Advertisement

Rays rainout brings Matt Andriese up for spot start

 
Matt Andriese arrives today for a spot start as a 26th player, allowed in a doubleheader under major-league rules.
Matt Andriese arrives today for a spot start as a 26th player, allowed in a doubleheader under major-league rules.
Published July 7, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Heavy Monday storms which included tornado warnings and caused an evacuation of Kauffman Stadium forced the Rays and Royals into double duty today.

The teams will play a day-night doubleheader (2:10 and 8:10 p.m.) to make up for the postponement, opting to play two today given the potential for more rain Wednesday and Thursday.

To accommodate the change, the Rays shuffled their pitching plans, bumping RHP Alex Colome, who was to start Monday, to the bullpen and summoning RHP Matt Andriese from Triple-A Durham, under the 26th man rule for doubleheaders, to start the night game. LHP Matt Moore, who was to start tonight, will work the matinee — in part to allow Andriese time to travel from Durham.

"Basically the thought behind that is where our bullpen is at right now, we need Matt Andriese's innings," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Plus, Colome, inconsistent as a starter, appeared headed to the bullpen anyway as RHP Jake Odorizzi is set to come off the disabled list and take that slot in the rotation.

Though it appeared they could play after the storm, Cash called the postponement "probably the smart thing for everybody" given the severity of conditions, which included flooding of the dugouts.

Guests at the Rays team hotel, including Cash's father, Mike, also were evacuated from their rooms and sent to the basement.

Jaso time?: OF Steven Souza Jr. was relieved that further examination of his right pinky by a hand specialist confirmed there was no break and that the tendon appeared intact despite the deep gash from being hit by a pitch Sunday.

He said there was no need to go on the disabled list yet, but that could change depending how the finger responds over the next few days: "Everything looks okay right now up to this point. We're going to go day to day right now."

But the Rays might opt not to wait. DH/OF John Jaso was removed from his rehab game at Durham after two at-bats and three innings in left field and might head to Kansas City this morning for his first appearance since bruising his left wrist on opening day.

Back to the scene: Moore said he was okay returning to the Kauffman Stadium mound, where he threw his last pitch, on April 7, 2014, before having the Tommy John elbow surgery that sidelined him until last week.

"I was just talking to Wade (Davis) and some of their guys. Just kind of helps it feel like just another game," Moore said. "All those kind of negative thoughts about what happened here 14 months ago are gone. It's mostly good stuff now. It's how are we going to get these guys out."

Moore was mostly pleased with his Thursday return, zipping through three hitless innings then struggling in the fourth and into the fifth. "I got beat competing and those ones are not as bad to reflect on, to learn from," he said. "The ones that hang with you a little more are the ones where you weren't competing."

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter

We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

Rehab report: Odorizzi, out a month with an oblique strain, said he felt good in his last rehab start for advanced Class A Charlotte, allowing two hits over 52/3 shutout innings, walking one, striking out six, throwing 51 of his 73 pitches for strikes. "I haven't had any pain for quite a while now so I was just looking to get through this healthy and make sure I got all my pitches in," he said. … LHP Drew Smyly (torn labrum) threw a 51-pitch bullpen at the Trop, cutting loose on the last 10.

Miscellany: 1B Marc Krauss, demoted to Triple-A and designated for assignment last week, was claimed on waivers by the Tigers. … Stone Crabs 1B Casey Gillaspie, the 2014 top pick, went on the DL with a left wrist injury. … Double-A Montgomery RHP Jacob Faria threw seven hitless innings and struck out 14 on Saturday.

Times correspondent Jacob Lynn contributed to this report.