Tag Archives: Rays

13 Aug

stirring the drink

The Minnesota Twins’ recent swoon – 8-16 since the All-Star break — probably cost Brian Dozier any chance he might have had at the American League MVP award. But the Southern Miss product is still the team’s key player, the straw that stirs their drink, as they say. He has suffered through a second-half slump, as well, but when the second baseman does things like he did on Wednesday, the Twins tend to win, which they did. Dozier got two doubles (31 for the year), scored twice (80 for the year, second in MLB) and drove in a run (59). Minnesota whipped Texas 11-1, its second straight win, and climbed over .500 at 57-56. The Twins have fallen far back in the AL Central (11 games out) but remain in the thick of the wild card chase. To make the postseason for the first time since 2010, they’ll need a strong finish from Dozier, batting .248 with a .318 on-base percentage and 24 homers. P.S. Joey Butler, the former Pascagoula High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star, was sent back to the minors on Wednesday, a decision Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash called “incredibly difficult.” Butler, a 29-year-old rookie outfielder, batted .278 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 74 games for the Rays. At one point in mid-June he was hitting .347. He got the opportunity to play regularly for the first time in his career when Desmond Jennings went on the disabled list in April. Itawamba CC alum Jennings is supposed to be activated on Friday. Butler likely will get back to the big leagues when rosters expand in September. … Yarmouth-Dennis won the Cape Cod League championship series with an 8-1 win against Hyannis on Wednesday night. In the opener of the three-game series on Sunday, Dakota Hudson of Mississippi State allowed one run on two hits in eight innings, finishing with eight strikeouts, as Hyannis beat Y-D 8-1. Vance Tatum, another Bulldogs pitcher toiling for Hyannis, got knocked around in Game 2 on Monday and took the loss in Y-D’s 9-3 victory. Ole Miss’ Colby Bortles had a two-run hit for Hyannis in that game.

12 Aug

when the going gets tough

There is an interesting story on the Oakland A’s page on mlb.com in which Kendall Graveman talks about persevering through some tough times at Mississippi State and again earlier this season when the A’s sent him to the minors. Well, the times look tough again for the rookie right-hander. He went up against the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and got burned in a 4-2 loss. Hurt by a couple of big errors, Graveman lasted just 4 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, a walk and four runs (two earned). His record dipped to 6-8. The last-place A’s are 0-6 in Graveman’s last six starts; he hasn’t won since July 4. Graveman’s ERA is a very respectable 3.89, and that’s even more impressive when you consider that it was 8.27 when the A’s demoted him to Triple-A after four starts in April. He went 5-2 in a nine-start stretch after his return in late May. Drafted in 2013 by Toronto, Graveman bolted through the minors and reached the big leagues last September. Oakland got him in the off-season trade that sent Josh Donaldson to the Jays, and Graveman won a job in the rotation in spring training. This current victory drought isn’t likely to get him down. … Times are also tough for ex-State star Tyler Moore, who is hitless in his last nine at-bats (all as a pinch hitter) and is batting just .203 for Washington, which is scuffling as a team. Moore’s last hit was on July 24, his last home run on June 12. He belted 10 homers in 156 at-bats in his debut season in 2012 but has just 12 over three seasons since. He seems due for a breakout. P.S. Tampa Bay sent former Itawamba Community College standout Desmond Jennings on another rehab assignment (see previous post), this one at Class A Port Charlotte.

11 Aug

medical report

Itawamba Community College product Desmond Jennings, who last played in a big league game on April 26, might be activated by Tampa Bay for tonight’s game with Atlanta, reports say. Jennings, recovering from a knee injury, hit just .143 in 21 at-bats on a rehab assignment for Triple-A Durham. The Rays’ opening day center fielder, he batted .222 in 18 games before the injury. For his MLB career, over parts of six years, Jennings is batting .248 with 47 homers, 166 RBIs and 93 steals. … Injuries have been a big story for Mississippians in the majors in 2015. Meridian CC alum Cliff Lee (flexor tendon) hasn’t thrown a pitch for Philadelphia and may yet retire. Corey Dickerson, another MCC product, had made three trips to the disabled list, playing in just 43 games for Colorado after his breakout 2014 campaign. Ex-Ole Miss star Zack Cozart (knee) went out for the season in mid-June; he was hitting .258 with nine homers for Cincinnati. Aaron Barrett, another former Rebel, is currently on the DL (elbow), his second stint, for Washington. Picayune High alum T.J. House, who began this year in the Cleveland rotation, went on the DL in May, went to the minors and then went out in early June with a shoulder injury. He hasn’t pitched since. And former Mississippi State standout Jacob Lindgren (elbow) has been shelved since mid-June; he made his big league debut with the New York Yankees in May, was sent down and then shut down following surgery.

28 Jul

the launch pad

Will Clark famously homered in his first at-bat as a pro and went on to hit .309 with 10 bombs that season in the Class A California League. Of course, the transition from college to pro ball doesn’t flow as seamlessly for everyone as it did for the ex-Mississippi State star in 1985. Typically, there are adjustments to be made. Sikes Orvis was a fearsome hitter at Ole Miss this past season. He belted 16 homers, drove in 53 runs, scored 41 and slugged .587. The Chicago White Sox picked the big first baseman in the 17th round of the draft, and 20 games into his rookie campaign, he is batting .224 and slugging .366 with two homers at Great Falls in the Pioneer League. James McMahon was the ace of the Southern Miss staff in 2015, going 11-1 with a 1.56 ERA and winning the Ferriss Trophy. The Colorado Rockies picked the right-hander in the 24th round, and eight games into his rookie campaign, he is 1-2, 8.41 with Grand Junction of the Pioneer League. For Orvis and McMahon, and others who recently launched pro careers, adjustments are required if they want to survive and advance. It can be tough – but it can be done. Aaron Barrett came out of Ole Miss in 2010 and went 0-5, 9.43 in his first pro season. Four years later, he made the big leagues and currently has a career 3.26 ERA as a key piece in the Washington Nationals’ bullpen. Ex-Rebels star Zack Cozart hit .239 and made nine errors in 46 games at shortstop in his pro debut in 2007. A regular for Cincinnati since 2012, he is now considered one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball and was on course for his best season at the plate before suffering a knee injury in June. P.S. Itawamba Community College alum Desmond Jennings, who hasn’t played for Tampa Bay since April (knee injury), has been working out for several days with the Rays’ Class A Port Charlotte club but there has been no report on when he might return to the big leagues. The veteran outfielder was batting .222.

16 Jul

breaking away

The big league All-Star break, which continues through today, means different things to different players. Those who are slumping likely welcome the respite, while those on a roll are hoping not to lose their mojo. Seth Smith, the Ole Miss product from Jackson, falls into the latter category. He homered for Seattle in the last game before the break, giving him eight for the year. He is hitting .333 over his last 15 games to lift his average to .268. Former Mississippi State standout Tyler Moore had a big two-run double for Washington last Sunday and has seven RBIs in eight July games for the first-place Nationals. He would like to find his home run stroke, however; his last blast came on June 12. UM alum Drew Pomeranz, who has been rock solid since moving to the Oakland bullpen, had a 1.50 ERA over his last seven appearances heading into the break. The break might have been a good thing for Pascagoula native Joey Butler. So hot for Tampa Bay just a couple of weeks ago, he is batting .098 with one RBI over his last 15 games, dropping his average to .287. Ex-UM star Chris Coghlan’s consecutive games streak ended at 150 when he sat out on Sunday, getting a pre-break break. Coghlan hasn’t produced much of late for the Chicago Cubs, with just one RBI and four runs in 11 games in July. Tony Sipp, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product, has a 5.06 ERA – two runs higher than his season number — over his last seven games for Houston, which fell out of first place in the American League West on the last day before the break.

02 Jul

the spoiler

Joey Butler, the 29-year-old rookie from Pascagoula, has had an eventful first season with Tampa Bay. First career homer. First career stolen base. A three-hit game. A four-hit game. But what Butler did on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field grabbed more headlines than all of those neat feats. He broke up Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco’s no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning. Yes, Butler did it. With runners at the corners in an 8-0 game, Butler fell behind 0-2 and then lined a hanging slider just over the glove of leaping second baseman Jason Kipnis for a clean single. “He left me a pitch to hit, and I did what I could with it,” Butler told ESPN.com. In the seventh inning, Butler had drawn a walk that ended Carrasco’s perfect game. Butler is batting .316 with six homers, one of which came off Carrasco just last month. … Cleveland pitchers Cody Anderson and Danny Salazar took perfect games into the sixth inning against the Rays on Monday and Tuesday. This amazing display by the three Indians starters must have pitching coach Mickey Callaway, the ex-Ole Miss standout, feeling some satisfaction in the midst of the Tribe’s tough season. P.S. On this date in 2002, a one-day record of 62 homers were struck across the major leagues. Vicksburg’s Dmitri Young hit two of them, Gulfport’s Matt Lawton and Hattiesburg’s Wendell Magee one each. Also going yard that day were ex-Jackson Generals star Lance Berkman (twice), Mississippi State alum Rafael Palmeiro and Southern Miss product Kevin Young.

16 Jun

showing up

A Jackson Generals player from years ago made the comment when asked what it took for him to get to the big leagues: “I just kept showing up.” Joey Butler, now starring for the Tampa Bay Rays as a 29-year-old rookie, apparently has that kind of resolve. Butler played at ’Goula, Perk and UNO. He’s been through Spokane, Bakersfield, Frisco, Surprise, Round Rock, Magallanes, Mazatlan, Memphis, Orix and Durham. He got his first taste of the big leagues in 2013 with Texas, his original organization (15th round, 2008). He got 12 at-bats. St. Louis, which had taken Butler on a waiver claim, called him up last year for five at-bats. Then he went to Japan. He came back to the States this spring but didn’t make the Rays’ roster out of camp. He went to Triple-A Durham. The Rays called on May 3 when Itawamba Community College alum Desmond Jennings went on the disabled list. Finally given an opportunity to play regularly in the majors, Butler has gone off: .344, four homers, 16 RBIs, 15 runs in 37 games. The Pascagoula native and ex-Mississippi Gulf Coast CC star is also said to be a great guy in the clubhouse. “I think the entire dugout gets excited when he comes to the plate …,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told saintpetersblog.com. There is something to be said for just showing up. P.S. On this date in 1945, Boo Ferriss lost a game for the first time in his big league career. The Shaw native and former Delta State coach had begun his rookie season with eight straight victories for the Boston Red Sox before losing a 3-2 decision to the New York Yankees. Ferriss would go 21-10 that year and 25-6 in ’46 before injuries curtailed his career.

10 Jun

buffalo shuffle

The elevator ride continues for Scott Copeland, the former Southern Miss pitcher, but he can’t really complain about these ups and downs. The Blue Jays recalled Copeland from Triple-A Buffalo to start today’s game against Miami at Rogers Centre. This is Copeland’s fourth call-up since May 2, when he made his big league debut. He went back to Buffalo on May 4, back to Toronto on May 18, back to Buffalo on May 28, back to Toronto on June 2, then back to Buffalo on June 3. Before today, Copeland had only pitched in two games for the Jays, both in relief, and hadn’t allowed a run over three innings. He is 4-1 with a 1.97 ERA for Buffalo. Originally drafted by Baltimore, Copeland signed with Toronto as a minor league free agent in the summer of 2012. P.S. Tampa Bay has announced that Desmond Jennings will undergo arthroscopic surgery today on his troublesome left knee. It’s unclear when the Itawamba Community College product might play again. He has been out since April 26. He missed the last month of 2014 because of issues with the same knee.

08 Jun

not in the cards

Opened a random pack of baseball cards on Sunday and got a Kendall Graveman, who just happened to be pitching for Oakland. Good omen? Yes … and no. Graveman, the former Mississippi State standout, pitched great, taking a five-hit shutout into the eighth inning against Boston at Fenway Park. He yielded a leadoff home run to Rusney Castillo, left the game and then watched the A’s bullpen give up six more runs that led to a 7-4 loss. That’s some hard luck. Graveman, who was sent to the minors in late April with an 8.27 ERA, has pitched much better since his return. Over his last four starts, the right-hander has allowed six earned runs in 24 2/3 innings (a 2.55 ERA), cutting his season ERA to 4.83. His record is 3-2, though he could easily have a couple more wins. Graveman, drafted by Toronto in 2013, blew through four levels of the minors in 2014 and got a September call-up from the Blue Jays (and his picture on a trading card). He was traded to Oakland in the off-season as part of the Brett Lawrie-Josh Donaldson deal and made the A’s rotation in spring training. Whatever led to his early season struggles, he seems to have ironed it out. P.S. Joey Butler just keeps hitting for Tampa Bay. The former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star from Pascagoula got a couple more hits on Sunday and is now batting .330 with four homers, 11 RBIs and 13 runs in 30 games. He is batting .357 over his last 15 games. Getting his first extended MLB playing time in his eighth pro season, the 29-year-old outfielder appears to have locked down a job with the Rays. Butler’s minor league numbers were always good (.294, 78 homers), but “to see it all come together here in the big leagues is pretty amazing,” he told mlb.com.

31 May

three stars — plus one

Three Mississippians in the majors flashed some major star power on Saturday.
1. Billy Hamilton. The ex-Taylorsville High standout went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run and a steal (No. 20) to help Cincinnati beat Washington 8-5. Hamilton, who has been scuffling (along with his team) and now hits ninth in the order, boosted his average to .228.
2. Joey Butler. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product from Pascagoula went 2-for-3 with a home run (No. 3) as Tampa Bay topped Baltimore 3-0. Butler, getting regular playing time for the first time in his brief MLB career, is batting .309.
3. Brian Dozier. The former Southern Miss star from Tupelo (and Fulton) tripled off the glove of the right fielder, plating the go-ahead run in the seventh inning of Minnesota’s 3-2 victory over Toronto. Dozier’s 26 extra base hits (including nine homers) leads all MLB second basemen. He has 25 RBIs and 38 runs.
P.S. Williams Perez was never a ballyhooed prospect as he slowly climbed the ladder in Atlanta’s minor league system, but he certainly looked the part on Saturday night, when he threw seven shutout innings against San Francisco and notched his first big league win (beating Tim Lincecum). Perez, 24, who went 7-6 with a 2.91 ERA for the Mississippi Braves in 2014, was signed by the Braves out of Venezuela in 2009 and spent four seasons toiling in the low minors, finally reaching Class A Rome in 2013. With a 2.66 ERA over five games (three starts), he appears to have earned a spot in Atlanta’s rotation. … Perez was one of six former M-Braves to earn either a win or a save on Saturday. The others: Charlie Morton, J.J. Hoover, Chasen Shreve, Randall Delgado and Blaine Boyer (one of the original M-Braves of 2005).