Phillies at Rays

Good morning from Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg where the sun is trying its darnedest to peak through the clouds.

The Rays and Phillies are at it again, this time on the Rays home turf.

They will try to play some extra frames today – possibly 12 innings – to get work for the pitchers whose innings this week have been rained out.

Now that’s a switch, huh? Rays manager Joe Maddon’s bullpen is under-worked. Usually it’s the other way around.

Including Jeff Neimann, the scheduled starter, the Rays have 10 pitchers listed on the lineup.
It is 10 a.m. and Donald Fehr, head of the players’ union, is meeting with the Rays. Fehr and his staff, which includes former outfielder Bobby Bonilla, meet with every team in spring training
It’s a long meeting; long enough to cancel batting practice.

The sun is winning the battle right now.

Here are the lineups:

Phillies
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Eric Bruntlett
LF Greg Dobbs
DH Pat Burrell
RF Geoff Jenkins
3B Pedro Feliz
1B Wes Helms
CF So Taguchi
P Cole Hamels

Rays
2B Aki Iwamura
SS Jason Bartlett
1B Carlos Pena
LF Jonny Gomes
DH Cliff Floyd
RF Fernando Perez
3B Willy Aybar
C Dioner Navarro
CF Ben Zobrist
P Jeff Niemann

Also scheduled to pitch for the Rays are Jake McGee, J.P. Howell, Trever Miller Scott Munter, James Houser, al Reyes, Calvin Medlock, Andy Sonnanstine, Wade Davis, Jae Kuk Ryu.