Aki goes tiki bar

The Rays draw first blood when Aki goes the other way and lines the second pitch of the game into the tiki bar in left field.

Rays 1, Phillies 0.

It is the Rays third home run of the spring. All of them were hit on the road.

Now Al Lang is a great place for a spring training game, especially if you are pitcher. The ball park is spacious and the wind usually blows toward home plate.

Pitchers tend to look good when pitching in St. Pete.

This is interesting: all three of the Rays home runs were to left field.

Home runs are known to kill rallies, but Aki’s blast sparked the Rays offense.

Carl Crawford followed with a double to center. After groundouts by Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton, John Rodriguez came through with a single to center.

Rays 2, Phillies 0

Rodrigiez then scored on a long double to right-center by Jonny Gomes.

Rays 3, Phillies 0.

The Phillies came within feet of getting all the runs back in their half of the inning, but Pat Burrell’s drive to right-center with two-one and two-out was caught at the warning track by Gomes.

This could be a high scoring affair.

The flags are fluttering in the breeze, but they are fluttering toward center field.