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Rays look for a sweep in Boston, on Thursday

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  • Do your thing, Colin. The Rays left-handed reliever has come up big the last two nights (2-2/3 innings of work). (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After an 8-5 win over the reigning World Series champions on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays will go for a series sweep tonight in Boston. Tampa Bay has dominated the Red Sox at Fenway Park this season, going 7-1, and is 4-1 on the current road trip.

They enter play a half-game ahead of the Athletics for the final playoff spot, 2-1/2 games back of Cleveland for the top Wildcard spot, 7-1/2 games behind New York in the AL East, and 2-1/2 games ahead of the third-place Red Sox. As of Thursday, Baseball Prospectus gave the Rays a 69.8% chance of a postseason berth, while FanGraphs is a little less bullish, giving them a 56.4% chance — up 6% from Wednesday.

(Credit: FanGraphs)

Tampa Bay came out strong Wednesday night, scoring five runs in the first two innings on a Travis d’Arnaud RBI base hit (scoring Ji-Man Choi from second), a second-inning leadoff solo homer by Kevin Kiermaier, and a three-run home run to right by Austin Meadows (scoring Willy Adames and Choi).

They tacked on one more in the sixth inning on Adames’ 411-foot blast to left, and two more in the seventh on Kiermaier’s triple (scoring Lowe from first) and Matt Duffy’s single (scoring Kiermaier).

Colin Poche’s 1-1/3 outing appearance was a huge contribution to the victory. The Red Sox rallied for three runs in the seventh inning, chasing Ryan Yarbrough. With Andrew Benintendi at the plate and runners on the corners, Poche entered the game and struck out the left-handed-hitter to end the frame.

His sequence of pitches:

  1. Fastball down and on the outside corner (foul ball, strike one).
  2. Fastball at the belt and on the outside corner (foul ball, strike two).
  3. Inside fastball above the zone (ball one, but changing Benintendi’s eye level).
  4. Inside fastball at the belt (foul ball).
  5. 84 mph slider which the Red Sox’s outfielder swung through.

Then in the eighth inning, Poche worked around a leadoff hit but striking out the next three batters to finish the frame.

In Poche’s last 1-2/3 innings of work, the left-hander has given up just one hit and notched five strikeouts. His newfound offspeed pitch is bearing fruit, and none too soon.

The New What Next

Brendan McKay (1-1, 3.72 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of Andrew Cashner (10-5, 4.18 ERA).

Brendan McKay was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday. Through four big-league appearances, McKay owns a 3.72 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and an 18 K/BB across 19-1/3 innings. The left-hander said his biggest goal is to be more consistent … that he is aware of the challenge the Red Sox can present.

Very similar to a lot of teams you face up here. I faced the Yankees, and it’s very similar — one through nine you’re not essentially getting a break. You’re facing quality hitters the whole way through. And you’ve just got to be on from pitch one until however many pitches you throw. And hope whatever pitch you throw that may not make your spot to still be good enough to get a swing and miss or not as much damage as they can do.

— Brendan McKay

Andrew Cashner allowed three runs on 10 hits and a walk across 6-2/3 innings on Friday. He struck out six. While he wasn’t quite dominant, this was his first victory for Boston since joining the club right after the All-Star break. Cashner owns a 4.18 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 81 punchouts over 114 innings this season. He is 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA in five career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Guillermo Heredia (2-8, 2B, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-8), Austin Meadows (2-3, 2B), Tommy Pham (3-11, HR, 2 RBI), Joey Wendle (3-8, 3B, 2 RBI, BB)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Red Sox — a series preview, part five

Rays 8/1/19 Starting Lineup

    null
  1. Choi 1B
  2. Pham LF
  3. Meadows RF
  4. Duffy 3B
  5. Kiermaier CF
  6. Aguilar DH
  7. Sogard 2B
  8. Zunino C
  9. Adames SS

Noteworthiness

— After dropping six of 10 games following the All-Star Break, the Rays were able to finish the month strong, with a 14-12 record. Credit Travis d’Arnaud’s for helping the Rays stay afloat, as he drove in 25 runs in July, matching Aubrey Huff’s 2005 performance for most by a Ray in July, and the most in any month since Brad Miller had 26 and Evan Longoria 25 in August 2016.

— Expect reinforcements in the series finale. Jesus Aguilar and Nick Anderson, two of Tampa Bay’s deadline acquisitions (links 1, 2), have been added to the roster. Nate Lowe and Jose De Leon have been optioned to Durham to make room for the latest additions.

Meanwhile, the Rays sent RHP Trevor Richards, to Triple-A Durham so he can be stretched back out for starter/bulk duties. He had been used in short relief of late with Miami.

Rays ‘pen bends but doesn’t break in a 6-5 win over Boston

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  • Both Travis d’Arnaud and Avisail Garcia hit homers off of former Ray, David Price. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

For the sixth time this season, the Tampa Bay Rays were able to exit Fenway Park with a tally in the win column, this time defeating the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, 6-5. Avisail Garcia doubled, homered and drove in three key runs, while Emilio Pagan got four critical outs to close out the ballgame.

Tampa Bay didn’t score in the first inning, although they were able to work some long at-bats against former Ray, David Price, which drove up his pitch count and led to his early exit from the ballgame. Meanwhile, Boston took the lead in an extended first inning against Charlie Morton, scoring a pair of runs on a bases-loaded two-run single by Mitch Moreland.

The Rays finally answered in the third inning. Matt Duffy got things started with a double before Austin Meadows roped an RBI triple to right — his seventh of the season. Yet Boston responded in the bottom of the frame with a string of singles against Morton before Benintendi pushed the lead to two runs once more on an RBI single.

In the fourth inning, the Rays looked as though they might break the game open after the loaded bases. Yet they failed to score; stop me if you’ve heard that one before. Boston’s lead was not safe for long though, as Travis d’Arnaud hit a massive 453-foot blast over The Monstah in left in the top of the fifth before Avisail Garcia hit his own solo shot to tie the game.

Tampa Bay was able to move in front when Mike Brosseau singled, Nate Lowe doubled, and Price was pulled from the game with runners in scoring position. With Marcus Walden on the mound, recently acquired Eric Sogard pinch hit for Willy Adames and notched the go-ahead RBI on a groundout, giving the Rays a one-run lead.

Still, Boston moved back in front in the bottom of the inning, albeit for the final time. With one on and two out, Morton was lifted after throwing just 85 pitches.

With the left-handed-hitting Benintendi coming to the plate, Cash called upon lefty ground ball specialist, Adam Kolarek. As fate would have it, Kolarek missed with his location on the very first pitch but Benintendi did not, hammering the ball over the left-field wall for a one-run advantage.

After the ballgame, Cash said that the decision to take out Morton had to do with matchups but said Charlie “deserves” the opportunity to get that out and would give it to him if he could do it all over again.

To his credit, Kolarek got the final out of the inning and pitched a perfect sixth.

Tampa Bay was able to manage a two-out rally in the top of the sixth to regain the lead. d’Arnaud walked and Meadows singled, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora then made a pitching change to bring in a right-hander to face Garcia. Avi made him pay for that lapse in judgment, hammering a two-run double off The Monstah, giving the Rays an unrelinquishable lead.

Put another way, you hate on Cash for the pitching change, the criticism is valid. However, Cora made an equally baffling decision (if not more so, considering Boston’s ‘pen) by leaning on three pitchers to preserve a one-run advantage, and the Rays subsequently took the lead. Surely some Sox fans lost it!

After that, the bullpen did its job. In the seventh, Diego Castillo got the first two outs, and Colin Poche struck out Benintendi with two out and two on to end the frame.

Tampa Bay took their one-run lead into the eighth inning when three pitchers were needed to get through the frame as Boston loaded the bases. Chaz Roe gave up a double to Sam Travis but struck out Christian Vazquez. Oliver Drake walked Brock Holt but got Jackie Bradley Jr. to line out softly to third. Then with two out and two on, Emilio Pagan allowed an infield single to Mookie Betts but got Rafael Devers to fly out.


Pagan took the mound in the ninth inning and got the first two outs before he allowed a bloop single to Benintendi to left, and a base hit to right to Travis. But, Vazquez flew out to left, ending the game.

The Rays bullpen bent but didn’t break and they took the first game of the series. They remain a half-game out of the final Wildcard spot after the Athletics won in 10 innings over Milwaukee, however, they made up ground on Cleveland and New York, and stretched their lead over the Red Sox to a game and a half. They enter play Wednesday with a 63.7% chance of a postseason berth according to Baseball Prospectus.

The New What Next

Game two of the series is on Wednesday, following the trade deadline. Andrew Kittredge (1-0, 3.05 ERA) will open the game ahead of Ryan Yarbrough (9-3, 3.78 ERA). They’ll be opposed by Rick Porcello (9-7, 5.55 ERA).

Andrew Kittredge went three innings on Sunday, allowing two runs while fanning seven.

Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts across 5-1/3 innings. Diego Castillo opened the game, but Yarbrough carried the load starting in the second inning, posting his seventh straight outing with either zero or one run allowed. He has allowed just four total runs in his last 32-2/3 innings of work. Yarbrough owns a 1.10 ERA over that stretch and has won his last four decisions. Overall, Yarbrough maintains a 3.78 ERA (down from 8.10 in April), a 0.93 WHIP, and 62 punchouts in 81 innings this season.

Rick Porcello held the Yankees to three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings. After failing to make it through the first inning during his last start against New York in London, Porcello bounced back with a solid outing reinforced by tremendous run support from his offense. In spite a tough 47-pitch second inning, the former Cy Young Award winner settled in to keep the Yankees at bay, tossing 112 pitches in the process. Even so, Porcello carries a 5.55 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and a 2.79 K/BB on the season. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (5-13, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 BB), Matt Duffy (9-21, RBI), Avisail Garcia (11-27, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (13-52, 2 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, BB), Daniel Robertson (2-7), Joey Wendle (5-12, 2B, BB)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Red Sox — a series preview, part five

Rays 7/31/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Choi DH
  2. Meadows LF
  3. d’Arnaud C
  4. Lowe 1B
  5. Garcia RF
  6. Kiermaier CF
  7. Duffy 3B
  8. Sogard 2B
  9. Adames SS

Noteworthiness

— Kevin Kiermaier (thumb sprain) has been activated from the 10-day Injured List. To make room for Kiermaier, INF Joey Wendle has been placed on the IL with right wrist inflammation.

— Brendan McKay has been added to the taxi squad in advance of his start in Boston tomorrow.

— About last night’s strike zone. First, it was wide, then it was tight. Then it was wide again, and once more tight. Back and forth all night.

— We will have a separate post if any deals are made by the 4:00 trade deadline.

Rays look to bounce back from the ugliest loss of the season in the finale

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  • Willy Adames hit one of two three-run homers in the second inning of the Rays 10-9, extra inning loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Following a season-worst 10-9, 12-inning loss on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to bounce back in the rubber match on Sunday and take the series from the Blue Jays. Tampa Bay enters play a half-game behind Oakland and Boston for the final playoff spot after both teams won yesterday.

I’ve said it twice before, but I’ll say it again: a series win in Toronto, and a good showing in the first game of the upcoming series in Boston, on Tuesday, could push the front office to look to the trade market to acquire players to bolster the roster, including arms for the rotation…but more importantly, the bullpen.

In all, the Rays bullpen allowed five late home runs in the loss, accounting for the game’s final seven runs. All five homers can be attributed to relievers Hunter Wood (who allowed a pair of two-out homers), Oliver Drake (who allowed a three-run homer), and Colin Poche and Emilio Pagan (each of whom allowed solo shots).

Poche’s limited repertoire (the southpaw relies on his fastball 93.5% of the time) and too-frequent mistakes are costing the Rays games in the present tense. For his part, Kevin Cash took the blame for putting the left-hander in a bad position, saying that he favored the left-on-righty matchup as opposed to placing de facto closer, Emilio Pagan, into the game in the ninth.

In theory, we liked the matchups that we had, but they made us pay for them.

— Kevin Cash

Still, they lost a game that was reminiscent of another bitter loss in Toronto last September, when the Rays allowed a six-run lead to evaporate in the ninth inning and dropped the ballgame. Yesterday, Tampa Bay had a 9-3 advantage with four outs needed and couldn’t hold it. Yet the Rays enter the day 6-2 against the Blue Jays in the season series, and they could leave Toronto on a high note, and with momentum, going into Boston having won the series.

The New What Next

Yonny Chirinos (8-5, 3.29 ERA) will get the ball this afternoon, pitching opposite of Aaron Sanchez (3-14, 6.06 ERA).

Yonny Chirinos allowed just two runs on six hits and no walks over 5-2/3 innings against the Red Sox on Tuesday. He struck out five. Chirinos all his damage on three hits and a wild pitch in the first inning, and settled in after that, allowing only three baserunners across the next four-plus frames. The right-hander has a 3.29 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 4.25 K/BB across 117-2/3 innings. Chirinos is 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA in four career outings (one start) against the Blue Jays.

Aaron Sanchez allowed one run on five hits with zero walks and six strikeouts across five innings against Cleveland on Tuesday. The performance broke a 10-game losing streak. Before Tuesday, the last time Sanchez received anything but a loss was May 22, and the last time he captured a victory was April 27. Sanchez is 3-14 with a 6.06 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts across 107 innings this season. Sanchez is 2-3 with a 2.02 ERA in his career against Tampa Bay, and 0-1 on the season after the Rays tagged him for six hits and two walks in a three-inning outing earlier this year. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (3-5), Travis d’Arnaud (1-1), Brandon Lowe (1-3, 2 BB), Austin Meadows (2-2, RBI), Tommy Pham (1-1, 2B)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup is below.

TNWN: Rays vs Blue Jays — a series preview, part three

Rays 7/28/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Choi DH
  2. Pham LF
  3. Meadows RF
  4. d’Arnaud C
  5. N. Lowe 1B
  6. Duffy 3B
  7. Wendle 2B
  8. Heredia CF
  9. Adames SS

Noteworthiness

— Needing a fresh arm in the ‘pen, the Rays recalled Jake Faria from Triple-A Durham. They optioned C Michael Perez as the corresponding move.

— Kevin Kiermaier (left thumb sprain) went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts at DH as he began a short rehab assignment for the Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs on Saturday in Clearwater. He is scheduled to play nine innings in centerfield today and should be reinstated from the Injured List when eligible on Wednesday, in Boston.

— Daniel Robertson (right knee surgery) moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Durham and went 1-for-3 with a home run. He played all nine innings at short.

— Anthony Banda (Tommy John surgery) is approaching the end of his rehab assignment, having gone 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA since moving up to Durham. He is an option to help at some point this season, presumably ahead of Jose De Leon, who is 1-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 12 games in Durham.

LBWMF: Rays look to win the series in Toronto on Saturday; injury update

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Travis d’Arnaud continued his toasty month of July, driving in a pair of runs which gave the Rays the go-ahead lead last night.

After an important 3-1 win in the series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Tampa Bay Rays look to win the set this afternoon. The Rays are 6-1 in the series against the Blue Jays, with 12 meetings left in the final 56 games.

Since both the Athletics and Yankees lost last night — no thanks to Kansas City, who couldn’t defeat Cleveland — the Rays start the day 1/2 game up on Oakland and Boston for the final Wildcard spot, and 8-1/2 back in the AL East. Tampa Bay is 3-1/2 games behind Cleveland for the top Wildcard spot.

A reminder: a series win in Toronto, and a good showing in the first game of the upcoming series in Boston could push the front office to look to the trade market to acquire players to bolster the roster, including arms for the rotation.

The undisputed heroes of last night’s contest were Ryan Yarbrough, who again looked sharp, and Travis d’Arnaud.

Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts across 5-1/3 innings. Diego Castillo opened the game, but Yarbrough carried the load starting in the second inning, posting his seventh straight outing with either zero or one run allowed. He has allowed just four total runs in his last 32-2/3 innings of work. Yarbrough owns a 1.10 ERA over that stretch and has won his last four decisions. Overall, Yarbrough maintains a 3.78 ERA (down from 8.10 in April), a 0.93 WHIP, and 62 punchouts in 81 innings this season.

Meanwhile, with the scored tied at one in the fifth inning, Tampa Bay was able to take the go-ahead lead … and it all started with Willy Adames, who worked a one-out walk against Jacob Waguespack. Ji-Man Choi followed with a single to center. After Tommy Pham popped out, Austin Meadows walked, loading the bases and setting up the Rays hottest hitter.

d’Arnaud didn’t disappoint, punching a two-run single through the left side, giving Tampa Bay an unrelinquishable go-ahead lead. He, however, was thrown out at second on the relay.

It was the only hit Tampa Bay had in seven chances with runners in scoring position. All told, the Rays went 1-for-7 wRISP (.143 BA) on the night, stranding seven runners on base, but plating three two-out runs. As a team, Tampa Bay hasn’t scored more than four runs in 10 consecutive games.

The New What Next

Andrew Kittredge (1-0, 2.55 ERA) will open for the Rays, pitching ahead of Jalen Beeks (5-1, 3.69 ERA) who is back in the bulk innings role. They’ll be opposed by Ryan Borucki (0-1, 3.86 ERA).

The Rays have used an opener 86 times since May of last season. They are 51-35 in those games, including 19-12 this season.

Andrew Kittredge opens for the second time this season and fifth time in his career. Kittredge allowed three earned runs over 9-1/3 innings in his previous four outings (2.89 ERA).

Jalen Beeks surrendered eight runs on seven hits — including three home runs — and two walks over 3-2/3 innings on Monday against the Red Sox. He struck out two. All three homers came in a disastrous seven-run third, as Beeks saw his winning streak snapped at 10. It served as a reminder of why Beeks is better out of the bulk role when he only faces opposing batters two times through the order. The southpaw now maintains a 3.69 ERA and 2.32 K/BB through 68-1/3 innings on the season. Beeks is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in three career outings (seven innings) against Toronto.

As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) writes, with Hunter Wood also available to provide multiple innings, and a day off on Monday, the Rays may be more aggressive with the pen than they were with Ryan Yarbrough on Friday, depending upon the score.

Ryan Borucki gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits and four walks over 4-2/3 innings on Monday. He fanned three. After missing the first four months of the season, Borucki made his 2019 debut but looked like he needed a little more time to shake off the rust. The southpaw threw just 47 of 94 pitches for strikes (50% strike rate), and when he did find the plate he caught too much of it — four of the seven hits he allowed went for extra bases. Borucki is 0-3 with a 3.66 ERA in three career starts (19-2/3 innings) against the Rays. Key Matchups: Austin Meadows (1-2, HR, RBI, BB), Tommy Pham (2-7, 2 BB), Joey Wendle (1-4, 2B, RBI, 2 BB)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Blue Jays — a series preview, part three

Rays 7/27/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Duffy 3B
  2. Pham LF
  3. Meadows DH
  4. d’Arnaud 1B
  5. Garcia RF
  6. Brosseau 2B
  7. Heredia CF
  8. Zunino C
  9. Adames SS

Noteworthiness

— Kevin Kiermaier (left thumb sprain) will start a rehab assignment with the Charlotte Stone Crabs today in Clearwater. He is eligible to come off the Injured List on Wednesday, in Boston.

— Ryne Stanek is expected to throw a bullpen session either today or tomorrow. How he feels afterward will determine when he starts his rehab assignment.

— Daniel Robertson is currently rehabbing with Triple-A Durham.

LBWMF: Rays drop fifth straight, 2-1 against Chicago

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  • I call bullshit. Avisail Garcia’s moon shot traveled further than 459 feet. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After five consecutive losses, a season-high, the Tampa Bay Rays look to salvage the final game of three against the Chicago White Sox. In losing the series to Chicago, Tampa Bay has lost a set to a team with a sub-.500 record for the first time this season.

Saturday recap:

— The Rays wasted a solid start by Ryan Yarbrough, who tossed six shutout innings while allowing two hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Tampa Bay didn’t score through six frames, and Chicago eventually won the game in extra innings. At the end of April, Yarbrough’s ERA sat at 8.10, resulting in a demotion. And while he’s had some rough outings since then, the left-hander owns a 2.75 ERA in his last 11 appearances. Since June 18, he has allowed just three runs across 27-1/3 frames (0.99 ERA). Overall, Yarbrough is 8-3 with a 3.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 58 punchouts in 75-2/3 innings (16 appearances) including five starts.

— 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position with 10 left on base. The Rays have scored just nine total runs over the life of their losing streak, and over the past six games are just 3-for-40 wRISP.

— While the Rays had plenty of opportunities to score runs (see above), they only pushed one run across on a moon shot by Avisail Garcia.

https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1152734773321895936

I call bullshit, that ball traveled further than the StatCast projection of 459 feet. Hadn’t the 2008 banner (which deflected the ball onto the catwalk) been there, the would have landed in the party deck, some 470 feet to 480 feet away.

— This pitch apparently broke the internet and/or physics:

— Try not to act surprised. Kevin Kiermaier exited the game with a left thumb sprain suffered on a head-first slide into first. Kiermaier had an MRI after the game which did not show a tear in the ligament, thus surgery on the injury will not be required.

The outfielder has been placed on the 10-day Injured List, while OF Guillermo Heredia has been recalled from Triple-A Durham. Kiermaier said he regrets sliding into first base, but also said he was just trying to make a play to help the team win. He hopes to be back in 10-15 days, saying the results of the MRI this morning were the “best news” he could have gotten.

The New What Next

Blake Snell (5-7, 4.55 ERA) will take the mound in the series finale, pitching opposite of Dylan Cease (1-1, 5.73).

Blake Snell allowed one run on three hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out four. Snell threw an inefficient 93 pitches (56 strikes, 60% strike rate) and did not have a clean inning in his first three frames, yet his only real mistake resulted in an Edwin Encarnacion solo shot in the fourth inning. Snell exited the contest in line for his sixth win of the season. The southpaw lowered his ERA by 15 points to 4.55 and has managed a 3.82 K/BB across 95 innings on the season. Snell is 3-0 with a 1.07 ERA in five career starts against Chicago (25-1/3 innings).

Dylan Cease allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and one walk with seven strikeouts on Tuesday. Kansas City scored two unearned runs in the first inning, yet that’s all they would need to hand Cease the loss. He displayed better control in this outing than in his first big league start, however, working more in the zone resulted in eight hits allowed. In two Major League starts, Cease owns a 5.73 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and a 10.64 K/9 in 11 innings of work. He relies primarily on a 97 mph four-seam fastball with heavy sinking action and a whiffy 85 mph slider with lots of depth, while also mixing in an 80 mph 12-6 curveball, and an 83 mph changeup with a lot of backspin and surprising cut action.

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup is below.

TNWN: Rays vs ChiSox — a series preview

Rays 7/21/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Choi DH
  2. Meadows RF
  3. Pham LF
  4. Lowe 1B
  5. Diaz 3B
  6. Garcia CF
  7. Wendle 2B
  8. d’Arnaud C
  9. Adames SS

Noteworthiness

— Rays skipper Kevin Cash said Matt Duffy is on a flight back to St. Petersburg and looks to be activated at some point during the Boston series.