Crawford out with sore left hamstring; Aybar at short

The Rays will be without two starters in tonight's matchup with the Indians.

LF Carl Crawford is out of Monday's lineup with a sore left hamstring, and he isn't sure if one day of rest will be enough to return. Eric Hinske will take his spot in left.

Manager Joe Maddon said he's not "heavily" concerned with the injury, but said Crawford felt more soreness after Sunday night's game.

Crawford has been one of the Rays hottest hitters as of late, with an eight-game hitting streak where he's gone 11-for-31 with two doubles, five triples and seven RBI. But Crawford said Monday that his hamstring has bothered him for a few days, and feels like it did in the first half of the season.

Also, with SS Jason Bartlett getting hit in his right index finger with a pitch Sunday, Willy Aybar will make his major-league debut at short - at least for today - allowing rookie third baseman Evan Longoria to stay in his usual spot. Bartlett said on Sunday that there was no fracture, but that he probably wouldn't be able to throw for a few days.

Maddon said Bartlett's finger feels significantly better than Sunday; they drilled into the nail to get the blood out, and they're still waiting on the swelling to subside. Bartlett wore a splint, and while Maddon said he'd probably bet that Bartlett won't play Tuesday, he wouldn't rule it out until re-evaluating him then.

Maddon said it's possible Bartlett could be available to pinch-run tonight.

Though Maddon said putting Aybar at short is definitely not an "optimal" situation, he wanted to leave Longoria alone, considering how much success he's had and how comfortable he's been in his rookie season.

Maddon acknowledged Aybar's lack of experience at shortstop - "it probably goes to his little league days," he quipped - but Aybar has worked out at that position for several days, and the Rays will try to prepare him as best they can.

"Our challenge tonight is to put him in the right spot before the pitch is thrown, get him as close to where the ball is going to be hit," Maddon said. "And roll from there."

Maddon said Sunday that he didn't anticipate Bartlett would need another disabled list stint, but the shortstop was supposed to get re-evaluated today.

As for Aybar, he has yet to play short in the major leagues; in his previous 152 games playing the field, he's split between second and third.

Stay tuned.

Rays

Iwamura, 2b

Upton, cf

Pena, 1b

Longoria, 3b

Navarro, c

Aybar, ss

Hinske, lf

Gomes, dh

Gross, rf

Garza, P

INDIANS
Sizemore, cf

Dellucci, DH

Francisco, lf

Peralta, SZS

Shoppach, c

Garko, 1b

Marte, 3b

Gutierrez, RF

Cabrera, 2b

Lee, P

- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Comments

[Dr. Leroy McCloud]

What's up with CC? An admittedly "lackadaisical" throw cost us a game that started that last losing streak and last night a "casual" throw lets a runner get into scoring position!? Doesn't he also need to hustle or what?

[dick]

Chip--the name you are struggling with is NADY, not Nagy, unless he was included in some mysterious package. If you think Friedman & Co. was correct in this decision, then you and all the so-called talking heads who have been around baseball all their lives, are wrong. You just can't convince me that we offerred Pittsburgh enough to make it work. Pittsburgh needed pitching, nothing more, nothing less--would we have given up the farm by giving them Niemann, Helickson, Hammel and Brignac? I don't think so. The fact is, you don't know what went on in the negotiations and neither do I but it is also a fact we did NOTHING to address a major flaw on this team..

[chip]

dick, i suggest you march right into andrew friedman's office and chewing him out for sitting on his butt and not trading for bay or nagy. then let him explain that the dodgers wanted manny, the sox wanted bay and the rays couldn't offer more than the pirates got and what the yankees offered for nagy without mortgaging a chunk of their future. obviously the niemann-brignac package wasn't good enough. would you rather have had chuck lamar working the phones? except for stealing kazmir from the mets in exchange for victor zambrano, i can't think of a decent deal he ever made, starting with abreu for stocker. fyi, zambrano signed a free-agent contract with the yanks. that alone should cost them four or five games. so relax.

[dick]

That's what I'm talking about Damsso--from your performance tonight, you take away what Nady brings and we were after Fuentes and not you. You were merely part of the package when the Yanks wanted to deal and we wanted fuentes anyway.

[Damaso Marte]

I was one of the Rays "target guys". If you wanted Nady, you'd have been forced to take me too. After giving up a game winning Grand Slam tonight, my Yankees ERA is now 11.57. Trever Miller doesn't look so bad compared to me now, does he?

[dick]

Forgot to mention--take a look see what the "target guys" are doing..Nady going nuts for the Yanks and Bay the same with the Sox--think we could have used either one?? Now, check Hellickson's stats--would we have missed him? If he were ready for action with the Rays, where would they use him? No room at the starting spot for some time.Same story with Briegnac--Bartlett will be here for years to come and for right now, Zobrist, due his versatility is more valuable than Briegnac. So, after all is said and done, our inactivity during the trading period, helped our two main rivals--they helped themselves and we didn't! Sure hope it doesn't bite us in the butt during the next 50+ games...

[dick]

While Pablo and others are correct that we are all ecstatic with where we are in comparison to what we expected, we still feel the need to voice our opinion that management/ownership COULD and SHOULD have addressed an ongoing issue and it is more and more evident with every game a lefty is throwing against us. A good lefty will beat this Rays team on a regular basis. Tonight's line-up resembles a pick-up team at AA or AAA, certainly not a team currently in 1st place. Someone earlier pointed out that Rocco is done rehabbing and is in uniform in the dugout, WHY??? If he is done rehabbing and the medical staff clears him, what the hell is the delay?? Activate him, have him shave that beard and let's play some ball. Get tickets for Gomes/Reyes--activate Rocco and bring up Price or Davis. Sounds kinda simple, doesn't it?

[Pablo Corazon]

While the way Maddon "manages" this team is maddening....I love that we are having these conversations in August. Finally baseball is exciting in Tampa/St. Pete. Thank you to the new ownership for getting this franchise in order.

[JeffC]

The above article states "As for Aybar, he has yet to play short in the major leagues; in his previous 152 games playing the field, he's split between second and third.

It omits the fact that he also played 18 games at first while Pena was injured earlier this year.

[brandon]

rays needed to move gomes, gross, and rocco, to get a proven right handed OF bat. They didnt and the sox got Bay and the evil empire got Nady. Its been pitching for TB all year long so gives us two more months on the mound boys to protect your gm's back.

[max]

well said, skp.

[Steve]

No Rocco yet? Why? He is only going to get rusty sitting around and not seeing any live game pitching.If the Rays are incapable of making a decision about Rocco now,why would it be any different in a day,or,two,or three?

[skp]

Caleb, thankfully even though this may be the worst lineup the rays have put out there since before longoria and gross made the team (remember when nathan haynes was getting starts on this team? and when aybar was our starting 3b? how quaint...), the rays are no longer capable of fielding the worst lineup in baseball (or even the division) on any given night.

[Rocky]

With this lineup, the Rays will need another big night from Upton, Longoria and Pena to win. Good Luck Rays...would have been nice to see Rocco in left tonight...

[Mike]

Why isn't Gomes playing in Vero Beach? Don't give me the righty lefty crap, he can't hit either.

[Caleb]

That is the worst lineup in baseball tonight.

[Bill]

That is about as weak of an offensive and defensive line-up as we could put out there.

[Jeff Gilbert]

I'm guessing CC is sitting because Cliff Lee is pitching. I guess Maddon would thinks he can get more than 0-4 from somebody else.