Results tagged ‘ Rays ’
Solid Outing By Price
David Price made his third outing of the spring Monday against the Pirates and he looked strong in four innings of work.
The Rays left-hander allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two. The only blemish on his line came when Matt Diaz hit an opposite-field two-run homer in the fourth inning.
Price threw 59 pitches — including 27 in the fourth — and 38 were for strikes.
–Bill Chastain
Crawford Apologizes
Carl Crawford held court in Fort Myers today and spoke about the Tampa Bay area and Rays fans after being asked about not thanking them more during his Red Sox introduction press conference in December. Crawford said the following: “My throat was hurting so bad, and I was trying to limit myself to as many words as possible. If I made a few people upset, I’m sorry about it. Everybody knows I loved Tampa when I was there. I had a good time there. At the press conference, I was overwhelmed by cameras. I’ve never been in this situation before. It just slipped my mind. To the people of Tampa and the front office, I apologize and I’m sorry about that.”
–Bill Chastain
Friday activity
Johnny Damon and Casey Kotchman rolled into camp Friday.
Damon immediately came off as everybody’s new best friend as he worked the clubhouse and seemed to be having fun while doing so.
Kotchman spoke of how he is looking forward to returning to his hometown of St. Petersburg to join the Rays as a candidate for first base.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Hellickson has what is being described as a strained right hamstring. Taking the cautious approach, the Rays held the rookie right-hander out of practice on Friday.
– Bill Chastain
Kids Are All Right
Just got finished walking through the clubhouse and here are a few observations:
For starters, a bearded Kelly Shoppach said he’s worked hard this winter and he looks great.
Next, there are a lot of new faces in the clubhouse, including the Cubs’ contingent of Chris Archer, Robinson Chirinos and Sam Fuld, who all give the team a younger look.
Meanwhile, Dan Johnson remained at a lighter weight; he liked the benefits of playing at a lower weight last season. The first base candidate said he’s ready to compete.
– Bill Chastain
Fresh Air Buffs Delight
Baseball fans have long pined for the “smell of the grass, the crack of the bat, and the smell of suntan lotion” at Spring Training.
Well, folks, Spring Training has not yet begun, but Rays players were out working out Monday morning in perfect weather conditions. While a lot of players are gone from last year’s team, everything felt right as they went about their paces.
Every team is in first place at this point and, yes, it’s a great time to enjoy baseball.
–Bill Chastain
Rays Keep Anderson and Ruggiano
Leslie Anderson and Justin Ruggiano have both cleared waivers and have been outrighted to Triple-A Durham.
Both of the outfielders will be in Major League camp this spring.
–Bill Chastain
Rays and Moffitt
The Rays and Moffittt Cancer Center will again partner for their fourth annual “Spring Swing-Moffitt’s Sun Safety Tour” during the coming Spring Training.
The program will search for the early signs of skin cancer as well as promoting sun safety and skin cancer awareness during its five stops this spring. The first of those stops will take place on Feb. 26 at the 1:05 game between the Pirates and Rays at Charlotte Sports Park.
The screenings are open to the public and will begin two hours before the start of the game. For a full schedule of the Spring Swing tour, go to http://www.insidemoffitt.com/Spring-Swing.
–Bill Chastain
Choate Signs Two-Year Deal with Marlins
Randy Choate has signed a two-year deal with the Marlins that will pay him $2.5 million with incentives.
Choate, 35, went 4-3 with a 4.23 ERA in 85 appearances for the Rays in 2010.
– Bill Chastain
Rays Sign Howell to One-Year Deal
The Rays have signed J.P. Howell to a one-year deal for an unspecified amount.
Howell missed the 2010 season after having left-shoulder surgery. It is likely he will miss the first part of the season for the latter stages of his rehab, but his return will give the Rays’ pen a boost.
– Bill Chastain
Piniella on the Rays
Former Rays manager Lou Piniella had nice things to say about the Rays Tuesday when he noted:
“They’ve done a heck of a job over there with that franchise. They’ve made some really astute trades and free-agent acquisitions. They’ve got some really good players coming through that system. They’ve had a marvelous team for four, five years. Now Andrew has another challenge ahead of him. He knows baseball. My last year there, we would talk almost every day. I could tell he was a bright young kid. I didn’t know he’d be the general manager, but it worked out that way. I tip my cap to him. He’s done a nice job.”
– Bill Chastain
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