After over a month of slow torture, Spring Training is finally drawing to a close. Opening Day is coming up this Thursday (although the Rays open the season on Friday), and teams are getting in their final couple practices this week. Most teams are taking it slightly easy and resting their star players some, as nobody wants to get injured days before the season begins. In other words, there's not going to be much happening this week until Thursday arrives.
Today the Rays take on the Red Sox in the final game between the two clubs until the Rays travel to Boston in mid-April. Wade Davis gets the start for the Rays, getting in his final tune up before entering the season as the Rays' number three starter, but only a handful of regulars will be making the trip to Fort Myers. Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton, Manny Ramirez, and others are all staying behind to get in a workout in a simulated game instead.
Including this game, there are only two more Spring Training games before the season starts. It's about time.
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Who: Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox
When & Where: 1:05 PM, City of Palms Park, Fort Myers, Fla.
Radio: RaysBaseball.com
Pitching for the Rays: Wade Davis, Cesar Ramos, Juan Cruz, Joel Peralta
Pitching for the Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, Tim Wakefield, Alfredo Aceves
Rays Lineup: Courtesy of Marc Topkin:
Jaso c
Fuld cf
Rodriguez 3b
D. Johnson dh
E. Johnson 1b
Joyce rf
Brignac ss
Furmaniak 2b
Morrison lf Biell lf