The Rays dropped the first of a two game set to the Red Sox by a score of 9-2. It was an ugly game, both offensively and defensively, but the Rays have a chance to rectify things today with Alex Cobb on the mound. The Sox will counter with Jon Lester. If the the old adage is true — Lester loses 5 MPH of velocity when his mouth is ajar — this could be a fun game.
Roberto Hernandez and Dane De La Rosa were responsible for the majority of the damage incurred by Boston. Hernandez allowed three runs (two earned) in the first inning, but inevitably settled down, posting a 5 IP/6 H/3 R/2 ER/1 BB/5 K line. Hernandez impressively induced six outs on ground balls. De La Rosa, on the other hand, lasted all of 2/3 of an inning, posting a 2/3 IP/3 H/4 R/4 ER/1 BB/2 K line.
Sean Rodriguez had a good day at the plate, accounting for both of Rays runs thanks to a two-run blast in the third. Fresh off his stint in the WBC, Alfredo Aceves plunked Rodriguez with a pitch in his next at bat. Some words were exchanged between Rodriguez and Aceves, who you may recall was in the thick of the Mexico/Canada brawl a week or so back. The Rays dugout began to empty but, tempers cooled and nothing escalated further. It wasn’t quite 2008, but if precedent holds true, this could be an ugly — hard fought — season.
Expect to see lots of numbnuts wearing green in Ft. Myers today. You know what they say: On St. Patricks day, all crappy Red Sox fans are Irish.
Rays 3/17/2013 Starting Lineup:
Escobar SS
Johnson 1B
Longoria 3B
Rodriguez CF
Loney DH
Lobaton C
Fontenot 2B
Bourgeois RF
Thompson LF
Cobb RHP
Noteworthiness:
- In case you missed it, the Rays made a few roster moves Saturday. The Rays optioned OF Brandon Guyer and P Josh Lueke to Triple-A Durham. They also reassigned Wil Myers, Juan Sandoval, Will Inman and Brandon Martin to minor league camp.
- Though he isn’t starting Sunday, Ben Zobrist is back from the WBC. Zobrist will work out in Port Charlotte today, and will be on the travel squad Tuesday for the Rays/Tigers game in Lakeland. Marc Topkin tweeted, “Zobrist said (the) WBC experience was great, feels ready to start season, will be on normal spring pace.” “It’s hard to believe that anybody passes the opportunity up after experiencing it,” said Ben Zobrist of the Team USA WBC experience.