Rays lose to Red Sox in a microcosm of the 2009 season

September 2, 2:34 AMTampa Bay Rays ExaminerRob Quinn

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Andy didn't get the result he hoped for.  AP/Chris O'Meara

If one game summed up the entire season for the 2009 Tampa Bay Rays, it very well could have been Tuesday night’s loss to the Boston Red Sox. They got a fair amount of offense, but they racked up strikeout after strikeout. They mounted a late rally, but ultimately failed with the bases loaded and the game on the line. The starting pitcher shot himself in the foot with walks, which were further complicated by defensive blunders. The bullpen made a comeback more difficult by continually allowing the opponent to extend the lead. So the game ended, as the season now will probably end, with the Red Sox holding the Rays at about an arm’s length away.

I guess now would be a good time to do something Joe Maddon hates doing – compare the 2009 Rays to the 2008 Rays.

What were the strengths of the ’08 Rays? Pitching and defense. Fans and observers alike saw so much potential for the ’09 Rays because they correctly noted that nobody in the lineup aside from Dioner Navarro had a great year offensively in ’08. What many people, myself included, failed to realize was just how much better your offense needs to be to offset a drop in the quality of your pitching and defense.

In 2008 the Rays were second in the league in ERA and first in defensive efficiency. They were only ninth in runs per game and tied for seventh in OPS with .762. This year the Rays dropped to fourth in ERA (3.82 to 4.25) and third in defensive efficiency. The offense improved to fourth in runs per game and fourth in OPS with .798. Five guys in the everyday lineup are having really good years as opposed to the zero (maybe one) from 2008. So the offense has improved about as much as the pitching and defense have declined. The result? How about a drop in winning percentage from .599 to .542? Lesson learned? Offense may be sexy, but pitching and defense get you to the World Series.

There just happens to be no better example of the Rays’ pitching woes than tonight’s starter, Andy Sonnanstine. Sonny knows he has little room for error when it comes to his control. He survived and was quite successful in 2008 because he threw strikes. His 13-9 record was largely due to his ability to limit opponents to 1.7 BB/9 IP. This year, Sonnanstine just hasn’t been able to find it and after allowing four more walks in four innings tonight, his BB/9 IP now stands at 2.7. The loss of control has led to a disastrous season for Andy, who is now 6-8 with a 6.62 ERA. Here’s the most frustrating thing about Andy’s situation – and this applies to most of the Rays’ struggles - there’s no easy explanation for it. He’s putting the work in, the effort is there, but for whatever reason he’s just not effective.

Joe Maddon said it tonight after the game – he’s happy with the effort, the guys came to play, but they made mistakes and it’s frustrating because there isn’t an obvious explanation for it. All you can do is maintain a positive attitude, keep showing up and working hard every day, and hope for better results.

Well, the Rays are now six games behind the Red Sox and they have a huge mountain to climb because they still trail Texas in the wild card race as well.

If the Rays lose another game in this series, it will spell certain doom for the 2009 season, rendering yesterday’s article obsolete.

The Rays received power-hitting infield prospect Sean Rodriguez from the Angels to complete the Kazmir trade on Tuesday. Tampa Bay Sports Examiner Ted Fleming has the story as well as other notes including the Rays saying so long to Joe Nelson and James Shields being nominated for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award.

One interesting note on the amazing Carlos Pena – the Rays have scored 61 runs in their last 12 games and Carlos Pena has either scored or driven in 32 of them, accounting for an incredible 52.5 percent of the team’s offense. The Rays are only 6-6 in that span so obviously the rest of the team needs to match Pena’s clutch play at this critical time of the year. Can anyone say team captain?

Can the Rays now be officially labeled as "dead" in the wild card race? Let me know in a comment.

Jason Bartlett hits: 136

Jason Bartlett groundball singles between short and third: 27

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Have a great Rays' story idea for me? Guess what? The Rays are still having the second-best season in franchise history. Does that do anything for you? E-mail me at raysexaminer@live.com