With the blessing of manager Joe Maddon, B.J. Upton has stopped taking pregame batting practice on the field for physical "maintenance," which could mean his left shoulder is hurting more than he's letting on. …
Besides homefield advantage in the first two playoff rounds, the team with the top record in the AL also gets the choice of opening the division series on Oct. 1 (with an extra day before Game 2, which impacts pitching plans) or Oct. 2 (with Game 2 the next day). …
Coolstandings.com's computerized calculations have the Rays' chances to make the playoffs up to 98.2 percent. …
On ESPN's Jim Rome Is Burning show last week, Scott Kazmir termed the lack of crowd support "so disappointing" and said Tuesday they could hear "crickets … there really wasn't anyone there." …
There's chatter that if team prez Nolan Ryan cleans house in Texas, Rays senior VP Gerry Hunsicker could be a GM candidate. …
Was using TV man Dewayne Staats on radio for Saturday's Fox-only game a hint of what's to come for the postseason? …
ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Rays finishing with the majors' best record would be "officially, the most miraculous turnaround ever." …
As much as the Rays promote a tobacco-free Florida, they also had a Cuesta Ray cigar charity cigar-smoking event after Saturday's game. …
Though 50 home wins "seemed lofty," principal owner Stuart Sternberg said he considered it "very realistic" and that reaching it was "meaningful.''
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