Keys to the game (5/17)

Keys to the game- 1.) They are an all or nothing offense, they swing for the fences. If you leave the ball up... they will prolly hit it out, like they did yesterday.... five times. All six of Tampa Bays runs came by way of the long ball. All six! So when Tomlin takes the mound today, keeping the ball in the park is priority #1. After a rocky start to the season (which is reflected in his 2-4 record and 5.87 ERA), Tomlin is coming off of two strong outings where he allowed just 1 run in each of those starts. Today he is looking to make his third quality start of the season. It will come down to whether or not he can maintain his command and maintain his control as he faces the Tampa Bay hitters. 2.) Get him some run support! In his last outing Tomlin pitched a gem of a game- going 8 innings, giving up 1 run on 6 hits. He got 0 run support, as in none. Zip. Zilch. He lost the game dispite his stellar performance. Today we face Rays right-hander, Alex Cobb. Cobb is currently 3-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 49 1/3 innings pitched. Much like Josh Tomlin, he started the season off rough, but has recently put together a couple quality starts in a row. We need to come out and get some offensive run production started early to set the tone. I was not disappointed in Our offense last night. I felt like they battled against a strong/solid pitcher- but struggled to remain patient at the plate late in the ballgame and came up short. We were able to score more runs off of Odorizzi then any other team has been able to all year. So our offense/fan base should not panic. They should come out tonight confident, and ready to put some more runs up on the board. Keep scoring! 3.) It's all about winning series. Sweeps are great, don't get me wrong. But the paved way to the post season will come by winning series. With the late night game last night and the noon start today, it is a quick turn around for our boys. But we do not want them to come out lethargic. We need them to come out with energy, and play hard to try and secure the rubber match win. They have an off day tomorrow, so the opportunity is there to leave it all on the field. Drink some Powerade, eat a bowl of wheaties, snack on a Snickers... do whatever you gotta do to get yourself pumped up and ready to play for the win!