Tampabay.com
AUGUST 28, 2008

Rays vs. Jays without Navarro again

Update 5:24 Though C Dioner Navarro said he feels "way better" than he did Wednesday, he's still out of the lineup tonight and could also sit Friday, with manager Joe Maddon said "we may target Saturday as the game to put him back in."

Maddon said Navarro is available to catch, or fill-in, if necessary, so emergency catcher, utilityman Ben Zobrist, isn't exactly going through serious drills behind the plate.

*Closer Troy Percival took his next step in getting activated from the disabled list (right knee) by throwing off the mound to hitters today (Ben Zobrist and Justin Ruggiano took some hacks). Maddon said Percival looked really good, and it appears he'll be ready to activated on schedule (Saturday), unless the club wants to wait until the roster expands Monday.

*3B Evan Longoria played catch with head athletic trainer Ron Porterfield and was scheduled to take swings with a broomstick, another step in getting him ready to return from the DL (fractured right wrist). No exact timetable set, other than what's been previously stated as a goal of having him come back by next week's Yankees series.

*An interesting moment in the Rays clubhouse during pre-game, as MLB Productions was here to film postseason promotions, featuring Carlos Pena and Longoria.

The Rays are seeking to extend their second-half unbeaten streak in series play in tonight's third and final game against the Jays.

Despite the Rays saying Wednesday there were no injury issues, All-Star C Dioner Navarro is not in the lineup again. Navarro left Tuesday's game with what the Rays said was cramping in both hamstrings, and they said Wednesday an MRI was clear and he was just resting. But against Jays righthander Jesse Litsch, the former Rays bat boy, the righthanded hitting Shawn Riggans is playing and the switch-hitting Navarro is not.

The  lineup:
Iwamura, 2b
Upton, cf
Pena, 1b
Floyd, dh
Aybar, 3b
Hinske, lf
Gross, rf
Riggans, c
Bartlett,ss
Jackson, p

JAYS

Inglett, lf
Scutaro, 2b
Rios, rf
Wells, cf
Lind, dh
overbay, 1b
Barajas, c
Bautista, 3b
McDonald,ss
Litsch, p

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