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Rays: Maddon plays NL ball, bats pitcher eighth

 
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - FEBRUARY 26:  Pitcher Alex Cobb #53 of the Tampa Bay Rays poses for a portrait at Charlotte Sports Park during photo day on February 26, 2014 in Port Charlotte, Florida.  (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Pitcher Alex Cobb #53 of the Tampa Bay Rays poses for a portrait at Charlotte Sports Park during photo day on February 26, 2014 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Published July 23, 2014

Rays at Cardinals

When/where: 7:15 tonight; Busch Stadium, St. Louis

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Probable pitchers

Rays: RH Alex Cobb (5-6, 4.08)

CARDS: RH Lance Lynn (11-6, 3.13)

On Cobb: Worked into the sixth on Friday in post-break opening win over Twins. Is 3-0 over past four starts despite a 4.03 ERA. Has never faced Cards, is 5-3, 3.83 in 10 interleague starts.

On Lynn: Has won his past three starts with a 1.86 ERA and five of seven with a 2.49 ERA. Faced the Rays once, in relief in 2011. Is 2-4, 4.11 in 11 interleague starts.

Key matchups

Rays VS. LYNN

Yunel Escobar 0-for-2

Matt Joyce 1-for-1, HR

James Loney 2-for-3

CARDS VS. COBB

Peter Bourjos 0-for-1

Jhonny Peralta 0-for-6

On deck

Thursday: Off

Friday: vs. Red Sox, 7:10. Rays — LH David Price (10-7, 3.06); Red Sox — LH Jon Lester (10-7, 2.50)

Saturday: vs. Red Sox, 7:10. Rays — RH Chris Archer (6-5, 3.31) or RH Jeremy Hellickson (0-0, 2.08); Red Sox — RH John Lackey (11-6, 3.66)

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

The Zobrists great adventure

Given the rare opportunity of playing a few hours from his Eureka, Ill., hometown, Rays INF/OF Ben Zobrist wanted to accommodate all the relatives, and a few friends, who rarely get to see him. So he arranged for two chartered buses to bring 110 of them to St. Louis and paid for their tickets to the game. And not only that, after spending two nights at his family home, Zobrist rode on the buses with them right to Busch Stadium on Tuesday. "It's always been something I wanted to do because we have such a large family in Central Illinois and a lot of them are Cardinals fans," Zobrist said. "It was fun."

Shades of La Russa

Rays manager Joe Maddon got creative again Tuesday, batting P Jake Odorizzi eighth. It was only the sixth time an AL pitcher hit higher than ninth since interleague play began in 1997.

TB Andy Sonnanstine 3rd* 5/17/09 vs. CLE 1-for-3

KC Zack Greinke 8th 6/23/09 at HOU 0-for-3

NYY David Phelps 8th 5/8/13 at COL 0-for-2

TB Jeremy Hellickson 8th 8/11/13 at LAD 0-for-1

TB Cesar Ramos 8th 4/13/14 at CIN 0-for-1

TB Jake Odorizzi 8th 7/22/14 at STL 0-for-1

* Lineup mixup Source: Rays