Tampa Bay Rays (1-8) @ Boston Red Sox (2-7)
Jeremy Hellickson (0-1, 4.76) @ Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-1, 5.40)
7:10 PM EDT | Fenway Park (Boston, Massachusetts)
TV: NESN, ESPN RADIO: WEEI 850, SBN 1510
INJURY REPORT
Tampa Bay: Kelly Shoppach, sore right knee (day-to-day); J.P. Howell, left shoulder surgery (placed on 15-day DL 3/31, retroactive to 3/22); Evan Longoria, strained oblique (placed on 15-day DL 4/3)
Boston: Matt Albers, strained lat muscle (placed on 15-day DL 4/8)
GAME NOTES
You think the Red Sox are struggling? Be happy the Rays are coming to town, because they are having an either tougher start to the season. The Red Sox are hitting .215/.297/.313 as a team, the Rays: .167/.240/.295. The Red Sox have scored 29 runs, the Rays: 19. The Rays do have the overall edge in pitching numbers but maybe combined with the momentum from Josh Beckett’s amazing start last night, the Sox pitchers can begin to get on track vs. a Evan Longoria-less, struggling Rays offense.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
So apparently, today is National Submarine Day. I don’t think that this day was meant to celebrate the submarine pitcher but that is exactly what I’m going to do. Carl “Sub” Mays made his major-league debut with the Red Sox in 1915 and stayed with the team until 1919. and was one of the first documented submariners in baseball. But his most infamous moment came as a member of the Yankees on August 6, 1920. Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was struck with a Carl Mays submarine pitch and became the only player to die from an injury sustained on a major league baseball field. Here’s hoping there’s never another.