by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (5/20/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games Monday at Toronto. Longoria went 2 for 4 with one run, one double and two RBI.
"It's the best baseball I've seen him play day in and day out, offensively and defensively," Rays manager Joe Maddon said, per MLB.com. "Every thing about his game has been superb, and it's been fun to watch."
Longoria is batting .393 (22 for 56) with three home runs, eight doubles and 14 RBI during his hitting streak. He's now reached base in a major-league best 43 games this season.
"I think the big thing is not chasing," Maddon said. "You talk about that all the time. Once a major-league hitter establishes his own strike zone and forces a pitcher to come to him more than he permits the pitcher to dictate, that's when he becomes really good."
Evan Longoria honored for big week
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (5/13/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria took home AL player of the week honors Monday after he managed a seven-game hitting streak from April 6-12. Longoria hit .464 (13 for 28) with three home runs, four walks, five doubles, eight runs and 11 RBI in that span.
Evan Longoria plays hero in victory
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (5/11/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria blasted a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off Padres closer Huston Street to lift Tampa Bay to an 8-7 victory Saturday night. The homer was Longoria's only hit of the game and extended his hitting streak to six outings.
During his current hot stretch, he has recorded four doubles and three homers while driving in 11 runs. His batting average stands at .333.
"You need games like this, whether it's myself or anybody coming through in the clutch, to kind of boost morale and jump-start everything," Longoria said.
Evan Longoria homers, drives in three
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (5/8/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria drove in three of the 10 runs scored by Tampa Bay Wednesday at home against the Blue Jays.
Longoria homered in the bottom of the fourth inning for a two-run shot with two outs. He added a double and an RBI single to finish 3 for 4 with three RBI. He added a walk and is batting .320 for the Rays.
The 27-year-old has gone 6 for 12 (.500) in his last three contests with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI. He has 22 RBI on the year spanning 125 at-bats.
Evan Longoria has grand slam
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (5/6/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria drove in four runs Monday in an 8-7 loss to Toronto. Longoria hit a grand slam in the third inning off Mark Buehrle for his seventh homer of the season.
Longoria went 2 for 5 i and is batting .305. He's hit in eight of his last 10 games with two homers and nine RBI over that span.
Evan Longoria keeps on hitting
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (5/4/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hit safely for the seventh time in the last eight games Saturday night against the Rockies. He went 2 for 4 with a run scored in the 9-3 loss. Both of his hits went for singles.
Longoria is batting .312 through 29 games with six homers and 15 RBI.
Four hits move Evan Longoria back over .300
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/28/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria got his average back over the .300 mark for the first time since April 16 on Saturday night against the White Sox. He went 4 for 6 with an RBI and two runs scored in the 10-4 win.
The 27-year-old doubled in the third inning before collecting three singles, including one that drove in Matt Joyce in the ninth.
Longoria saw his average rise from .277 to .303 in the victory.
Can't keep Evan Longoria off bases
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/23/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria has reached base safely in 34 straight games, dating back to Sept. 19 of last year, MLB.com reports. That gives him the longest active streak in baseball and the third-longest streak in Rays history behind Johnny Damon's 39 in 2011 and Ben Grieve's 37 in 2001.
Longoria reached base safely in his 20th straight game to start this season when he homered for the fifth time in the ninth inning off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera to pull the Rays within 4-3. Longoria went 1 for 4 Tuesday and is batting .282.
Evan Longoria chasing franchise history
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/22/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria reached on an error and doubled Sunday against the Athletics to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. It's the third-longest streak to start a season in franchise history, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
"For the most part, he's kept his strike zone organized," manager Joe Maddon said. "And as long as he does, he'll hit the ball consistently well all year."
Evan Longoria homers again
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (4/20/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hit his fourth home run in his last five games Friday night against the A's.
Longoria's two-run home run came off reliever Evan Scribner in the fourth inning. He finished 1 for 4 with two runs in an 8-3 victory. Longoria is hitting .281/.364/.509 with four home runs and nine RBI in 57 at-bats.
Evan Longoria goes deep again
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (4/19/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria had another solid night at the plate as he homered for the third time in the last four games during Thursday's series finale against the Orioles.
Longoria took starter Miguel Gonzalez deep in the first inning for a solo shot. He finished 1 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI in a 10-6 defeat in extras.
Longoria has gone 4 for 17 with three homers, four runs scored and four RBI in his last four games. He is hitting .283/.371/.472 over his first 53 at-bats.
Evan Longoria homers in two straight games
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/17/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria homered for the second straight game Tuesday at Baltimore. Longoria is batting .273 (6 for 22) with two home runs, three runs, four RBI and five walks during the first seven games of the team's current road trip.
Bet on Evan Longoria
by Chris Towers | CBSSports.com (4/16/2013) The Rays have juggled their lineup the past few days, moving third baseman Evan Longoria from the cleanup spot to third and then back to fourth in the order Tuesday, in an attempt to jumpstart his bat, and subsequently, their offense.
Longoria is batting .300, but has just one extra-base hit in his first 40 at-bats. As a result of his surprisingly light bat, Longoria has just four RBI. Fantasy owners have to be frustrated about Longoria's slow start because he was drafted to be one of the premier run producers. The best advice we can give to Fantasy owners worried about Longoria's empty average so far this season comes to us courtesy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, emblazoned in big, bold letters: "DON'T PANIC".
Longoria is batting .353 with runners on base through the first 12 games, but has yet to sock an extra-base hit in those situations. For his career, Longoria has been a much better batter with runner's on base, increasing his batting average from .259 with the bases empty to .296. And his extra-base hit woes have never been an issue, as he has one extra-base hit every 7.6 at-bats, compared to once ever 8.0 at-bats overall
Longoria's RBI total has been down over the past two years, after posting back-to-back 100-RBI seasons in 2009-2010. But his per-game production has remained top-notch in that span, leaving little reason for Fantasy owners to think this is a meaningful trend. All-Star talents generally don't turn into slap hitters overnight at the age of 27. Don't be surprised if Longoria posts a few multi-RBI games in the next few days to assuage your fears.
Evan Longoria back in cleanup spot
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/16/2013) The Rays moved third baseman Evan Longoria down in the order to the cleanup spot Tuesday in Baltimore, MLB.com reports. Manager Joe Maddon continues to tinker with the lineup after Longoria had hit third in the previous four games.
Longoria, batting .300, hit his first home run -- and extra-base hit of any kind -- Monday in Boston. He has four RBI after 40 at-bats with 11 strikeouts.
He's gone 2 for 13 (.154) batting third in the order and 10 for 27 (.370) in the cleanup spot.
Evan Longoria ends HR drought
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/15/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria finally produced his first extra-base hit of the season Monday at Boston. Longoria tied the game at one in the fourth inning with his first homer of the season.
It ended Longoria's longest season-opening stretch without a homer at 11 games and was just the fifth homer by the Rays. But Longoria has reached base in every game this season. He's batting .300 (12 for 40) with four RBI.
Evan Longoria to bat third against LHPs
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/13/2013) Rays manager Joe Maddon said Saturday that third baseman Evan Longoria will bat third against left-handed starting pitchers, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Maddon still likes him fourth against right-handed pitchers.
Longoria, who is batting .345 this year over 29 at-bats but has yet to pick up an extra-base hit with just three RBI, is a career .267 hitter in the No. 3 spot. That said, he's spent far and away more time hitting third than any other position in the order.
Evan Longoria still looking for long ball
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/10/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, who was given a start at designated hitter Wednesday in Texas, has hit well to begin the year with a .370 average entering the game. That said, this is the deepest into a season Longoria has ever gone without hitting a home run, MLB.com reports.
"I just think they're not giving him pitches to hit for power with," manager Joe Maddon said. "That's part of the issue. His swing is outstanding. He's probably fouled back his pitch a couple of times. I think he looks really good at the plate also. I like his willingness to take the ball the other way right now. That's part of what I'd like to see us do more consistently. We talked about it last year. There's a lot of good stuff in the opposite field."
Longoria does not have any extra-base hits to this point with just three RBI and a .357 slugging percentage.
Evan Longoria makes start at DH
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/10/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria made his first start of the season at DH Wednesday at Texas. Manager Joe Maddon told reporters it was planned because of Thursday's off-day and we could see a similar trend before or after off days this season.
Longoria entered play Wednesday batting .370 (10 for 27) with no extra-base hits and two RBI in eight games.
Evan Longoria reaches four times for Rays
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/8/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria reached base four times in a loss to Texas Monday.
The All-Star third baseman went 3 for 3 to raise his average to .417. All three hits were singles and he scored a run.
Longoria has hit in all but one game with three multi-hit games. But he's yet to get his first extra-base hit and has just two RBI.
Evan Longoria showing defensive prowess
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/3/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria had a nice night at the plate Wednesday in an 8-7 walk-off win over the Orioles in the second game of the season.
But while Longoria went 2 for 4 in the game, his best asset continues to be his defensive play at third base. Longoria made countless stops that could have saved runs on Wednesday after coming up with a great play in Tuesday's opener.
Longoria singled twice Wednesday and has started the season 3 for 8 (.375) at the plate with a run scored.
Evan Longoria justifying draft status
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (3/24/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hasn't hit a home run this spring, but that would be more concerning if Longoria's other numbers were lacking, which they are not. The 27-year-old third baseman is batting .395 (15 for 38) with four runs, eight doubles and 10 RBI in 14 spring games. He also owns a .605 slugging percentage and 1.034 OPS.
Longoria has dealt with his injury issues the last two seasons, but when he's been in the lineup, he's continued to post solid numbers. Longoria has a .507 slugging percentage and .867 OPS since 2011, despite being limited to 207 games.
He continues to justify his status as the second-highest drafted third baseman in Head-to-Head and Rotisserie formats behind Miguel Cabrera.
Healthy Longoria starts off hot
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (2/26/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria went 2 for 2 with an RBI during his Grapefruit League debut in Tampa Bay's matchup against Houston on Tuesday. Longoria, who also scored a run, returned to camp last Saturday after missing three days due to the birth of his daughter. But he showed little rust with his swing and assumed his usual No. 3 spot in the batting order. Longoria missed 13 weeks in 2012 due to a hamstring injury. "I definitely got my baserunning in today," he said. "I felt great. I don't know how it looks, but it feels 100 percent better than it did at the end of the season last year. And that's all that really matters."
Longoria feels like 'a new man'
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (2/12/2013) Rays third baseman Evan Longoria reported to camp early so the training staff could begin working on his surgically repaired right hamstring, according to the The Tampa Tribune. Longoria had minor surgery in late November. "Two weeks after surgery I was feeling like a new man," he said. Longoria said he has been running, but hasn't attempted any bursts, which would put stress on his hamstring. Longoria said he isn't sure when he will begin playing in spring training games, but he will be ready by opener. Longoria said he will be open to taking days off during the season as a preventive measure. "If it keeps me on the field, I'll do it," he said.
