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Moriarty9 · 10-28-2009, 10:44 AM

Tampa Bay season review
Miss playoffs for first time since 2000
October 4, 2010

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays will spend October at home watching the playoffs rather than taking part, something the club is not quite familiar with.

How did it happen that their nine-season streak of playoff appearances came to and this year after winning back-to-back World Series titles in 2007 and 2008?

Dan Haren got off to a rough start (2-1, 6.10 ERA in five April starts), but got better as the year went along, finishing off at 13-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 30 starts. He posted a 1.12 WHIP and .239 opponents average against, but just did not pitch deep enough into games to win more than 13 games after winning 38 over the previous two years.

Left-hander Jon Lester also got off to a rocky start, but became one of the more dependable pitchers in the rotation. Lester went 2-1 with a 6.29 ERA in April, but dropped his ERA down to the 4.00's the rest of the way before wrapping things up with a 3-2, 3.38 ERA in September. Overall, Lester went 12-9 with a 4.74 ERA in his first full season as a big league starter.

John Lackey was an All Star in 2010, but has his down-times as well. He went 4-0 with a 1.07 ERA in May, and 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA in August, but went south a little in September, going 2-3 with a 4.08 ERA in five starts. Ultimately, he finished the year with a 11-8 record and a 3.56 ERA in 207 1/3 innings of work. He had a 1.10 WHIP and .226 opponents average against.

Zack Greinke came back from the injury that ended his 2009 season but was very inconsistent. Greinke struggled initially, going 0-2 with a 6.12 ERA in four April starts, but pitched well in May, going 4-2 with a 2.16 ERA. In July, he was awful, going 0-3 with a 10.38 ERA in five starts, but wrapped up the year well by going 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA in August and 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA in September. He finished the season at 10-13 with a 4.44 ERA in 30 starts. Next year, a full season removed from the injury, he needs to improve his consistency.

Nobody was more inconsistent than Pedro Martinez, the six-time Cy Young winner. Martinez went 14-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts last season, but was not even close in 2010. In 31 games, he went 8-16 with a 5.59 ERA, posting a WHIP of 1.50 and allowing opponents to hit .297 against him. Martinez threw some great games — one run on five hits in eight innings at Minnesota on July 20, one run on six hits in six innings at Seattle on August 9, a complete game shutout in Oakland on August 15, one run on four hits in seven innings against the Indians on August 21, and one unearned run on three hits in seven innings at Cleveland yesterday to end the season — but not enough to have a good season by any standard. August was his best month, going 2-2 with a 2.75 ERA in five starts, but his next best performance came in June when he went 1-1 with a 5.04 ERA in five starts. He turns 39 later this month and is eligible for free agency this winter. Martinez said he will not retire and wants to stay in Tampa Bay, but does he have what it takes to keep going?

Jonathan Papelbon, also a free agent this off-season, pitched well in the save opportunities he had. He went 4-4 with 27 saves and a 2.34 ERA in 51 games, posting a WHIP of 0.88 and holding opponents to a .204 average. Papelbon was great, but his team handed him save opportunities in the ninth inning.

Manny Delcarmen, the leading internal candidate to replace Papelbon if he signs elsewhere, was fantastic as well. Delcarmen went 6-1 with three saves and a 2.09 ERA in 60 1/3 innings, keeping opponments to a .222 average against.

Left-hander Craig Breslow was solid once again as well, going 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 56 1/3 innings. He was not terribly good against lefties (who hit .312 against him) but dominated right-handed hitters, who hit just .206 against him.

David Price pitched to potential in his first full season in the big leagues as the big southpaw went 3-2 with a pair of saves and a 2.87 ERA in 45 games. He held left-handed hitters to a .192 average and even made two spot starts.

David Aardsma rounded out the regular bullpen guys with a 2-3, two save, 4.93 ERA season, not much different than his 2009 campaign.

Left-hander Rick Ankiel played outfield and first base, but also pitched for Tampa Bay. In 17 appearances out of the bullpen, Ankiel went 1-1 with a 6.40 ERA. He was used largely in mop-up situations, considering he hadn't pitched since 2006. He has now made 400 career appearances as a pitcher, owning a 48-57 record with 15 saves and 138 starts. Offensively, he didn't get as much playing time as he would have liked, getting just 69 at bats despite being on the roster for the entire season. Ankiel hit .261 with four RBI and six runs scored.

(offensive write-up to come later)

10-28-2009, 10:44 AM	#663 (permalink)
Moriarty9 All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,855 Thanks: 9 Thanked 3x in 3 posts	Tampa Bay season review Miss playoffs for first time since 2000 October 4, 2010 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays will spend October at home watching the playoffs rather than taking part, something the club is not quite familiar with. How did it happen that their nine-season streak of playoff appearances came to and this year after winning back-to-back World Series titles in 2007 and 2008? Dan Haren got off to a rough start (2-1, 6.10 ERA in five April starts), but got better as the year went along, finishing off at 13-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 30 starts. He posted a 1.12 WHIP and .239 opponents average against, but just did not pitch deep enough into games to win more than 13 games after winning 38 over the previous two years. Left-hander Jon Lester also got off to a rocky start, but became one of the more dependable pitchers in the rotation. Lester went 2-1 with a 6.29 ERA in April, but dropped his ERA down to the 4.00's the rest of the way before wrapping things up with a 3-2, 3.38 ERA in September. Overall, Lester went 12-9 with a 4.74 ERA in his first full season as a big league starter. John Lackey was an All Star in 2010, but has his down-times as well. He went 4-0 with a 1.07 ERA in May, and 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA in August, but went south a little in September, going 2-3 with a 4.08 ERA in five starts. Ultimately, he finished the year with a 11-8 record and a 3.56 ERA in 207 1/3 innings of work. He had a 1.10 WHIP and .226 opponents average against. Zack Greinke came back from the injury that ended his 2009 season but was very inconsistent. Greinke struggled initially, going 0-2 with a 6.12 ERA in four April starts, but pitched well in May, going 4-2 with a 2.16 ERA. In July, he was awful, going 0-3 with a 10.38 ERA in five starts, but wrapped up the year well by going 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA in August and 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA in September. He finished the season at 10-13 with a 4.44 ERA in 30 starts. Next year, a full season removed from the injury, he needs to improve his consistency. Nobody was more inconsistent than Pedro Martinez, the six-time Cy Young winner. Martinez went 14-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts last season, but was not even close in 2010. In 31 games, he went 8-16 with a 5.59 ERA, posting a WHIP of 1.50 and allowing opponents to hit .297 against him. Martinez threw some great games — one run on five hits in eight innings at Minnesota on July 20, one run on six hits in six innings at Seattle on August 9, a complete game shutout in Oakland on August 15, one run on four hits in seven innings against the Indians on August 21, and one unearned run on three hits in seven innings at Cleveland yesterday to end the season — but not enough to have a good season by any standard. August was his best month, going 2-2 with a 2.75 ERA in five starts, but his next best performance came in June when he went 1-1 with a 5.04 ERA in five starts. He turns 39 later this month and is eligible for free agency this winter. Martinez said he will not retire and wants to stay in Tampa Bay, but does he have what it takes to keep going? Jonathan Papelbon, also a free agent this off-season, pitched well in the save opportunities he had. He went 4-4 with 27 saves and a 2.34 ERA in 51 games, posting a WHIP of 0.88 and holding opponents to a .204 average. Papelbon was great, but his team handed him save opportunities in the ninth inning. Manny Delcarmen, the leading internal candidate to replace Papelbon if he signs elsewhere, was fantastic as well. Delcarmen went 6-1 with three saves and a 2.09 ERA in 60 1/3 innings, keeping opponments to a .222 average against. Left-hander Craig Breslow was solid once again as well, going 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 56 1/3 innings. He was not terribly good against lefties (who hit .312 against him) but dominated right-handed hitters, who hit just .206 against him. David Price pitched to potential in his first full season in the big leagues as the big southpaw went 3-2 with a pair of saves and a 2.87 ERA in 45 games. He held left-handed hitters to a .192 average and even made two spot starts. David Aardsma rounded out the regular bullpen guys with a 2-3, two save, 4.93 ERA season, not much different than his 2009 campaign. Left-hander Rick Ankiel played outfield and first base, but also pitched for Tampa Bay. In 17 appearances out of the bullpen, Ankiel went 1-1 with a 6.40 ERA. He was used largely in mop-up situations, considering he hadn't pitched since 2006. He has now made 400 career appearances as a pitcher, owning a 48-57 record with 15 saves and 138 starts. Offensively, he didn't get as much playing time as he would have liked, getting just 69 at bats despite being on the roster for the entire season. Ankiel hit .261 with four RBI and six runs scored. (offensive write-up to come later)