SHL Expansion Three: Art Failing to Imitate Life

These ain’t your grandpa’s Devil Rays.

Somewhere in fantasy Florida,  Josh Beckett  weeps.

Can you blame him? On May 13, he went eight innings, giving up just two runs on six hits–five singles and a double. The  Marlins/Rays , unfortunately, scored not at all, and Beckett was  saddled with the loss . His  previous start , against the  Giants , he went all nine innings and only gave up four hits. Again, nothing to show for it but an L. The start before that , he struck out 11 in seven innings, and was rewarded with the loss. And those aren’t even the most egregious examples– just the most recent. How about the  no-decision on April 10 , when he struck out ten in eight innings, allowing just two runs before being ‘relieved’ by Bryan Harvey, who proceeded to allow five runs in less than two innings?

On the season, Beckett is 0-5 in 8 starts, and the Floridas are stuck in the basement of Expansion Three with an 8-27 record– worst in the  SHL . The damning thing is, of course, that despite their recent vintage, the Marlins/Rays are better than this. They’ve got three pennants between them in less than 30 combined years of existence. So what gives in the Sunshine State?

First,  the bullpen has been rotten.  The middle relief corps of Robb Nen, Roberto Hernandez, Danys Baez and Kevin Gregg in particular has really gone a long ways towards undoing the limited success that the starters have had, allowing 46 runs in 69 combined innings. As an example, take the  May 16 romp  with the  Padres . After starter Brad Penny got shelled for seven runs in the first two innings, closer Antonio Alfonseca went four strong innings, holding the Friars at bay while the offense climbed its way back into the game. Bryan Harvey followed, allowing a run in two innings. When he handed it over to Nen and Hernandez, though, the Padres broke through for five runs, and Florida took the loss, 16-13, despite scoring five of their own in the eighth and ninth. That is a perfect recipe for tension in the clubhouse.

How can this ship be righted? First of all, it should be noted that there isn’t a single left-handed pitcher on the big league roster. Unsurprisingly, they’ve been absolutely hammered by left-handed batters. Al Leiter and Dontrelle Willis, two southpaws  down on the farm , may not be a perfect cure, but they can’t do much worse that the current collection. Also ready for a promotion is Carl Pavano, who has shown great endurance in Durham. He could easily replace Brad Penny and his -15.5 VORP.

For all this attention to the pitching, let it not be said that the hitters get off scot-free.  As noted by Commissioner Lynch , Hanley Ramirez has been arguably the best player in the whole league thus far, and Aubrey Huff is exceeding all expectations. Really, there are three big holes in the lineup:  Jeff Conine in left field, Dan Uggla at second, and  Charles Johnson  at catcher. All three have an OPS under .650. Johnson made his name as a defensive stalwart, but has allowed eight passed balls and has thrown out only seven basestealers out of 60- a woeful 12% rate. Unfortunately, there isn’t much help forthcoming in the minors– even in a historical league, Benito Santiago is an old man. One might expect Conine and Uggla to improve as the season wears on, but neither will contribute much on defense even if they get hot at the plate.

If Florida is going to turn this thing around,  the next two weeks  are the time to do it. They’ve got home series against Montreal, Atlanta, Arizona/Colorado and Detroit, none of whom are playing terribly well. After spending all of May at home, they’ll be traveling for most of June, July, and September, which should make wins harder to come by. On the other hand, for a team that’s 5-18 at home, it may not be such a bad thing.

On the negative side, Scott Kazmir just  went on the shelf for two weeks . While he hadn’t been pitching very well anyway, the team doesn’t have a lot of depth with which to replace him; the same can be said for Robb Nen, also injured. Really, that’s the story for most of the expansion era teams– not a lack of talent in the starting nine, but no depth to back them up with. Florida, for instance, has started the same eight in all 35 games this year. One wonders if the GM would have done better by relying more heavily on the 2008 Rays in building his roster. As it stands, this team has a tough row to hoe, even in the relatively weak Expansion Three group.