Floyd gets day off

The Rays will go for a sweep of the Orioles today at the Trop - with the opportunity to go a franchise-best 10 games over .500 in the process.

There are a few lineup tweaks, with DH Cliff Floyd getting the day off, which is more about keeping him healthy than him snapping an 0-for-16 stretch with a hit Saturday..Eric Hinske will DH and Gabe Gross will play in RF.

Should be a good pitching matchup today, with James Shields for the Rays and Daniel Cabrera for the Orioles..

Here are the lineups:

Orioles:
Roberts, 2B
Mora, 3B
Markakis, RF
Huff, DH
Millar, 1B
Payton, LF
R. Hernandez, C
Jones, CF
Bynum, SS

Cabrera, P

Rays:
Iwamura, 2B
Crawford, LF
Upton, CF
Pena, 1B
Longoria, 3B
Hinske, DH
Navarro, C
Gross, RF
Bartlett, SS

Shields, P

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Comments

[Michael]

Plus, dont forget, while Jonnys arm strenght is decent to good, Gross has a cannor, that is the closest thing to Delmon Youngs we have to put in right feild, although, the throw Gross made today was off the mark, and I didnt like his play in right field yesterday. For those of you who wernt at the game, he had just been put in for his defense, and I think he lost the ball in the lights, so instead of looking for it, he put his arm on his head, and ducked. Even with that, he is still better than Gomes in Right Feild, but neither is ideal. Who knows, maybe at this rate, the Rays are buyers at the trade deadline, and get a starting right fielder. Afterall, with the win today, and the Red Sox loss, we are back in first place in the division!!

[the clown]

What makes Gomes better than gross? He doesent play better defense and doesnt run better than gomes and as far as hitting goes they are about even except gross obp is probably higher

EDGE: GROSS

Sorry Philip your wrong

[PHILIP Ware]

Why isn't Gomes playing he is much better thta Gross.