Friday, 27 February 2009

Rays not started yet

Mixed reports from the Grapefruit League home opener for the Rays against the Yankees Thursday.The Rays gave a run out to minor league pitcher Calvin Medlock in the seventh inning and he surrendered a three-run homer to Shelley Duncan as the Rays fell to 0-2 in spring training with a 5-1 loss.
The Tampa Tribune posted this report:
Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry and Goose Gossage were among the former Yankees greats introduced before the game and The Boss, George Steinbrenner, was in the owner's box. The line-ups on the field, however, were not quite as star-studded.
Designated hitter Jorge Posada hit a solo shot off Chad Orvella in the third and doubled in a run off Winston Abreu in the fifth. The Rays managed their lone run in the seventh, when Jon Weber singled off the glove of shortstop Eduardo Nunez to score Elliott Johnson.
Rays manager Joe Maddon started righthander Wade Davis of Lake Wales and he impressed, retiring the six batters he faced, including strikeouts of Yankees Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano.
"When I saw him last year, he didn't look nearly as aggressive as he was today," Maddon said. "The first part of this camp is to look at people like that in game opportunities, and they need to take advantage of their opportunities, and Wade did today."
Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey also was impressed and declared Davis, who came on late last year at Triple-A Durham, and pronounced him a candidate for the No. 5 spot in Tampa Bay's starting rotation.
Medlock, a non-roster invitee who made 41 appearances out of the Durham bullpen last year, surrendered three hits, including the homer, in his one inning of work.
The Rays' lineup consisted mostly of backups and players hoping to make an impression. The exceptions were left fielder Carl Crawford, who went 0-for-2, and newcomer Gabe Kapler, who debuted in center field and went 0-for-2.

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