Rays vs. Jays without Navarro again

Update 5:24 Though C Dioner Navarro said he feels "way better" than he did Wednesday, he's still out of the lineup tonight and could also sit Friday, with manager Joe Maddon said "we may target Saturday as the game to put him back in."

Maddon said Navarro is available to catch, or fill-in, if necessary, so emergency catcher, utilityman Ben Zobrist, isn't exactly going through serious drills behind the plate.

*Closer Troy Percival took his next step in getting activated from the disabled list (right knee) by throwing off the mound to hitters today (Ben Zobrist and Justin Ruggiano took some hacks). Maddon said Percival looked really good, and it appears he'll be ready to activated on schedule (Saturday), unless the club wants to wait until the roster expands Monday.

*3B Evan Longoria played catch with head athletic trainer Ron Porterfield and was scheduled to take swings with a broomstick, another step in getting him ready to return from the DL (fractured right wrist). No exact timetable set, other than what's been previously stated as a goal of having him come back by next week's Yankees series.

*An interesting moment in the Rays clubhouse during pre-game, as MLB Productions was here to film postseason promotions, featuring Carlos Pena and Longoria.

The Rays are seeking to extend their second-half unbeaten streak in series play in tonight's third and final game against the Jays.

Despite the Rays saying Wednesday there were no injury issues, All-Star C Dioner Navarro is not in the lineup again. Navarro left Tuesday's game with what the Rays said was cramping in both hamstrings, and they said Wednesday an MRI was clear and he was just resting. But against Jays righthander Jesse Litsch, the former Rays bat boy, the righthanded hitting Shawn Riggans is playing and the switch-hitting Navarro is not.

The  lineup:
Iwamura, 2b
Upton, cf
Pena, 1b
Floyd, dh
Aybar, 3b
Hinske, lf
Gross, rf
Riggans, c
Bartlett,ss
Jackson, p

JAYS

Inglett, lf
Scutaro, 2b
Rios, rf
Wells, cf
Lind, dh
overbay, 1b
Barajas, c
Bautista, 3b
McDonald,ss
Litsch, p

Comments

[The Clown]

Yeah.... Dont pitch to the rest of the lineup well just gather up 10-11 hits without Pena go away HATER

[Mitch]

... and we actually scored runs yesterday. You just didn't see it.

[Mitch]

BTW, Floyd and Aybar didn't hit home runs tonight. You imagined that.

.500

[Mitch]

Why would anybody throw a strike to Cartol Pena with the rest of the Tampa Bay lineup incapable of hitting a ball off a tee??

Don't pitch to Pena and you'll beat Tampa Bay without breaking a sweat.

Don't pitch to Pena. This means you: Gaston, Trembley, Francona, Girardi, Wedge...

-Blue Jay Fan

[CJ]

Here we go again with bad calls

[Dave]

Hey, Navarro - You're nuts. You are a big loss. Riggans isn't MLB yet. The blown play at the plate in Chicago and that punking he took from Halladay w/ the runner on third the other night proves it. He might be coming but he hasn't arrived. We need Navarro.

[Navarro]

Navarro is not that big of a loss.

Rays are awesome. They need the community's support. We go to as many games as we can as a family and drive from New Port Richey. We would go to every home game if we could afford it. However, we will be there this weekend, and I just can't wait. I just love the excitement that you get from just being there. Let's all get behind our number 1 team: The Rays. Forget supporting those other teams. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, support the Rays not the other teams. If not, go back to where you came from. GO RAYS!!!!!!!!!

Red Sox lost! Let's distance ourselves folks. Rays fans, get to the park!!!