ESPN's Stark: Rays Better Than Marlins

[___ Eats It]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=20599

That's Debatable! Chat with Jayson Stark

"Which Florida team (the Marlins or the Rays) will have a better record at the end of the season?

Florida -- baseball capital of the world. And it isn't even March. What a concept.

THE CASE FOR TAMPA BAY

Look out: This team finally has some pitching to go with all its up-and-coming position-player talent. The Rays just threw back-to-back shutouts against the Angels. Their rotation has almost as many quality starts (20) as the Red Sox (21). And they're second in the league in bullpen ERA.

THE CASE FOR FLORIDA

Nobody wants to face this lineup. The Marlins are now hitting more home runs per game than the Phillies (and everyone else, for that matter). Just the double-play combination alone -- Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla -- has combined for as many home runs (19) as the Royals' entire team. And no team in baseball has scored in double figures more times than the Marlins (six), even though they play in the worst hitters' park in the Eastern time zone.

THE VERDICT

Much as I admire the Marlins' thump and hustle, this is still a team winning with a very shaky formula. Florida's rotation just nudged its ERA under 5.00. The Marlins have committed the most errors in the league (33). And they had been outscored for the season by their opponents until they bludgeoned the Nationals, 23-7, over the weekend. So I'll take Tampa Bay -- a team with superior pitching, an offense that has outscored the Yankees and has had the look of a team Team On The Rise since the first day of spring training.

[flsportsfan83]

We shall see. Want to put a lil money on who has the better record at the end of the year?

[___ Eats It]

We shall see. Want to put a lil money on who has the better record at the end of the year?

Absolutely not.  If the Rays got to play the Nationals 19 times, I might.

The Rays schedule is infinitely harder than the Marlins.

[BULLfreak]

If the Rays played in your weak a$$ divison we would win it running away

[flsportsfan83]

If the Rays played in your weak a$$ divison we would win it running away

our weak divison has 4 teams over .500

The Yankees, Blue Jays, and O's suck.

[Velcro]

If the Rays played in your weak a$$ divison we would win it running away

Which is why I have always said the Rays need to move to the NL east... get out of the division with the jays/orioles/sox/yanks (all big spenders) and you would benefit in the win column year in and year out. 

[Bruce Blingstein]

Guys this isnt last year or 5 years ago.  I think the Rays are a better team than the Marlins, but the NL East IS better than the AL East.

Yankees are terrible, they cant steal bases, they cant throw any basestealers out, they have no speed, they have zero pitching, the only one hitting is Damon, Arod is one man, Jeter's career is on the downfall, POsada is old, Giambi isnt on juice anymore, Cano is an underachiever, Matsui and Abreau arent clutch, Mariano is older than dirt, Joba is good for the 8th inning, and they got rid of a hell of a coach for a guy who was fired by the Marliins.  They would be in last place in the NL East.

Take the label New York Yankees off of that team and you would all say they were horrible. 

The only good teams in the AL East are the Sox, Rays and Blue Jays. 

NL east has the Mets, Marlins, Braves, and Phillies...all solid teams.

The division argument is terrible.  Watch baseball outside of the Rays for once.  With all that said I still think the Rays have a better team than the Marlins but the Marlins play a tougher division.  Id rather play the Sox and Yankees 19 times than the Mets and Phillies.  No question about it. 

[Bruce Blingstein]

If the Rays played in your weak a$$ divison we would win it running away

Which is why I have always said the Rays need to move to the NL east... get out of the division with the jays/orioles/sox/yanks (all big spenders) and you would benefit in the win column year in and year out. 

The Phillies, Mets and Braves spend no money, right?  :

[Velcro]

Relatively speaking... no, they don't.

Every team in the AL East is a relativelyl big spender other than the Rays... the NL east you have two other teams that don't spend (marlins/nats), so 15 or so games with each of them could easily jack up tampa's win total.

And not playing NY,Bos could also raise their total (although they are doing well this year regardless)... and then Balt/Toronto are pseudo spenders... they spend a bunch but really don't seem to have a vision with their spending.

[BullsWinBucsWin]

We'll see about who is in the tougher division (and league) as the season goes on.  I personally would like to see the Rays in a different division due to the fact that the Yankmees and the Sox will ALWAYS spend a ton more money than we can, not to mention I like the NL brand of baseball better.