Rays-Sox live from Fenway

UPDATE, 6:30  Cliff Floyd said the 20-or-so minute team meeting - actually he preferred to call it a "get-together" - went very well. "It was needed,'' he said. "It was basically to end the season on a good note - that was it - with nothing in the tank. Just to make sure we're all on the same page. It was great. Something that was definitely needed. It had nothing that had to do with us losing any games. ...

"I'm not saying you're going to see anything different, I'm just saying it was good for our team to have a little sitdown and a little conversation from a family standpoint, and we achieved that.''

Floyd said several players spoke, and  'it was awesome. We all had good laughs, and we all understood what's at-stake. Not that we didn't know, but we solidified some things.''

Specifically, Floyd said: "We've got to beat the odds and the beat the adversity and if we do that there'll be some bottles popping pretty soon here.''

UPDATE, 6:25: 3B Evan Longoria's fractured right wrist has improved enough that he might be available to pinch-hit tonight, Maddon said. Longoria said he hit flipped balls today and plans to continue to progress, though may not participate in a full pre-game batting practice until Friday in New York. After that he would like to take a "live" BP session against one of the Rays pitchers to face game-speed pitching and could then return to the lineup until Saturday or Sunday.

But he said all feels well, and said "if it comes down to it'' he would be available to pinch hit tonight.

UPDATE: Manager Joe Maddon said Salas has had these seizures before and "should be fine by tomorrow."

UPDATE: Reliever. Juan Salas had an epileptic seizure when he got to the stadium and is at a Boston area hospital.

UPDATE: Rays are having a players-only meeting before coming out for batting practice. The subject? Most likely that they need to focus on what's ahead and what they have to play for and not what has happened.

The Rays are getting ready to open their big series with Boston, with a few players already out for some running and the Sox getting ready for batting practice.

Manager Joe Maddon decided to stick with speedy OF Fernando Perez, playing him in leftfield tonight, but dropping Ben Zobrist and using lefty Gabe Gross in right against Boston lefty Jon Lester.

Here is the Rays lineup:
Iwamura, 2b
Upton, cf
Pena, 1b
Baldelli, dh
Aybar, 3b
Navarro, c
Bartlett, ss
Gross, rf
Perez, lf
Jackson, p

And for the Red Sox:
Kotsay, rf
Pedroia, 2b
Ortiz, dh
Youkilis, 1b
Bay, lf
Lowell, 3b
Lowrie, ss
Varitek, c
Crisp, cf
Lester, p

Comments

Maybe it's just me, but I'd much rather have our current right field situation than have Bay and be playing the Sox with Manny.... I still think they're not the same team without him. Lineup isn't nearly as terrifying.... I expect us to beat them now. Not sure I would have saidd that 2 months ago..

[Amanda]

Yikes! Best wishes to Salas. Hope the guy's alright.
Hope the boys don't let this distract them. I'm sure Juan would be pretty upset if he gets out of the hospital to another loss...

[Dave]

good one John.

Start Canseco.

Rays need to step up this series.

[john]

I don't know why the Ray's don't start Bay or Nady in right tonight instead of Gross.Against a lefty.

[Raymond]

Coco

[dave]

The RAYS are playing October ball in September! GO RAYS!!!

[Ray F]

Any watch parties going on anywhere?

[Mike]

Doesn't get any bigger than this. All of last week will go away with a convincing win tonight.