Back to the Rays Report

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.

 @RMooneyTrib
 TBO_Rays
Send us your questions

More Links:

• Schedule/Results
• Player Stats
• Team Stats

Most Recent Entries

• Bobby V calls out Rays coaches
• Rays @ BoSox: On Bobby V, Maddon and the organist
• Rays-Red Sox, Round II: Can Rays afford a beanball war?
• Robinson product Gibson advances to NCAA track finals
• Panini previews Gold Standard autographs
• UD unveils Military Machines inserts for 2012 Goodwin Champions set
• Rays @ BoSox: Guyer out for the season, Jennings close to returning and lineups
• USF softball: It’s game day
• Weekly Tampa Bay fishing report
• Rays at BoSox: Rivalry renewed
• Karen Cooley returns as Zephyrhills girls swimming coach
• USF beats Pitt, stays alive
• The Nerds head north
• Jeffrey Shank out as Gulf boys basketball coach
• Berkeley Prep captures Academic Team Champion Award - again

More

• Bucs Report -Tribune staff
• Rays Report - Roger Mooney
• Bolts Report - Erik Erlendsson
• Bulls Report
• Prep Report - Hillsborough
• Prep Report - Pasco
• Prep Report - Region
• Prep Report - Recruiting Updates
• Prep Report - Football
• Go Fishing: On The Waterfront
• The Sports Bookie - Bob D'Angelo
• Gators Report - Tribune staff
• Youth Sports Report
• NFL Draft Report
• Go Ask: Frank's Tacklebox
• Bucified Bert Blog
• BUK Power - Bucs Fan Blog
• Pigskin Preacher - NFL Fan Blog
• Breakfast Bonus - Tom McEwen
• Highlands Sports

Monthly Archives

• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011

Rays vs. Yankees

Posted Sep 13, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Sep 13, 2010 at 05:51 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG— Here we go.

The battle for first place starts tonight at the Trop when the first-place Yankees and the second-place Rays play the first of three games this week and seven games within 11 days.

The Yankees hold a half-game lead over the Rays.

The Rays hold a 7.5 game lead over both the Red Sox and White Sox in the AL Wild Card standings.

But this series and these seven games are about seeding. The division champ gets homefield through the American League playoffs.

But we know all that.

CC Sabathia (19-6) looks to win 20 games for the first time in his career. He faces David Price (17-6), who beat Sabathia last Oct. 2 to deny Sabathia the chance to win 20 games in 2009.

This is without a doubt the best pitching matchup in Trop history, edging Price-Cliff Lee last month.

No major surprises with the Rays lineup other than Willy Aybar is the DH. Joe Maddon had no real reason for that, other than he thinks Aybar is his best option tonight.

Rocco Baldelli DHed Sunday, so it wasn’t going to play two straight days. Maddon even toyed with Dan Johnson, but settled on Aybar to get another bat in the lineup against the left-handed CC Sabathia.

Ben Zobrist, who had eight hits—seven for extra-bases—on the road trip, remains in the fifth hole between Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena.

The Rays are expecting mid-20,000 tonight. There was a pretty good walk-up at the Trop’s box office all day. A good walk-up is around 5,000.

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Marcus Thames DH
Jorge Posada C
Austin Kearns LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Greg Golson RF
—
CC Sabathia LHP (19-6, 3.14)

RAYS
Upton CF
Bartlett SS
Crawford LF
Longoria 3B
Zobrist RF
Pena 1B
Rodriguez 2B
Aybar DH
Shoppach C
—
Price LHP (17-6, 2.87)