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Rays' Logan Forsythe named AL player of the week

 
Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe is named AL player of the week, earning himself a watch, after batting .545 in six games.
Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe is named AL player of the week, earning himself a watch, after batting .545 in six games.
Published Sept. 9, 2015

DETROIT — 2B Logan Forsythe didn't know it until one of his more social media-savvy teammates told him, but he was chosen as the American League player of the week for his sizzling performance, hitting .545 in six games.

"It's a great honor," Forsythe said. "Some of the guys knew before I did, so it took me by surprise a little bit. It's pretty cool. It hasn't really sunk in, because we're still kind of in the race, we're trying to get that wild-card spot so things are a little more in front of that."

Forsythe, who gets a watch, is the first Ray to be so honored since OF Desmond Jennings early last season.

FRANK TALK: After a season thus far he, somewhat politely, described as having "had its ups and downs for sure," INF Nick Franklin was excited to be called back up from Triple-A Durham to finish 2015 with the Rays.

Though he'll provide some middle infield depth and allow for some more late-game flexibility, and he may get a few starts to show off the swing he remodeled during his 2½ months with the Bulls, Franklin's promotion may be as much about 2016, when he could have a key role.

"More so than anything, it's getting him here, getting him comfortable around these guys because I know in the future we're going to be looking for Nick Franklin to help us out in a lot of ways," manager Kevin Cash said.

After hitting .139 in occasional duty with the Rays after a spring oblique injury, Franklin went to Durham in late June and reverted to a 2010 swing that served him better, hitting .259 with 10 homers and 26 RBIs in 49 games.

"I accomplished some things in Durham that I wanted to do, things I didn't get to do up here with the consistent playing time down there," said Franklin, who pinch-ran in the ninth inning of Tuesday's game.

Franklin thought his chances for a callup were "zero" when he fouled a ball off his right big toe last week and sustained a small fracture. He credited Bulls athletic trainer Mike Sandoval with getting him back on the field.

EXTRA ARM: RHP Andrew Bellatti said he, too, was excited to come back up, having had to deal with further shoulder issues after his July demotion and posting an 8.10 ERA in his final 13 appearances in Durham. Cash said Bellatti was "very deserving" based on his previous stints with the Rays and would be used to provide bullpen depth with the capability to work multiple innings.

MINOR MATTERS: Rookie-level Princeton lost 8-7 to visiting Greeneville (Astros) in the third and decisive game of the Appalachian League championship series. … Advanced Class A Charlotte opened its best-of-three Florida State League playoff series with a 14-1 win over Palm Beach. The Stone Crabs host Game 2 at 6 tonight.

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ON SCHEDULE: The 2016 schedule was released, featuring an April 4 opener against the Blue Jays and a home-and-home series with the now-Andrew Friedman-led Dodgers, who on May 3-4 make their first visit to the Trop, with the Rays going west July 26-27.

The Rays also have home interleague series with the Marlins (May 25-26), Giants (June 17-19), and Padres (Aug. 15-17). They finish the season on a seven-game trip to Chicago and Texas. For the full schedule, see 2C.

HELPING HAND: RHP Chris Archer spent nearly 30 minutes before Tuesday's game talking with and answering questions from teenagers from the Detroit RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program.

SOUZA UPDATE: OF Steven Souza Jr. (fractured left hand) will play at least through tonight's second playoff game with the Stone Crabs, then be re-evaluated in hopes of rejoining the Rays on Friday. Souza went 3-for-5 and hit a three-run homer Tuesday night.

FAMILIAR FACE: LHP Kyle Lobstein takes the mound for the Tigers tonight as a somewhat familiar face, having been a 2008 second-round pick by the Rays and working his way up through Double-A Montgomery before being traded in March 2013 for C Curt Casali. "It's really cool to see him get an opportunity up here," Rays LHP Matt Moore said.

MISCELLANY: RHP Jake Odorizzi starts tonight happier to see Tigers C James McCann, who is 0-for-3 against him, than Yankees C Brian McCann, who is 11-for-17 with three homers.