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As of this early evening, three General Managers were rumored to have given Rays GM Andrew Friedman a call about starting pitcher and 15 game winner Matt Garza.

While I won’t reveal the names of those GMs, let’s just say that fans of the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Washington Nationals should pay attention.

The Rays have a rare luxury that most teams don’t have: excess starting pitching.  With the emergence and MLB-readiness of young phenom Jeremy Hellickson, the Rays can move one of their other pitchers to help off-set an offense that is set to lose All Stars Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena.

Texas could offer young first basemen such as Mitch Mooreland or Chris Davis.  If they want to hold onto their younger talent, they could offer oft-injured right fielder Nelson Cruz.  Washington could offer left fielder Josh Willingham or shortstop Ian Desmond.

But the Milwaukee Brewers could offer the best deal.

Enter Casey McGehee.

After trading for Toronto Blue Jays right hander Shaun Marcum, the Brewers could complete a trio of playoff-caliber starters by acquiring Garza (15-10, 3.91 ERA).  And they can do it without giving up their No. 3 or No. 4 hitter.

It would hurt to lose McGehee, but hasn’t it hurt missing the playoffs more?

The Brewers have seen that it takes good pitching to make it to the playoffs.  And better pitching to win in the playoffs.  And more than just one pitcher.  With Yovanni Gallardo, Marcum, Garza, and even Randy Wolf (who pitched much better after the All Star Break, 7-4, 3.74 ERA), the Brewers would be ready to challenge the Cardinals and Reds for the division.

To make up for the loss of offense, perhaps the Brewers could expand the deal to include centerfielder B.J. Upton, in exchange for their rising 24-year-old centerfielder Lorenzo Cain.  Having a 3-4-5 of Ryan Braun-Prince Fielder-B.J. Upton would be more than enough to get the job done in the NL.

As for the Rays, they would have a middle-of-the-order slugger under team control for another four seasons.

Now, yes, the Rays have some guy by the name of Longoria at third base already.  But they also have a huge hole at first base, where McGehee (.285 avg, 62 extra-base hits in 2010) could slide across the diamond.  McGehee and Longoria sets the Rays up at the corners for years.

Not only does this allow Friedman to rebuild on the fly, but also to still be able to compete in the AL East.  And if they can acquire Cain (.306 avg, 7 SB in 43 games) for Upton, Friedman has rebuilt the Rays at two positions for players who are no longer in their long-term plans

It’s the nature of the beast for the small market team.

And yet, this is a trade that helps both teams compete for a division crown.

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The 2010 ALDS was probably one that I will say I hadn’t seen before for one reason alone. The home team didn’t win a single game the entire series.

Texas took the first two games in Tampa and the Rays repaid them by taking two in Texas to bring the series back to their home stadium for game five. They still couldn’t get it done as Texas took game five to move on to the ALCS.

It’s widely known that the Rays’ front office is planning on cutting payroll from this past year which means they will probably not re-sign a few of the free agents that are on their list.

Here are 10 things the Rays can do to get to the 2011 ALCS despite their lower payroll.

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In the ‘Year of the Pitcher,’ the batters never stood a chance.

There were five no-hitters thrown (but really six), including two perfect games. There were also nine one-hitters, and a major-league debut that featured 14 strikeouts by a certain Stephen Strasburg.

Several pitchers, among them Felix Hernandez, Roy Halladay, and Ubaldo Jiminez, have had so many jaw-dropping performances this year that they could populate this top 10 list all by themselves.

But 2010 was no ordinary year. It was the pitcher’s year.

So let’s separate the great from the truly sensational and rank the best pitching performances from this historic season. As always, share your thoughts below.

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There is a saying that bad news doesn’t get better with time. However, announcing plans to cut payroll while your team is in the middle of a division race can’t be a good idea.

That’s exactly what Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg did when he announced that even if the Rays win the World Series payroll will be cut in 2011. The current estimate is that the Rays will cut this year’s $72 million payroll by $15-20 million.

Prior to Tuesday’s game Sternberg said,  “Unfortunately there’s nothing that can happen between now and April that can change that unless Joe Maddon hits the lottery and wants to donate it, or I hit the lottery.”

This is the reality of having one of the best teams on the field coupled with one of the worst attendances. The Rays have done everything to try to boost attendance and revenue including hosting postgame concerts on Saturday’s in the summer. There were even empty seats when the Yankees and Red Sox recently played in Tropicana Field.

With the upcoming reduction in payroll the Rays will be fielding an even younger team. The starting lineup this season has an average age of 26 years old.

Here are four Rays rookies that will be critical in the franchise’s future.

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We interrupt this 2010 AL East Division Chase to bring you this important update:

The Tampa Bay Rays are “All In” in 2010, and have no chips left for 2011.

Can we hit the pause button here?

Instead of focusing on how the Rays are defying logic, gravity, and every law possible by going neck-and-neck with the New York Yankees for 150 games, the attention in this huge final series showdown against New York is this:

The Rays will cut their payroll in 2011 and in turn cut their playoff chances as well.

The New York media swarmed around Rays owner Stu Sternberg, and as always the case, the conversation turned to payroll and attendance.  Sternberg reiterated the payroll will go down.  And with the Rays drawing less than 1.9 million fans for the season, it’s no wonder why.  The outgoing expenses must match the incoming revenues.

Imagine that:  An American living within a budget.

At first glance, it would appear that Sternberg is the one who is saying the Rays playoff hopes end this year.  Nay, nay!  National media such as ESPN’s Buster Olney and local media such as St. Pete Times John Romano have taken Sternberg’s comments about payroll and given the assumption of a step back forthcoming.  They have essentially told fans to enjoy what they have because after this year they won’t have it anymore.  And when these players leave, you should temper expectations of keeping up with the Joneses, or in this case, Boston and New York.

Is it 2008 again?  Have I taken a nap and somehow went back in time instead of forward?  Have I fallen and hit my head? 

The Rays’ Cinderella ’08 season was considered a fluke. One-year wonder.  And national media used the 2009 season as the evidence.  But then a funny thing happened:

The Rays started winning again.

Never mind that this is the Rays’ third consecutive winning season.  Never mind that this is the Rays’ second division crown chase in three years.  Never mind this is the Rays’ second postseason berth in three years.

It cannot be sustained.  The Rays cannot win without Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, and Carlos Pena.  The Rays cannot win by trading Matt Garza, B.J. Upton, and Jason Bartlett.  The Rays cannot win by reducing their payroll.

The national pundits sure like to be proven wrong.

Consider them wrong again.

Here are six reasons why the Tampa Bay Rays will contend for their third postseason berth in four years in 2011:

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Tonight marks the first of four games, between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the Bronx.

Rookie pitcher Ivan Nova takes the mound for the pinstripes, as the Rays counter with Matt Garza in a rematch from last week’s slug-fest.

Nova is only making his sixth big-league start, but second in two weeks against the Rays. In their last meeting, Nova kept the Rays at bay for four innings, before imploding in the fifth allowing six runs.

Before that, Nova had only given up three earned runs total in his first four starts. He is 1-0 after five starts, with a 4.30 ERA, giving up 14 earned runs, nine walks and four home-runs over a total of 29.1 innings pitched. Nova has struck-out a season total of 19 which is a solid showing.

Nova needs to keep control on the mound and trust his stuff more. Nova can get the strikeouts when confident, especially if his fastball is on target. Nova is not afraid of the Rays or any other team, which he needs to show when he throws.

Rays Matt Garza is a workhorse, who thrives in hostile environments and Yankee stadium promises to be just that.

Garza can throw hard but as a right-handed pitcher, Garza struggles with lefty bats. So expect the Yankees to be stacked from the left side of the plate.

Garza is known to fall apart mentally and usually no turning back after that happens. He has hit seven batters on the season.

When Garza is in total concentration-mode he has an arsenal of pitches, throws very hard and can shutdown opposing teams bats completely.

In 2010 Garza is 14-8, with a 3.88 ERA and already pitched 185.2 innings on the season. He has allowed 80 earned runs to score, walked 58, with 27 home-runs against him and has struck-out 138.

MY PREDICTION:

Garza’s last two starts he couldn’t get passed the fifth inning, giving up 12 earned runs, walking 4 and allowing six balls go yard. It left him with a 12.00 ERA, with only five strikeouts in the two losses.

Nova blew a 6-0 lead in the fifth inning, but looked better the first four innings than Garza by far.

With the tribute to George Steinbrenner before this game, the Yankees owe the Boss a win because that is what he would want more than anything.

YANKEES WIN 7-3.

NOVA VS. GARZA GET A NO DECISION.

READ MORE AT…..LADY LOVES PINSTRIPES.

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For several years now, it has been Major League Baseball tradition that cash-strapped teams shop one or more of their best players during the annual Winter Meetings. Lately, the biggest deals have been for elite pitchers: The Oakland Athletics traded Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks in December 2007–a deal that included current stars in pitcher Brett Anderson and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez–and the dominoes have fallen each winter since. 

Johan Santana, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are three other big names that have moved over recent offseasons, and it seems only logical to believe that someone of that general caliber will move this year.

Who could be the biggest catches? There are no fewer than five legitimate trade candidates with a chance to make a long-term impact in a new home. Here they are:

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New York Yankees Javier Vazquez will face Tampa Bay Rays Matt Garza on Saturday night at the Trop.

Let’s take a look at this match-up:

Fresh off throwing the franchiser’s first no-hitter in its 13-year history, SP Matt Garza’s overall outlook doesn’t change much. Garza is still trying to get back to his 2008 form.

Garza likes pitching at home, even if home is Tropicana Field. At the Trop Garza has a .230  OBA against batters with runners in scoring position.

This season Garza has a 4.06 ERA in 128 innings. He has allowed 118 hits, 58 earned runs, giving up 18 homeruns and 41 walks. Four of the homeruns were given up on July 20 against the worst team in baseball, the Baltimore Orioles. Garza has also thrown two complete games and a no-hitter.

Garza relies a lot on his fastball, as he threw it 99 out 120 pitches during his historic no-hitter. Well, why stop what seems to be working as in his last three starts Garza 2-0, going 21 innings, with a 2.95 ERA with 13 strikeouts and only walking two batters.

Garza might not find success against a hot Yankees line-up, who tend to hit fastballs out of the park. Garza needs to throw a variety of pitches to keep the Bombers on their toes, or it will be ugly.

Javier Vazquez has turned his season around after a horrible April. Finally, Vazquez is that durable pitcher the Yankees wanted in the rotation.

Vazquez’s 4.54 ERA for the season is not reflective of how he is currently pitching. He has pitched 107 innings, giving up 92 hits, 54 earned runs, 118 homers and 41 walks. Vazquez and Garza are well matched looking at stats only.

For the month of July Vazquez has been solid, posting a 2.77 ERA.

Earlier this year Vazquez got killed by the Rays bats, but this is a different Vazquez and a win would cement him into the hearts of Yankees fans for good.

Vazquez gets the win.

Garza takes the loss.

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Not Tanyon Sturtze, Bryan Rekar, Albie Lopez, Esteban Yan, Jorge Sosa, John Halama, nor Paul Abbott were able to do it. Dewon Brazelton, Casey Fossom, Tim Corcoran, and Jim Morris weren’t able to do it either.

The feat I am talking about is throwing a no-hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays. Up until last night, no pitcher was able to throw a no-hitter for the Rays, but then Matt Garza took the mound on Monday night.

Garza threw the first no-hitter in Rays history and the fifth no-hitter this season as the Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 5-0 on Monday night. Garza walked just one batter and struck out six in the 120 pitch effort.

What was interesting about this game was that Garza’s counterpart, Max Scherzer had a no-hitter through 5.2 IP. I have to admit, and with all due respect to my friend Charlie, dueling no-hitters are a lot better to watch than dueling pianos in Chicago.

Scherzer had his no-hitter attempt broken up in grand fashion—literally. Scherzer lost his no-no bid when Matt Joyce crushed a 3-2 fastball down the right field line for a grand slam.

Once Garza got the lead in the sixth, there was no stopping him. This start reminded me of his start in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. He was flat out dealing that night and he was dealing last night as well.

What was impressive about Garza’s start on Monday night was the way he worked up in the zone. Most pitchers are taught to work down in the zone, but Garza was more effective up in the zone on Monday.

Let’s take a look at Garza’s pitch chart courtesy of PitchFX.

As you can see, Garza was up in the zone all night. The dangerous location didn’t matter because his fastball had so much life on it, the Tigers’ hitters couldn’t square the ball up.

It was a very impressive start for Garza. He improved to 11-5 on the season and lowered his ERA to 4.05.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Matt Garza faced 27 Detroit Tigers hitters Monday night and rendered them hitless, recording the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history.

The Rays have been on the wrong side of two no-hitters this season, including Dallas Braden’s perfect game May 9 in Oakland.

Detroit rookie standout Brennan Boesch kept Garza from accomplishing the same feat, working the count full and drawing a walk with one out in the second inning. Garza got Ryan Raburn to ground into a double play three pitches later to get out of the inning unscathed.

Garza’s mastery comes as the fifth no-hitter of the 2010 season—the most since pitchers tossed seven in 1991. It is fitting that Garza is the first Rays pitcher to hold opposing batters hitless: One of the most consistent starters in the rotation and the 2008 ALCS MVP, Garza (11-5, 4.05) has been overshadowed by the ace David Price (13-5, 2.90) and goliath Jeff Niemann (8-3, 2.95).

But after 120 pitches, the crowd of 17,009 at Tropicana Field rose to its feet to recognize the franchise’s most dominant pitching performance.

Dissecting his outing attests to such a distinction. The Tigers autopsy reveals that Garza’s fastball powered the performance. Topping at 93 mph, it was not unhittable. He used it to retire 12 Tigers via the air and six on grounders. Miguel Cabrera and Johnny Damon made B.J. Upton camp just short of the warning track to record a few outs. Carl Crawford, Jason Bartlett, and Ben Zobrist snared a couple of line drives.

Garza even blew his fastball past them for four strikeouts. It was a simple but very effective approach, and by the end of the night he pumped out 101 of them.

He was in command of his fastball early. Garza’s first 14 pitches were fastballs, 11 of which were strikes. In his first four innings of work, Garza threw one other pitch: a curveball to Brennan Boesch for ball four (more on the lone Tiger to reach base in a moment). He cruised through the next 22 batters he faced.

Boesch spoiled Garza’s bid for a perfect game early into the game. Garza fell behind in the count 2-0 after missing on two fastballs. Boesch swung at and missed a heater and saw another for a called strike to even the count 2-2. The count went full when Garza missed with another fastball and Boesch stayed alive, fouling off a fastball. He reached base with his 29th  walk of the season when Garza threw a curve for ball four.

Boesch has been a tough out around the league: his .912 OPS is fifth best among AL outfielders. He garnered Rookie of the Month honors for May and June, and is batting a .310/12 HR/51 RBI clip.

Garza also mixed in a change-up, slider, and curveball to complement his heater. His speedy slider was a good out-pitch in the later innings. Garza use the slide piece to pick up two more K’s and a groundout. He induced another grounder with the curveball. Almost half of the breaking balls came in the last two innings.

The other driving force behind his achievement was his ability to locate pitches and get ahead in counts. Garza threw 13 first-pitch strikes (12 fastballs, one curve). When he fell behind, he battled back. Garza threw five or more pitches in 12 at-bats.

When Zobrist squeezed his mitt around the final out—a Ramon Santiago pop-up to right field—Garza’s teammates mobbed him behind the mound in celebration of his historic victory. The Rays won 5-0 on Matt Joyce’s sixth-inning grand slam and Carl Crawford’s solo shot in the eighth to improve their record to 60-38.

The noteworthy win could motivate the staff when the club hosts the Yankees for an important three-game series this weekend (the Rays are still three games back of New York for the top spot in the East).

As for Garza, he should also benefit from this accomplishment down the stretch. The coaching staff expects that he could potentially put together this type of outing each time he takes the mound. Garza has started 13 games in which he’s given up three runs or fewer, and he allowed five or fewer hits in seven of those appearances.

Just before the All-Star Break against Cleveland on July 10, he threw six scoreless innings of one-hit baseball. Garza should be slated to start again Saturday or Sunday against the visiting Yankees, and he could ride this momentum to help the Rays retake the division lead.

Follow this link to see all 27 outs of Garza’s no-hitter at MLB.com:

http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10306007 

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