Kuzul

According to Tim Kurkijan from ESPN.com, the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels are in talks about a possible trade that would send the starting pitcher out west for center fielder Peter Bourjos and catcher Hank Conger in return. He also added that there is a possibility that Angels pitcher Ervin Santana could be included as well.

The proposed deal would offer the Rays some pieces that they need to continue to be competitive in 2012 and beyond. It also provides a potential replacement in Bourjos for the anticipated departure of BJ Upton in the offseason.

Here is a look at the Angels players rumored to be involved in the deal being discussed and how they could fit into the Rays’ plans.

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Tropicana Field is home sweet home for the Tampa Bay Rays whenever they face the New York Yankees.

The Rays are looking to celebrate Independence Day with a sweep of their division rivals. The Rays’ 7-4 win over the Yankees Tuesday night marked the team’s ninth straight home win (beginning July 21, 2011) against the Yankees. The nine-game streak is the longest home winning streak against the Yankees in the last 20 years.

It’s not just the team from New York, as the Rays have performed well against the AL East in general. They are 20-14 against divisional opponents, but for whatever reason struggle against the AL Central, going 4-12 so far this season.

The team needs the sweep and a strong finish going into the All-Star break. The Rays currently trail the Yankees by 5.5 games in the division but are right in the wild card hunt at the 81 game mark.

Beyond its impact on the standings, the sweep would definitely improve morale in the clubhouse. The Rays struggled in the month of June, where they were a disappointing 12-15. A lot of the teams woes could be attributed to injuries to key players, including Evan Longoria, Desmond Jennings and Jeremy Hellickson.

Luckily the Rays will have their ace David Price on the mound Wednesday for the series finale, and the Yankees will not, as CC Sabathia is on the disabled list.

Price will be looking to win his 12th game of the season. He has won four out of his last five starts including match-ups against Justin Verlander, R.A. Dickey, CC Sabathia and Cole Hamels.

Jamal Wilburg is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow his thoughts, rants and adventures on Facebook, Twitter @JWilburg or visit his website www.jamalwilburg.com

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Sam Fuld lost his tooth in the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 win against the Seattle Mariners Friday night.  Although the win helps in their battle for the playoffs with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, all the buzz is about the little outfielder that looks more like he plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning than the Rays.

Fuld entered the game in the eighth inning to pinch hit for Sean Rodriguez with the Rays trailing by a run. He hit a single through the hole at shortstop.

That’s when the mystery of the missing tooth began.

The television broadcast showed Fuld without his smile that fans have come to love. Social media was full of inquiries about the location of his missing tooth.

“I wish I had a good story like I was out skating this morning. It all comes back to May or whatever when I banged my head into J.J. Hardy. It chipped my crown, and I’m trying to get a permanent one going but it’s been a while. I’ve had this temporary thing in there and it keeps popping out.”

After a request from the media for him to say, “Super Sam Fuld,” the story got better.

“Today I decided to chew some gum—real bright idea—and the next thing I know it’s in my gum and the gum became really crunchy. The crown just broke into a bunch of pieces, and that was that. The problem is I got a hit tonight so I’m thinking of leaving it out.”

Even some of Fuld’s teammates weren’t fully aware of the fake tooth.

“I just found out that he had a fake tooth our last homestand, I had no idea,” said Evan Longoria. “This clubhouse has a bunch of characters, it’s really what keeps it light around here. For him to be walking around without a tooth and to think it’s the funniest thing is the world is awesome.”

After the saga of the missing tooth, Fuld would go on to score on an Evan Longoria single starting the Rays eighth inning rally.

Johnny Damon would score the game-winning run on a Ben Zobrist single to center field.

Jamal Wilburg is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained first-hand.

You can follow him on Twitter @JWilburg



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Sam Fuld came as a much-needed spark following a dismal start by the defending AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays. The relatively unknown outfielder came to the Rays as part of the trade for Matt Garza.

He jumped on the scene and got the opportunity to start following Manny Ramirez’s retirement from baseball. He took that opportunity and has made the most of it.

Fuld and the Rays became common sights and have comfortably lead the majors in ESPN “Web Gems,” which showcase outstanding defensive highlights. From his grab against the White Sox to his performance in his first visit to Fenway, he hasn’t disappointed fans.

In fact, fans have even started buying his No. 5 Rays jersey to the ballpark to cheer him on in the same way they used to cheer for Carl Crawford.

He even developed what is likely to be the most viral following of any Rays player on Twitter.

The Twitter trend #LegendOfSamFuld became a battle cry for fans of the Rays and Fuld alike. That also marks where the story takes a downhill turn.

Fuld was batting .350 and had 10 stolen bases prior to creating his Twitter account, @SamFuld5. Although the account was a success with almost 5,000 followers in less than three days his hitting has suffered.

His first tweet was: “My teammate @DAVIDprice14 convinced me to join Twitter. Love the #legendofsamfuld tweets. Keep em coming. Thanks for all the support!”

Following his dismal performance in the double-header in Minnesotal he sent out a follow-up that said: “0 for Twitter today, had a feeling I would jinx myself. But big sweep for us!”

Fuld has yet to record a hit since David Price convinced him to join the social network. If the jinx on Fuld wasn’t enough, Price had his worst outing in almost two years on his first appearance on the mound following the recommendation.

If Sam Fuld truly is Superman, then Twitter has become his kryptonite.

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David Price is going to have to win 20 games if the Tampa Bay Rays have any aspirations to repeat as AL East Champions.

In Friday night’s 8-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, he got put to the test and fell short…very short. It brought his record to 3-3.

“I didn’t play very well at all,” Price said in reference to his outing. “You know, our offense did a great job, gave me some runs early and that’s all I can ask for, and we played good defense. I just didn’t throw the ball very well and the mistakes I made, they hit them.”

“That’s why you get 33 starts. I didn’t beat myself, they beat me.”

It was Price’s worst outing since getting pulled after 1.1 innings against the Texas Rangers in 2009 when he allowed six earned runs and walked five batters.

Price threw 98 pitches and gave up five earned runs in 4.1 innings of work against Angels. His performance tied his shortest career outing at Tropicana Field.

He allowed a career-high 12 hits.  His previous career high for hits allowed was 10 on two occasions.

During the Rays‘ 13-3 run, starters threw for seven or more innings in 12 of the 16 games. They also held opponents to a .209 average during that stretch.

The weakest link by far for the 2011 Rays is the bullpen. The team has been able to compensate with losses at the other positions by having players like Sam Fuld step in and perform beyond expectation.

Cesar Ramos entered Friday night’s game with the Rays trailing by a run. He was quickly pulled after 0.1 innings, allowing two earned runs and increasing the deficit to three.

During the team’s five-game win streak, Rays relievers only threw 106 pitches. On Friday night, they threw 98 pitches in 4.2 innings.

“You won’t see David with that kind of performance very often,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said about Price’s performance. “David is such a professional and that’s the thing with a guy like that—he’s not a machine. Everybody expects him to be almost perfect on a nightly basis.”

“Overall, David just wasn’t on tonight and that’s a big part of our problem tonight.”

The Rays will have a big problem for the season if Price isn’t on enough to get 20 wins.

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The Tampa Bay Rays’ starting rotation has remained strong despite the turnover of a lot of key members of the team. The Rays’ rotation is still among the best in baseball and will keep them competitive for years to come.

Beyond their talent, the Rays’ starting rotation is young and homegrown. All of the Rays starters are under the age of 30 and were drafted by the team. May 24, 2007 was the last time a pitcher age 30 or older started for the Rays when Jae Seo took the mound on his 30th birthday.

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Manny Ramirez is no longer a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. He decided to retire rather than face a suspension of 100 games for his second positive drug test. His second positive test will most likely also keep him out of the Hall of Fame along with the other players who have either used or allegedly used performance enhancing drugs during their career.

That doesn’t mean his career should go uncelebrated.

Perhaps baseball should open a separate exhibit in a trailer in the parking lot of the Hall of Fame. In this trailer fans can pay tribute to all of the greatest juicers and alleged juicers to play the game.

Aside from the exhibit there is also the discussion of the greatest steroid users of all-time.

I now present to you my Major League Baseball All-Steroid Team made up of the best admitted users, players caught by drug tests, and others implicated with ties to the best creams and clears a professional athlete’s salary can buy.

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Sam Fuld is a Durham, N.H. native and alumnus of Exeter Academy. On Monday night, he made his first career visit to Fenway Park as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays got their second win of the season by defeating the Red Sox 16-5. Fuld stood out in a game surrounded by conversation about Carl Crawford facing his former team, Johnny Damon’s return to Fenway and of course the Manny Ramirez saga.

Fuld went 4-6 with three runs and two RBI in the Rays’ win, and was a single shy of becoming the second Rays player to hit for the cycle. Fuld has continued to turn heads since his arrival in Tampa.

He was drafted in 2004 by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round, and made his major league debut on September 5, 2007. He came to the Rays as part of the trade for pitcher Matt Garza. 

Fuld has surpassed most expectations so far.

It was expected that he would compete and have a chance for a backup outfield roster spot. After he made his first Opening Day roster this season, the sudden retirement of Manny Ramirez opened a window of opportunity that Fuld has taken full advantage of.

On April 7th he got his first start in left field. He also batted leadoff for the first time in his career.

Fuld’s speed will make him a perfect fit for the way the Rays have played under Joe Maddon. Coming into Monday night’s game against Boston, his five steals led the American League.

Fuld had three 20-steal seasons in the minors but only two steals in 98 games with the Cubs.

Along with his speed, he has shown a killer defensive instinct. Fuld may not be Carl Crawford but he has been making some sensational plays in left field for the Rays.

He made the MLB Network’s play of the week with his diving catch at the warning track Friday at U.S. Cellular Field against the Chicago White Sox. His catch came with the bases loaded and ended the fourth inning.

The Rays may not be the team they were in 2010, but with players like Sam Fuld developing they will work their way back to the top of the American League East.

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Manny Ramirez has decided to retire from professional baseball amid speculation of a second positive drug test. The debate has already started on whether his legacy will be based primarily on his statistics, drug tests or “Manny being Manny” moments. The Tampa Bay Rays were still searching for their first win in 2011.

It seemed to make sense when the Rays added Ramirez to the roster as the designated hitter for the 2011 season. The team was in need of a good right-handed power hitter and Ramirez needed a good season under his belt following his stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. Manny’s Rays career included a whopping 17 at-bats and one hit.

That’s how the story always goes with Manny. It’s always a honeymoon start, followed by awkward absences and ending with an abrupt departure.

His time in Tampa was no different.

Manny arrived in Tampa appearing to be in great physical shape and won over Joe Maddon and the clubhouse. The opening press conference with Manny and Johnny Damon looked like two old buddies reuniting at the end of their career. During spring training, there were stories of him showing up on his days off to take part in hitting drills and be a part of the team.

Then came the predictable absences.

On May 30, Manny was absent from a Rays game due to personal reasons.

Finally, the abrupt departure.

Yesterday, Ramirez told Major League Baseball that he will be retiring. As expected it came as a total shock to his teammates, fans and other players around the league. Also, as expected was Manny’s response as if nothing significant occurred.

“I’m at ease,” Ramirez told ESPNdeportes.com via phone from his home in Miami. “God knows what’s best [for me]. I’m now an officially retired baseball player. I’ll be going away on a trip to Spain with my old man.”

When it’s all said and done, Manny will always be Manny. I hope anyone that bought his Tampa Bay Rays jersey hasn’t worn it and still has the receipt.

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Daisuke Matsuzaka hasn’t won a game for the Boston Red Sox in a long time.

In his first start of the 2011 season, the Red Sox were defeated Wednesday night by the Cleveland Indians, 8-4. Matsuzaka pitched five innings, giving up six hits and three earned runs.

His last winning start was on September 2, 2010, against the Baltimore Orioles.

Matsuzaka’s struggles are consistent with those of his team, as the Red Sox are winless in their first five games of the 2011 season.

Coming into the 2011 season the Red Sox made headlines with the signings of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. It was suggested the team would’ve made the postseason last year if not for the multitude of injuries they suffered.

Boston’s lineup looked poised to make a deep run into the postseason this season, and the Red Sox were considered the favorites by many to win the AL East and the World Series.

Rosters don’t win baseball games.

Carl Crawford isn’t quite living up to his $142 million contract. He has a miserable .211 batting average and six strikeouts. He has attributed his hitting slump to a lack of timing and plans to get in the batting cage to work it out.  

The Red Sox have had a disastrous start, losing all five games so far this season, but Adrian Gonzalez has been worth the money. He’s batting .350 and slugging .600 with five RBI.

Gonzalez hit his first home run of the season against the Indians, but it wasn’t enough for Boston to get their first win.

The bullpen couldn’t keep the game within reach.

Matsuzaka left the game with the Red Sox trailing 3-2. Dennys Reyes and Dan Wheeler gave the game away in their relief appearances.

Reyes had a 16.20 ERA allowing three earned runs on only 12 pitches. Wheeler made it a full inning before being pulled with an 11.64 ERA after giving up a sixth inning home run to Asdrubal Cabrera.

The season is far from over, and Boston has plenty of time to rebound from their early struggles. Although it is still possible for them to win the AL East and eventually win the World Series, it isn’t probable.

No team has started a season 0-5 and went on to win a World Series.

If the Red Sox don’t win a game soon, it may be worth it to have Gonzalez come out of the bullpen.

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