off in his rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham but is expected to play for the Bulls today. He could rejoin the Rays Tuesday to start the Yankees series. … OF Brett Nommensen was promoted from Class A Charlotte to Double-A Montgomery, and OF Emeel Salem was released. … LHP J.P. Howell and OF Sam Fuld will sign autographs along the first-base line from noon-12:30 today.
By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Rays vs. Orioles
When/where: 1:40 today, Tropicana Field
TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)
Promotion: OF Desmond Jennings bobblehead to first 10,000 kids 14 and under
Probable pitchers
Rays: LH Matt Moore (1-5, 4.76)
ORIOLES: RH Jake Arrieta (2-6, 5.37)
On Moore: He's coming off his best start of the season, picking up the loss against the White Sox despite giving up two earned runs over seven innings. He is 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against Baltimore.
On Arrieta: He's winless in his past five starts, including allowing six runs over just 4⅓ innings against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. He is 2-2 with a 5.46 ERA in five career starts against Tampa Bay.
Key matchups
ORIOLES VS. MOORE
Robert Andino 1-for-4
Adam Jones 1-for-3
J.J. Hardy 1-for-4
Rays VS. ARRIETA
Matt Joyce 5-for-10, HR
B.J. Upton 2-for-14
Carlos Peña 3-for-6
On deck
Monday: Off
Tuesday: at Yankees, 7:05, Sun Sports, MLB. Rays — James Shields (6-3, 3.95); Yankees — TBA
Wednesday: at Yankees, 7:05, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (7-3, 2.44); Yankees — Ivan Nova (6-2, 5.60)
Thursday: at Yankees, 7:05, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (4-2, 2.69); Yankees — CC Sabathia (7-2, 3.68)
Joe Smith, Times staff writer
Just like LL
With it being "Hip Hop Night" at Tropicana Field — and LL Cool J performing a postgame concert — the Rays got into the mood by wearing one pant-leg up (David Price, left) during batting practice. Even several coaches, including manager Joe Maddon, joined in.
Number of the day
4 Catcher's interference calls on the Rays this season, the most in the majors.
Heavy hearts
Manager Joe Maddon, principal owner Stuart Sternberg and executive VP Andrew Friedman were among a large Rays contingent to attend Saturday's memorial service for Ben Topkin, son of Tampa Bay Times staff writer Marc Topkin; Ben died last week at age 21. Maddon made it a point in his pregame media session to "send out our sympathies." "It was an incredible service," Maddon said. "We wish (the family) well."
