The Heater

Buckhorn: Rays stadium stalemate "has gone on long enough"

Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn said Friday said he believes the Rays stadium “stalemate has gone on long enough,” admitting the waiting game has been tough because he’s “not a patient guy.”

But Buckhorn has been encouraged there seems to be a growing sense of urgency, and more discussions, between St. Pete and the Rays.

“I get a sense that, perhaps over the summer, there may be some movement,” Buckhorn said after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. “I don’t know what it’ll be. But I think everyone recognizes that the status quo is not an answer.”

Buckhorn made it clear he’s not going to “get in the middle,” saying he respects the position St. Pete mayor Bill Foster is in and how much of an investment the citizens of St. Pete have made to the facility. Foster has said they’ve been trying to find a “middle ground” with the Rays, who have a lease at the Trop until 2027 but want to explore potential stadium sites outside of the city. Buckhorn said there “needs to be options because this is not going until 2027, it’s just not.”

Buckhorn reiterated if Rays are allowed to look elsewhere, “we’ll be ready.” …

For starters, Rays vs. Yankees

AP photo

Roberto Hernandez will be on the mound for the Rays, coming off an abbreviated outing Saturday.

UPDATE 5:22 p.m. Manager Joe Maddon said Desmond Jennings is just getting a day off the turf, but is available. OF Matt Joyce is back in the lineup, and atop the order, saying his hamstring feels just fine.

*Maddon said there's "nothing new" with LHP David Price's rehab from a left triceps strain, and he still has no "finish line." Maddon has said Price is expected to be out 2-3 starts, with it more likely on the latter end of that timeline.

*Maddon reiterated that although Fernando Rodney has struggled, he will remain the closer, and there's been no thoughts of moving him out of that role whatsoever. Maddon said the same for the rest of the bullpen, which will slot into their regular roles.

*RHP Brandon Gomes (lat strain) said he's feeling better, but making slow progress, hoping to start throwing in the next week or so. Looks like he's several weeks away. …

Video: Rays Rodney on blown save

Rays closer Fernando Rodney talks about giving up the 9th inning homer to Jose Bautista that led to his blown save, and the 4-3 10-inning loss.

Rays blow it again, lose to Jays 4-3 in 10

The Rays ended a good road trip in a bad way Wednesday evening, blowing another ninth inning lead and losing to the Jays 4-3 in 10 innngs.

The Rays took a 3-2 lead into the ninth, having gotten 8 strong innings from Jeremy Hellickson and rallying in the top of the ninth to snap a 2-2 tie, James Loney singling in Evan Longoria, who had doubled to extend his career best hitting streak to 16 games.

The Rays turned to Fernando Rodney to get the last three outs, but he failed them again. Rodney gave up a leadoff homer to Jose Bautista, his second of the game, and then was lifted after a one-out walk to Adam Lind. Joel Peralta came in and got them out of that mess.

The Jays won it in the 10th with Cesar Ramos on the mound. Colby Rasmus reached on a rare error by 1B James Loney, who couldn't handle a low throw by C Jose Molina after fielding Rasmus's squibber. Rasmus moved to second on a bunt and then third on a ground out.

The Rays turned next to Kyle Farnsworth, and after getting ahead 0-and-2 on Jose Bautista, he gave up a single to rightfield tha scored the winner.

The Rays are off Thursday and open a weekend series with the Yankees on Friday at the Trop.

Minor-league P Yepez suspended 50 games

Another Rays minor-leaguer was suspended for drug-related reasons, RHP Angel Yepez getting a 50-game ban after testing positive for "metabolites of Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance,'' according to an MLB release.

Yepez, 18, is in his first pro season and pitching in the Venezuelan Summer League.

He is the ninth Rays minor-leaguer to be suspended for drug-related reasons since the start of last season. RHP Jose Disla, a 17-year-old on the Dominican Summer League roster, was suspended last month.

Rotation shuffle: Cobb to face Yankees Sunday, Odorizzi vs. Marlins Monday

The hinted change in the Rays rotation became official Wednesday, with a decision to move RHP Alex Cobb up to face the Yankees on Sunday and bump rookie RHP Jake Odorizzi back a day to face the Marlins on Monday.

The change was possible because the Rays are off Thursday, meaning Cobb will pitch on regular rest on Sunday. And manager Joe Maddon acknowledged that he pulled Cobb when he did Tuesday, after 107 pitches, with the idea that he would be brought back to start Sunday.

"Just based on experience,'' Maddon said. "Cobb has been pitching really well, and Jake is new. Why not give Cobber the tougher assignment pretty much. I don't want to say anything bad about Miami, but in general terms, division rivalry, Cobber's had more experience, the Yankees are on a pretty good roll, let's throw him there. ...

"It's not a slight to anybody. It's just probably the right thing to do, I think anybody would given the same set of choices or circumstances.''

Odorizzi, filling in for injured David Price, made his debut for the Rays here on Monday, struggling early but settling in to work five innings.

Joyce feeling "pretty good," expects to play Friday

AP photo

Matt Joyce says he thinks the tightness in his right hamstring was the result of being dehyrdated for the last several days.

OF Matt Joyce said the right hamstring tightness that forced him from Tuesday's game "is nothing too serious" and he expects to return to the lineup on Friday - with the possibility he could pinch-hit today.

Joyce said he wanted to stay in long enough to hit again last night and then be replaced by a pinch-runner, but the Rays coaches didn't want to take any chances. He thinks the tightness was the result of being dehyrdated for the last several days.

"Today it feels pretty good so I'm going to go test it out, stretch it loose, at least see how I feel and if I'm available for a pinch hit,'' Joyce said.

With Thursday off - "that's going to be huge to kind of recover and take some time to rest,'' he said - Joyce expects to be back in the lineup Friday.

"I don't think it will be any problem,'' he said. "I think it'll be fine.''

For starters: Rays at Jays, at end of the road

DANIEL WALLACE | Times

Jeremy Hellickson, who has had quite a bit of trouble holding leads, will be on the mound for the Rays against Toronto's Mark Buehrle.

UPDATE, 3:34: Longoria said Maddon and bench coach Dave Martinez suggested the DH idea and given that they were playing on turf here and are off tomorrow he agreed. ... Maddon said Molina essentially talked his way into the lineup, that he was "very convincing that he was healthier.'' .. Maddon said Joyce definitely should be available as a pinch-hitter tonight.

Jays lineup:
Gose lf
Bautista rf
Encarnacion dh
Lind 1b
Arencibia c
Lawrie 3b
Rasmus cf
Izturis 2b
Kawasaki ss
Buehrle p

UPDATE, 2:18: Jose Molina is back in the Rays lineup for the first time sincel leaving Saturday's game with tightness in his left hamstring. Also, as planned, Evan Longoria is getting a DH today, allowing for extra rest with Thursday's off-day. OF Matt Joyce said his tight right hamstring feels better and he could be available to pinch-hit today and expects to play Friday.

Rays lineup:
Jennings cf
Roberts 3b
Zobrist 2b
Longoria dh
Loney 1b
Rodriguez rf
Johnson lf
Molina c
Escobar ss
Hellickson p

DEVELOPING:The Rays have a late afternoon date with the Jays today, and the chance to wrap up their roadtrip at 5-1. …

Reminder: Tom Jones chat today at noon

Want to talk about the Rays-Blue Jays series? Bucs OTAs? The NHL or NBA playoffs? Join Times sports columnist Tom Jones for a live chat today, from noon to 1 p.m.

Video: Cobb on 5th win

Rays RHP Alex Cobb talks about pitching into the 7th against Toronto for his fifth win of the season.

Maddon on replay rule: "I was wrong, apparently"

Getty Images

Rays manager Joe Maddon argues with umpires Sunday in Baltimore.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said that after some research by executive VP Andrew Friedman, he now understands the umpires ruled correctly in their use of the replay rule on Sunday in Baltimore.

"I was wrong, apparently,'' he said.

However, Maddon said he did not agree with the procedure that allows umpires to look at the replay for the purpose of determining if a ball was a home run but then be able to decide if it was foul when that wasn't the original call.

Maddon said he felt that opened a "Pandora's Box" and gave exaggerated examples of managers asking for home run reviews on all kinds of plays, such as the blown call in the near-perfect game by Detroit a few years ago.

Maddon now says of Escobar: "He did nothing wrong"

Getty Images

Yunel Escobar celebrates his two-run home run in the ninth inning of Monday's game in Toronto.

UPDATE, 6:23: Speaking briefly with reporters in English and Spanish, Escobar said he didn't understand why this was such a big deal since he had made a similar gesture after other home runs and no one said anything about it. As he talked, and MLB Network segment on the issue played on the clubhouse TVs, and players turned down the music to listen.

UPDATE, 6:18: Here is more from Maddon on the Escobar matter: …

For starters: Rays at Jays, with Cobb pitching

JAMES BORCHUCK | Times

Alex Cobb, who has been the Rays' second best starter, will be on the mound against Toronto reclamation project Ramon Ortiz.

UPDATE, 3:29: A couple of early notes: The Rays will keep their rotation in order through Thursday's off-day, so that means RHP Roberto Hernandez (the new one), LHP Matt Moore and RHP Jake Odorizzi will face the Yankees. ... RHP Roberto Hernandez (the first one) will represent the Rays at the June 6 draft; three other former Rays will be there - Fred McGriff for the Jays, Jim Mecir for the A's, Andy Cannizaro for the Yankees. ... The Rays ERA is 4.41, it's highest since June 2009. ... The Rays are the only AL team to be at .500 or above on this date the last six years.

DEVELOPING: After letting Monday's matinee get away, and the momentum from their three-game sweep of the Orioles in the process, the Rays will take on the Blue Jays again tonight.

RHP Alex Cobb, who has been their second best starter behind LHP Matt Moore, will be on the mound against Toronto reclamation project RHP Ramon Ortiz, a 39-year-old who last faced the Rays in 2007.

Rays 3B Evan Longoria comes into the game on a career-best 14-game hitting streak.

Two items of potential interest today: …

Wednesday: Chat with the Times' Tom Jones

Times files

Tom Jones will chat Wednesday, from noon to 1 p.m.

Want to talk about the Rays-Blue Jays series? Bucs OTAs? The NHL or NBA playoffs? Join Times sports columnist Tom Jones for a live chat Wednesday, May 22, from noon to 1 p.m.

Rays going camo again Monday - on the field

mlb.com

A look at the jersey the Rays will wear Monday.

UPDATE, 3:01: Further word from MLB on the plans for Monday:

*   MLB will donate 100% of its net proceeds from sales of the camouflage caps and jerseys to Welcome Back Veterans as part of its contribution to the program.

*  MLB will also participate in a National Moment of Remembrance where all games during Memorial Day weekend will include a moment of silence in honor of members of the military who lost their lives serving their country, a program the league has participated in since 1997.

DEVELOPING: The camo dress-up theme for the trip from St. Petersburg to Balti

The jerseys and caps - with hat-tips to uni-watch.com and raysindex.com - are already available for sale through each team's online store, for the Rays via raysbaseball.com or mlb.com. Imagine that.

The design, according to the post, utilizes the USMC trademarked Digital Camo pattern.