2010 Tampa Bay Rays: Selective Smashing

2010 Tampa Bay Rays: Selective Smashing

[paypal_donation_button]2010 Tampa Bay Rays: Selective Smashing

Just 2 years removed from their amazing run to the 2008 World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays were enjoying their rise as a respectable organization in Major League Baseball. Under the guidance of an unorthodox manager in Joe Maddon, who was known for using advanced metrics to pick out his starting lineups, the Rays found success on the field in a variety of ways while entertaining the fans of St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Rays went 96-66 in 2010, winning the American League East division in a close contest. The Rays claimed the division by just 1 game over the New York Yankees and finished 7 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. The Rays went 10-8 against the Yankees and 11-7 against the Red Sox in head-to-head play. The Rays fared well through most months of the regular season as they went 17-6 in April, 17-12 in May, 19-7 in July and 17-12 in August. The Rays would often pull away from opponents in convincing fashion as they went 29-15 in games that were blowouts, games of 5-run margins or more.

Left fielder Carl Crawford batted .307 with 19 home runs and 90 RBI’s off 184 hits, 30 doubles, 13 triples and 47 stolen bases. Third baseman Evan Longoria batted .294 with 22 home runs and 104 RBI’s off 169 hits, 46 doubles, 5 triples and 15 stolen bases. First baseman Carlos Pena had 28 home runs and 84 RBI’s off 95 hits and 18 doubles. Center fielder Melvin Upton had 18 home runs and 62 RBI’s off 127 hits, 38 doubles, 4 triples and 42 stolen bases.

Right fielder Ben Zobrist often moved around as a utility player, but he was consistent at the plate with 10 home runs and 75 RBI’s off 129 hits, 28 doubles and 24 stolen bases. Second baseman Sean Rodriguez had 9 home runs, 86 hits, 19 doubles and 13 stolen bases in 118 games. Shortstop Jason Bartlett had 119 hits, 27 doubles, 3 triples and 11 stolen bases. Middle infielder Reid Brignac had 8 home runs, 77 hits and 13 doubles in 113 games. Catcher John Jaso had 89 hits and 18 doubles in 109 games. Designated Hitter Willy Aybar had 62 hits and 13 doubles in 100 games. Right fielder Matt Joyce had 10 home runs, 52 hits and 12 doubles in 77 games.

Tampa Bay had most of its strengths with its pitching staff as they had some of the best stuff in baseball. Starting pitcher David Price was steadily emerging as one of baseball’s best pitchers as he went 19-6 with 188 strikeouts and a 2.72 ERA, recording 2 complete games and 1 shutout. Matt Garza went 15-10 with 150 strikeouts and a 3.91 ERA, recording 3 complete games, 1 shutout and 1 save. “Big Game” James Shields had 187 strikeouts despite going 13-15. Jeff Niemann went 12-8 with 1 complete game and 1 shutout. Wade Davis went 12-10 with 113 strikeouts.

While not normal everyday starters, Jeremy Hellickson and Andy Sonnanstine both stepped up when they were called. Hellickson went 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA while Sonnanstine went 3-1 with 1 save.

Closer Rafael Soriano was a big asset to the Tampa Bay bullpen as he went 3-2 with 45 saves and a very small 1.73 ERA. Relief pitcher Dan Wheeler had 3 saves and a 3.35 ERA despite going 2-4. Joaquin Benoit had 1 save and a 1.34 ERA despite going 1-2. Lance Cormier went 4-3 with a 3.92 ERA. Randy Choate went 4-3 and Chad Qualls went 2-0 from the bullpen. Grant Balfour went 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA.

The American League Division Series between the Rays and the Texas Rangers proved to be a very interesting back and forth affair as the road teams would win all 5 games of the series. Unfortunately for the Rays, that meant the Texas Rangers would win the series 3 games to 2, but after being down 2 games to none the Rays did battle back to make the series as interesting as it turned out to be.

In Game 3 on October 9 at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the Rays beat the Rangers 6-3. In the bottom of the 3rd inning shortstop Elvis Andrus struck first for the Rangers with an RBI groundout. In the top of the 6th Melvin Upton tied the game with an RBI double. In the bottom of the 7th second baseman Ian Kinsler hit a solo home run, but the Rays would take charge soon after. In the top of the 8th both Carlos Pena and John Jaso had RBI singles, and then in the top of the 9th after Carl Crawford hit a solo home run, Pena returned to blast a 2-run home run. By the time right fielder Nelson Cruz hit his own solo home run in the bottom of the 9th, it was too little too late for Texas.

In Game 4 on October 10 the Rays won 5-2 to even the series at 2 games apiece. In the bottom of the 2nd Matt Joyce reached on a pop fly error to score Carlos Pena. In the top of the 4th Pena came back along with Upton to get RBI doubles, and then Evan Longoria launched a 2-run home run. In the bottom if the 6th Cruz hit a solo home run, and first baseman Mitch Moreland had an RBI double, but that would be all for Texas.

Though the Texas Rangers moved past the Rays and competed in the 2010 World Series as American League Champions, the Tampa Bay Rays gave the Rangers trouble and they proved to be a dangerous team considering their selective smashing. The Rays would continue to compete in the postseason for 2 of the next 3 years, providing a challenge for other American League teams.