WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 AT MINNESOTA TWINS LH Ryan Yarbrough vs. RH Aaron Slegers First Pitch: 1:05 p.m. | Location: CenturyLink Sports Complex, Fort Myers, Fla. | TV: None | Radio: MLB.com Game No: 7 (3-3-0) | vs. AL: 2-3-0 | vs. NL: 1-0-0 | Home: 2-1-0 | Road: 1-2-0 Day 15 of Spring Training | 30 Days Until Opening Day—Thursday, March 29 vs. Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field (4:00 p.m.) UPCOMING PROBABLES MEDICAL MATTERS—RH Brent Hon- STARTING LINEUP at MINNESOTA Today at MIN eywell underwent successful Tommy No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI John surgery yesterday, performed by Dr. Tampa Bay Minnesota 7 Micah Johnson (L) CF .500 0 0 James Andrews in Pensacola…3B Matt LH Ryan Yarbrough RH Aaron Slegers 21 Christian Arroyo SS .167 0 0 Duffy was scratched from yesterday’s RH Matt Andriese RH Fernando Rodney 44 C.J. Cron 1B .500 1 2 starting lineup vs. BAL as a precaution due RH Yonny Chirinos RH Addison Reed to back tightness…he is day-to-day. 14 Ryan Schimpf (L) 3B .000 0 0 LH Vidal Nuño LH Zack Duke 1 Willy Adames DH .400 1 3 RH Chaz Roe RH Ryan Pressly KNUTSON CLASSIC—Today is the second 45 Jesús Sucre C .200 0 0 RH José Mujica LH Dietrich Enns of 6 games with the Twins this spring… 28 Daniel Robertson LF .000 0 0 RH Forrest Snow the Rays lost, 5-4, in Fort Myers on Sun- 17 Jason Coats RF .429 1 1 LH Kyle Bird day…the spring series determines the win- 85 Nick Solak 2B .000 0 0 RH Edwin Fierro ner of the “Knutson Classic” (named for 48 Ryan Yarbrough LHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Tomorrow vs. BAL Rays press box attendant and Minnesota Baltimore Tampa Bay native Dukes Knutson) and takes home LH Nestor Cortes Jr. RH Jake Faria the coveted “Dukes Cup”…last season, the Twins won the Cup, going 3-2-1 against the Rays…previous RH Perci Garner Relievers TBD Knutson Classic winners: 2016: Twins (2-1), 2015: Rays (5-0), 2014: Rays (4-0), 2013: Rays (3-2). RH Jeff Ferrell Ê Among the minor league players joining the Rays today is SS Jermaine Palacios, who was ac- RH Jesus Liranzo quired from the Twins on Feb 17 in exchange for RH Jake Odorizzi…he was selected to the Mid- RH Tim Melville west League midseason All-Star Team last year…hit .296/.333/.454 (149-for-504) with 21 2B, 10 3B, LH Joely Rodriguez 13 HR, 67 RBI and 20 SB between Class-A Cedar Rapids and Class-A Fort Myers. RH Jose Mesa Jr. SPRING THINGS—This is the Rays 21st spring training and 10th in Charlotte County…over the past 10 Fri vs. PHI years, the Rays have captured three Grapefruit League titles (2008, 2010, 2014) while winning at least 15 Philadelphia Tampa Bay games seven times—something they were unable to do in all 10 springs as the Devil Rays (1998–2007). TBD LH Blake Snell Ê A recent study for USA Today ranked Charlotte Sports Park as the No. 1 spring training destina- Relievers TBD tion for food-and-drink as well as for family friendliness…the study noted rave reviews of the pineapple fried rice, Oreo churros and pork nachos and the ballpark’s “Kid Clubhouse” playground RAYS SPRING TRAINING HISTORY and affordable prices…overall, it ranked as the No. 4 spring training destination in Florida. W L T Att. 2018 3 3 0 11,530 TEST DRIVE FOR TICKETS—The Rays and Don Gargarth’s Charlotte County Ford are teaming up to 2017 12 16 5 81,752 offer two free tickets to a Rays spring training home game to anyone test-driving a vehicle at Charlotte 2016 12 13 2 68,566 County Ford…the vouchers for two free tickets can be redeemed online or at the Charlotte Sports Park 2015 15 13 2 80,406 box offi ce, and fans my choose from 200 level or berm seating, subject to availability. 2014 16 7 4 78,264 A TIP OF THE CAP—For the split-squad spring opener, the Rays joined the Pirates (at home) and Orioles 2013 15 17 2 90,935 (on the road) in wearing Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School baseball caps for both batting practice 2012 10 16 6 87,916 and the games, to pay tribute to the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. …the Rays caps from the home 2011 15 14 2 95,859 game have been autographed and are being auctioned off to raise money for the Broward Education 2010 20 8 2 97,971 Foundation…the auction will run at raysbaseball.com/auctions until March 6 at 8 p.m. 2009 15 16 1 103,255 Ê On March 9, the Rays Wives will host the Minnesota Twins Wives in a charity softball game at 2008 18 8 2 54,960 Charlotte Sports Park…the game will begin on the main fi eld approximately 30 minutes after the 2007 10 19 2 79,044 conclusion of the spring game between the Twins and Rays…the game will be played for the Bro- 2006 13 16 1 70,756 ward Education Foundation’s Offi cial Stoneman Douglas Victims’ Fund…the Rays and the Char- 2005 13 16 0 61,261 lotte Stone Crabs have each committed $5,000 to the Broward Education Foundation…the 50/50 2004 11 8 0 43,916 Raffl e at Charlotte Sports Park that day will also benefi t the Broward Education Foundation. 2003 8 19 3 51,324 2002 10 16 1 49,043 VIDEO ON A SILVER PLATTER—A video feed of today’s game will be available, featuring highlights 2001 12 15 1 57,081 and interviews…contact Chris Tilley at [email protected] with questions…the Rays will 2000 14 17 0 67,089 provide a daily postgame video feed of all non-televised spring games, which will include about two minutes of highlights plus two short interviews…for day games, video should be uploaded by 5:15 p.m. 1999 14 14 1 59,230 1998 12 18 0 66,781 ROSTER MAKEOVER—Of the 32 players on last season’s Opening Day roster or disabled list, only 14 still Totals 268 288 37 1,453,435 remain in the organization: pitchers Matt Andriese, Chris Archer, Alex Colomé, Nate Eovaldi, Kevin Gadea, Austin Pruitt and Blake Snell, catchers Wilson Ramos and Jesús Sucre, infi elders Matt Duffy, Brad Miller and Daniel Robertson, outfi elders Kevin Kiermaier and Mallex Smith. Ê Only four players remain from the 2015 Opening Day roster or disabled list, which was Kevin Cash’s fi rst game as Rays manager: Andriese, Archer, Colomé and Kiermaier…Archer and Kier- maier are the only players remaining from the 2013 postseason roster (last playoff appearance)… Kiermaier was on the roster for that season’s AL Wild Card Game, but not the ALDS. Ê In January, Baseball America ranked the Rays at No. 5 in its annual Organizational Talent Rank- ings of minor league prospects, their highest position since 2013 (No. 4)…this rating came before the February acquisitions of SS Jermaine Palacios, LH Anthony Banda and 2B Nick Solak…the publication’s Top 100 Prospects included six Rays, a fi gure topped only by the Atlanta Braves (8)… PRONUNCIATIONS—Willy Adames (ah-DAH-mes), R.J. Alaniz (ah-lah-NIECE), Matt Andriese (ann- DREESE), Christian Arroyo (ah-ROY-yoh), Anthony Banda (BAHN-da), Jake Bauers (BOW-ers), Xorge Carrillo (HOR-hay cah-REE-yo), Yonny Chirinos (chih-REE-nos), Nick Ciuffo (SHOO-fo), Alex Colomé (COLE-uh-may), C.J. Cron (krohn), Nate Eovaldi (ee-VAUL-dee), Jake Faria (fuh-REE-uh), Ian Gibaut (jih-BOH), Adeiny Hechavarria (etch-ah-vah-REE-yah), Chih-Wei Hu (CHEE-way HOO), Kevin Ki- ermaier (KEER-my-er), Adam Kolarek (koh-LAIR-ick), Brandon Lowe (rhymes with “now”), Nathan Lukes (LOO-kis), Johnny Monell (mo-NELL), José Mujica (moo-HEE-kah), Vidal Nuño (vee-DAHL NOON-yoh), Wilson Ramos (RAH-mos), Dan Runzler (RUHNZ-ler), Ryan Schimpf (shimf), Evan Scrib- ner (SKRIB-ner), Nick Solak (SO-lack), Ryne Stanek (STAN-ik), Jesús Sucre (heh-SOOS SUE-cray), Ryan Yarbrough (YAHR-bro) 2018 SPRING INNINGS PLAYED (“A” GAMES) three of Baseball America’s Top 50 prospects will spend the spring in Player C 1B 2B 3B SS LF CF RF DH major league camp: RH Brent Honeywell (No. 14), SS Willy Adames Adames 14 (No. 16) and 1B/OF Jake Bauers (No. 45). Arroyo 12 Bauers 18 STAFF SHUFFLING—The coaching staff under Manager Kevin Cash fea- Boldt 4 6 5 tures only two coaches returning to the same position from 2017: hitting Carrillo 8 Chester 4 coach Chad Mottola and bullpen coach Stan Boroski…new to the staff are Ciuffo 5 2 third base coach Matt Quatraro, pitching coach Kyle Snyder and first base Coats 10 6 coach Ozzie Timmons…in addition, Charlie Montoyo moves from third base Cron 5 7 coach to bench coach and Rocco Baldelli moves from first base coach to the Cronenworth 13 newly created role of major league field coordinator. Duffy 13 Field 13 Ê Five members of this reconfigured staff once played in the Rays org: Haley Cash, Baldelli, Mottola (minors), Quatraro (minors) and Timmons. Hechavarria 11 Ê Including Cash, five former Rays players have gone on to manage ma- Hernández jor league teams…four of them are current skippers: also Mickey Cal- James laway (Mets), Gabe Kapler (Phillies) and Dave Martinez (Nationals)… Johnson 9 4 Kay previously, Ozzie Guillén managed the White Sox from 2004-11 and Kelly 8 Marlins in 2012.