O's set to celebrate 50 millionth fan
BALTIMORE -- When Camden Yards opened its doors on April 6, 1992, the Orioles knew their ballpark marked the start of a new era in baseball stadiums. Incorporated into the downtown area, Camden Yards began a revitalization process for the Inner Harbor that has led to a massive transformation of the waterfront in Baltimore.
Seventeen seasons later, the Orioles are now receiving the ultimate affirmation on the importance and popularity of their ballpark as they get set to welcome the 50 millionth fan in Oriole Park history -- the fastest ballpark in the history of baseball to reach such a milestone.
"It's very exciting for us because we think it represents more than just a number," said Orioles Director of Communications Greg Bader. "It represents a new era of ballparks. What Camden Yards did for Baltimore, for Maryland and even for the entire country, really changed the way baseball ballparks were built.
"Putting it in the heart of the city where there's all kinds of things to do downtown within walking distance, was unheard of when Camden Yards was proposed and built, and then you see a wave of ballparks that mirror that, not only from an aesthetic standpoint but from a practicality standpoint ... Fifty million fans in 17 seasons really proves what a success Oriole Park has been for the community."
And just as Camden Yards was treated to a memorable celebration when it opened, the Orioles are planning on marking the 50 millionth push of the turnstiles in a grand way -- $50,000 to be exact.
When the 50 millionth fan walks through the gates at Camden Yards, he or she will receive $50,000, season tickets for five years and a VIP package that includes seat upgrades, a commemorative jersey and participation in an on-field check presentation. The Orioles have teamed with the Maryland Lottery to make the celebration possible.
"The Maryland Lottery is thrilled to be a part of these historic moments," said Lottery Director Buddy Roogow in an Orioles press release. "It is an honor to help the Orioles celebrate the rich history and tradition of Major League Baseball in Maryland."
Entering Tuesday, the Orioles are just 2,861 fans away from reaching the 50 million mark.
"We're going to use the technology available to us to designate a 50 millionth fan the moment the 50 millionth fan enters the ballpark," Bader said. "It will be based on turnstile count and ... essentially it's being in the right place at the right time. We're ready to go to whatever entrance [our technology] tells us that the 50 millionth fan entered."
That fan can expect that their night out at Camden Yards will then be a little different than most. Depending on the time the 50 millionth fan enters the park, they will either be part of a pregame or mid-game on-field ceremony where they will be presented with the $50,000 check.
And the celebrations early in the week are just the beginning as the Orioles are also preparing to welcome the 100 millionth fan in franchise history, between both Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards, a milestone that is expected to be reached later in the week when the Orioles welcome the Yankees. The celebration for reaching that mark will mirror the 50 millionth, except that lucky fan will receive $100,000 as well as the VIP package and season tickets for five years. To reach 100 million, the Orioles will need to welcome 157,273 more fans.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Balentien's blast lifts Mariners in 12
ANAHEIM -- The last swing Mariners rookie Wladimir Balentien took on Wednesday night made up for all those swings and misses he had during four of his at-bats against the Angels.
He sent a towering fly ball to straightaway center field that landed behind the fence for a three-run home run, catapulting the Mariners to a hard-fought, 10-7 victory over the Angels in a 12-inning battle in front of 42,754 at Angel Stadium.
"He was having a rough night and [hitting coach Jose Castro] and I were talking about it," Mariners manager Jim Riggleman said. "On some of those [at-bats], he was getting himself out. He had a strike on him in that last at-bat, and then did what he does. When he gets the ball up in the air like that, it goes a long way."
That one certainly did, going about 100 feet up and more than 400 feet out.
Balentien struck out in the second, fourth, seventh and 10th innings -- the "Golden Sombrero" -- and grounded out to end the eighth inning.
"It had been a rough night, but I never gave up," he said. "I stayed with it, stayed focused and got an opportunity to do something and did it."
He was wearing a huge smile, not a sombrero, in the visiting clubhouse afterward, savoring his sixth home run of the season, one that resulted in one of the most improbable wins of the season for Seattle (46-74).
The Mariners scored a run in the eighth inning to tie the game, fell behind by two runs in the bottom of the inning, and then rallied for three runs in the ninth against Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez, who was going for his 47th save of the season. Instead, he absorbed his fifth blown save and ended a streak of 20 consecutive save conversions against the Mariners.
Jeremy Reed delivered a tying, two-run double into right-center, and Raul Ibanez followed with a go-ahead single to center field to knock Rodriguez out of the game.
Just like that, the Mariners had done something few other teams have done this season -- overcome the Angels in the ninth inning. But their reward would have to wait a few more innings as Seattle closer J.J. Putz surrendered a tying leadoff home run to Mark Teixeira in the bottom of the ninth.
The still-not-quite-right Putz has seven saves and seven blown saves this season after going 40-for-42 a year ago.
But the "BS" (blown save) behind Putz's name in the box score was overshadowed by the Mariners' tenacity.
"If we had lost, I would have tipped my hat to them, and if we had won, I would have tipped my hat to them," Riggleman said. "They really competed their tails off and never gave up. It sounds a little ridiculous, where we are in the standings, but that game right there is what we have done so many times this year, only to have an excruciating way to lose them. Tonight, we finally held them down and found a way to win. I'm proud of them for that."
A glance at the American League West standings tells you the gap between the first-place Angels and last-place Mariners stands at 29 1/2 games.
Another way of looking at it is four runs.
That's the run differential in their 11 head-to-head games this season, although the Angels have a 7-4 edge in the season series.
"That tells you they find a way to win and I think that's what we have to do and not just be satisfied playing with teams of that caliber," said Ibanez, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles and his 19th home run and drove in three runs. "Riggleman has been stressing that every game, to come back and win. He has told us, 'You guys are capable of being a really good team and you should go out there with the intention of winning.' "
It will take more games like the one played Wednesday night for the team's confidence level to climb.
The first six innings featured a pitching duel between right-handers Felix Hernandez and Ervin Santana.
Hernandez, and the Mariners, had a scary moment in the fourth inning.
Hernandez somehow got his glove up in time to snare the wicked smash hit by Chone Figgins. Hernandez went to the ground, got up, and was smiling as he walked off the field and into the visiting dugout.
He pitched three more innings, departing after seven innings and Seattle down by one run. Jeff Clement's clutch two-out, run-scoring single off Angels right-hander Scot Shields in the eighth inning kept Hernandez from losing his eighth game. He remained 7-7 and has nine no-decisions.
And one sore left ankle.
He tweaked his left ankle after fielding a grounder toward first base in the seventh inning but finished the frame and was replaced by reliever Cesar Jimenez.
"Felix did a heck of a job," Riggleman said. "His ankle is still a little tender, but at that point of the game, we took him out, not because of the ankle."
Copyright 2008 Sporting Life UK Ltd, All Rights Reserved.
With Wagner on DL, Mets seek solution
NEW YORK -- His locker once was home to John Franco, the pitcher who accumulated the most saves in the history of the Mets franchise. His uniform number, 48, was worn by Randy Myers when Myers amassed 115 saves for the Mets. And no less an expert than Billy Wagner has identified him as a closer in the making.
Aaron Heilman has the locker, the uniform number and a significant endorsement. He has the stuff, too. And now he has the opportunity as well, not that he coveted it. He has been assigned to the closer's role, and Wagner has been assigned to the disabled list. But after one night, the damage to Wagner's left forearm -- diagnosed as a strain -- may been less than the damage to Heilman's psyche.
The Mets' first experience of life without Wagner was fraught with peril. Cast in the new role, and presented Heilman was presented with one assignment -- get three outs before they get four runs. Heilman provided so little closure that manager Jerry Manuel was unsure whether his bullpen plan -- Heilman taking on most of the closing duties during Wagner's absence -- would last two days.
In the immediate aftermath of the Mets' nervous 6-5 victory against the Padres on Tuesday night, the manager Manuel opened a bottle of water and asked out loud if it could be changed to wine.
Heilman had walked his first batter on four pitches, then his defense let him down, and after that, Jody Gerut changed the score from 6-2 to 6-5 and began to change Manuel's frame of mind. The Mets prevailed with Joe Smith and Scott Schoeneweis following Heilman. And suddenly the plan of "bullpen by committee" seemed more likely.
Hours before the Mets began their homestand, Manuel had used the phrase created 25 years ago by Whitey Herzog after his Cardinals team lost Bruce Sutter. But soon after, he acknowledged Heilman would do most of the closing, i.e., be the committee chairman.
Heilman accepted the challenge.
"Hopefully, it's for a little bit of time," he said, noting Wagner's value and how his move to the ninth inning would create voids in earlier innings. "I've closed a few times before, so it's not as though I'm going out there naked."
Heilman, who has six big league saves, one since 2005, said he knew the difference between the eighth and ninth innings is something other than numerical. If he had forgotten, the ninth on Tuesday night was a harsh and unwanted reminder.
"We tend to put more pressure on ourselves," Heilman said when discussing his new role.
The role was to be his, though not necessarily his alone, for at least 13 days. Wagner is eligible to return Aug. 18. Now, not even the manager knows who will pitch the ninth inning on Wednesday if the Mets have a lead and a save opportunity.
"It's a bad time to have to go through something like this," Wagner said before the game.
But he stood by the endorsement of Heilman he had offered in Spring Training. The one proviso he offered then was, "If he gets dumber." Wagner's thought is that Heilman may think too much for his own good.
A poor memory is a requirement for a closer.
Manuel had indicated Heilman was his choice, referring to the veteran right-hander as "a cross-over pitcher" in that he can be effective against right-handed and left-handed hitters. Manuel spoke on Tuesday, hours after an examination via magnetic resonance imaging told the Mets medical staff what general manager Omar Minaya wanted to hear -- that Wagner had no structural damage in his left elbow.
"[Manuel told Heilman that he would] likely be the guy he'd go to late," Heilman said. And Manuel explained how the other bullpen roles will be filled, saying, "Someone will emerge, someone will say, 'I want that job,'" said Manuel about how the roles will be defined. "They will define the roles, not me."
But with Duaner Sanchez lacking normal velocity, Smith usually primarily against right-handed hitters and neither Schoeneweis nor Pedro Feliciano pitching all that well of late, the Mets' late-inning scenarios would be covered on the fly.
Manuel said he would ask his relievers to be patient and not to "expect this to be your inning or this to be his inning."
He hoped to introduce rookie Eddie Kunz to more pressurized situations gradually, but he hardly discounted the possibility of Kunz closing before the game, and said after the game that circumstances could demand a trial by fire for the pitcher the Mets made their first selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. The pitcher who replaced Wagner on the 25-man roster -- not in the 'pen -- is 28-year-old right-hander Ruddy Lugo, who was recalled from the Mets' Triple-A New Orleans affiliate Tuesday. Lugo, the younger brother of Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, had a 7-10 record and 5.09 ERA in 21 starts with New Orleans.
Lugo will serve as the long reliever and not be the pitcher to replace disabled righty John Maine in the rotation. The Mets need a starter Saturday against the Marlins.
All the changes in the bullpen became necessary when the club decided to be, in the words of general manager Minaya, "precautious" with Wagner and afford him time to rest and then rehabilitate his arm.
The club said it expects Wagner will return after the 15-day assignment that was made retroactively to Sunday. Wagner too foresaw no reason he wouldn't return Aug. 18.
"Unless something more happens, I can't see not being ready when the time comes," he said.
Until then, he said, he would be quite unfulfilled. "I can pat the other guys on the back," Wagner said. "I'll be a ghost. It's miserable."
He hadn't been assigned to the DL since July 2004, when he was with the Phillies.
Wagner's inability to recover quickly and pitch in consecutive games was, he said, the primary reason he agreed with the assignment to the DL, though pitching through the pain hardly was an option.
"It hurt about as much as it can hurt," Wagner said, describing the symptoms he experienced in Houston on Saturday night, when he threw 23 pitches and was unable to convert a save opportunity.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Iannetta helps Rox roll through finale
PITTSBURGH -- The Rockies went into last season calling Chris Iannetta their catcher of the future. Good thing they were willing to trust in the future.
Iannetta, showing almost daily that he learned from a rough rookie year, knocked a three-run homer that turned out to be the difference in a 7-4 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday night at PNC Park in front of 16,587.
Iannetta's 12th homer of the season, off Zach Duke (4-9) during the Rockies' four-run fifth inning, gave him 17 RBIs in his past 15 games.
The Rockies have needed Iannetta, who hit .218 last season, during this key 10-game road trip. His homer gave the Rockies a 6-0 lead -- just enough cushion for Aaron Cook (14-6) -- and helped the club avoid being swept in the three-game set. It also eventually provided an opportunity for closer Brian Fuentes to improve his save total to 18 this season and a club-record 103 in purple pinstripes.
The victory also improved the Rockies to 4-2 on their road trip, which concludes with four games against the National League East-contending Marlins. The Rockies entered Wednesday seven games behind the first-place Diamondbacks in the NL West.
"You don't want to lose, period, but you come in with a sense of urgency that we don't lose three in this series," said Iannetta, who has homered twice during the road trip. "We've got to go to Florida and try to play a little bit better, hit a little bit better and pitch a little bit better."
Manager Clint Hurdle quipped that Iannetta is "built like a manhole cover." He also said Iannetta provided "a big swing of the bat for us, and he's finding a way to do those things."
The homer off Duke made Iannetta 18-for-43 (.419) with five home runs and 15 RBIs against left-handed pitching this season.
Wednesday also marked the eighth time Cook has ended a Rockies losing streak. For all but one inning, it was a normal performance for Cook -- who tied the Diamondbacks' Brandon Webb for the NL lead in wins, and is three shy of a club mark shared by Kevin Ritz (1996), Pedro Astacio (1999) and Jeff Francis (2007).
Cook walked the first two batters of the sixth inning, and saw the Pirates score four runs on three hits. But in his seven innings, he held the Pirates to four runs on nine hits. He also struck out one and walked three.
After seeing a six-run lead reduced to two runs in the fifth, Hurdle said Cook was "fit to be tied."
But Cook calmed down and held the Pirates to one run in the next two innings before giving way to Taylor Buchholz, who struck out two and gave up a hit in the eighth, and Fuentes, who fanned the first two batters en route to a perfect ninth.
"I got into a little funk and tried to get out of it as soon as possible," Cook said.
Other Rockies RBIs came from Clint Barmes, Matt Holliday (his 24th in July), Garrett Atkins (his 26th this month) and Troy Tulowitzki.
The game will be remembered best for Fuentes surpassing Jose Jimenez (2000-'03) for the franchise saves milestone. It wasn't lost on teammates that it occurred on the eve of Thursday's Trade Deadline.
The Rockies believe they can still contend in the West, even though they're farther behind now than they were at this point last year (3 1/2 games).
But other contending teams might give the Rockies the package of immediate help and prospects that it would take to make a deal, and the Rockies have Manuel Corpas -- who handled the job when Fuentes struggled, but then suffered an injury last season.
Fuentes said the pride in the accomplishment was more than he anticipated, but it wasn't a factor during the ninth.
"When I'm out there, I'm thinking nothing about records, standings or anything like that," Fuentes said. "I'm blocking all that out and thinking about not letting guys get on."
"It's wonderful," Hurdle said of Fuentes' record. "There's longevity. There's success. There's talent, commitment. He's dealt with some adversity and come out on top of it, so good for him."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Fontenot's homer gives Cubs victory
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mark DeRosa was talking recently about how different guys have been filling different roles every night. The Cubs need that kind of production because they've had so many injuries lately.
Against the Giants at AT&T Park on Wednesday, DeRosa wasn't the stepper-upper, going 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. Instead, it was Mike Fontenot, smashing a tiebreaking home run into the right-field bleachers in the eighth inning to send Chicago to a 6-5 victory.
Fontenot's shot could be considered unlikely for the Cubs, losers of six of their past nine games. It likely surprised Fontenot, who's got just eight career home runs. And it was bittersweet for Ryan Dempster, Chicago's starter who remained winless on the road while Carlos Marmol captured the victory.
Dempster, 9-0 at Wrigley Field this season, hasn't won a game on the road in 2008 in eight tries; his last road win came in April 2005. On this night, he tossed six innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He batted for himself in the seventh inning, but was replaced by Marmol in the same frame with a 5-2 lead.
The elusive road win seemed within grasp, as Marmol struck out his first two batters on six pitches. Marmol, though, has been far from steady in the past two weeks. He allowed a walk and a single and then watched as Ray Durham clobbered a first-pitch, letter-high fastball that tied the game at 5.
"It was a nice win for us," Dempster said.
Was he disappointed he didn't pitch past the sixth even though he'd thrown just 91 pitches?
"I didn't have a lot of pitches, but that's the way it goes," he said. "Cold weather out there, and I'll be fresh next time."
Did he think he could have gone back out, considering he'd struck out seven while effectively mixing a fastball, slider and changeup?
"I like being out there; I like pitching," he said. "But the important part was we won the game."
Marmol (2-3) got credit for the win, but not much else. The reliever pitched like a "machine" in the early part of the season, Dempster said, but he's going through tough times.
Through the beginning of June, he had a 1.75 ERA in 36 innings. In his past six outings, though, he's allowed nine runs.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella said Marmol is struggling with his location, and that the two will have a meeting Thursday to try to figure out the problem.
A reliever for the past three years, Dempster understands what Marmol is going through. At the moment, the Cubs have the best record in the National League. But they've struggled on the road, have been swarmed by the injury bug and were swept by the White Sox over the weekend.
With pressure to stay atop its league, any problem the team has gets magnified.
"Everybody expects [Marmol] to be perfect every single time," Dempster said. "We're human beings; you're going to make mistakes.
"There's not a guy who feels worse than him."
Fontenot, for one, probably felt great. He saved his team by going deep off Tyler Walker (3-4), not exactly Fontenot's forte. Before a recent tear -- three jacks in his past eight games -- he'd hit one homer in 54 games this season. In 2007, he had a grand total of three in 86 games.
"I've been feeling good at the plate," Fontenot said. "I'm just trying to have good swings at the plate, have good at-bats, and I've been fortunate enough to hit some balls out."
The Cubs needed his good fortune. They've lost four of their past six road games, and nine of their past 15 overall. They still lead the NL Central, but they do so by just 2 1/2 games over the St. Louis Cardinals, whom they'll play this weekend at Busch Stadium.
Closer Kerry Wood entered in the final frame and saved his 21st game. He retired the first two batters before Jose Castillo smacked a triple into center field. Once again, the game seemed in danger, but Wood fired a nasty curveball on a 1-2 count to Fred Lewis, who struck out swinging to end the game.
In 15 of his past 16 appearances, Wood hasn't allowed a run.
"Woody can pitch," Piniella said. "Turned into an exciting game, didn't it? Before you know it, they got three runs on the board."
Before it got so interesting, Jim Edmonds scored on a Matt Murton double-play grounder in the second to put the first run on the board. Edmonds found home again in the sixth when, with Geovany Soto on base, he hit a ball the opposite way to right field. Chicago's midseason acquisition has six jacks in his past 11 games.
When the Cubs picked him up, they weren't expected such an offensive spark. Nor did they expect Fontenot to end the day by going deep. But they did, and Piniella will take it.
"I've had all the fun I want for one night," Piniella said.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Twins surge to eighth straight victory
SAN DIEGO -- For the Twins, the trend recently has been fairly simple: face a former Cy Young Award winner and pick up a victory.
That was the case again on Wednesday night in San Diego, as Greg Maddux became the latest pitcher to fall victim to a suddenly hot Twins offense. Minnesota tagged the right-hander for seven runs -- six earned -- on seven hits in a 9-3 win over the Padres at PETCO Park.
It was a victory that extended the Twins' season-high winning streak to eight games -- their longest streak since July 2006 -- and pulled them just one-half game back of the White Sox in the American League Central.
The Twins knew they were facing quite a challenge when they entered this stretch that featured four Cy Young Award winners pitching against them in five games. Those hurlers included the Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson and Brandon Webb, Padres ace Jake Peavy and finally Maddux on Wednesday night.
But the Twins have come out of that difficult stretch with wins in each of those four contests.
"We're having quality at-bats against very good pitching," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We've faced a lot of pitching here. A lot of Cy Young guys. But our guys are getting after it."
If the Twins' first two games in San Diego have been particularly memorable to anyone, it would have to be shortstop Brendan Harris.
Harris delivered home runs in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, with each coming off a future Hall of Famer.
After taking all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman deep in the ninth inning of Tuesday night's game to secure a win, Harris came up with another big home run -- this one off Maddux in the fourth inning -- to give the Twins their first lead on Wednesday.
"I'm not going to sit there and say those were just another couple of home runs," Harris said. "There will be little stars next to those -- pretty good memories."
After Michael Cuddyer reached on a fielding error by San Diego third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff to start the fourth, Harris hit the first pitch he saw in his second at-bat against Maddux. Harris drove a low-and-inside changeup deep into the left-field seats for a two-run shot, breaking up what had been a 3-3 tie.
"He starts it off the plate, and you see it early and say, 'Oh, that's a ball,'" Harris said. "Then it just comes back, and it's frustrating because you sit there and drop a few curse words and say it's going to be a long night if he keeps putting the ball right there. But, you know, get a few more at-bats and maybe get to him and he'll leave one over the plate."
Knowing what they had to face in Maddux, the Twins weren't particularly pleased to see the way the game was unfolding early.
Twins left-hander Glen Perkins put his club in a 3-0 hole after two innings. Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez brought his season RBI total to 66 by driving in one run on a fielder's choice in the first. Kouzmanoff tripled to center to score Gonzalez, and Scott Hairston doubled in another run in the second.
But while Perkins (4-2) never really got completely on track during his five-inning outing, he made pitches when necessary. He allowed three runs on six hits while walking two and striking out two.
"His innings weren't exactly clean -- 91 pitches in five innings is not a great performance," Gardenhire said. "The good sign for our young pitchers is that he hung in there. He was missing in and out, but he made enough pitches to get through it."
Perkins also was aided by some strong defense behind him. That included a diving snag and an ensuing throw to first base by second baseman Alexi Casilla on a shot up the middle by Edgar Gonzalez to start the fifth.
Gardenhire had spent time before the game with Casilla working on similar catches. Well, similar in the fact that it involved reaching out for the ball.
"What we worked on was like lesson 101 and 102," Gardenhire said. "But he went to like 108 with that catch. I didn't work on that one. That was a bullet, and he made a heck of a play."
Perkins' early struggles were worrisome in that it was Maddux who appeared from the start that he might be on for a dominant night. The right-hander retired the first seven batters he faced, including Harris on a three-pitch strikeout for the first at-bat of the third. Still, the Twins had confidence their big-inning trend could continue.
"I think over the last eight-10 days, we've put together some pretty good innings," Gardenhire said. "So you get the feeling that this might be the inning every time you come in the dugout. You just don't know. You know what? We've been doing that, so we come to expect it a little more."
It didn't take long for that big scoring drive to take place. Minnesota knotted the game up thanks to a stretch of two-out hits. It included an RBI single by Casilla and Joe Mauer's two-run double to left field.
After Harris put the Twins on top for good in the fourth with his home run, the hot hitting for the club continued.
Carlos Gomez added to the Twins' lead in the sixth with a two-run single to left. Gomez was 3-for-4 with the two RBIs, a run scored and two stolen bases, bringing his season total to 20.
Craig Monroe then delivered his second pinch-hit home run of the season, and third of his career, in the eighth inning. Monroe's two-run blast to center field off right-hander Mike Adams gave the Twins a 9-3 lead.
So what can stop these surging Twins? Judging by the way the confidence level of the club has skyrocketed during this winning streak, it seems hard to tell.
"This is a fun stretch where a lot of good things are happening," Gardenhire said. "We're putting together good swings, getting good pitching performances and it's fun baseball. I think we did this for, it seemed like, four months back in '06, so hopefully we can continue the rest of the way -- and that would be fun baseball. But it's a good feeling coming to the ballpark. You know you have a chance every day. The guys are into it. And we expect to win."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Confident Rays believe future is now
ST. PETERSBURG -- This has nothing to do with a franchise that never won more than 70 games in a single season. This has everything to do with a legitimately good baseball team; here and now, playing its home games at Tropicana Field.
Forget whatever you thought you knew about the Tampa Bay Rays. It's ancient history, it's useless, it's irrelevant to the topic at hand. You could say that a page has been turned for this franchise, but it's more like an entirely new book is being written.
Let us glance briefly at the numbers that will explain, clarify and underscore this phenomenon. The Rays, after victories over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, are 42-29, just two games out of first in the American League East. That's very encouraging, but it is just the beginning.
The Rays are fourth in the AL in team earned run average. They lead the league in team fielding percentage. In the other half of the game, the Rays are a mere ninth in the AL in runs scored.
In a way, that moderate offensive output actually makes the overall picture even brighter. The Rays have created this early-season success out of truly sturdy stuff -- pitching and defense. They don't have a single hitter having an out-of-his-mind, over-his-head, career kind of year. There is nothing of the fluke about any of this.
And as a bonus, the Rays also lead not only the AL, but the Major Leagues in stolen bases. Speed doesn't slump, and it helps in both halves of the inning. This is not a one-dimensional operation that the Rays have put together.
If you just looked at the numbers, you would say that the biggest difference between the 2008 Rays team and all of its predecessors would be the pitching, in both quality and quantity. The rotation is reliable and more. At the back end of the bullpen, closer Troy Percival has made a crucial contribution with the revival of an admirable career. The Rays have done a great job of producing homegrown talent, but they also obtained Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano, in what will stand as an absolute heist, although a heist in an honorable cause.
But there is also an intangible difference in the 2008 Rays. There is not a sense of awe and wonderment that this team is achieving something. There is instead a belief that this is exactly what this team should be doing.
Before Wednesday night's game, manager Joe Maddon received a gee-whiz kind of query about just how cool it was that the Rays would be given a chance to display their prowess before a national television audience on ESPN.
Maddon responded, politely enough, but pointedly, that virtually all of the Rays' games were televised and that in any event, this was not a matter for the team's focus.
"I don't want us to focus on who is covering the game from a television sense," Maddon said.
It was a harmless question. But the answer was better than the question.
All right, the Rays are young. But this does not disqualify them from success. It is as Tigers manager Jim Leyland says: "Don't talk to me about age. Talk to me about talent."
The Rays are both young and talented. But they don't appear to be unprepared for immediate success. Take the much-heralded third baseman, Evan Longoria, 22, so well-regarded here that the franchise signed him to a multi-year deal within a week after he was summoned from Triple-A. He was regarded as a tremendous hitting prospect, but his defensive abilities may be every bit as impressive.
"Everybody talks about his offense, but his defense has been Gold Glove to this point," Maddon said.
On Tuesday night, Longoria hit a mammoth home run and then made a game-saving play, with two out in the ninth and the tying run on third. He charged in on Reed Johnson's bunt, making the classic barehanded pickup and across-the-body throw in one motion, just in time to end the game.
"The kid showed a lot of athleticism at third base," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "It was a really nice play."
The home run would have been enough for one night. And so would the play at third. But both in one night? Wow. But Longoria is not some youthful dreamer here on a pass. This team has the sense that its time is not a vague and distant future, but right now.
"We've known that we have the talent and the players to do what we're doing now," Longoria said. "This team has grown. We've been able to come together. The atmosphere in here is the most exciting thing, to come to the park every day and just expect to win."
That is not an unreasonable expectation. The Rays have won 24 of their last 28 and nine straight series at home. More than that, against the very best opposition, the three first-place teams in the AL and the Cubs, who, after all, arrived at Tropicana Field with baseball's best record, the Rays are 13-11. Take that together with the second straight, tense, taut, dramatic, one-run victory, 5-4 on Wednesday night, there were even more reasons to believe in the Rays.
"For us, it validates that we are playing well and we are a good team," Maddon said. "When you go through these situations where we're attempting to grow, you think you're good and you think you're better, but then you have to go out there and actually show it. It's not about coming close, and coming up short, and always saying, 'What if,' and 'We just missed.' You actually have to do it to get to that next level.
"We seem to play all first-place teams," Maddon said with a smile. "The whole schedule is littered with first-place teams. Everybody that shows up here is in first place. It's a great thing. Again, we gain confidence from that and you realize you can play against anybody. That's an important thought to maintain. The flip side is that we have to do better on the road against these teams. We've done pretty well against them here, but we have to take that composure and the focus and fight through those late innings on the road. We're doing better, it's getting better, but there are still some hurdles that we have to overcome."
Again, that is exactly the right approach to take; the focus not on what has been accomplished, but what is needed for improvement.
In total, everything is different for the Rays in 2008. That would be different as in better. On Wednesday night, the vocal competition between Cubs fans and Rays fans in the crowd of 31,496, combined with the quality of play on the field, made for a terrific evening of baseball intensity.
The Rays may not be better than the leaders of their division, the Boston Red Sox, but there are roughly 28 other clubs in that same boat. If the season ended today -- although it never does when somebody says that -- the Rays would win the AL Wild Card berth. This is not a dream. This is not a fantasy. This is a good baseball team, getting better.
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