After Monday night’s 14-inning disaster, the Rays needed to bounce back with a victory against the first-place Boston Red Sox. They did just that, lighting up Jon Lester for seven runs over just 4.2 innings as Tampa’s bats stayed red hot.

Roberto Hernandez was on the mound for the Rays with a crucial task given to him in this game. The Rays were counting on Hernandez to pitch deep into the ballgame as their bullpen was totally worn out after Monday night. The veteran sinkerballer delivered a strong start, pitching into the eighth inning (122 pitches, 77 strikes) and posting this solid line: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K.

Down 1-0 in the bottom of the first, James Loney would draw a walk with the bases loaded to make it 1-1. Then in the second, Desmond Jennings began what would be a big night for him with a solo blast to left-center.

RBI singles from Ryan Roberts and Jose Molina gave the Rays a 4-3 lead in the third. Evan Longoria’s solo dinger then made it 5-3 in the fourth.

In the fifth, Tampa Bay blew the game open with a pair of longballs. Matt Joyce blasted a two-run shot to the back rows of right field and Desmond Jennings proceeded with a his second solo homer of the night. Jennings went 3-5 in his return to the leadoff spot.

The Rays improve to 35-29 and are now four games behind Boston, 1.5 games behind Baltimore, and two games behind New York.

Coming off an excellent outing in his last start, Chris Archer (1-1, 4.91 ERA) will square off against right-hander Alfredo Aceves (2-1, 6.57) in the rubber match of this three-game set tonight; first pitch 7:10 ET.

News and Notes:

• The Rays placed Alex Cobb on the bereavement list (death in family) and recalled Jake Odorizzi. Cobb will be out for at least three games, but is expected to make his next start, which means that Odorizzi will likely be used in the ‘pen.
• Kyle Farnsworth wasn’t placed on the DL after leaving Monday night’s game with elbow discomfort.
• David Price update: It looks like Price could be back earlier than expected, as his timetable has been moved up to put him on schedule to return by late June.
• DRaysBay takes a look at options the Rays have in the Wil Myers situation.
• Red Sox catcher David Ross made one of the worst throws ever last night.
• In case you missed it, this is what happened last night in LA in the Diamondbacks-Dodgers game.

The Rays won their second straight game against the Orioles Saturday afternoon to begin a 10-game homestand.

Jeremy Hellickson was the most encouraging sign from this ballgame, as he appears to be returning to his 2011/2012 form. Hellickson tossed six very strong scoreless innings (96 pitches, 62 balls), allowing just four hits while striking out five and walking none.

The Rays’ offense also enjoyed a good game, pounding touted prospect Kevin Gausman for seven runs in less than five innings.

RBI singles by Evan Longoria, Yunel Escobar and Ben Zobrist in the first two innings gave Tampa Bay a 3-0 advantage early. The Rays then broke it open in the fifth, exploding for five runs with a James Loney RBI single, a Luke Scott three-run triple and a Jose Lobaton RBI double.

Both Escobar (now batting .257) and Lobaton (.287) continue to stay hot at the plate, having three-hit games Saturday. Ben Zobrist also had three hits, including a pair of doubles.

The bullpen, which has been great for the Rays as of late, was perfect in this ballgame. Alex Torres pitched a 10-pitch seventh, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Torres has been sensational since being called back up to The Show this season; he’s now scoreless through 11.1 innings, striking out 14 batters while walking just three and surrendering only one hit. Nothing’s more exciting than the Rays’ young pitching right now.

Jamey Wright and Kyle Farnsworth followed up to close out the blowout, pitching one quick inning each.

The Rays improve to 34-27 and move into third place in the AL East, now a half-game over Baltimore. They stand 1.5 games behind the Yankees and three games behind the first-place Red Sox.

The Rays will go for the big sweep Sunday afternoon at 1:40 ET. Matt Moore (8-1, 2.95 ERA) will square off against right-hander Chris Tillman (5-2, 3.97 ERA).

Rays News and Notes:

• Wil Myers could be called up soon!

Rays getting closer to recalling Will Myers should happen within next 10 days

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) June 9, 2013

• Check out who the Rays drafted on Days 2 and 3 of the MLB Draft. Among those drafted was bench coach Dave Martinez’s son, Dalton, who was taken in the 31st round.
• Brandon Gomes (lat strain) is making progress. He’s scheduled to throw a bullpen session within the next few days, which means he could return in a few weeks.
• This kind gesture by the Arizona Diamondbacks made baseball headlines yesterday.

The Tampa Bay Rays had three picks in the first two rounds of the 2013 MLB Draft Thursday night. They took high school catcher Nick Ciuffo with the 21st overall pick, right-hander Ryne Stanek out of the University of Arkansas with the 29th pick, and then high school shortstop Riley Unroe in the second round (60th pick).

Here are profiles of all three of the Rays’ draft picks.

Nick Ciuffo

Drafted: First round, No. 21 overall

Position: C

DOB: 3/7/1995 (Age: 18)

Height/Weight: 6’1″/200 lbs

Bats/Throws: L/R

School: Lexington HS (Charleston, S.C.)

College Commitment: South Carolina

Scouting Report: Talented young catcher with power, considered to be the best defensive catcher in the draft. His best tool is his arm; it’s very strong, accurate and he has a quick release. Ciuffo has drawn MLB comparisons to A.J. Pierzynski and Alex Avila.

For more on Nick Ciuffo, check out MLB.com’s video scouting report and ESPN’s (insider only) scouting report.

Ryne Stanek

Drafted: First round, No. 29 overall

Position: RHP

DOB: 7/26/1991 (Age: 21)

Height/Weight: 6’4”/190 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: Arkansas

Scouting Report: Stanek was drafted in the third round by the Seattle Mariners in 2010, but chose to attend the University of Arkansas instead. Last season with the Razorbacks, Stanek went 8-4 with a 2.82 ERA and 83 strikeouts through 92.2 innings. He’s impressed scouts again again this year, posting a 1.39 ERA in 97.3 innings.

Stanek has a strong arsenal which includes a plus fastball that ranges from 91-97 MPH. He also throws an eye-opening curveball and slider with high potential.

Stanek was expected to be picked within the top 15 overall in this draft my many experts, but some notable concerns made him fall to 29th in the draft. Due to the way the 6-foot-4 right-hander throws (three-quarter slot release and extended stride), Stanek is considered to be a rather high risk for injury. His consistent command issues are another reason.

Stanek is projected to have a ceiling of a mid-rotation starter, but could very possibly end up as a reliever (hopefully a high-leverage one).

Ryne Stanek has already fallen at least 10 spots below where projected. By slot looks like it could cost him $750+K

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) June 7, 2013

Additional scouting reports at ESPN.com (insider) and MLB.com.

Riley Unroe

Drafted by: Second round, No. 60 overall

Position: SS/OF

DOB: 11/3/1995 (Age: 17)

Height/Weight: 6’0”/180 lbs

Bats/Throws: S/R

School: Desert Ridge High School (Ariz.)

Scouting Report: Unroe is an extremely athletic shortstop who the Rays believe can stay at the position long term. He has great speed and quickness which give him good range, as well as a plus arm and very good infield skills overall. He’s projected to be a defensive-oriented shortstop, possibly somebody like Cliff Pennington of the Oakland Athletics.

Offensively, Unroe also has potential to keep an eye on. He’s a switch hitter with above-average bat speed and raw power that he has yet to really tap into.

The biggest concern for Unroe is his signability, which is a huge question mark at the moment. There’s a pretty decent chance that the 17-year-old opts to play college ball first in order to improve his draft stock in the future.

Here’s MLB.com’s scouting report for more on Unroe.

Rays pitching had a hard time with Detroit’s big bats in Game 1 of this three-game series, surrendering 10 runs as Matt Moore endured a very brief outing. It was a completely different story with Alex Cobb on the mound Wednesday night, however.

Cobb stifled the Tigers’ lineup, which is arguably the best in all of baseball, allowing just five hits and three walks while striking out seven over 7.2 scoreless innings (108 pitches, 72 strikes).

He exited the game in the eighth with two men on and two out, handing the ball over to Joel Peralta. Peralta would get the key out, striking out the always-dangerous Prince Fielder with four straight splitters.

Before the ninth inning, Tampa’s bats didn’t fare much better against Doug Fister, who tossed 8.1 innings in his excellent outing.

With the game scoreless in the top of the ninth, the Rays finally got on the board. Sam Fuld, batting in the leadoff spot, started off the rally with a bunt single, reaching base by diving to avoid the tag by Prince Fielder. Ben Zobrist followed with a single, and then Matt Joyce knocked in the go-ahead run via sacrifice fly.

Evan Longoria drove in the second run with an RBI single, and then Desmond Jennings made it 3-0 with a two-out RBI triple.

Fernando Rodney came on in to close out the victory, notching his 12th save of the year. He would allow two men to reach base, but prevented any further damage.

The Rays improve to 32-26, and are now just three games out of first place with the Red Sox falling 3-2 to Texas. The Yankees beat the Indians again, so they remain 1.5 games over the Rays. The Orioles also won, and stay a half-game over Tampa Bay.

Rays News and Notes:

• Kelly Johnson was scratched from the lineup last night due to back tightness. It wasn’t serious at all, though, and he was still available to pinch hit.
• With the 2013 MLB Draft tonight (starting at 7 PM ET), check out DRaysBay’s Draft Preview Series.
• If you haven’t already heard, MLB is looking to suspend 20 players—a list which includes Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Melky Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta—possibly as early as next week.

It was a productive offseason for general manager Andrew Friedman, as he significantly bolstered the Tampa Bay Rays’ offense and organizational depth.

The Rays made headlines this winter when they pulled off a huge blockbuster with Kansas City, trading away James Shields and Wade Davis for a talented haul of prospects which included Wil Myers. Tampa Bay also filled in some crucial holes on their roster via free agency, signing James Loney to play first base and Yunel Escobar for shortstop.

Of course, some acquisitions haven’t turned out to be as good as others, but at the end of the day it was a successful offseason for the Rays.

Here’s my updated evaluation and grading on every offseason signee.

*Take note that only players on the 25-man active roster are included. I also excluded players who were re-signed (Kyle Farnsworth and Luke Scott) from this article.

Kelly Johnson

Kelly Johnson has been arguably the best free-agent acquisition for the Rays, well exceeding expectations so far this season. Johnson, who had not very productive 2011 and 2012 seasons, has rebounded in a huge way in 2013.

He’s posted a .275/.340/.515 slash line with 10 homers, 35 RBI and a 134 wRC+. Johnson has been strong defensively as well, compiling a 2.4 UZR after putting up a -6.9 UZR last season.

It’s safe to say that he’s well worth the $2.45 million that he’s being paid in his one-year deal.

Grade: A+

Roberto Hernandez

When the Rays lost James Shields and Wade Davis in the Wil Myers blockbuster, Andrew Friedman felt that it was necessary to pick up an additional arm that can contribute to the starting rotation and/or bullpen. He went out and signed veteran sinkerballer Roberto Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, to a one-year deal worth $3.25 million.

After 10 starts with the Rays, Hernandez has posted a 4.87 ERA with a 4.69 FIP and 7.85 K/9. Nobody really expected him to return to frontline-starter form, but if he keeps up this kind of performance he’ll eventually be demoted from the rotation to either a bullpen spot or the minor leagues.

With the emergence of Alex Torres, Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi and Alex Colome, Hernandez’s job is definitely in jeopardy. If Hernandez can’t maintain his rotation spot, hopefully he can make a positive contribution to the bullpen with his groundball services.

Grade: C-

James Loney

After a down year with the Dodgers and Red Sox in 2012, the Rays didn’t know how much production they would get out of James Loney this season. So far he’s been more than a best-case scenario, batting .324/.390/.516 with a very impressive 150 wRC+.

The $2 million that the Rays are paying their starting first baseman this year is more than a bargain.

Loney has not only outperformed Carlos Pena offensively as Tampa Bay’s first baseman, but he’s also provided a lot of value defensively, as he’s been one of the better fielding first basemen in the league for a while. He’s been a key part of both the Rays’ improved offense and defense in 2013.

Grade: A+

Yunel Escobar

Acquiring Yunel Escobar was another smart pick-up by Andrew Friedman this offseason. Adding Escobar was a great decision in all respects; the Rays only gave away a Single-A [not-top] prospect in the trade for him and also have the veteran shortstop under a reasonable $5 million contract through 2015.

Although Escobar hasn’t been very productive offensively (currently owns a .299 wOBA, which is actually higher than projected and not too bad for a shortstop), he’s been extremely valuable to this Rays team.

In the previous two seasons, the Rays couldn’t get any kind of stable production from the shortstop position, tooling around with different mediocre-at-best players such as Sean Rodriguez, Elliot Johnson and Reid Brignac. With Escobar, the Rays no longer have that problem.

For the first time since 2010, Tampa Bay has a defensively-solid everyday shortstop.

Grade: A+

After a major off-day against Ubaldo Jimenez on Saturday in the Tampa’s 5-0 loss, the Rays’ offense got right back on track Sunday afternoon for the rubber match of this three-game series in Cleveland.

Jeremy Hellickson was on the mound for the Rays, looking to finally have a quality start against one of baseball’s best offensive teams. Right from the get-go, Helly appeared to be improved, but once again he would run into that one big inning that’s been hurting him all season.

The Rays struck first in this ballgame, scoring two runs in the first from a James Loney tw0-run double thanks to some poor Indians defense. The Rays extended their lead to to 3-0 in the third with an RBI single off the bat of Evan Longoria.

In the fourth, the Rays added on one more run with a Jose Lobaton RBI single following Sam Fuld’s leadoff triple. Cleveland responded in a big way in the bottom half of the frame, plating three runs with some help from bad defense, this time on the Rays part. The Indians rallied with two outs and nobody on, and thanks to two base hits that probably should have been outs, the Rays’ lead was cut to just one run.

The Rays would get one of those runs back in the fifth, however, as Kelly Johnson scored on a throwing error while stealing third.

Hellickson would throw a scoreless fifth inning, but Joe Maddon would decide to pull him after just 82 pitches (57 strikes). His final line was nine hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts and no walks.

In the sixth, a two-run home run to center by Yunel Escobar would make it a 7-3 ballgame. Then in the eighth, the Rays put up a four-run rally which included an opposite field two-run by Longoria.

Kyle Farnsworth, Joel Peralta, Jake McGee and Fernando Rodney all thew a scoreless inning each out of the bullpen (combined for just two hits allowed and no walks).

The Rays improve to 31-25 on the season. With the Red Sox beating the Yankees and Baltimore winning yesterday, the Rays remain three games out of first and just a half game behind the Orioles. They’re now tied with the Yankees in the division.

Rays News and Notes:

• The Rays collected 14 hits in this game, and everybody in the lineup reached base except Luke Scott. Matt Joyce, Evan Longoria, Sam Fuld, Jose Lobaton and Yunel Escobar (3-5) all had multi-hit games.
• Evan Longoria’s home run snapped a 19-game homerless streak for him.
• Take a look at Sam Fuld’s big catch yesterday in centerfield.
• Check out prospect Tim Beckham’s amazing play in Durham last week:

Rays fans were excited yesterday to hear that talented hard-throwing prospect Alex Colome was going to make his MLB debut in Miami Thursday night. Colome, who was initially supposed to be called up as an additional arm in the bullpen, got the call for the Citrus Series finale due to an Alex Cobb fingernail issue.

Colome “exceeded expectations”, in Joe Maddon’s words, tossing 5.2 strong inning allowing just one unearned run. Although he was facing the Marlins in a pitchers park, a line of 5 hits, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts over 96 pitches (61 strikes) is impressive.

His fastball, which he through at an average of 95 MPH and reached 97 MPH, was plus as usual, but what really raised heads last night was his very good changeup (thrown 23 times).

Offensively, the Rays didn’t have one of their better games as they stranded 17 runners on base. Their first run didn’t come until the sixth inning, when Matt Joyce blasted a two-run home run to make it a 2-1 ballgame.

James Loney added some insurance in the seventh with a solo shot to right. Another unearned run surrendered by the Rays made it a tight 3-2 in the eighth.

In the ninth, however, Tampa Bay got that run back and more thanks to a two-run double off the bat of Ben Zobrist. Fernando Rodney managed to get three straight groundouts for a quick 1-2-3 ninth, notching his 11th save of the season.

The Rays improve to 29-24 with their fourth straight victory over Miami, and continue to rise in the AL East standings. After being swept in the Subway Series, the Yankees are now just a single game over the Rays and now two games behind the first-place Red Sox. The Orioles are currently a half game ahead of Tampa.

The Rays begin a three-game series in Cleveland tonight. Matt Moore (8-0, 2.21 ERA) will take the mound against right-hander Corey Kluber (3-3, 4.57 ERA).

Rays News and Notes:

• Rotation shuffle: There’s been a mix up in the starting rotation due to Alex Cobb’s finger issue. Chris Archer will be called up Saturday for the start against the Indians, which will be his first appearances with the Rays this year. Jeremy Hellickson will start Sunday, and then Alex Cobb will start Tuesday in Detroit after the off-day Monday.
• There are two very good PITCHf/x evaluations of Alex Colome’s outing last night, one over at DRaysBay.com and another at The Process Report.
• What’s wrong with Jeremy Hellickson this season? I attempt to answer that question in my latest article at DRaysBay.

Drew Vettleson (left) and Josh Sale (right) enjoyed successful 2012 seasons with Class A Bowling Green

The 2010 MLB Draft was not a very memorable one for the Tampa Bay Rays. In a draft that included big league stars such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Matt Harvey and Chris Sale, the Rays selected three high school bats in the first round (two of them first-round compensation picks).

So far, only one of Tampa’s draft picks that year—Derek Dietrich of the Miami Marlins (the Rays’ fifth pick, taken 79th overall)—have reached the big leagues.

As we approach the 2013 Draft, here’s a look at the current progress of the Rays’ top three draft picks from 2010.

Josh Sale, 1st round (17th overall)

The Rays are experiencing a bad case of deja vu with Josh Sale. It’s not the first time a left-handed power-hitting outfielder drafted in the first round named Josh has disappointed the organization by making poor choices off the field. Sale’s upside isn’t considered to be as high as former Devil Rays bust Josh Hamilton’s, but there still is a high ceiling of potential for him.

Sale struggled in his first pro season with Rookie League Princeton, batting just .210/.289/.346 with four home runs in 60 games. He was much improved in 2012 with Class A Bowling Green, hitting .264/.391/.464 with 10 homers in 74 games.

Sale’s 2012 and 2013 season were shortened due to a 50-game suspension after testing positive for meth and amphetamines.

Now this year, right when he was ready to be reactivated and join Class A+ Charlotte after serving his suspension, has found himself in trouble again. Sale was suspended indefinitely yesterday for an inappropriate status he posted on his Facebook page earlier this week.

#Rays suspend prospect OF Josh Sale indefinitely for conduct detrimental to organization

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 29, 2013

Let’s hope that Sale starts to take a wiser path this season and avoids becoming another first-round bust for the Rays.

Justin O’Conner, 1st round (31st overall)

In an organization that is very weak at the catcher position, backstop Justin O’Conner (drafted as shortstop) is making slow and steady progress through the lower levels of the Rays’ farm system.

O’Conner began pro ball in the Gulf Coast League in 2010, and is now with Class A Bowling Green after moving up a single level each year.

Defensively, scouts seem to like the 21-year-old as he has a strong arm and a skill set probably good enough to stay at the position long term. The Rays are still waiting for O’Conner to get it going with the bat, however, as he’s struggled at the plate throughout his minor league career

He was drafted in the first round partially for his raw power, but has yet to tap into it completely. In 188 career games, O’Conner has posted to .207/.274/.355 with 18 homers. Both his hitting mechanics and plate approach need a lot of work.

O’Conner has shown the flashes of potential offensively, but he’s simply going to have to hit better consistently in order to continue to make progress.

Drew Vettleson, 1st round (42nd overall)

Drew Vettleson joined Josh Sale as another left-handed hitting high school outfielder out of Washington state to be drafted by the Rays in the first round.

The 21-year-old has an impressively well-rounded toolset, and is considered one of the organization’s top prospects (ranked tenth by MLB.com).

He enjoyed a strong season with Bowling Green last year, batting .275/.340/.432 with 15 homers, 69 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 132 games.

Vettleson currently plays right field for Class A+ Charlotte, and is currently hitting just .258/.291/.403 through 47 games. Strangely, he’s managed to commit 10 errors so far in 2013.

After taking the first game of part 1 of this week’s two Citrus Series, the Rays completed the two-game sweep at the Trop Tuesday night with an exciting comeback victory.

Jeremy Hellickson struggled mightily in this game right out of the gate against Miami’s historically-bad offense. A Justin Ruggiano RBI single in the second and then two RBI triples in the third put the Marlins out in front early by a score of 4-0.

The Rays would respond in the bottom half of the inning, plating three runs off Kevin Slowey. Matt Joyce knocked in a run with a sac fly and then Kelly Johnson continued his hot hitting with a two-run double.

In the fourth, Yunel Escobar would tie the game with an RBI double.

Chris Coghlan, who give Rays pitchers a real hard time in these two past games, homered in the six to give the Marlins a 5-4 edge. Hellickson would finish the night going 5.1 innings deep (104 pitches, 67 strikes), allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking one.

Tampa Bay’s bats would go right back to work, as Jose Lobaton tied the game right back up at 5-5 in that same inning.

Skipping to the eighth, Joel Peralta would give up a go-ahead single to Greg Dobbs. Miami wasn’t able to keep the late lead, however, as Escobar’s hot bat provided a game-tying RBI single with two outs in the bottom half of the frame.

Following a perfect inning from Fernando Rodney, the Rays had a chance to win it in the ninth with the scored tied 6-6. Kelly Johnson and Evan Longoria started off the inning with singles, and then James Loney and Luke Scott followed with unproductive flyouts. That brought up Desmond Jennings, who delivered with a walkoff single to right field.

The Rays will begin another two-game series against the Marlins tonight, this time in Miami. Roberto Hernandez (2-5, 5.73 ERA) will take the mound against rookie right-hander Tom Koehler (0-2, 3.18 ERA); first pitch at 7:10 ET.

Rays News and Notes:

• The Rays collected 16 hits in this ballgame. Luke Scott, Desmond Jennings and Yunel Escobar all had three-hit games. Kelly Johnson and Jose Lobaton both had two-hit games.
• Desmond Jennings is 5-7 ever since being moved down in the lineup out of leadoff role.
• The Rays optioned Jake Odorizzi (9 ER in 2 starts, 9 innings pitched) back down to Triple-A Durham yesterday in order to get some relief help for the worn out bullpen. Odorizzi won’t replace David Price again Saturday, as either Alex Torres or Chris Archer (more likely) will be called up to make the start. Alex Torres is likely to be called up to the ‘pen.
• David Price (triceps), who’s expected to be out until mid-to-late June, played catch for the second straight day yesterday.
• Top prospect Wil Myers is starting to heat up. He had two big homers last night in Durham, and has now hit five long balls in his last six games.
• Josh Sale, who just recently came off a suspension, is back in trouble.

It was nice to see the Rays pick up a win Sunday to conclude a three-game series which has been a nightmare. Fernando Rodney blew yet another ninth-inning lead Saturday, handing Tampa Bay a series loss against the first-place New York Yankees rather than a key series victory. The loss was such a painful one that I couldn’t even recap the game.

Luckily Sunday afternoon’s contest did not come down to a save situation, so the Rays were able to actually hold a lead.

Alex Cobb had one of his better starts yet, going 8.1 innings deep in his what was a stellar outing. Cobb allowed just two runs (both in the ninth inning) on five hits while striking out eight and walking none. His fastball command was very sharp, as he threw 78 strikes out of 118 pitches while getting 13 groundballs to just two flyballs.

After two rather slow games offensively to begin the series, the Rays’ bats woke up against Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia. Tampa exploded for seven runs off New York’s big southpaw, highlighted by two-run homers by Sean Rodriguez and James Loney, as well as RBI hits from Jose Lobaton and Yunel Escobar.

On a not-so-positive note from this ballgame, Cesar Ramos’ struggles continued. He has his hot and cold streaks, and he’s pretty cold right now. He faced three batters in the top of the ninth, walking two of them and letting up a two-run double. Joel Peralta then came in to clean up the mess, striking out the next two batters to end the game.

The Rays finally get a break from the tough AL East and head to Miami to take on baseball’s worst team; the Marlins. Monday’s ballgame will be a battle of talented young arms, as Jose Fernandez (2-2, 3.31 ERA) takes on Jake Odorizzi (0-0, 5.40) in his second start; first pitch at 3:10 ET.

Rays News and Notes:

• The Rays still appear to be sticking with Fernando Rodney as the closer for now:

As long as Fernando doesn’t lose confidence in himself, I’m not going to lose confidence in him.

— Joe Maddon (@RaysJoeMaddon) May 26, 2013

• Rodney’s mechanics appear to be the issue this year, in particular his new toe-tapping habit.
• David Price feels “great”, but won’t be coming off the DL this Friday when he’s eligible, as it’ll likely take him a few more days before he’s able to make a rehab start.
• These are the camo unis that the Rays will be wearing today in honor of Memorial Day.
• Around the AL East: Both the Red Sox and Blue Jays (against Baltimore) capped off comeback victories with two-run walkoff doubles.
• Toronto’s Munenori Kawasaki, who had the walkoff winner for the Jays, delivered this memorable postgame speech: