PORT CHARLOTTE (620 WDAE) -- Because of the off-days early in the season, the Tampa Bay Rays had decided they would start the year with only four starters in their pitching rotation. That may continue for a lot longer.
Manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that depending on how the pitching staff handles the first six weeks of the regular season when the team will have eight off days, the team may continue having just four scheduled starters deeper into the year.
"We're going to have some bullpen days in there," Cash said of what will happen when they play five straight days. "We're going to try and do that for a long period of time. We're going to learn a lot in the first six weeks."
That means that a traditional big-league bullpen, where relievers have become specialized, may look a little more old school, with pitchers expected to throw multiple innings though less often.
"If we've got a core group of a guys that are available to give three, four-inning outings," Cash explained "then we're going to shorten their looks for the opposition and bring another guy in."
The decision could help pitchers like Yonny Chirinos, Ryan Yarbrough, Diego Castillo, and Anthony Banda, who may have been slated to be starters in Durham, find a spot on the 25-man roster coming out of the bullpen.
Hear more from Cash below!