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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 @ Yankees: Changes at the top of the order

Posted Jun 7, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated Jun 7, 2012 at 05:55 PM

ROGER MOONEY
NEW YORK In an effort to shake the lineup back to life, Joe Maddon juggled it a bit for tonight’s game at Yankee Stadium against the Yankees and lefty CC Sabathia.

Elliot Johnson is batting leadoff and Desmond Jennings is batting third.

Also, B.J. Upton has been moved to the cleanup slot while Ben Zobrist has been moved up to No. 2.

“Just trying to rustle up some business for the three, four, five hitters,” Maddon said.

Is it a good move?

“If it works then yes,” Johnson said. Of it doesn’t then no.”

David Price and Sabathia square off again for the seventh time. The Rays won the first five meetings. Sabathia won the last, beating the Rays 56-3 on May 10 at Yankee Stadium.

Price is a 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA in those six starts.

The Rays, losers in seven of their last 10 games, start the day in third-place for the first time since April 23. A win coupled with an Orioles loss in Boston would put the Rays back in a tie for first.

Here are the lineups:

RAYS
Johnson SS
Zobrist DH
Jennings LF
Upton CF
Rodriguez 3B
Peña 1B
Lobaton C
Joyce RF
Sutton 2B
—
Price LHP (7-3, 2.44)

YANKEES
Jeter SS
Granderson CF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Jones DH
Nix LF
Stewart C
—
Sabathia LHP (7-2, 3.68)