Last night didn’t quite go as expected for the Tampa Bay Rays, they defeated the USF Bulls 7-2, but the most shocking occurence of the night was the collegiate team knocking the reigning Cy Young winner out of the game in the first inning after scoring two runs against him.

Blake Snell was very unhappy with the performance, stating that he was unhappy with his mental approach.

It was a split squad day for the Rays, so they had one group play an afternoon contest with the Minnesota Twins. Adam Kolarek and Luis Santos were rocked during the first inning as the Twins easily took a 9-2 victory. A highlight of the game was Yandy Diaz launching his first home run of the spring, a line drive to the opposite field, as he is known to do.

Chaz Roe and Jose Alvarado both made their spring debuts in the game against the Bulls, with both pitchers picking up a couple of strikeouts over an inning of work.

This afternoon, Charlie Morton goes to the mound in a televised game as the Rays will be playing the Baltimore Orioles at Port Charlotte. Several Rays starters are also slated to play with Tommy Pham, Ji-Man Choi, Willy Adames, and Daniel Robertson all in the starting lineup.

News and Links

• Few changes in Rays’ projected 25-man roster - Juan Toribio, Rays Baseball
• Rays pitching prospects continue the trend of versatility - Neil Solondz, Rays Radio
• Rays prospects show the future is bright - Neil Solondz, Rays Radio
• Rays Matt Duffy ‘really encouraged’ hamstring issues are over - Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times ($)
• 20 things we learned from reading the Rays media guide, including how much they are into ‘development’ - Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times ($)
• MLB teams need catchers at spring training. They just don’t want to pay them - Ted Berg, USA Today

Sounding Off