The Tampa Bay Rays will look to equal the franchise record for consecutive wins Tuesday by taking the first of three games against the Kansas City Royals. Left-hander Rich Hill (3-1, 3.89 ERA) will get the start, taking on Brad Keller (3-4, 6.52 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10.
Rays Starting Lineup
Choi DH
Meadows LF
Diaz 1B
Lowe 2B
Wendle 3B
Walls SS
Mejia C
Kiermaier CF
Phillips RF
Royals Starting Lineup
Merrifield 2B
Santana 1B
Perez DH
Benintendi LF
Gutierrez 3B
Soler RF
Mondesi SS
Taylor CF
Gallagher C
Rays Working Through Nagging Issues At First Base
The Rays saw both Ji-Man Choi and Mike Brosseau get nicked up in Monday’s finale against Toronto. Choi left the contest in the fourth inning with recurring soreness in his right knee, which he had arthroscopic surgery on during the spring, and Brosseau finished the game at first base despite getting inadvertantly spiked by Blue Jays pitcher Joel Payamps in the 11th inning.
Cash said Choi “most likely [will DH] today. It’s a good chance he might be off tomorrow with [Mike] Minor slated to pitch. So we’ll try to see if he can freshen him up a little bit, but very excited that he was thumbs-up ready to play today.”
As for Brosseau, Cash said the spiking split one of his toenails open.
“Not a good feeling,” the Rays manager said. “But he was in good spirits today, and is good to go when needed.”
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.
