Rays Diary 4/26--4/29/13
The Rays finally won a few games! Fortunately, two fairly tight games turned into routs with lots of homeruns. Unfortunately, it seems to be the preferred way for a Rays team to win, Worse yet, if the Rays don’t hit homeruns, we usually lose. Unlike last years team, this version is loaded with guys who can hit, but mostly when they don’t try to hit homers. Meanwhile, Matt Moore continues to amaze everyone who watches him as he throws so easily, but with so much velocity and movement of the ball on all of his pitches.
David Price, still dropping down slightly on all pitches except his breaking ball, needs to be commended. Not only did he keep his poise (unlike umpire Tom Hallion), but after giving up two lucky hits off the end of the bat and two off the handle and a near sidearm pitch which “stayed up,” for Konerko’s three run homerun, he immediately calmed himself and shut the Sox down. Whatever the umpire said to him after missing so many balls and strikes Price has to be admired for keeping his cool during the game. Slow motion on the cable is amazing. Hallion kept calling third strikes to Rays right handed batters on pitches over the chalk marking the first base batters box, but would call very few strikes on the third base corner of the plate. He wasn’t favoring one pitcher over another. He just hasn’t been umpiring long enough to have mastered the “strike zone.” He thinks it’s a place where workers strike and people mutter obnoxious remarks to each other. That’s what the Umpire’s Union teaches them, apparently, instead of the rules of baseball.
Al Finkelstein, 4/30/13