Rays | Niemann's start to be skipped
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:39:09 -0700

Marc Lancaster, of The Tampa Tribune, reports Tampa Bay Rays SP Jeff Niemann's next start will be skipped. SP Matt Garza will now start Sunday, July 5. Niemann will be available out of the bullpen in the meantime.

Rays | Upton named AL Player of the Month
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:21:15 -0700

Joe Smith, of the St. Petersburg Times, reports Tampa Bay Rays OF B.J. Upton was named the American League Player of the Month for the month of June. He batted .324 (34-for-105) with five home runs, 20 runs, 22 RBIs and 10 doubles in 26 games.

Rays | Meloan acquired
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:14:20 -0700

The St. Petersburg Times reports the Tampa Bay Rays acquired P John Meloan from the Cleveland Indians Thursday, July 2, in exchange for RP Winston Abreu. Meloan will report to Triple-A Durham.

Rays | Close to acquiring Meloan
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:03:14 -0700

Ken Rosenthal, of FOXSports.com, reports the Tampa Bay Rays are close to acquiring Cleveland Indians P John Meloan in exchange for RP Winston Abreu, according to major league sources.

Rays | Slight change in stance the key for Gross
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:03:06 -0700

MLB.com's Erika Gilbert reports Tampa Bay Rays OF Gabe Gross is hitting .282 with a .393 on-base percentage this year, which could be attributed to a slight change in his stance. "He's standing up more," manager Joe Maddon said. "He's more upright than he had been. That's (in terms of) physical posture, but I also think he's more willing to hit the ball back to the middle of the field and not try to pull everything. I've seen a lot more line drives up the middle, base hits up the middle, even down the left-field line. Just a better approach on a daily basis."

Rays | Crawford extends hitting streak
Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:57:58 -0700

Marc Lancaster, of The Tampa Tribune, reports Tampa Bay Rays OF Carl Crawford extended his hitting streak to 10 games Wednesday, July 1.

Rays | Shields allows five in loss
Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:43:54 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays SP James Shields allowed five runs (four earned) and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday, July 1. He walked one and struck out eight in the game.

Rays | Hughes up to Triple-A
Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:26:27 -0700

The Tampa Tribune's Marc Lancaster reports the Tampa Bay Rays promoted 1B Rhyne Hughes to Triple-A Durham.

Rays | Longoria to get some rest
Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:25:49 -0700

The Tampa Tribune's Marc Lancaster reports the Tampa Bay Rays plan to ease off 3B Evan Longoria's (hamstring) playing time a bit because he's still not fully recovered from a left hamstring injury that sidelined him twice in recent weeks.

Rays | Choate nearly unhittable against the left
Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:25:35 -0700

The St. Petersburg Times reports Tampa Bay Rays RP Randy Choate has held left-handed hitters to a 1-for-22 mark this season.

Rays | Three solo homers aid Tuesday win
Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:23:24 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays OF B.J. Upton, 3B Willy Aybar and OF Carl Crawford all homered Tuesday, June 30, in the team's 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rays | Longoria not in lineup Tuesday
Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:49:03 -0700

Joe Smith, of the St. Petersburg Times, reports Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria (hamstring) is not in the lineup Tuesday, June 30. 1B Willy Aybar is starting at third base. Longoria has battled left hamstring soreness this month.

Rays | Zobrist receives day off Monday
Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:04:01 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays SS Ben Zobrist, who is stuck in a 6-for-40 slump, received the day off Monday, June 29.

Rays | Fast fact: Crawford loves Blue Jays pitching
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:35:22 -0700

According to The St. Petersburg Times, 15 of the 77 home runs hit by Tampa Bay Rays OF Carl Crawford have come against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rays | Aybar to see more time until break
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:33:52 -0700

The St. Petersburg Times reports Tampa Bay Rays IF Willy Aybar will see a gradual increase in his playing time leading up to the All-Star break, according to manager Joe Maddon.

Rays | Crawford homers, steals base Monday
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:02:35 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays OF Carl Crawford was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored Monday, June 29, against the Toronto Blue Jays. Crawford hit his seventh home run and stole his 40th base of the year.

Rays | Niemann earns seventh win Monday
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:46:46 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays SP Jeff Niemann improved to 7-4 on the season Monday, June 29, after he allowed one earned run over 7 1/3 innings to the Toronto Blue Jays. Niemann walked two and gave up four hits while striking out one in the game.

Rays | Howell may be closer to being closer
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:09:38 -0700

Rays.MLB.com reports Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell, who picked up back-to-back wins on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, hasn't given up an earned run since Saturday, May 23. He's 4-0 with 22 strikeouts and six hits over that span. "I just know that he's got the makeup and the stuff to close," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "You look at his pedigree in regard to striking out hitters. Power comes in different forms, too."

Rays | Diekroeger still undecided if he will sign
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:59:51 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays SS Kenny Diekroeger (second round) took grounders before the team's game Sunday, June 28. He is still undecided if he will sign with the Rays or attend Stanford University.

Rays | Howell earns save Sunday
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:59:03 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell earned his fifth save of the season Sunday, June 28, after striking out two and walking one over 2/3 innings. Howell has not allowed a run over his last 16 2/3 innings.

Rays | Price walks five in win Sunday
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:58:50 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays SP David Price improved to 2-2 on the year Sunday, June 28, despite walking five runners over 6 1/3 innings. Price allowed just two hits and one earned run in the game while striking out four.

Rays | Upton homers, steals base Sunday
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:58:35 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays OF B.J. Upton was 2-for-4 with a home run and a stolen base Sunday, June 28, against the Florida Marlins. Upton finished with two runs scored and an RBI in the game.

Rays | Pena hits 100th homer in Tampa Bay uniform Saturday
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:33:36 -0700

Tampa Bay Rays 1B Carlos Pena hit his 100th home run as a Ray Saturday, June 27, against the Florida Marlins, according to The Associated Press. He moved past Fred McGriff into second place on the club's all-time list behind Aubrey Huff (128).

Rays | Howell earns win Saturday
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:27:20 -0700

Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell tossed one scoreless inning Saturday, June 27, against the Florida Marlins, according to The Associated Press. He walked one and struck out one, improving to 4-2 on the season.

Rays | Abreu designated for assignment
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:08:19 -0700

The Tampa Bay Rays have designated RP Winston Abreu for assignment, according to USAToday.com.

Rays | Kazmir activated from 15-day disabled list
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:06:45 -0700

Updating previous reports, the Tampa Bay Rays have activated SP Scott Kazmir (quadriceps) from the 15-day disabled list, according to USAToday.com.

Rays | Sonnanstine optioned to Triple-A
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:03:52 -0700

Updating previous reports, the Tampa Bay Rays have optioned SP Andy Sonnanstine to Triple-A Durham, according to USAToday.com.

Rays | Bradford activated from 15-day disabled list
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:55:17 -0700

Updating previous reports, Tampa Bay Rays RP Chad Bradford (elbow) has been activated from the 15-day disabled list, according to USAToday.com.

Rays | Bartlett's hitting streak ends Friday
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:29:35 -0700

Tampa Bay Rays SS Jason Bartlett went hitless in four at-bats Friday, June 26, against the Florida Marlins, to end his career-best and franchise-record hitting streak at 19 games, according to The Associated Press.

Rays | Longoria returns to action Friday
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:22:34 -0700

Updating previous reports, Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria (hamstring) went 2-for-4 Friday, June 26, against the Florida Marlins, with an RBI, according to The Associated Press.

Rays | Upton drives in three runs Friday
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:19:15 -0700

Tampa Bay Rays OF B.J. Upton went 2-for-4 Friday, June 26, against the Florida Marlins, with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored, according to The Associated Press.

Rays | Shields hurls quality start Friday
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:15:43 -0700

Tampa Bay Rays SP James Shields allowed three runs on nine hits over 6 2/3 innings Friday, June 26, against the Florida Marlins, according to The Associated Press. He walked two and struck out five, but ended up with a no-decision.

Rays | Howell records win Friday
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:12:40 -0700

Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell allowed one hit over 1 1/3 shutout innings Friday, June 26, against the Florida Marlins, with one strikeout, according to The Associated Press. He earned the victory, improving to 3-2 on the season.

Rays | Kazmir expected to start Saturday
Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:45:56 -0700

Marc Topkin, of the St. Petersburg Times, reports Tampa Bay Rays SP Scott Kazmir (quadriceps) is expected to start Saturday, June 27.

Rays | Longoria returns Friday
Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:23:55 -0700

Marc Lancaster, of The Tampa Tribune, reports Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria (hamstring) returned to the lineup Friday, June 26.

Rays | Bradford could return this weekend
Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:33:56 -0700

Updating previous reports, MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun reports Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon said RP Chad Bradford (elbow) could return as early as this weekend.

Rays | Zobrist homers Thursday
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:17:26 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays SS Ben Zobrist hit his 16th home run of the season Thursday, June 25.

Rays | Bartlett extends hitting streak
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:16:31 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays SS Jason Bartlett extended his career-best hitting streak to a team-record 19 games Thursday, June 25.

Rays | Aybar drives in three Thursday
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:09:51 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays 1B Willy Aybar homered and drove in three runs in a winning effort Thursday, June 25.

Rays | Longoria expected back Friday
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:51:19 -0700

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria (hamstring) is expected to be back in the lineup Friday, June 26. He is available to pinch hit Thursday, June 25.

Rays | Abreu could be optioned
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:17:35 -0700

Marc Topkin, of the St. Petersburg Times, reports Tampa Bay Rays RP Winston Abreu is a likely candidate to be optioned to the minors when SP Scott Kazmir (quadriceps) returns from the disabled list.

Rays | Longoria not in lineup Thursday
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:15:35 -0700

Marc Topkin, of the St. Petersburg Times, reports Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria (hamstring) is not in the lineup Thursday, June 25, after leaving the game Wednesday, June 24, after feeling a "twinge" in his left hamstring. 1B Willy Aybar is replacing Longoria at third base.

Rays | Bradford could return Monday
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:31:11 -0700

Marc Topkin and Joe Smith, of the St. Petersburg Times, report Tampa Bay Rays RP Chad Bradford (elbow) could return to the team as early as Monday, June 29. He threw a scoreless inning with Triple-A Durham while picking up the win Wednesday, June 24. Bradford is scheduled for one more rehab outing Saturday, June 27.

Rays | Rotation could change soon
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:30:44 -0700

Marc Topkin and Joe Smith, of the St. Petersburg Times, report Tampa Bay Rays SPs Andy Sonnanstine, David Price or Jeff Niemann are all candidates to be bumped from the rotation when SP Scott Kazmir (quadriceps) returns.

Rays | Kazmir set to return this weekend
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:22:17 -0700

Marc Topkin and Joe Smith, of the St. Petersburg Times, report Tampa Bay Rays SP Scott Kazmir (quadriceps) is set to return and start either Saturday, June 27, or Sunday, June 28.