The Tampa Bay Rays will look to even up their three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles with a victory in the middle game of the set. Shane McClanahan (3-3, 4.05 ERA) will get the start, taking on John Means (4-2, 2.28 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10.
Rays Starting Lineup
Diaz 1B
Franco 3B
Meadows DH
Arozarena LF
Lowe RF
Walls SS
Mejia C
Brujan 2B
Kiermaier CF
Orioles Starting Lineup
Mullins CF
Hays LF
Mancini 1B
Mountcastle DH
Santander RF
Urias SS
Severino C
Valaika 2B
Gutierrez 3B
Anderson Close To Heading On Rehab Stint
Reliever Nick Anderson threw his second live batting practice session since beginning his rehab from a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament Tuesday afternoon, a 20-pitch session to Manuel Margot and Vidal Brujan at Tropicana Field.
“I’ll take it,” Anderson said after the session. “Really it’s just part of the progression and just keep throwing and move along.”
Manager Kevin Cash said that the plan for Anderson would be to start a rehab assignment with a game in Port Charlotte in the Florida Complex League, then going to Triple-A Durham for repetition.
“He’s got a ways to go,” Cash admitted. “We’ll just see, and hope the arm bounces back, he feels good while he’s pitching, and everything — the velo and the locate command — come to live like we’ve seen him, for being the best reliever in baseball the last couple of seasons.”
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.