Ballpark Banter- Sunday AL Notes

1) There is nothing like getting a major milestone over and done with, and Manny Ramirez can attest to that. Manny clobbered his 500th career homerun on Saturday night after it seemingly took weeks to hit the last five homeruns of the latest hundred, and it was a weight off of his shoulders and right back to work on Sunday, when he belted number 501 in a 9-4 Red Sox win. Ramirez added two more hits and 2 more RBIs as the Red Sox tried to keep pace with the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

The story of the day, though, was the progression that Bartolo Colon made towards becoming a permanent peice of the Red Sox rotation. Colon didn't have a great day-- four earned runs over six innings-- but the overall numbers are not the most important thing for Colon at this point in time. Sure, the most important thing for the ballclub is to win games, and Colon gave them that opportunity. But reality in Boston is this: the Red Sox are going to be right in the thick of the postseason hunt come September and roster depth and versatility is the important thing for them. They are so good and so deep, that it would take array of injuries and/or horrible managerial decisions to derail this postseason jet liner.

What was quality about this start for Colon was the stuff he showed while striking out five hitters. Colon threw strikes, first and foremost, and showed an ability to throw two different fastballs and a quality breaking ball. Colon can still run his four-seam fastball into the low-mid 90s, and his two-seam fastball is deadly against lefthanders, as Baltimore noticed. The curveball was thrown for strikes, as well as buried in the dirt when ahead in the count. These are the signs of improvement that the Boston Red Sox should be excited about; the ability to make pitches and the feel for the hitters and the count.

Look, Bartolo Colon has already surpassed many expectations of fans, media, and even the Red Sox organization. This is a guy who had a disgusting medical history and most people thought that his shoulder was hanging on by a thread and would eventually fall to pieces on the mound if he threw one more fastball or snapped off one more breaking ball. Boston took a cheap flier on him in the event that they caught lightning in a bottle or they needed some insurance if one of their regulars happened to go down, and they are on the verge of both.

Colon has flashed filthy stuff in his minor league outings, and now with Daisuke Matsuzaka going on the disabled list with a fatigued shoulder, Colon is getting his shot to return to the major leagues and show the Red Sox what he can do. The plan of GM Theo Epstein is working out beautifully, and there will be more rewards to come. Colon is a safety net in case there are any other injuries or the organization wishes to limit the innings of their two young starters, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester, towards the end of the season. How this plays out and the effect it will have on the postseason remains to be seen, but this acquisition will make an impact in the second half.


2) This is precisely what we have been waiting for from the Tampa Bay Rays, and potential is becoming reality for this young club. We knew how talented this club was *going* to be, or how great their pitching *will* be, or we were often cornered with the proverbial statement "just wait until their young players mature". I suppose all of that has come to pass a bit quicker than most expected, but it is not the wins, which are piling up with 35 and a one game lead over Boston in the AL East, that is the most impressive thing about this young club.

What is so exciting, refreshing, and mesmerizing about this team is how they are winning now. They aren't just getting great pitching performances or steady production from their hitters. They are now winning close ballgames, and winning in the late innings, as was seen Sunday as Gabe Gross walked off on the Chicago White Sox, belting an 0-2 hanging breaking ball to give the Rays a 4-3 victory.

This team is scrappy, they are gutsy, and they are as charismatic a bunch as any other club in the big leagues. The confidence is simply oozing from their uniform tops and dripping from the brims of their caps, and that is why this club is going to be tough to beat down the stretch. They have a huge three-game set at Fenway Park beginning Tuesday, but I don't believe we should be surprised at all even if they go into Boston and take the series, regardless of the fact that they will be facing Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.

Their is enough youth enthusiasm on this club to endure the grind of the long season, but there is a proper balance of veteran guidance to sustain a competitive and consistent focus throughout the long haul. The Rays are going to get closer Troy Percival back, and the lineup is going to continue to gel with an increase in at bats, and as a byproduct of this great game, we are going to enjoy a remarkable September finish in the AL East.


Miscellaneous Notes:


The Angels, much like the Rays, are beginning to embrace the art of winning, as Sunday's 4-3 victory backed by a Maicer Izturis walkoff single was the fourth walkoff victory for the Angels this week. They survived a shaky start from Jon Garland, and were able to wait out Toronto's A.J. Burnett who was filthy in this ballgame. B.J. Ryan suffered the blown save and the loss and the Blue Jays fell to 5 games back of Tampa Bay. Toronto's pitching is so stable that they will have an opportunity to make a run at the postseason down the stretch, but I am beginning to question whether or not they will be able to score enough runs conistently-- unless Vernon Wells gets healthy and Alex Rios gets utterly hot, of course.

We go to sleep one evening, and get up in the morning, refreshed by the sunshine and the opportunity to improve, redeem, or excel in some fashion. I'm guessing that the it's been awfully overcast in Seattle lately as the dream season that was got off to a nightmarish start, and things only get worse for the Mariners. J.J. Putz imploded on the mound and lost another game, a game that the Mariners should have taken over the Detroit Tigers. 2008 has been such a miserable season for the Mariners that it is hard to say what to do, as they are so far back and appear hopeless in their play, but yet there are still over 100 games to play. Trades will be coming their way-- whether they are to make a playoff push or to rid themselves of failed pieces and salary cap remains to be seen.