After a dominating two innings in his first start of the spring, LHP Blake Snell looks to build on that Friday against the Phillies in Port Charlotte.
If his February 25th outing against the Twins is any indication of what’s to come for Snell, the Rays can breathe easy. Of course, that’s just two innings of spring training. On Friday the 25-year old will likely get a little longer leash.
The Phillies will send RHP Aaron Nola to the hill.
The lineup Kevin Cash will send out against Gabe Kapler‘s Phillies is as follows:
CF Kevin Kiermaier
2B Joey Wendle
C Wilson Ramos
1B Jake Bauers
DH Jesus Sucre
LF Joe McCarthy
RF Jason Coats
SS Christian Arroyo
3B Kean Wong
“Gomer” has arrived
#Rays manager, Kevin Cash, spoke to the media this morning.
Thoughts on Carlos Gomez, Nathan Eovaldi, and more.#SpringRays https://t.co/8uTTJLAgdx
— The Scrum Sports (@TheScrumSports) March 2, 2018
The newly signed RF, Carlos Gomez, is expected in town this afternoon. The buzz since his signing has been very positive around the clubhouse. Former teammates Sergio Romo, Ramos, and Denard Span all sing his praises.
“Very excited to have that guy in the lineup and the clubhouse,” Ramos told the Tampa Bay Times, Marc Topkin.
Gomez has had a less than stellar reputation for on-field “antics” over the years. That doesn’t matter to guys like Romo or even Kiermaier.
“I was so pumped when I heard about us signing him,” Kiermaier told the Times. “He’s a guy who just loves baseball.”
Pitchers are impressing
Rays pitchers are doing some impressive work this spring. In six of their eight games, they’ve yielded four or fewer runs, good for a 3.34 ERA (7th in MLB). They also rank 2nd in baseball with a .203 avg against. Only the Red Sox are better.
Set to make their spring debuts today – RHPs Romo, Daniel Hudson, and Alex Colome.
First pitch is set for 1:05 from Charlotte Sports Park.
