Devil Be Gone

In what is surely another sign of global warming, the slowing economy, and Armageddon, The Rays are now six games over .500 after laying down the hammer on the Yankees 7-1 last night. It begs the question, what else could we improve by simply removing the word "Devil" from its name? Would Devil's Food Cake suddenly become a healthier alternative to soy milk? Would deviled eggs and Deviled ham suddenly taste good? Who knows, but the way that the Ray's have been able to improve this year is astounding, especially when you consider the schedule that they are playing.

Speaking of schedules and the Rays, Ian Kennedy has been recalled from Scranton after only 1 outing (and one inning this past Monday) in Scranton. Kennedy will start in the place of Igawa in the series finale versus the Ray's this Thursday. Conventional wisdom would suggest that this is a terrible idea and that the kid needs much more time to get his ducks in a row. But the truth is, what other option do the Yankees have? I suppose they could go to a four man rotation but it is too early in the season for that and you risk overworking the guys who are actually being productive. So, I guess I support the move albeit with reservations.

Nationals Notes

Nats 10 - Mets 4

This can't be right can it? The Nats really beat up on the Mets that badly? Well somehow, finally, the Nats were able to get hits with runners in scoring position. Although it seems like some bad blood may be a-brewing between these two clubs:

After getting the third out of the third inning, Figueroa turned toward the
Nationals dugout and made a mock clapping gesture into his glove in response to
what he perceived was the Washington bench's rhythmic clapping for his walk and
error during the inning.
Figueroa was not happy afterward.
"They were
cheering in the dugout like a bunch of softball girls," he said. "I am a
professional, I take great offense to that. ... They won tonight, but in the
long run, look who they are, a last-place team."
Milledge defended his
teammates: "We didn't try to rattle him. We're trying to get our guys going."

You know what, maybe a good bench clearing brawl wouldn't be a bad thing to get the Nats motivated. Just keep the elderly clear of Pedro Martinez when you do it.