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Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera leaves with strained hamstring

 
Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera grimaces in pain as head athletic trainer Ron Porterfield, left, and manager Kevin Cash check on him.
Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera grimaces in pain as head athletic trainer Ron Porterfield, left, and manager Kevin Cash check on him.
Published July 12, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG — Rays SS Asdrubal Cabrera said he felt as if he was shot in the second inning Saturday when he strained his right hamstring heading for home and fell near the on-deck circle on his way to the dugout.

A few hours later, the pain had subsided, and Cabrera was optimistic about the injury that forced him to leave the 3-1 victory over the Astros at Tropicana Field.

"I thought it was really, really bad, but I feel much better," Cabrera said.

What that means for today and after the All-Star break remains unclear.

Cabrera was evaluated Saturday but did not require an MRI exam. Manager Kevin Cash didn't have an update on Cabrera's status, and Cabrera said he won't know anything more until this morning.

Though INF Tim Beckham missed almost a month this season when he sustained a similar injury, no roster move was imminent. Beckham and INF Nick Franklin — the two most likely additions if Cabrera requires time on the disabled list — were in the lineup Saturday for Triple-A Durham.

"We'll have to see how I feel when I wake up (today)," Cabrera said.

Cabrera's .993 fielding percentage entering Saturday led all major-league shortstops, and his 16 doubles rank second in the league among shortstops.

More Moore: LHP Matt Moore said he feels like he's capable of more than he has shown in his first two starts since having Tommy John surgery 15 months ago.

Moore has thrown a total of 166 pitches as he enters his third start of the season today and hopes to begin pitching deeper into games.

"I do appreciate the fact that it's not 110 pitches right now," Moore said. "I don't know how I'd feel at that point."

Moore said his mentality has been strong, perhaps a bit ahead of other parts of his game. He remained calm in his last start, even after he loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning.

Cash said Moore has performed as expected, with some strong points balanced with some inconsistencies. Cash is particularly pleased that Moore's fastball has touched 94 mph, less than 2 mph slower than his peak during his 2013 All-Star season.

McCullers homecoming: About 100 Jesuit High alumni are expected to attend today's game to watch their fellow Tiger, RHP Lance McCullers, start for Houston.

McCullers, the No. 41 overall pick of the 2012 draft, will become the sixth local high school product to start against the Rays at Tropicana Field. The Rays are 6-3 against the other five area high school pitchers: Dwight Gooden (Hillsborough High), Jose Fernandez (Alonso), Jesse Litsch (Dixie Hollins), Boof Bonser (Gibbs) and Todd Redmond (Northside Christian).

Since McCullers' major-league debut on May 18, he ranks among the top 10 in the American League in opponents' average (.203), strikeouts (61) and ERA (2.16). His June ERA of 2.11 was the best by an Astros rookie since Darryl Kile in 1991, and his 61 strikeouts through his first 10 starts are the second-most in club history.

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Empty for a cause: The Rays dedicated a special seat in rightfield that will remain empty in remembrance of prisoners of war and those missing in action. U.S. Rep. David Jolly was among those who participated in the pregame ceremony.

Miscellany: OF Steven Souza Jr. (lacerated right pinky) took swings off of a tee Saturday and likely will take batting practice today. … LHP Everett Teaford cleared waivers and was outrighted to Durham. … RHP Preston Guilmet, who was designated for assignment last week, was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers. … The Rays set a club record with their 11th consecutive win over a left-handed starter.