Spring Game 4: Twins 3, Rays 2

Since some of you watched this game and Robbie already touched on this game, I will keep this brief. The Rays continued their spring struggles yesterday, dropping another game yesterday. Again the Rays struggled to get anything going on offense until the 8th inning, with Stephen Vogt doubling and Jose Lobaton driving him in. Desmond Jennings was 1 for 3 from the top of the order. Sean Rodriguez was 1 for 2 in the three spot. Carlos Pena had an uneventful return to the Rays, going 0 for 2.

Jeff Niemann made his first start in his case for the fifth starter spot. Niemann looked a little rocky at the beginning of the game, allowing two quick hits. In his two innings, though, he only allowed one unearned run. From there, the minor leaguers took over, with Jhonny Nunez allowing the other two runs.

Spring Game 5: Rays at Yankees

Time: 1:05

TV: MLB Network (tomorrow at 9 AM)

Pitchers: Rays- James Shields, Burke Badenhop, Dane De La Rosa, Alex Colome, Josh Lueke, and Romulo Sanchez

Yankees- Hiroki Kuroda

James Shields will make his spring debut for the Rays, looking to pick up where he left off last season. We will also see the second appearances of Burke Badenhop, Dane De La Rosa, Alex Colome, and Josh Lueke. Lueke and Badenhop were each bitten by the home run bug in their last appearances.

The Rays will get their first look at new Yankees acquisition Hiroki Kuroda, who they should be seeing a lot of this season.

Notables: Matt Joyce, B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, and Jose Molina are all scheduled to play in this game

Rays News and Notes

• Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes about Desmond Jennings’ plan to separate himself from the Carl Crawford comparisons. Jennings has been long compared to the former Ray, due to his mix of speed, power, and defense. If anything, Jennings could be better as he has more potential power, which we saw a bit of last season.
• Topkin also talks about Carlos Pena’s return to the Rays, which became a reality yesterday when Pena took the field against the Twins.
• Finally, the Rays announced their first concert in the Summer Concert series. The concert will take place on June 17th, Father’s Day, and feature three acts. ZZ Top, Gretchen Wilson, and 3 Doors Down will all perform. ZZ Top and 3 Doors Down have appeared at the Trop in past concert series. The rest of the concerts will be released later this month.

Spring Game 1 Recap: Rays at Twins

Even with the Rays 7-3 loss in the spring opener, the Rays showed promise. The runs didn’t come until later in the game for the pitchers and the Rays starting offense turned it on in the beginning. BJ Upton had a big game, going 2 for 2 with a double and a triple. Matt Joyce went 1 for 2 with a 2-run homer. Jose Lobaton and Elliot Johnson were the other two starters to get a hit.

Chris Gimenez continues to impress, going 1 for 2 with a double after replacing Jose Molina. Gimenez could be working his way into the backup catcher spot if he continues to show offensive potential. His flexibility to play corner infield and outfield spots as well as defending well at catcher is something Joe Maddon could look at to make his final decision.

David Price had a good showing in his first spring appearance, throwing a perfect frame in the first. Chris Archer backed him up with a scoreless second. Dane De La Rosa struck out the side in the fourth, allowing one hit. Alex Colome struggled a bit in the fifth, allowing 3 hits and 1 run. He did impress Joe Maddon, though, hitting 98 with his fastball.

Spring Game 2: Twins at Rays

Pitchers: Rays-  Jeremy Hellickson, Fernando Rodney, Joel Peralta, J.P. Howell, Jake McGee, Josh Lueke, Burke Badenhop, and Romulo Sanchez

Twins- Terry Doyle, Scott Diamond, Luis Perdomo, Aaron Thompson, Lester Oliveras, P.J. Walters, and Casey Fien

If you are heading to Port Charlotte for game two of this home and home with the Twins, you will see a bunch of pitchers that could make the Opening Day roster. We will get our first look at Jeremy Hellickson as he looks to back-up his Rookie of the Year campaign. We will also get our first look at three offseason acquisitions, Fernando Rodney, Josh Lueke, and Burke Badenhop.

Rays News and Notes

• Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times talks to new ESPN analyst Terry Francona, who has some praise for the Rays now that he can actually say nice things about them.
• Topkin also takes a look at Joel Peralta’s decision to lie about his age when coming out of the Dominican Republic as a prospect. Peralta said he was 16 when he was actually 20. The age difference came out when he was with the Angels. Now Peralta is 35 and is entering his second season with the Rays.
• The Bradenton Herald writes about Carlos Pena‘s return to the Rays. Pena will certainly be the answer to the Rays first base void they had entering the offseason, and he will fill the role well if he can provide the power and clubhouse presence we have all come to love.

Spring Game 1: Rays at Twins

Pitchers: Rays-David Price, Chris Archer, Alex Colome, Dane De La Rosa, Jhonny Nunez, Ricky Orta, Ryan Reid, Wilking Rodriguez, and Albert Suarez

Twins- Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing, Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Alex Burnett, Anthony Swarzak, Phil Dumatrait, and Matt Maloney

The Rays will get their first look at David Price, who is looking to bounce back after a good but not great season last year. We will also get our first look at top prospects Chris Archer and Alex Colome. Archer is a lot closer to the Rays than Colome, as Colome will most likely start in Montgomery while Archer will begin the year in Durham.

The Rays will get a look at Twins starter Carl Pavano as well as set-up man Glen Perkins and closer Matt Capps. While each won’t get to pitch much, it will still be something that could help heading into the season.

Lineup:

1. Jennings lf
2. Upton cf
3. Zobrist 2b
4. Joyce rf
5. Molina c
6. Lobaton dh
7. Miranda 1b
8. Johnson 3b
9. Brignac ss

The Rays have a lot of regulars in the lineup for the spring opener. Rays fans who make the trip to Fort Myers will get to see Desmond Jennings, BJ Upton, Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist, Reid Brignac, and new catcher Jose Molina. I am interested in seeing how Molina does at the plate this spring, as it could get him more starts this season.

Rays News and Notes

• Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times highlights some of the injury news heading into the first week of spring.
• The MLB officially announced their new playoff format that I talked about earlier in the week. The MLB made an interesting move to make room for the extra round this season, changing up the ALDS. The lower seed will now get the first two games at home while the higher seed will get the last three on their home turf. This is only for 2012, as they needed to reduce travel time to make room for the extra round.
• Topkin also takes a look at the Rays projected 2012 lineup.
• Kevin Payne of FoxSports.com takes a look at the Rays 2012 season and Rays players with a potential fantasy impact.
• Roger Mooney of TBO.com takes a look at David Price’s remarkable 2010 season, which saw him go 19-6 with a 2.72 ERA and finish second in Cy Young voting.
• Luke Scott may be a little out there sometimes, but at least we know he has a genuine hatred for the Red Sox and their fans. It will be interesting to see how Red Sox Nation reacts to these comments.
• The Rays held their annual charity golf tournament yesterday, and BJ Upton’s team took away the title for the second straight year.