Because he was pitching against the Blue Jays that day, David Price needed to find someone else to complete his new pregame routine. Price, Tampa Bay’s rookie left-hander and recently appointed lineup card attendee, had to designate someone else to bring the card to the umpires before the day’s first pitch.


Price decided on Wade Davis, his quiet, sharp-eyed, square-jawed fellow rookie starter.

After Davis returned to the dugout, home-plate umpire Mike Estabrook walked to Rays manager Joe Maddon and whispered that he’d never seen anything like it.

“[Davis] didn’t say one word,” Maddon said, laughing in his office after the game.

Such is the deadpan reality of Davis. There are few aspects in baseball he doesn’t take seriously.

As the 24-year-old right-hander has emerged over the course of the past two weeks for Tampa Bay, the seriousness of his pitching ability has also rounded into focus. The fierceness of his breaking ball only matches the looks he gives when squinting over his glove on the mound.


Click here to read the full article – By Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com

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With an off-day on the horizon Monday, the Rays have not set their rotation past Sunday. But don’t expect a lot of change, particularly where the rookie pitchers are concerned.

Currently, the rotation includes rookies Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis and David Price, but Rays manager Joe Maddon doesn’t believe any of them will be shut down before the end of the season.

“We’re OK with all three right now,” Maddon said. “They’re all on the border, on the top side of the borderline, so we can, but we’re not overtly concerned right now.”

Davis has thrown a total of 168 1/3 innings, Niemann 165 2/3, and Price 144.


Click here to read the full article – By Bill Chastain of MLB.com

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A year ago, Carl Crawford was stuck on the disabled list waiting to see whether he would even return for any part of the regular season after surgery on his right hand.


Today, Tampa Bay’s All-Star outfielder would be the first one to tell you about the difference a year makes.

Crawford, a legitimate American League Most Valuable Player candidate, joins teammates Evan Longoria and Jason Bartlett as the Rays’ three candidates for this year’s Hank Aaron Award. Fans can vote starting Wednesday on which player they think should be the finalist for their club.

Click here to read the full article – By Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com

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It’s still only a few months into his rookie season, yet so much has changed for Jeff Niemann since the last time he took the mound in Seattle.

It was late April and a milestone of sorts for the 26-year-old right-hander: his first win of what has been a remarkable first full season. Few thought at the time he’d be the leading American League Rookie of the Year candidate and the Rays’ leader in wins by August.

He’s blossomed from a fringe Spring Training hanger-on into a bona fide rotation stabilizer for Tampa Bay this season, first on the team in wins (10) and ERA (3.65) and third in innings pitched (114 1/3). And Rays manager Joe Maddon has noticed a definitive difference in his demeanor over the past two months.

Click here to read the full article – By Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com

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He’s become an afterthought to history, and Scott Kazmir’s name may very well end up as the answer to a few trivia questions down the road.

It’s the understandable, if not unfortunate, fate of a starting pitcher whose opponent happens to be utterly perfect. Kazmir has resigned himself to the fact that his performance may have been slightly overshadowed. “It didn’t really matter too much what I did,” Kazmir joked. Kazmir’s 14th start of the season will be remembered primarily because he went against Chicago’s Mark Buehrle, who hurled a perfect game against Tampa Bay and muted an otherwise decent outing by the Rays left-hander.

Click here to read the full article – By Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com

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Weary and dehydrated during his last start, Rays lefty Scott Kazmir was forced to leave before he pitched the seventh inning on Saturday against the Royals with a cramp in his lower left forearm.

Oddly enough, Kazmir considered that a good thing. In some small form, it signified, to Kazmir at least, his resurrection as a power pitcher. Instead of throwing 89-90 mph, a disappointing pattern that had developed over the past year because of injuries, he was popping the radar guns in Kansas City at 94-95 mph. And Kazmir’s muscles had about had it.

Click here to read the full article – By Jesse Temple of MLB.com

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World Series champions change. Stadiums change. Stars of the game change. Baseball’s All-Star Game winner is always the same.

On a night to savor defense and relief pitching, Carl Crawford pulled back a home run with a leaping grab an inning before Curtis Granderson tripled and scored the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning. That boosted the American League to a 4-3 victory Tuesday night at new Busch Stadium, its seventh straight win since the All-Star Game has been used to determine home-field advantage for the World Series.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Carlos Pena is going to the All-Star Game after all and will also join the American League’s contingent in Monday’s State Farm Home Run Derby.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was elected as a starter by the fans, pulled out of the game late Saturday night due to a family issue. Needing a replacement, Rays manager Joe Maddon, who will manage the AL team, selected Pena to take Pedroia’s place.

Click here to read the full article – By Bill Chastain of MLB.com

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The Rays got the timely hits, and a little home-field advantage, to back rookie starter Jeff Niemann, who hurled his second career shutout in a 6-0 win. Niemann outpitched fellow rookie Vin Mazzaro, who lost his fifth straight decision.

It was an inauspicious start to what turned into a rough evening for Oakland. And the A’s can add their names to a long list of those victimized by the white dome of Tropicana Field. The foul popup by Tampa Bay leadoff hitter B.J. Upton that bounced among three Oakland players midway down the first-base line wasn’t necessarily a crucial moment in Friday’s game. But it wasn’t exactly the best way to start a series, either.

Click here to read the full article – By Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com

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Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia will miss the All-Star Game so he can be with his wife, who has been hospitalized this week because of early labor complications. American League manager Joe Maddon has added Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Carlos Pena as Pedroia’s replacement. It is Pena’s first All-Star selection.

Pena leads the AL with 24 homers and will take part in the Home Run Derby leading to the game in St. Louis. Pena’s addition means all four of Tampa Bay’s starting infielders will be on the team.

Click here to read the full article – From ESPN.com News Services

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