jung

Why does benni always look so surprised by what happens on the base paths? He almost got tagged before getting back on the bag

Wow, that almost snow-coned out of the glove and over the wall

So now I am down to a please God don't hit into a You Know What.

Time for a statement JD. Although its a RH pitcher and it looks like the wind is almost dead in....certainly not blowing to Left

Probably a good time for this offense to get challenged right from the first frame.

All I can say about this pen so far is thank God for Poyner. We have seen most of these guys for so long now that we really do know what they are. There are no upside surprises to be had in Kelly or Barnes. I like Hembree as long as a manager for this team can just keep from using him up the way Farrell did. Smith is now a major disappointment that I would not even allow to take the mound again until he figures out what is going on. If Cora can get comfortable with letting the starters go maybe one more inning into games than he is allowing them, it would at least give us some time to get this figured out. Trying to cover even innings 7 and 8 to get to Kimbrel is something of a problem at the moment and covering 6,7 and 8 with this pen is enough to send one running for the liqueur cabinet. Hopefully Thornburg comes back and can contribute. There are no perfect teams, but as the thread title suggests this pen as hovering between bad and flat terrible so far and I just have lost patience with the idea that guys like Kelly and Barnes are going to "come around". Smith.....who knows....When a relief pitcher is wild in the middle of the plate with pitches that have nothing on them whatsoever....I just don't know what to expect until he proves he can get over that hump.

That is for sure...that grand plan much commented on in the off season is out the window in week 1

Nice win...I hope we don't end up with a zillion extra innings again this year. That has got to take a toll on a team when they run up the extra innings that much.

Poyner...WOW

Poyner has been a Godsend when you consider how they are using him. He is getting RHers out and has every time out there. So he is saving us from more innings of Kelly or Barnes or spare me Smith and he is keeping Hembree off the mound as Cora would end up overusing him just as Farrell did were it not for Poyner right now.

That is a heck of a play from XB

Not to protect picking him as one guy I think will pan out but JD is working over from the other league. We have never pitched in this league the way they pitch in the other league. It will take some time IMO for him to adjust. but I really do believe this guy can hit.

Oh well...JBJ didn't deserve it anyway. Had a great pitch to hit and barely fowled it off. When he gets into these funks they can go on for weeks. Went on for months one year. Hey its time to be optimistic. We have cleared JBJ in the order and Smith out of the pen. What can go wrong now???

This guy is really vulnerable right here...which is about the kind of guy JBJ needs

This is a lotta' pitches from this guy and he is starting to overthrow it a little

Reluctantly, I have to admit that JD is also one of my 3 guys. Third one is Mookie.

Atta' boy Hanley ...he is one of my 3 guys. Earth to Binni.....this is no time to run into an out!!!!

I think the issue is that we have not hit anybody in 7 games. This was a bullpen game for the Rays and we did not hit a single guy out of that corp either.

I totally agree that this is on the offense. This was a BULLPEN GAME for the Rays....My God!!!! But my concern for Smith is that you just cannot grove a pitch so bad to a duffy that he takes you over the CF fence. I would not put him back into a game until he shows some signs of not being that wild in the strike zone with nothing pitches. If this were not the rays....there would be holes in the fences from 1 inning of Smith.

Christ the first base coach walking back to the dugout looks like he is on a death march and he only has what....30 feet to go?

What was that pitch JBJ? Had too much plate...is that what was wrong?

Duffy....f...ing Duffy to straight away CF. Smith should never live that down....NEVER!! Dumbrowski to other GM: "Hey we are looking to move Smith" Other GM: "Didn't duffy take him about 420 to dead center field?.....Never mind

Geez Smith is going to end up killing a fan.....with a hit off of one of his outstanding pitches

Tellin ya's...three guys I think will end up the core of this team's hitting and the rest will be on again off again except for JBJ who is on permanent OFF!!!

Oh my God.....Oh My God....OH........MY........GOD!!!!!