The Blue Workhorse

In this “B-Ray-ves Report,” we discuss Bobby Cox shaking up the lineup to success and the Rays’ missed opportunities that ruined a great outing by Big Game James:
Current Series:
Atlanta -

Monday: Rockies 5, Braves 1 (WP - Marquis, LP - Lowe)
Tuesday: Braves 8, Rockies 1 (WP - Jurrjens, LP - Hammel)
Wednesday: vs. Rockies - 7:00 PM EST (Jorge De La Rosa - Javier Vazquez)
Thursday: vs. Rockies - 7:00 PM EST (Aaron Cook - Kris Medlan)

On Deck: Three game series vs. Toronto Blue Jays beginning Friday
Tampa Bay -

Monday: Rays 13, Athletics 4 (WP - Niemann, LP - Gallagher)
Tuesday: Athletics 4, Rays 1 (WP - Casilla, LP - Wheeler)
Wednesday: vs. Athletics - 7:08 PM EST (Brett Anderson - Scott Kazmir)
Thursday: vs. Athletics - 4:08 PM EST (Dallas Braden - Matt Garza)

On Deck: Three game series @ Florida Marlins beginning Friday

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Every year, while others blatantly either just vote for players that play on their favorite teams (yea, you, Cubs fans) or from their country (yea, you, Japanese fans voting for Hideki Matsui) or just straight up don’t know anything about baseball (yea, you, anyone who didn’t have a problem with Jason Varitek being an All-Star last year), I try to come as close to being unbiased as is possible of a big-time fan when making my MLB All-Star votes 20-30 times.

So while everyone else is getting it wrong, here’s who I’ll be voting into this season’s MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis (all stats as of Saturday):

This is the initial “B-Ray-ves Report” where we will be taking a look at what my two favorite baseball teams, the Atlanta Braves & the Tampa Bay (no longer Devil) Rays did the day/night before.

Since Atlanta got the ‘honor’ of the Opening Night before Opening Day game for the second consecutive season, there will definitely be more Braves info today:

After a .396 batting average, 17 home runs, and 53 RBI in 53 games; leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the division title; and a tumultuous offseason of contract negotiations, he’s baaaccckkk. That’s right Manny Ramirez is back in Dodger Blue for his first full season with LA. Batting in the midst of one of the strongest lineups in the National League, Manny will try to lead the Dodgers back to the promised land of the playoffs and hopefully to their first World Series appearance since 1988.

Before Manny helped propel the Dodgers in the last month of the season, it was the Arizona Diamondbacks at the top of the standings after they jumped out to the best record in baseball at the beginning of the season. The Baby Backs struggled down the stretch as they racked up strikeouts like they were going out of style but are hoping a year of maturation for their young players, along with their dominant starting pitching, will bring the division title back to the desert.

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The Blue Workhorse 2009 Outlook:
2008 was certainly a disappointing season for the Rockies, following up a National League title with a dismal 74-win season. The off-season saw the departure of coveted stars Matt Holliday and Brian Fuentes, as well as speedy outfielder Willy Tavares.

The 2009 squad will not resemble the prototypical Colorado attack fans have come accustomed to seeing. This club will likely play a much more traditionally National League style of baseball.

AND…more…including why the Hometown feels…The Colorado Rockies WILL NOT win the World Series…

jettison • JET-uh-sun • verb*
1 : to throw (goods) overboard to lighten a ship or aircraft in distress
2 : discard

Usage:

11/10 Jettison - The Colorado Rockies, though not confirmed nor denied, have reportedly jettisoned Matt Holliday from the home-run-friendly stratum of Coors Field to the sweaty pits of the Oakland A’s pitchers’ park; however……………

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It has been reported by Jon Heyman of SI.com that Colorado Rockies’ outfielder will be wearing green and yellow next season. [Source: SI.com] Buster Olney of ESPN has also confirmed this deal.

Who the Oakland A’s will be giving up has yet to be released, but it does appear that the Rockies & A’s are in the closing stages of a deal that would have Holliday roaming the Oakland Coliseum’s large outfield next season.

More information about the impact and players involved to come later.

Earlier this year, we individually previewed each and every MLB team giving you a team’s record from the 2007 season, key additions and key losses in ‘08, projected starting lineups and pitching rotations, an overall outlook, fantasy impact players, and our prediction for this season.

So were we right?

Well, we got some things right like predicting Josh Hamilton’s huge season, but we also got some things way off like saying the Florida Marlins would be the laughing stock of the league.

What did we get right? What did we get wrong? This week we’ll start in the National League with the NL East:

Mets, Phils, or Braves: NL East Preview (March 6, 2008)

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