Analysis: Gotta do it - the Rays certainly haven't been tearing the cover off the ball the last week, but they have faced some very good pitching against Baltimore, New York, and Toronto. The Dodgers over the last week are hitting .167 with 12 runs scored in six games - I suppose that could turn around, but never will I back that. Another thing lost on some might be that many (most) of the Rays have seen Kazmir from his days in the AL, AND he spent 5+ years in Tampa Bay (a pitchers' park), as was Oakland where he made another name for himself. Let's not forget that this guy was almost out of baseball at one point. His comeback with the Indians went "mediocre" - then the A's - the last year with Houston for part of the season where he pretty much was killed. And this season he's already given up five jacks in 25 innings, so what I am seeing is a serious regression to the mean. The last three years he's pitched twice at the Trop, going 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA. So, we have a declining pitcher (IMO) and a team that's not hitting at ALL, against a team who's 5-2 against left handers this season, going against a Dodgers' team whose road bullpen ERA this season is 4.87 and they've blown four of ten save chances. Before the 1-0 Kershaw win, they'd lost six straight - to Miami and San Diego, at HOME. They've got 8 road wins - three at SD to start the season, two in Atlanta (they're only trip out of the West Coast, save Colorado), and two in Colorado - so none, really, against good teams. Total mismatch here, IMO, and you'd THINK the Dodgers' pen would be better AWAY from the big park in LA.
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