Rays ready for Yankee Stadium finale

The Rays are playing their 97th and final game at Yankee Stadium today, having gone 28-68 thus far.

Not much pre-game news, though it now seems pretty well set that Matt Garza will start Wednesday's series finale against the Red Sox on three days' rest. Principal owner Stuart Sternberg was on the field pre-game.

3B Evan Longoria is back in the cleanup spot after his impressive return to the lineup on Saturday.

Two interesting footnotes:

*  On the lineup sheet posted in the Rays clubhouse, there were no relievers listed, so the Rays apparently are expecting a lot from starter Edwin Jackson today.

* Veteran Cliff Floyd took out the lineup card before the game rather than one of the coaches as usual."

The lineups:
RAYS
Iwamura, 2b
Bartlett, ss
Pena, 1b
Longoria, 3b
Floyd, dh
Navarro, c
Hinske, lf
Gross, rf
Perez, cf
Jackson, p

YANKEES
Damon, lf
Jeter, ss
Giambi, 1b
A. Rodriguez, dh
Nady, rf
Cano, 2b
I. Rodriguez, c
Ransom, 3b
Gardner, cf
Pavano, p

Comments

[Go Rays!!]

I've searched the Internet and still haven't found any reason for that ump to have made the safe call when no one was safe. I know, I know.. let it go. It just seems funny to me, I've watched thousands of hours of baseball and never seen it before.

[Amanda]

Anonymous 1:42-
I think Floyd just made up for that earlier one! Though the Yanks might want to bench Giambi after that ridiculous (lack of a) play! Laying on his stomach slamming his fists? Did his mom just tell him he couldn't have another cookie, or tell him he couldn't have that new toy?

[Go Rays!!]

Look -- empty seats at Yankee stadium! New York must not be a baseball town. They should probably move the team to Queens.

[David]

Jackson is making a very strong case to be the one to lose his job soon.

[Go Rays!]

Is that an official umpire call? When the ball goes to Cano with Floyd running, Cano doesn't tag the base. The umpire makes the "safe" call twice when nobody was "safe". Wouldn't it be more natural for Cliff to go to second, and then be called safe? If the umpire hadn't made the call, Cano would not have known to go back and tag him. I've never seen it before.

[zeke]

I appreciate Joe and DeWayne as much as the next guy but they have to start telling it like it is. First Joe tell us all that Jerry is a hitters ump and has a small strike zone. Then, after Giambi hits the cover off the ball and a-Rod launches one, both of them are lamenting that the ump is squeezing Jackson. Home announcers are one thing but recently they go overboard on "homering"..

i guess we have to bench floyd now.. he didnt hustle to second

[dr.dick]

Why is it that a future Hall of Famer can play consecutive games and to top that off, can manage to sacrifice when called upon. Seems most of our guys either cannot bunt or are never called upon to bunt. someone earlier mentioned that "the Rays play 18 games in 17 days" as justification why they aren't playing in back to back games..Total Bullspit--doubt you see teams in contention resting their players, with the exfeption of the angels who already have it wrapped up. To keep resting Bartlett, Pena and Aki borders on insanity and peespoorcoaching.