HEEEEERRRRRRRRREEEEESSSSS JONNY!!!

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Jonny Gomes is back with the club, and is doing it in Jonny F'n Gomes fashion. Yesterday, Jonny went 3 for 3, including 2 homeruns and 4 RBI's in a Rays 7-4 victory over the Rockies. That was his 3rd homer in as many games since being recalled. He looked like the Jonny of old, and I can speak for everyone when saying we hope it continues. With his heart and hustle, there is nobody else you would want to see perform more.

He wasn't the only helper in the victory, as "Mr. Consistent" Carlos Pena continuted his domination of major league baseball. Carlos was 2 for 4, with a double, a homer, and 2 RBI's. His homer was a 452 blast to the upperdeck. Carlos is slowly becoming a AL MVP contender. He now has 16 homers and 42 RBI's, then you have to consider he has way less bats than most players in the league. At this point, I dont know how he can be kept off of the All-Star team. Our All-Star selections should be very interesting, as we have as many as 6 players who are putting up All-Star quality numbers (Pena, Shields, Reyes, Crawford, Upton, Harris.)

Kaz pitched decent last night. Giving up 3 runs is considered a good performance in that ballpark, but he only went 6 innings. At some point he needs to break this barrier and start throwing like he is capable of. With our bullpen it is vital that we get 7 innings out of our starters. Even if the bullpen pitches 3 innings of perfect relief, you still have your best relievers going 3 innings, and the next game you might not have your better relievers available.

One other performance that I found noteworthy was the inning of relief by Gary Glover. Coming off of a bad outing, he came out and allowed the leadoff hitter to hit a homerun. What was great, was how he shook it off and took down the next 3 batters in order, including 2 strikeouts. That is the difference between a pitcher like Glover and a pitcher like Orvella. It is the self-confidence that helps relievers get outs. Gary Glover doesn't have the talent of a pitcher like Orvella, but he has a mound presence where he thinks he will get every batter out.

News and Notes
-Expect a article out either today or tomorrow listing all of our all-star candidates, with the likelihood the get selected, and a case for why each player should be selected.