PORT CHARLOTTE (620 WDAE) -- The Tampa Bay Rays begin a home-and-home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates today, welcoming them to Charlotte Sports Park before the two teams shift to LECOM Park (formerly McKechnie Field) on Tuesday. Blake Snell will get the start against Jameson Taillon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05.
Rays Starting Lineup
Morrison 1B
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Miller 2B
Rasmus DH
Dickerson LF
Beckham SS
Bauers RF
Sucre C
Pirates Starting Lineup
Frazier 2B
Mercer SS
Bell 1B
Freese 3B
Osuna RF
Gosselin LF
Meadows CF
Stewart C
Taillon P
NEIL'S GOT THE CALL AGAIN: Today's game will not be aired on WDAE, but there will be an online broadcast of the game on raysbaseball.com (free MLB account required) and the MLB At Bat app on iPhone and Android devices. Neil Solondz will handle the play-by-play, with former Rays pitcher and Fox Sports Sun analyst Doug Waechter providing color commentary.
BOXBERGER'S WINDOW FOR OPENING DAY ALMOST CLOSED: Manager Kevin Cash had indicated that if reliever Brad Boxberger wanted to be ready for Opening Day, he would need to start throwing in games. That possibility took another hit today, as Cash said the team would be pushing back the right-hander's timetable to return from a lat injury.
"The lat is just not responding the way he feels or we feels it needs to," Cash admitted. "We'll just take another couple of days and revisit it again."
Boxberger had been scheduled to throw in a ninor-league game Tuesday, and with the latest delay, Cash's optimism to have the man scheduled to work the 8th inning ready for April 2 against the New York Yankees has almost disappeared.
"I just don't see how it's going to happen," Cash said.