At a Glance...

Record: 37-76, 5th place AL East, 34 games out
AVG Leader: R. Winn .317
HR Leader: 2 tied at 13
RBI Leader: S. Cox 58
RUNS Leader: R. Winn 62
SB Leader: R. Winn 22
WINS Leader: J. Kennedy 7
SAVES Leader: E. Yan 14
ERA Leader: P. Wilson 3.92

Latest Team News:

Crawford makes impact at Bigs
Rookie outfielder Carl Crawford is the youngest on a team of youngsters, but probably has the most talent on the team. Before a three-game hitless slide over the past three days, he had hit safely in 14 of his first 16 games. Scouts say that his ceiling is as high as the sky, and at just 21 should be in for a long, successful career. At the big league level he has yet to exhibit his power potential, but has utilized his speed and athleticism well, stealing two bases and making several acrobatic catches. He still needs to work on being more patient, as in 19 games, he has walked a baffling zero times.

1…2...3…Fight
In the August 2nd game against the White Sox, Tanyon Sturtze, who has just win in 23 starts, left the game after the fifth inning with a 5-3 lead. When the Devil Rays gave up the lead and robbed Sturtze of his second win, manager Hal McRae came over to talk to him. As Sturtze got up, he brushed away McRae and then punched over a water cooler. McRae immediately ran over to Sturtze and shoved him. “He had every right to shove me,” Sturtze told ESPN, “I acted in a very unprofessional way. It’s me being frustrated. It has nothing to do with Hal. It was totally my fault.”

Grieve rides the pine
Outfielder Ben Grieve sat the bench for the fifth straight game August 7th, and will sit for an unspecified amount, reports the Tampa Tribune. Grieve is hitting .241 with 94 strikeouts, and in the month of July batted just .215. He’s hit just five home runs since hitting six in April. He’s making four million this year and will make 5.25 million next season.

Rumor Mill:

Devil Rays silent at trade deadline
Not unbelievably, the Devil Rays did absolutely nothing before the trading deadline. Winn, Steve Cox, and Paul Wilson all were on other teams acquire list, but once again the Devil Rays front office did nothing. I guess that’s the reason the Devil Rays are the worst team in baseball.

Fantasy Perspective:

Blazing Winn
So, who would you guess has the highest average in the Majors since July 4th? Luis Castillo? Nope. Barry Bonds? Wrong Again. Alex Rodriguez? Not even close. The answer is Randy Winn, who since that date is batting .358. This is the reason other teams had showed interest in him since June.

Sturtze disappointing
Tanyon Sturtze has to go down as one of the worst opening day starters ever. In 23 starts, he has one win. ONE! Compared to other opening day starters: Randy Johnson, 16; Pedro Martinez, 15; http://bigleaguers.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5/5763/, 14; Yes, this is some pretty elite company, but Sturtze is giving a bad name to all #1 starters. Though his poor performances weren’t the reason for it, I don’t blame McRae for shoving him…