Upton up top
UPDATE, 7:07 RHP Troy Percival said his sprained right knee felt considerably better on Sunday, enough that he was able to play catch with only some pain, and he might not have arthroscopic surgery that was tentatively scheduled for Monday morning in St. Petersburg. Percival said he would see the Rangers doctor later Sunday and the decision could be made then. He said he received a cortisone shot on Friday and has been taking anti-inflammatories and the progess has been significant.
CF B.J. Upton didn't just return to the Rays lineup on Sunday, he's at the top as 2B Akinori Iwamura is getting the day off.
Manager Joe Maddon wanted to rest Iwamura, but had to make sure SS Jason Bartlett, who jammed his right knee on Saturday, was able to play. He is in the lineup, and Ben Zobrist is starting at second. Dioner Navarro is back behind the plate after getting back-to-back days off.
Otherwise, the lineup is as expected against Rangers RHP Dustin Nippert as the Rays finish their season-long 10-game road trip, then fly late night and face the Angels on Monday.
The lineup:
Upton, cf
Zobrist, 2b
Pena, 1b
Floyd, dh
Aybar, 3b
Hinske, 3b
Navarro, c
Gross, rf
Bartlett, ss
Kazmir, p
(Pictured - Jason Bartlett breaks up a double-play attempt against the Rangers on Saturday, tweaking his knee in the process. AP photo. Click to enlarge.)
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I've seen that only once before, in a Diamondbacks vs Giants game. You can probably guess who the Diamondbacks manager walked.
Actually, I hated the decision last night for the "duh" reason (Byrd homers, Rangers win instead of tie.) But hey, Joe played his hunch and it worked out, so I'm not going to dwell on it. Phew.
Posted by: Helene | August 18, 2008 at 11:11 AM
Maddon deserves to be Manager of the Year after making a gutsy move to walk Hamilton, give up a run and bring the winning run for Texas at the plate. No other manager in baseball would have had the guts to do that. Well done Joe!!!
Posted by: Joey | August 17, 2008 at 11:46 PM
It's nice to see BJ responding with a big game tonight. 2-3 including a 2R HR with 3 RBIs. Ironically, he bailed out Gabe Gross who made his own boneheaded base running error in the 3rd inning.
Posted by: 9equals8.com | August 17, 2008 at 09:28 PM
Hi, my name is Kaz and I'm sure you have seen the improvement as I have figured out what was wrong. I have got my pitch count down to approx 18 per inning instead of over 20!!! It took me 3/4 of the season to figure it out but I did it!
Posted by: scott | August 17, 2008 at 09:14 PM
dear santa,
all i want for an early christmas present is a right handed batter with a decent batting average who plays the OF or will DH. i forgot, our owner is jewish, can i get an early chanukah present. i should get eight gifts but i will settle for just one. please dont make me get desperate and ask a gift from allah. Aug 31st deadline is less than two weeks away, red sox, yankees, and twins in september oh my!
Posted by: brandon | August 17, 2008 at 08:32 PM
only one starter in the line up batting over .266, how the hell are we still winning? this is the biggest cinderella story since the charlie sheen led cleveland indians.
Posted by: brandon | August 17, 2008 at 08:26 PM
He who runs with the fish should learn to swim.
Posted by: Timmy Confucius Jr | August 17, 2008 at 06:16 PM
this just in: RedSox take a beatdown today and magic number is now at 36 ... could be at 35 if we take care of business tonight
Posted by: Abner DoublePlay | August 17, 2008 at 05:52 PM
He should be the full time lead off guy. This is what he wants. This is where he would do best. If he were to be happy, maybe he will not be so lazy.
Posted by: J | August 17, 2008 at 05:44 PM
That's what she said.
Posted by: Ken | August 17, 2008 at 05:33 PM