TAMPA BAY RAYS (3-3-0) at MINNESOTA TWINS (2-4-0) RH Michael Wacha (0-0, 0.00) Vs
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Press Box Documents › bit.ly/3f0l9jz TAMPA BAY RAYS (3-3-0) at MINNESOTA TWINS (2-4-0) RH Michael Wacha (0-0, 0.00) vs. LH Lewis Thorpe (0-0, 0.00) Sunday, March 7, 2021 First Pitch: 1:05 p.m. Location: Hammond Stadium TV: FOX Sports Sun Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM Spring Game No.: 7 vs. AL Opponents: 1-3-0 vs. NL Opponents: 2-0-0 Home Games: 2-1-0 Road Games: 1-2-0 Day 18 of Spring Training 25 Days Until Opening Day—Thursday, April 1 at Miami Marlins (4:10 p.m.) PRONUNCIATION GUIDE To hear Rays coaches and players pronouncing their names in their own voices, visit raysbaseball.com/pronunciation. UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHERS & BROADCAST SCHEDULE Upcoming Games Time (ET) Probable Pitchers (Rays vs. Opp.) TV & Radio Sun., 3/7 at MIN 1:05 p.m. TB—RH Michael Wacha, RH Pete Fairbanks, RH Shane Baz, RH Collin McHugh, LH Cody Reed, FOX Sports Sun, WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM RH David Hess, RH Chris Mazza; MIN—LH Lewis Thorpe, RH Alex Colomé, RH Hansel Robles, RH Glenn Sparkman Tues., 3/9 vs. BOS 1:05 p.m. TB—LH Josh Fleming, LH Shane McClanahan, RH Nick Anderson, RH Diego Castillo, RH Andrew Kittredge FOX Sports Sun, MLB.com Wed., 3/10 vs. MIN 1:05 p.m. TB—RH Luis Patiño, RH Joe Ryan, LH Dietrich Enns, LH Jeffrey Springs, RH Drew Strotman FOX Sports Sun, MLB.com Thurs., 3/11 at ATL 1:05 p.m. TB—LH Rich Hill, Relievers TBD None REFUND INFO—Yesterday's game against the Braves was canceled due America's top prospect in consecutive years, joining Bryce Harper to rain…tickets for any canceled home games purchased with a credit (2011-12), Joe Mauer (2004-05) and Andruw Jones (1996-97). card through raysbaseball.com or through the MLB Ballpark App will be Ê This season the Rays continued affiliation with Durham, Mont- automatically refunded…please allow up to 10 business days for the re- gomery and Bowling Green and added Low-A Charleston (S.C.). fund to appear on your statement…all customers who purchased through KNUTSON CLASSIC—This is secondary market sites will need to contact those providers directly to be LINEUP at MINNESOTA informed of their respective canceled game policies. the third of eight meetings be- tween the two clubs…the spring No. Player Pos. TWO DISTINCT ERAS—Since becoming the Rays in 2008, the Rays own series is tied, 1-1, with the Rays 1 Willy Adames SS the 5th-best record in baseball at 1,081-924 (.539) and have made six trips losing 6-5 (March 1 at home) and 17 Austin Meadows (L) LF 56 Randy Arozarena RF to the postseason, incl. three AL East division titles (2020, 2010, 2008) and winning 5-2 (March 4 in Fort 8 Brandon Lowe (L) 2B two World Series appearances (2020, 2008)…during this span, only three Myers)…today's game will be 8 26 Ji-Man Choi (L) 1B clubs (Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals) have reached the postseason more innings in length…the spring 13 Manuel Margot CF often, and only two (Dodgers, Giants) have competed in more World Se- series determines the winner of 25 Yoshi Tsutsugo (L) 3B ries…the Rays have seven 90-win seasons since 2008, a number matched the “Knutson Classic,” named for 28 Francisco Mejía (S) C by only three other teams in baseball: Dodgers (8), Red Sox (7) and Yan- Rays press box attendant and 43 Mike Brosseau DH kees (7)…this success comes after the Devil Rays amassed the majors’ Minnesota native Dukes Knut- 52 Michael Wacha RHP worst record at 645-972 (.399) over the club’s first decade of existence. son…the Twins went 2-1 last Ê The Rays enter the 2021 season on the heels of the second AL pen- spring to win it for a fifth consecutive year, after the Rays won it from nant in team history…in 2020, the Rays went 40-20 (.667), the best 2013-15…the two clubs did not play in the 2020 regular season but will winning pct. in club history…it was the fourth straight season they meet six times this year: Aug 13-15 at Target Field and Sep 3-5 at home. improved their winning pct., all under Manager Kevin Cash. Ê Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli spent four seasons on Kevin Cash’s coaching staff before being hired by the Twins on Oct 25, 2018. SLICE OF GRAPEFRUIT—Per MLB's 2021 guidelines, games from Feb 28– Ê Rocco was the Rays major league field coordinator in 2018 and the March 13 (excluding ESPN games) will be scheduled for 7 innings, though first base coach from 2015-17…he and Cash are two of six former they can be shortened to 5 innings or lengthened to 9 innings upon mutu- Rays players who have gone on to manage major league teams. al agreement of both managers…games from March 14-30 will be sched- uled for 9 innings, though managers can decide to shorten to 7 innings. TODAY’S STARTER at MIN—RH Michael Wacha (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Ê Earlier last month, Major League Baseball released a revised, re- Ê 2020 Regular Season: 1-4, 6.62 ERA (34-IP, 25-ER) in 8 apps gionalized Grapefruit League schedule to mitigate travel…27 of the Ê Made his spring debut on March 2 at BOS with a scoreless 1st. Rays 28 spring games are against the Braves (6), Orioles (3), Pirates Ê In 2020, limited to 8 apps (7 starts) for the Mets due to a stint on the (2), Red Sox (8) and Twins (8)…the only exception is the final game— injured list with a right shoulder strain…signed a one-year, $3 mil- March 30 in Lakeland (Tigers)—after the Rays move their major lion contract with the Rays for the 2021 season on Dec 18, 2020. league operations to Tropicana Field to prepare for Opening Day. Ê Had a career-high 9.79 SO/9 IP ratio…his swing-and-miss rate of Ê The Rays have a club-record 77 players on their spring roster: 42 11.3 pct. was his highest since 2013 (11.4) and he generated swings pitchers, 8 catchers, 15 infielders and 12 outfielders…prior to 2021, on a career-high 34.3 pct. of pitches outside the strike zone. the largest camp roster was 76 players (1999)…the 77 players on the Ê 64.9 pct. (24 of 37) of his strikeouts came on the changeup…29.2 pct. spring roster includes four rehabbing pitchers on the 60-day IL. of his pitches were changeups, the highest rate of his career. Ê There are 11 new faces on the 40-man roster—four free agents, four Ê Selected 19th overall in the 2012 Amateur Draft out of Texas A&M acquired via trade and three from the minor league system. with one of two compensatory picks the Cardinals received from Ê In 2020, three players who entered spring training as non-roster losing Albert Pujols as a free agent to the Angels. invites made the Opening Day roster…incl. postseason, nine non- roster invites spent time on the Rays active roster last season. ON THE AIRWAVES—Today's game will air on WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM, Ê The Rays are sold out of tickets for home spring games…tickets with Dave Wills and Andy Freed on the call…Dave and Andy are en- were all sold within five minutes of going on sale to the public. tering their 17th season together; only the Giants and Tigers have lon- ger-tenured full-season radio broadcast duos…Rays fans have enjoyed THE SKIPPER—Kevin Cash enters his seventh season as Rays manager… remarkable stability in the radio booth, as Neil Solondz begins his 10th he is baseball’s 3rd-longest-tenured manager with his current team be- season as host of the pre- and postgame shows…third base coach Rodney hind OAK Bob Melvin (10th full season) and CLE Terry Francona (9th Linares and SS Willy Adames are guests on this weekend’s edition of the season)…Cash's career 454-416 (.522) record is the best winning pct. of any Countdown to Opening Day radio show, airing today at 12:30 p.m. manager in club history…last season he was named AL Manager of the Year by the BBWAA, receiving 22 of 30 first-place votes…was the second RAYS ON THE TUBE—FOX Sports Sun, which will be rebranding as manager in Rays history to win it, joining Joe Maddon (2008 and 2011). Bally Sports Sun in the coming weeks, will be televising a club-record 13 Ê At 42 years old in 2020, Cash was the youngest manager to reach games during spring training…in addition to televising the games, each the World Series since Ozzie Guillén (41) in 2005 (White Sox). broadcast will be made available for live streaming on FOX Sports GO… Ê Three other current managers are former members of his coaching the broadcast schedule will feature a mix of play-by-play by Dewayne staff: Rocco Baldelli (Twins), Charlie Montoyo (Blue Jays) and Der- Staats, analysis by Brian Anderson and reporting by Tricia Whitaker. ek Shelton (Pirates)…Cash is one of six former Rays players who Ê Dewayne has done play-by-play since the inaugural 1998 season; have gone on to manage major league teams…the others: Guillén he and BA enter their 13th season together…Tricia, a proud alumna (White Sox, Marlins), Mickey Callaway (Mets), Gabe Kapler (Phil- of Indiana University, begins her third season on the telecast.