Word now is that Akinori Iwamura plans to appeal the three-game suspension he otherwise would have started tomorrow night. His appeal won’t be heard until next Tuesday or Wednesday, so the Rays will have his services at least into the early part of next week.

That’s particularly important because of Jason Bartlett’s situation. His wife, Kelly, is due to give birth at any time and Bartlett likely will miss a game or two when she does. The couple is planning to induce labor next Wednesday if the baby doesn’t arrive before then.

That matters from a baseball perspective because the Rays, already lacking a true backup shortstop, don’t want to be without their two starting middle infielders at the same time. If that were to occur, it’s a little frightening to think about how the infield might look. It’d be something like Hinske at third, Longoria at short, Aybar at second and Gomes at first. Talk about diminished range…