UPDATE, 10:22: Here’s the official Rays lineup, pretty much as we had it below:
Austin Meadows, rf
Tommy Pham, lf
Ji-Man Choi, 1b
Brandon Lowe, dh
Yandy Diaz 3b
Joey Wendle 2b
Willy Adames, ss
Kevin Kiermaier, cf
Mike Zunino, c
Blake Snell, p
RELATED: Why Blake Snell is not here to talk about the past
DEVELOPING:
For openers
Here is the Rays projected opening day roster:
Pitchers (12): LH Jose Alvarado, LH Jalen Beeks, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, Wilmer Font, Tyler Glasnow, LH Adam Kolarek, Charlie Morton, Chaz Roe, LH Blake Snell, Ryne Stanek, LH Ryan Yarbrough.
Catchers (2): Michael Perez, Mike Zunino
Infielders (6): Willy Adames, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Daniel Robertson, Joey Wendle
Outfielders (5): Avisail Garcia, Guillermo Heredia, Kevin Kiermaier, Austin Meadows, Tommy Pham
Injured list (3): Anthony Banda, Jose De Leon, Matt Duffy
With teams now required to send their lineups first to MLB, here are educated guesses at what we may see:
ASTROS
George Springer, cf
Alex Bregman, 3b
Jose Altuve, 2b
Carlos Correa*, ss
Michael Brantley, lf
Yuli Gurriel, 1b
Tyler White, DH
Josh Reddick, rf
Robinson Chirinos, c
Justin Verlander, P
(* - Correa is questionable with a neck issue)
RAYS
Austin Meadows, rf
Tommy Pham, lf
Ji-Man Choi, 1b
Brandon Lowe, dh
Yandy Diaz 3b
Joey Wendle 2b
Willy Adames, ss
Kevin Kiermaier, cf
Mike Zunino, c
Blake Snell, p
Opening Day schedule
Noon: Trop parking lots open
Noon-2: Pregame “tailgate” party at the Outfielder and Ballpark & Rec (in stadium)
2: Trop gates open (Rays player greetings at Gate 1 and draft room)
3:35: Team introductions
3:50: National anthem, actor Jessica Phillips
3:53: Ceremonial first pitch, St. Petersburg City Council chairman Charles Gerdes
3:58: Rays take the field
4: First pitch by Blake Snell
Trop changes of note
* Cash not accepted, but can be used to purchase gift cards
* Upper deck closed, lowest price seats in party deck and corners
* No backpacks allowed expect for medical reasons or as diaper bags
* After opening day, gates open 90 minutes before first pitch
* New LED lighting system allowing for entertainment use, new turf
Today’s matchup
Today: vs. Astros 4, Tropicana Field
TV/radio: Fox Sports Sun; 95.3 FM, 92.9 FM (Spanish)
Tickets: Sold out
Promotion: Schedule magnet
Rays info: 1-888-326-7297
Probable pitchers
Rays: LH Blake Snell (21-5, 1.89 in 2018)
Astros: RH Justin Verlander (16-9, 2.52)
Rays: Snell won the AL Cy Young for an amazing and historic season. Pitched only three innings in big-league spring games, working mostly on back fields. Is 2-1, 4.10 in five starts vs. Astros.
Astros: Verlander was runner-up to Snell for the Cy, which wife Kate Upton noted on social media. Capped a solid spring with a two-year, $66 million extension. Is 8-4, 3.42 vs. Rays; 5-3, 3.05 at Trop.
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Explore all your optionsRAYS VS. VERLANDER
Avisail Garcia 8-for-32
Kevin Kiermaier 1-for-8
Joey Wendle 3-for-5
Mike Zunino 0-for-11
ASTROS VS. SNELL
Jose Altuve 3-for-10 2 HR
Alex Bregman 5-for-10 HR
Yuli Gurriel 3-for-11
George Springer 3-for-8
On deck
Friday: vs. Astros, 7:10. Rays, RH Charlie Morton (15-3, 3.13 in 2018); Astros, RH Gerrit Cole (15-5, 2.88)
Saturday: vs. Astros, 6:10. Rays, RH Tyler Glasnow (2-7, 4,27); Astros, RH Collin McHugh (6-2, 1.99)
Sunday: vs. Astros, 1:10. Rays, opener TBD; Astros, LH Wade Miley (5-2, 2.57)
Injured list
LH Anthony Banda, Tommy John recovery, 10-day RH Jose De Leon, Tommy John recovery, 10-day 3B Matt Duffy, hamsting/back, 10-day
Rays numbers
8
Rays players experiencing first opening day: Willy Adames, Jalen Beeks, Diego Castillo, Adam Kolarek, Brandon Lowe, Austin Meadows, Michael Perez, Ryne Stanek,
10
Consecutive seasons Rays have opened at home, 15th overall in 22 seasons
11-10
Rays record in season openers
85
Projected wins this season by Baseball Prospectus PECOTA system
151
Different batting orders used by Kevin Cash in 162 games last season; take the over
162
Games to be televised by Fox Sports Sun; pre-game show starts Thursday at 3
25,025
New capacity at Tropicana Field, smallest in MLB since the 1961 Angels played at Los Angeles’ Wrigley Field.