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In the hardest division (Devil Rays Dynasty)


xanadu71

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Hi everybody.

First, i want to say that i'm french so don't blame my english :)

There's a long time that i want to make a dynasty but not with a team which was already world champion. So i decided to take the Tampa Bay Devil Rays because it's a young team but not a very good team (sorry for the true fans) :wink:

I'll try to make a report after each series.

Settings

Ea Patch 2

KSM version 2.5 [ESPN]

Pared's Sliders on All-Star

Ultimate roster V2.0

And a bunch of graphic mods by the gurus of mvpmods :p:p

Ready ? Let's go !

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Preseason

After a not so bad Spring Training with 14 wins for 16 losses (better than the Marlins), the front-office decided to add 2 players :

DeeJay Roberts : an unknown youngster hurler (19 y-o) for 2 years and $2 M. He's very promising.

Brian Boehringer : a 35 y-o pitcher to pack the bench for 4 years and $1.70 M (Front-office had pity of him).

So here's the Roster before the Start of the 2005 Season :

Batting order

LF Alex Sanchez

2B Julio Lugo

RF Aubrey Huff

CF Rocco Baldelli

DH Josh Phelps

3B Jorge Cantu

SS BJ Upton

1B Travis Lee

C Toby Hall

Pitching Rotation

SP Dewon Brazelton

SP Scott Kazmir

SP DeeJay Roberts

SP Rob Bell

SP Casey Fossum

Bullpen

LRP Mark Hendrickson

LRP Hideo Nomo

LRP Jon Switzer

MRP Danys Baez

MRP Travis Harper

SU Brian Boehringer

CP Lance Carter

Bench

C Charles Johnson

2B Nick Green

LF Carl Crawford

CF Chris Singleton

Next : Home Opening Serie against Toronto Blue Jays

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Report 4/4 - 4/6 : 3 games serie vs. Toronto blue Jays

Gm 1

Box  R  H  E


TOR  9 12  0


TB   0  5  2




WP : Halladay


LP : Brazelton (0-1)
Not many things to say, only that Halladay threw a gem with 5 hits and 17 strikeouts in a complete game. Whaouu ! The Devil Rays didn't show nothing. A game to forget. Gm 2
Box  R  H  E


TOR  1 12  0


TB   2  5  1




WP : Kazmir (1-0)


LP : Lilly


Sv : Carter (1)
The Devil Rays carried out quickly with a one-run lead in the 1st and added a second run in the 6th. But in the 8th Toronto scored a run. It was the time for Carter to come to secure the win and his 1st save of the season. Notables : Travis Harper reached 200 Ks for Tampa Bay and in his career Gm 3
Box  R  H  E


TOR  3  9  1


TB   5 10  0




WP : Roberts (1-0)


LP : Towers


Sv : Carter (2)

With a 3-run homer, Huff gave a 4-0 lead in the 2nd. And once again the fans were afraid when Toronto came back at 1 run in the 6th. But one inning later, Tampa Bay added an additionnal run. Carter appeared in the 9th and collected his second straight save. Travis Lee had a good night, not for his hits (0) but for an unassisted double-play and his 3000th career at-bat.

Next : 3 games serie vs. Oakland Athletic's

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To Sac51 : Thank you for your support. I play on All-Star level.

To Gudraves, DaveCenker ans nutts55 : Concerning Crawford, It's just the start of the season and i want to see the players that the CPU chose. But i think that coach Piniella think much of him but it's not easy with Baldelli in CF and Huff in RF. The season is long and things can change. Maybe... :D

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With Crawford's speed and average, I think it is very difficult to keep him out of the lineup. I would pull Sanchez out of left field and leave Baldelli and Huff in CF and RF, respectively. If you really would like Sanchez in your lineup, you could always split time in the DH position between Phelps and Sanchez. Try one game with Crawford in the lineup. If he gets on base, he's almost sure to be in scoring position after the next few pitches (his steal success rate is incredible). With the proper power hitters behind him, this is a really good way to score those needed runs.

As an aside, since I live in Central Florida, I am in the Tampa Bay broadcasting area. I heard the other day on a sports radio show that the Devil Rays are actually one of the leading teams in the AL in hits. The problem is with their young and inexperienced pitching staff. If they could just get a few solid starters into their rotation, I think they really could be a team to be reckoned with.

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Report 4/8 - 4/10 : 3 games serie vs. Oakland Athletic's (2-1)

Gm 1

Box  R  H  E


OAK  9 11  0


TB   2  4  0




WP : Meyer


LP : Bell (0-1)
The Devil Rays were quickly overflowed by the A's. Durazzo homered a 3-run HR in the 3rd to carry the score to 0-5. The hope returned in the 3th inning with 2 runs scored but one inning later A's added 4 additional runs for 2-9 lead. The score didn't change anymore until the end. It should be noted that Crawford appeared in the last inning for 1 hit and 1 stolen base. Changes are in the air ? Gm 2
Box  R  H  E


OAK  4 12  0


TB   7  6  3




WP : Fossum (1-0)


LP : Saarloos


Sv : Carter (3)
After the loss, Piniella decided to reorganize the lineup. Lee, with 0 hit in 11 AB came back on the bench. Huff took the 1B, Baldelli the RF and Crawford in centerfield and like lead-off hitter. What a game and what a 1st inning ! Crawford hitted a double and scored a run 2 batters later : 1-0. Cantu at the plate, bases loaded, Saarloos pitches and... BADABOUM ! GRAND SLAM ! The Devil Rays leaded by 5 to nothing and forced Oakland's manager to change his pitcher. but the A's didn't say their last words. In the 4th inning Sanchez just robbed a homer whereas the bases were loaded. In the 7th A's were carried out by one run. Kendall at the plate, pitch and... BANG ! IN THE AIR ! but... JUST FOUL ! One yard of the left pole. Huff decided to take the game for his count and blasted a 2-run HR to kill the game. Carter finished the job and picked up his 3rd straight save. Notables : Aubrey Huff reached the mark of 100 HR and passed Fred McGriff as TB Homerun Leader. Gm 3
Box  R  H  E


OAK  9 16  0


TB   2  5  2




WP : Zito


LP : Brazelton (0-2)
It was the same game as the day before but for Oakland this time. Crosby shocked fans with a Grand Slam in the 1st. Piniella pulled out Brazelton for Nomo. First Pitch : Ball. Second Pitch : Hit the batter and... EJECTED ! What a shame ! Hendrickson came and did the job but enough for a win. Cantu scored his 2nd HR of the season but it was a festival of hits for A's. Stats
Standings




			 W  L  GB


Yankees	  4  2  --


Devil Rays   3  3  1


Red Sox	  3  3  1


Blue Jays	2  4  2


Orioles	  2  4  2
Hitting


			AB  H  HR  RBI  AVG


Cantu	   21  8   3	7 .381


Crawford	 9  3   0	0 .333


Phelps	  21  5   0	1 .238


Lugo		19  3   0	1 .211


Sanchez	 20  4   1	3 .200


Upton	   20  4   0	1 .200


Huff		22  4   2	4 .182


Baldelli	19  2   0	1 .105


Hall		18  1   0	0 .056


Singleton	1  0   0	0 .000


Lee		 11  0   0	0 .000


Green		1  0   0	0 .000




Cantu is 6th in HR
Pitching


			 IP  W  L  SO  BB  ERA


Brazelton   7.0  0  2   5   1  14.14


Kazmir	  6.0  1  0   2   0  0.00


Roberts	 5.1  1  0   3   0  5.06


Bell		5.1  0  1   3   1  8.44


Fossum	  5.2  1  0   2   0  4.77




Relief


			 IP  W  L  SO  BB  ERA


Hendrickson 8.0  0  0   4   0  0.00


Nomo		4.0  0  0   2   0  6.78


Switzer	 0.2  0  0   0   0  0.00


Baez		0.2  0  0   0   0  27.00


Harper	  7.1  0  0   6   0  4.91


Boehringer  1.0  0  0   0   0  18.00


Carter	  3.0  0  0   1   0  0.00 (3 saves)




Carter is 1st in SV

Next : 3 games serie vs. Baltimore Orioles

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Report 4/12 - 4/14 : 3 games serie vs. Baltimore Orioles (2-4)

Gm 1

Box  R  H  E


BAL 12 19  1


TB   9 15  1




WP : Kline


LP : Harper (0-1)


Sv : Ryan
In the top of the 5th, Baltimore carried out by 3 runs (2-5). Tampa Bay just wake up in the bottom of the same inning to crush the Birds with 7 straights runs and reclaimed the lead (9-5). It was without counting on Tejada who blasted a Grand Slam to tie the game at 9-9. And in the top of the 9th, an another 3-run homer gave the win to the Birds. Ryan saved the game with 1 hit and 3 consecutive strikeouts. Gm 2
Box  R  H  E


BAL  6 15  0


TB   7 11  0




WP : Roberts (2-0)


LP : Maine


Sv : Carter (4)
In the 1st, Crawford struck the ball to go in 1st base. He stole the second immediately so Lugo could score a RBI (1-0). In the 2nd, Cantu doubled before Sanchez scored the RBI (2-0). But once again, Tejada tied the game with a 2-run homer in the 3rd (2-2). That irritated the Devil Rays in the 4th, Cantu and Lugo for his 2nd RBI carried the score to 4-2 before Huff blasted his 3rd HR of the season for 7-2 lead. And once again, Tampa Bay played with fire. 2 homeruns by Lopez and Mora reduced the score at 7-5. In the 9th, with Lopez in 2nd base and Tejada in 1st, Mora found a long, long ball in the left field, Crawford caught the ball, Lopez scored (7-6). Tejada always ran and Crawford threw the ball at home and Hall just eliminated Tejada before he scored. It was the 3rd out. Hall saved Carter for his 4th save. Gm 3
Box  R  H  E


BAL  9 15  0


TB   0  1  0




WP : Ponson


LP : Bell (0-2)
It was almost a perfect day for Ponson but 1BB and 1 hit by Crawford didn't give him a Perfect Game. But it was a remarkable one-hitter for the pitcher : 9.0IP 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 12K 0HR. This game was the end of Cantu's 8-game hitting streak since the start of the season. Stats
Standings


			 W  L  GB


Red Sox	  5  4  --


Yankees	  5  4  --


Devil Rays   4  5  1


Orioles	  4  5  1


Blue Jays	3  7  2.5
Hitting


			AB  H  HR  RBI  AVG


Cantu	   32 12   3   10 .375


Lugo		29 10   0	3 .345


Phelps	  33  8   0	2 .242


Crawford	21  5   0	0 .238


Sanchez	 30  7   1	5 .233


Hall		27  5   0	2 .185


Upton	   31  5   0	2 .161


Baldelli	31  5   0	2 .161


Huff		33  5   3	8 .152


Singleton	2  0   0	0 .000


Lee		 11  0   0	0 .000


Johnson	  1  0   0	0 .000


Green		2  0   0	0 .000




Crawford is 3rd in SB with 4
Pitching


			  IP  W  L  SO  BB  ERA


Brazelton	7.0  0  2   5   1  14.14


Kazmir	  12.0  1  0   4   2  3.75


Roberts	 11.1  2  0   4   0  6.35


Bell		10.1  0  2   6   1  9.58


Fossum	   5.2  1  0   2   0  4.77




Relief


			  IP  W  L  SO  BB  ERA


Hendrickson 11.0  0  0   4   0  0.00


Nomo		 5.0  0  0   3   1  9.00


Switzer	  0.2  0  0   0   0  0.00


Baez		 0.2  0  0   0   0  27.00


Harper	  11.2  0  1   6   0  5.40


Boehringer   1.2  0  0   1   0  27.00


Carter	   3.0  0  0   1   0  0.00 (4 saves)




Carter ties the 1st place with Looper (Mets) in SV with 4

Next : 3 games @ Boston Red Sox

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Hey nice dynasty. Im still trying to find out which team I want to be. I want to make sure the team has a stadium mod and jersey's. I was leaning toward Cleveland, Seattle, TB, Detroit and Arizona. I dont really like the dirt strip from the pitchers mound to home for Detroit and Arizona. So those are eliminated for now, unless someone fixes the BOB mod that was released earlier. Detroit might be the way to go, but we will see. I want to do one that no one else is doing. Hope you get those wins coming fast. I play on pro because I cant get strikeouts as much on the harder levels because the hitters are way to smart. They hit everything. Anyway, shoot for the wild card and knock of the 2 giants in that division. BOSOX and Yanks. I hate both, so GO D RAYS! ! ! ! ! ! !

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Report 4/15 - 4/17 : 3 game series @ Boston Red Sox (5-4)

Gm 1

Box  R  H  E


TB   2  4  0


BOS  4  5  0




WP : Wakefield


LP : Fossum (1-1)


Sv : Foulke
In the 3rd, Varitek crushed a solo shot above the Green Monster to take the lead. But Cantu gave some hope for The Rays with an RBI to tie the game in the 7th. But it wasn't enough, in the 8th, Nixon hitted an RBI Double before Varitek, still him, dispatched his 2nd HR of the night with 2 runs. Huff waited for the 9th inning to add a solo shot but the game was already lost. Gm 2
Box  R  H  E


TB   3  8  2


BOS 13 14  1




WP : Schilling


LP : Brazelton (0-3)
Things started very badly for Brazelton, once again. He gave up 2 HRs and 5 ER in the 1st. Phelps inaugurated his 1st HR of the season with 2 runs above the Green Monster to come back a little (2-5). Brazelton left the game after 2 1/3 innings and Nomo replaced him but gave 4 RBIs including a 2-run-HR by Varitek (2-9). Hendrickson replaced him immediatly. Ortiz and Ramirez added 2 HRs and 6 RBIs to crush definitely Tampa Bay. The game was a disaster with 5 HRs and 15 K's against the Rays. Notables : The front-office decided to place Nomo in a trading block because of his poor performance and his high salary ($6 900 000 for 1 year). Gm 3
Box  R  H  E


TB   7 12  0


BOS  6  8  0




WP : Hendrickson (1-0)


LP : Foulke


Sv : Carter (5)
Tampa Bay was to react quickly after 3 consecutives losses. But Kazmir started badly in the 1st including 3-run-HR by Millar to make him pay to have hitted Renteria (0-4). The Devil Rays didn't demoralize with Sanchez (3 RBIs), Hall (2 RBIs) and Lugo (1 RBI) and came back in the game (6-4). David Wells was obliged to leave but Nixon tied the game with a 2 runs shot (6-6). In the 9th, Huff faced Foulke and crushed a long shot in the right field but the ball just passed to the right pole in foul territory. A shiver traversed the spectators. But it only had not left given because Huff blasted a good solo-HR immediatly in the right field (7-6). Carter came and saved the game with a 1-2-3 inning. Stats
Standings


			 W  L  GB


Red Sox	  7  5  --


Yankees	  7  5  --


Devil Rays   5  7  2


Orioles	  5  7  2


Blue Jays	4  9  4

A problem occurs with my stats but you'll find them after the next report.

Huff is 5th in HRs with 5.

Crawford is 2nd in SB with 6.

Hendrickson ties 1st place in ERA with 0.00 but with the most innings pitched (15.0).

Carter ties 1st place in Sv with Gagne (Dodgers) and Looper (Mets) with 5.

Next : 2 games @ New York Yankees and 2 games vs. Texas Rangers

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Here's a word of advice... don't let Phelps carry a bat to the plate against a righty! He's useless. I do have to give you credit though. Picking the D-Rays for a dynasty takes guts. Best of luck to you.

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To Steroid : Thank you for your comments. Detroit was one of the team i want to take but they have already won at least one championship. I wanted to take a more challenging team. If i was you i'll take Seattle (not a so good team : Ichiro hits a lot but poor in RBIs and HRs) or Arizona.

To Cartersyard : Thanx you for your support and your advice. Currently he plays 1B but i think of Travis Lee to replace him who is on the bench and appears sometimes like a pinch hitter.

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Report 4/18 - 4/21 : 2 game series @ New York Yankees (7-5)

Gm 1

Box  R  H  E


TB   4 11  1


NYY  6  9  0




WP : Mussina


LP : Roberts (2-1)


Sv : Rivera
A Stolen Base, a Triple with 2 RBIs, a Double by Crawford weren't enough to beat The Bronx Bombers. Williams, Sheffield and Jeter crushed TB's pitchers with a HR each. Torre was ejected but Rivera saved the game with a 1-2-3 inning. Gm 2
Box  R  H  E


TB   0  2  0


NYY  6 14  0




WP : Brown


LP : Bell (0-3)
All was played on the 1st with 7 hits and 4 RBIs for the Yankees. Kevin Brown posted a remarkable 2-hitters in a complete game with 2BB and 9K's. 2 Games vs. Texas Rangers (10-5) Gm 1
Box  R  H  E


TEX  7 18  0


TB   0  6  0




WP : Drese


LP : Fossum (1-2)

6 HRs including 2 by Blalock and a Complete Game with 6H 1BB 8K by Drese were largely enough to blanking The Devil Rays for the second consecutive day.

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After these 3 losses, i've decided to changed some things. First, I've made some test with Jistic sliders v3 and it seems that they're more suitable for me (too many HRs for my opponent).

Second, i've changed my style because it's very hard for me to make a comment for each i play. I will be more 'statistical' for each game and some comments.I prefer change like that instead of giving up my dynasty.

Stay tuned.

To be continued

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Gm 2

Box   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E


TEX   1  0  0  1  0  0  2  1  0  5 18  0


TB	0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  2 11  0




WP : Rogers


LP : Hendrickson (1-1)


Sv : Cordero
Brazelton is out for 23 days with a fractured toe. Devil Rays Notables Hitting: Phelps: 2 2B, RBI Huff: RBI Crawford: SB Sanchez: 3 for 5 Pitching: Brazelton: 1IP 3H 1ER 0BB 0SO Nomo: 3.1IP 4H 1ER 1BB 0SO Hendrickson: 2.2IP 8H 3ER 0BB 0SO Harper: 2IP 3H 0ER 0BB 0SO Texas Rangers Notables Hitting: Barajas: 2B, RBI, SH Nix: 4 for 5, 2B, RBI Mench: HR, RBI Blalock: 3 for 4, 2 RBIs, SF Hidalgo: 3 for 5 Pitching: Rogers: 7IP 9H 2ER 1BB 8SO Koch: 1IP 0H 0ER 0BB 3SO Cordero: 1IP 2H 0ER 0BB 2SO Stats
Standings


			 W   L   GB


Red Sox	 11   5   --


Yankees	 11   5   --


Orioles	  7   9   4


Devil Rays   5  11   6


Blue Jays	4  13   7.5
Hitting


			AB   H   HR   RBI   AVG


Cantu	   58  19	3	12   .328


Sanchez	 53   9	2	 8   .283


Phelps	  51  13	1	 5   .255


Crawford	49  12	0	 3   .245


Lugo		56  13	0	 4   .232


Huff		62  13	5	12   .210


Green		5   1	0	 0   .200


Baldelli	58  11	0	 2   .190


Hall		44   8	0	 4   .182


Upton	   51   9	0	 2   .176


Singleton	6   1	0	 0   .167


Lee		 19   1	0	 0   .053


Johnson	  8   0	0	 0   .000






Crawford leads Stolen Base with 9
Pitching


			  IP   W   L   SO   BB   ERA


Brazelton   10.2   0   3	5	1   13.50


Kazmir	  17.1   1   0	5	2   5.71


Roberts	 15.1   2   1	7	2   6.46


Bell		14.1   0   3   10	1   10.67


Fossum	  15.2   1   2	5	2   6.32




Relief


			  IP   W   L   SO   BB   ERA


Hendrickson 21.2   1   1	6	0   1.25


Nomo		10.0   0   0	3	2   7.20


Switzer	  4.2   0   0	2	0   1.93


Baez		 0.2   0   0	0	0   27.00


Harper	  15.2   0   1	7	0   6.32


Boehringer   9.0   0   0	6	0   8.00


Carter	   5.0   0   0	3	0   1.80 (5 saves)




Carter ties the 3rd place with Graves (Reds), Looper (Mets), Kolb (Braves) in SV with 5


Hendrickson is 2nd in ERA with 1.25

Next : 3 games serie vs. Boston Red Sox

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