Today, Wade Davis gets the start, as Maddon shuffled him around in the pitching rotation to get him lined up to be the Rays' third starter behind Price and Shields. This selection was a bit of a small surprise, as most people had expected Jeff Niemann to slide into the third spot in the rotation after being the Rays' fourth starter last season, but Davis seems to have impressed the Rays with his improved performance in the second half of last season.
Many of the regular starters for the Rays are getting time off today, considering the last two days have featured night games. While I'm going to be interested to watch Dan Johnson and Reid Brignac at the plate, I'm particulary going to be keeping an eye on the bullpen pitchers today: Wade, Swindle, and Cabral. After last night's impressive performances from Farnsworth, Cruz, and Peralta, the competition for bullpen slots is really heating up. Cabral and Swindle are fighting for the LOOGY slot, while Wade is battling Cruz, Ekstrom, and Delaney for the final middle relief spot.
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Who: Tampa Bay Rays @ Minnesota Twins
When & Where: 1:05 PM, Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers, Fla.
Radio: WDAE 620 AM
Pitching for the Rays: Wade Davis, Cory Wade, R.J. Swindle, Cesar Cabral
Pitching for the Twins: Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, Jim Hoey
Rays Lineup: Courtesy of Marc Topkin:
Fuld cf
Brignac ss
Jaso c
D. Johnson DH
Rodriguez 3b
Lopez 2b
Kotchman 1b
Carter lf
Ruggiano rf