Last night was James Shields’ night, plain and simple. Forget the fanfare surrounding the three players who returned to the lineup Tuesday — including Luke Scott who was playing his first game of the 2013 season. And forget that Alex Cobb seemed like a reasonable replacement for Big Game James. No, this was all Shields.
Tag Archives: Alex Cobb
Rays 4/30/13 Starting Lineup, Etc
The Rays look to split the first full month of the 2013 season tonight, in the first game of a three game set against the Kansas City Royals. Expect a few familiar faces in the Royals lineup tonight — James Shields will get the start on the mound while Elliot Johnson will be playing second and hitting ninth.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: On the Road Again…
The Tampa Bay Rays exit the friendly confines of the Trop Thursday on the heels of an outstanding 8-1/3 inning, three hit outing by Alex Cobb. What a difference a week makes. Tampa Bay is now one of the hottest teams in baseball, having won their last two series while taking five out of the last six games. From here, the Rays will go on another 11 day — 10 game — road trip taking them through Chicago, Kansas City, and Colorado. First stop: US Cellular Field and a four game set against the White Sox. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Drop Game Two to the Yankees, 4-3
Walking into the Trop Tuesday night, neither Phil Hughes nor David Price had earned their first win of the year. One thing was certain, barring a no-decision, one pitcher would potentially walk out of the Trop with his first win of the year. And though both pitchers kept their respective team in the game, Phil Hughes and the Yankees bested Tampa Bay, snapping the Rays four game winning streak.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Sweep the A’s, Bring On the Evil Empire
The Oakland Athletics were 12-4 when they walked into the Trop on Friday, while the Rays were 5-10 following an atrocious 2-7 road trip. The insanely hot Athletics were largely considered to be one of the best teams in baseball, while the Rays were a sub .500 team struggling to keep their collective heads above water. The Athletics had the best run differential (at 33+) in the AL, and though the Rays offense showed a spark of life on the tail end of their 10-game road trip, the Tampa Bay clubhouse was in shambles by all accounts. What a difference a week makes.