Posts Tagged ‘Vince Naimoli’

BoSox Need To Catch Some Rays Posted by Brian Filipiak in Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, The Bullpen July 9th, 2008

Maybe the American League East won’t be much of a race, after all.

Doing their best Boston Celtics impersonation, the Tampa Bay Rays, in just a calendar year, have gone from worst to first. And while Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett don’t quite equate to the big ticket acquisition of Kevin Garnett from Minnesota, the two cogs have chipped in and helped change the dynamic of the once hapless Rays—a club that previously seemed destined forever to finish well-below .500 every season, continuing a long-standing tradition of being the butt end of countless jokes and jabs.

With a 55-32 record and .632 winning percentage heading into Monday’s afternoon contest against the Kansas City Royals, the Rays have upgraded from basement dweller status to baseball’s penthouse suite. And with a recent sweep of the second place Boston Red Sox, the red-hot Rays, winners of seven in a row and 11 of their last 12 games, sit atop the AL East with a didn’t-see-that-coming seven game lead in the loss column. Read more