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One year later, Rays somehow still in the hunt

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Updated Aug 12, 2009 2:21 PM ET
     
 
With the New York Yankees taking control of the American League East, the focus shifts to the weird world of the wild card. Before considering whether Tampa Bay can outdo Boston and Texas, of the West, for the final AL playoff spot, a more important subject must be examined. How is Tampa Bay still in contention?
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For the second consecutive season, the Rays are an unlikely postseason possibility. Last year, they turned the first winning season in the franchise's short history into a spot in the World Series. This year, the Rays hang around without many of the vital pieces that make a contender. The Rays have lacked a defined closer. The Rays have more pitchers with a save (eight) than any other major-league club. Lowly Washington was second in the category with six. Being lumped with the pesky Nats in any area is not good. The Rays have lacked a catalyst in the leadoff spot. They began Wednesday's play ranked eighth in the AL for on-base percentage from the No. 1 hitters at .337. The Rays have lacked a designated hitter who puts even a hint of fear into opponents. Their DHs were ninth in slugging percentage. Imagine the Yankees without Mariano Rivera closing, Most Valuable Player candidate Derek Jeter batting leadoff and Hideki Matsui as the DH. Or imagine the Red Sox without Jonathan Papelbon closing, Jacoby Ellsbury batting leadoff and David Ortiz as the DH. (Well, maybe the Red Sox can commiserate with the Rays about being saddled with a toothless DH.) Imagine those scenarios, and you get the Rays. Yet here they are, lurking near the lead in the wild-card race. If the Rays are to make a move, the time is now. After ending another losing trip to the West Coast on Wednesday at the Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay opens an inviting portion of the schedule on Friday. Starting with the series opener against Toronto, the Rays are scheduled to play 15 of the next 22 games at Tropicana Field. They are 36-18 at home this season. "We cannot ebb and flow anymore," manager Joe Maddon said. "We have to maintain emotion and intensity for every game the rest of the year. We play better when we have that kind of look about us." The Rays also play better when Maddon is less loyal and more pragmatic. The defending AL Manager of the Year has hurt the club with his devotion to unshakeable faith in veterans. Maddon stayed a long time — too long, in the view of some scouts — with B.J. Upton as leadoff hitter and Pat Burrell as the DH this season. Both failed to produce, but Maddon has responded with only one mild move. He dropped Upton to ninth, replacing him with Jason Bartlett. If Upton finds his game, that look would create a double-leadoff situation, but he did not grasp that. Instead, Upton complained about the move, saying it was "almost like a kick in the head." Curiously, that is similar to the painful sensation Rays management felt when considering Upton's poor .317 on-base percentage when hitting leadoff. Upton's time with the Rays, an overall disappointment, could end with this season. Burrell, a streaky hitter to the extreme, has not taken to the DH role in his first season in the AL. Through 259 at-bats as the DH, Burrell was hitting .220 with a .375 slugging percentage, nine homers and 41 RBIs. Maddon finally acknowledged the lifeless Burrell needed a break and gave some of his at-bats to the reborn Willy Aybar. He went into Wednesday's play hitting .356 with a .678 slugging percentage, five homers and 15 RBIs for only 59 at-bats as the DH. Despite the difference in production, Maddon went back to Burrell as the DH for a West Coast trip. Burrell responded with three hits in his first 19 at-bats on the trip. "As a group, we're thinking well, thinking right," Maddon said in defense of his club. "If we're doing anything wrong, we're trying too hard. We're going to get beyond that and start finding our groove." Maddon has again been good in the most important tactical area for a manager: handling the bullpen. A year ago, the Rays had the deepest and best bullpen in the AL. The bullpen is equally deep this season, but those final three outs have been troublesome. A year ago, with the since-sidelined Troy Percival closing, the Rays had only 15 blown saves in 67 chances. The Rays began Wednesday's play with 14 blown saves in 43 chances this season. The situations dictate who closes, which is code for saying the Rays do not have a closer. Those problems have not broken the Rays' psyche. In a sign of unusual resilience, Tampa Bay had won eight of the games in which it had a blown save. The Rays have enough talent to stay afloat, but the holes in the roster and decisions by the manager have undermined the year after.
Tagged: Jonathan Papelbon, Pat Burrell, David Ortiz, Jason Bartlett, Red Sox, Rays, Jacoby Ellsbury, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, B.J. Upton, Yankees, Hideki Matsui

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