The New What Next: Looking Backward While Moving Forward; Rays vs Phillies 3/9/13 (Starting Lineup Included)

Rays reliever Kyle Farnsworth looked good in his first outing of the spring, putting together a 1-2-3 inning, while hitting 92 MPH on the ballpark radar gun. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times)
Rays reliever Kyle Farnsworth looked good in his first outing of the spring, putting together a 1-2-3 inning, while hitting 92 MPH on the ballpark radar gun. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times)

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Kyle Farnsworth looked good in his first outing of the spring, as the Rays eked out a W against the Philadelphia Phillies Friday, by a score of 3-2. The Rays will face the Phillies for the second consecutive day, this time in Clearwater.

Farnsworth worked a 1-2-3 inning and hitting 92 mph on the stadium radar gun, and noted that there are no current concerns about his previously balky right elbow. David Price really didn’t look sharp, though he still got the win thanks to Evan Longoria’s big 2-RBI double in the third which gave the Rays all the runs they’d need.

Price was hit hard, allowing eight hits – though only two runs – in four innings. Michael Young drove in a run with a first-inning single, the last of three straight hits the Phillies put together at the beginning of the  the game. Kevin Frandsen also had two hits off Price, including a solo homer in the third. Price was encouraged by the fact that he allowed only two runs while walking none in the 61-pitch outing.

I felt fine. It’s part of spring training. One day you feel great, the next day you feel not so great,” Price added. “But I’m not blaming this on the way I felt or anything. They hit the ball. They hit me well. (Batting practice) was at 11, not 1:05. I didn’t get the memo.

Rays right fielder Matt Joyce made a pair of excellent plays, ultimately saving a couple of runs. In the first inning Joyce gunned down Frandsen trying to advance to third base on a single. He followed that up with a nice throw to the plate, preventing Darin Ruf from scoring to end the fourth.

Catcher Chris Gimenez continued his hot hitting, mashing two more hits while upping his Grapefruit League average to .526 (10-for-19). Jamey Wright, Joel Peralta and Brandon Gomes were sharp. Gomes posted his fourth scoreless outing.

Jeff Niemann, who continues his pursuit of the fifth spot on the rotation, will take the mound against the Phillies today.

Rays 3/9/13 Starting Rotation:

Jennings CF
Rodriguez 1B
Roberts 3B
Duncan DH
Myers LF
Guyer RF
Lobaton C
Fontenot 2B
O’malley SS
Niemann RHP

 

The New What Next: Rays vs Phillies 3/8/13 (Starting Lineup Included)

David Price gets the start on the bump against the Phillies Friday, in Port Charlotte.
David Price gets the start on the bump against the Phillies Friday, in Port Charlotte.

The Rays head back to Port Charlotte Friday to face the Phillies, following a 4-2 win against the Pirates in Bradenton, Thursday. They’ll, again, take on the Phillies Saturday, this time in Clearwater.

Alex Cobb had another impressive outing Thursday. The first Rays’ starter to be stretched out to four innings, Cobb allowed only one hit and walked none, while striking out five. He also induced five groundouts, which are his specialty. Chris Archer followed Alex Cobb and put up three shutout innings where he walked two, but didn’t allow a hit. Archer also struck out three in his 41 pitch (22 for strikes) outing where he posted a 54% K/BB percentage. True it may be meaningless since this is only Spring Training, but Chris Archer has a 0.00 ERA in Grapefruit League play. That’s pretty cool if you ask me.

Cy Young Award winner David Price will get the start today in Port Charlotte.

Rays 3/8/13 Starting Lineup:

Escobar SS
Johnson 2B
Longoria 3B
Joyce RF
Loney 1B
Anderson LF
Gimenez C
Vogt DH
Thompson CF
Price LHP

Noteworthiness:

Sam Fuld and Luke Scott continue to nurse tight hamstrings. Rays beat writer Mark Topkin reported that Fuld will miss another week, though his spot on the opening day roster shouldn’t be in Jeopardy. Scott should return to the lineup early next week.

All Sports Talk and X-Rays Spex Unite for Blogosphere Domination

Jaun Sandoval pitching in the ninth inning of the Rays vs Twins game, Tuesday March 5, 2013 at Hammond Satdium in Ft. Myers
Jaun Sandoval pitching in the ninth inning of the Rays vs Twins game, Tuesday March 5, 2013 at Hammond Stadium in Ft. Myers

I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank the folks at All Sports Talk (AST), for giving me the opportunity to contribute to their AL East Preview. Aaron from AST got in touch with us a few weeks back about having one of us contribute a piece on the Rays strengths and weaknesses going into the 2013 season. I gladly accepted the invitation and the rest, as they say, is history. Below is a preview of the article I wrote, with a link to their AL East Preview. You can read the team by team previews, in their entirety, via the link attached below.

As Cole Stevenson of Opposing Views put it, “The Tampa Bay Rays continue to be the perfect model of how an organization should be run. Not just in baseball, but in all of sports.” And though the head of the players union, Michael Weiner, may see things a bit differently, there is something to be said about a team that’s won 90 games in four of the last five seasons. Though Tampa Bay lost a few key pieces following the 2012 season – namely Wade Davis, J.P. Howell, Jeff Keppinger, James Shields, and B.J. Upton – I think that the Rays are in line for another 90+ win season.  Whether they can eek out a playoff spot is still unwritten. I’d reckon that it (somewhat) depends on the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays; one team that had a quiet off-season following an incredible run in 2012, and another that made some monster moves though may not congeal as a team, at least in 2013.

The rest can be found at the AST, AL East Preview (linked).

 

The New What Next: Rays 3/7/13 Starting Lineup, Noteworthiness, and That Flushing Sound….

The Rays find themselves in Bradenton today, taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The starting lineup and other random nuggets of grizzle are below.

Rays 3/7/13 Starting Lineup:

Jennings CF
Fontenot SS
Roberts 2B
Joyce RF
Loney 1B
Cust DH
Rodriguez LF
Gimenez 3B
Lobaton C
Cobb RHP

Noteworthiness:

  •  Wil Myers, Tim Beckham, Hak-Ju Lee, Chris Archer, and Jake Odorizzi are also on the travel squad today.
  • The five Rays taking part in the WBC will join their national teams tonight, and could be gone a while. There is some trepidation on the part of the Rays over the workload.  Specifically, there is a concern that Ben Zobrist, Jose Molina, Fernando Rodney, Cesar Ramos, and Alex Torres don’t get overused in the games, especially the pitchers. There’s also worry that they don’t get used enough. On the subject, Joe Maddon was quoted as saying:

Sometimes I think the concern is that they’re going to play too much or pitch too much, but actually I think the concern is just the opposite, that they don’t play enough, they don’t get enough at-bats, they don’t get enough innings, enough consistent work.

That’s the greater concern right now. I think the ultimate concern is injury, but I don’t really focus on that as much as them getting their work in.

  • Finally, the answer to the elusive question – of what that flushing noise may be – is the Yankees 2013 season! First baseman Mark Teixeira will reportedly miss 8-10 weeks due to a strained right wrist. The hits keep coming for the Yankees. You may recall that Curtis Granderson broke his arm after getting plunked within the first week of Grapefruit League play. The New York Yankees may as well claim their new title: Least in the East!
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Did you really think we’d miss the opportunity to rub salt in the wound?