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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Rays v Red Sox: Of Rhymes, Thompson, Zim and Astro

Posted May 17, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 17, 2012 at 05:52 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Busy afternoon at the Trop.

Will Rhymes is not in the lineup but wouldn’t be because the Red Sox are throwing left-hander Felix Doubront. Joe Maddon said he won’t play Rhymes tonight, but Rhymes said he is available to pinch-run and expects to swing a bat Friday. Both Rhymes and Maddon said Rhymes will return to the lineup sooner rather than later.

With Doubront on the hill, Rich Thompson makes his first career start in left field in place of Matt Joyce.

Maddon said the teams has decided who will replace Jeff Niemann in the lineup, but are not ready to make the announcement because the pitcher has yet to be told.

Evan Longoria fielded ground balls before batting practice.

“I’m progressing well,” he said.

The Rays pitchers took batting practice in preparation for interleague play. David Price’s bats have Astro’s name on it.

“Believe it,” Price said.

The best news was the Don Zimmer returned to the Trop for the first time since the opening weekend of the season. Zimmer said he is undergoing four hours of dialysis Monday, Wednesday and Friday because of kidney failure.

“I was gone,” Zimmer said. “I was in a diabetic coma. If my wife don’t wake me up I’m still sleeping.”

The Rays look to extend their winning streak to five games against the Red Sox.

Matt Moore makes his eighth start of the season and looks for only his second win.

Here are the lineups:

RED SOX
Aviles SS
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Gonzalez 1B
Middlebrooks 3B
Ross RF
Nava LF
Byrd CF
Shoppach C
—
Doubront LHP (3-1, 4.46)

RAYS
Zobrist RF
Upton CF
Scott DH
Keppinger 2B
Peña 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Johnson SS
Gimenez C
Thompson LF
—
Moore LHP 1-3, 5.31