“We signed him knowing that he was gonna play a big role for our club this year”
The time has come for Rays outfielder Colby Rasmus to make his season debut. The Rays activated the 30-year-old (hip) off of the 10-day DL yesterday, he’s starting in right field tonight. The Rays signed Rasmus to a $5M contract back in January, the second highest (Evan Longoria) 2017 salary on the team. So, certainly manager Kevin Cash is looking forward to his contributions.
“The expectations are [that] he’s got a proven track record, he plays really good defense, he’s gonna add to our, what we consider really good outfield defense…”
Rays Pregame:
Matt Andriese (1-1; 3.86) has faced the Marlins on two other occasions, in fact his major-league debut (threw one scoreless inning) came at Marlins Park on April 10, 2015. In his only start against them, he pitched six innings, allowing three earned runs.
In four-of-his-five starts this season, Andriese has left the game with the lead. The problem is that he has just one win to show for his efforts. The Rays have had trouble holding leads all season so this is not unusual.
Tonight’s Starting Lineups: #Marlins #Rays pic.twitter.com/fUlkg0GtKy
— The Scrum Sports (@TheScrumSports) May 4, 2017
Marlins Pregame:
Dan Straily (1-2; 4.15) faces off against the Rays for the first time in his six year career. In fact, the only members of the Rays that have ever faced him are Peter Bourjos, Brad Miller, Logan Morrison, and Colby Rasmus. Unfortunately for Straily, Rasmus has had the most success (2-for-5), albeit in a limited sample.
The right-hander looks to build off of some recent success. He’s struck out 19 batters over his last two starts. On April 22, he became only the second Marlins pitcher to reach the 14 strikeout mark. The late Jose Fernandez, being the only other Marlins pitcher to do so.
Game Notes:
The Rays placed RHP Erasmo Ramirez on the paternity list. RHP Chih–Wei Hu was recalled from Durham.
Longoria (plantar fasciitis) returns to the lineup at DH after missing the last three games.
Don’t forget, you can now #VoteRays for the 2017 Esurance MLB All Star Game.
