Astros at Rays

Good morning from Al Lang Field. It’s 9 a.m., and I’m roger Mooney, your host for today’s in-game blog of the Astros-Rays game, which is scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m., and expected to finish, too, since there is no rain in today’s forecast.

The Rays locker room is closed to reporters now while the team has its annual MLB Security meeting.

Members of the Rays ground crew are painting the numbers “2012” behind a white home plate that’s pained in right field. That will be the spot of home plate when (if) the Rays build the ballpark on the Al Lang site. And it’s supposed to open in 2012, hence the numbers.

This will be the Astros last trip to this historic ballpark.

Here is the Rays lineup:

SS Ben Zobrist
LF Carl Crawford
CF B.J. Upton
DH Cliff Floyd
RF Jonny Gomes
3B Willy Aybar
C Dioner Navarro
1B Chris Richard
2B Andy Cannizaro
P Jason Hammel

I’ll give you the Astros lineup as soon as they are posted in the press box.