[Game 4] RAYS @ Orioles: Ghost of Devil Rays past
By Scott Caruso | April 10th, 2009 | Posted in Game Thread
Mark Hendrickson, eh? I think the Orioles are trying to give me nightmares about Devil Rays past. Not that he was awful on his own, mind you. But it is a reminder of a much different time; a time when we’re be thrilled to take two out of three from the Orioles. Not anymore, my friends. It would be a disappointment if the Rays came away with anything less than 2 of these next three, even with Sonny and Jeff Niemann going in two of them. The Rays should chew Hendrickson up and spit him out. Period.
In many ways, this is a matchup of the AL East present and the AL East future, as the Orioles have laid the groundwork for what could be a very competitive team in a few years. If they could only get some pitching…
Kind of disappointed that Matt Weiters isn’t up with the big club yet. I would love to see him play.
What to watch for: The approach at the plate has looked much better in games 2 and 3 than it did in game 1. If the Rays do the same, they should be able to explode for a few more runs tonight.
Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Andy Sonnanstine – Sonnanstine is a master of deception, employing an array of pitches that he can throw from all different angles. But he has learned to primarily use his fastball to setup the other pitches. Among those other pitches, Sonnanstine has added a changeup to his repertoire this spring, which he is fast gaining confidence in the more he masters it. The right-hander’s mantra is to dispatch of hitters one way or the other in three pitches, which allows him to get deeper into the games and save the bullpen. He is 2-2 with a 6.67 ERA in five career starts against the Orioles; he is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two career starts at Camden Yards.
Mark Hendrickson - Hendrickson was signed by the Orioles in the offseason to slot in as a long reliever and spot starter, but several of Baltimore’s projected starters stumbled during Spring Training. That ceded a spot to Hendrickson, one of the more experienced pitchers on Baltimore’s staff. The southpaw began his career with the Blue Jays but has since bounced to Tampa Bay, the Dodgers and the Marlins before resurfacing in the American League East with Baltimore.
| TAMPA BAY RAYS |
BALTIMORE ORIOLES |
| SS – Jason Bartlett | |
| LF – Carl Crawford | |
| 3B - Evan Longoria | |
| 1B – Carlos Pena | |
| DH – Pat Burrell | |
| C – Dioner Navarro | |
| RF – Ben Zobrist | |
| CF – Gabe Kapler | |
| 2B – Akinori Iwamura |
Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!
Tags: Orioles
