I like this kind of baseball.

The Rays have powered their way to big wins the last two nights behind the late-inning heroics of Dioner Navarro and Evan Longoria homers.

First, on Thursday night, Navvy grand-slammed the Rays to an extra-inning 'W' in Toronto. (His first homer of the year)

Then, last night, "Long-ball Longoria", as I've begun calling him, had his way with a 1-1 fastball in the bottom of the ninth to send the Rays home winners of the walk-off variety. The homer capped off a brilliant pitching performance by James Shields.

This is the kind of baseball Joe Maddon kept telling us this team was capable of way back in spring training. Usually at this point the Rays are WAY out of the division race with a double-digit number in the GB column of the daily fishwrap.

But not this year. I checked this morning...the Rays are only 2.5 games behind the AL East leading Red Sox. Not bad, considering the Rays have half the opening day lineup on the DL right now and their ace, Scott Kazmir (who pitches tonight in game two of the series vs. Anaheim), missed most of the first month with an elbow injury.

The role players are producing, the stars are shining and Joe is happy.

Why wouldn't he be?