David Price ~ SP [R]

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LHP David Price will start Sunday's exhibition against the Yankees as the Rays shuffled their pitching plans following Saturday's rainout. RHP James Shields, who was to start Sunday, and RHP Andy Sonnanstine, who was to start Saturday, will work in a Triple-A game on Sunday in Port Charlotte that starts at 11:30.

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Price was sharp in the first after a leadoff single, helped by C Dioner Navarro throwing out Brett Gardner at second. The Rays loaded the bases in their first, but Pat Burrell and Navarro popped out.

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Price is laboring a bit in the second, allowing a leadoff walk followed by a single. Price struck out Cody Ransom, then got Angel Berroa to ground into a double play.

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Price got two quick outs in the third, including a strikeout, before getting into a little bit of a jam. He walked Gardner and then Cabrera reached base when Jason Bartlett couldn't make the play on a slow chopper to short.

But in a good battle with Xavier Nady, who fouled off several pitches, Price got him to fly out to left to end the threat.

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Price just finished a quick fourth inning, and has given up just three hits so far.

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Price's day is over after four innings, having given up just three hits.

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In his first start of the spring, David Price pitched four scoreless innings Sunday in a victory over the Yankees.
Price has allowed one run and posted a 10/6 K/BB ratio in 8 1/3 innings. It's unclear whether he has a realistic chance of starting the year in the majors, but he did nothing to hurt his chances today.

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"Headphones hanging around his neck and iPod in hand, David Price tossed his duffel bag back into the hold of the Tampa Bay Rays' bus here last week. It was still early in the wet afternoon - Price had not even changed out of his street clothes - but the decision had been made: the team's game against the Baltimore Orioles was rained out.

He had traveled across the state, from Clearwater, to slurp a bowl of clubhouse cereal.

Now, before trudging back onto the bus, he was left to think about when he would get another opportunity to compete for the Rays' fifth starter's job, which will almost certainly belong to someone else come opening day.

"Obviously, I want it out of camp," Price said of the pitching role. "But I'll take it any time I can get it, really."

It would be hard to blame Price, considered one of the most dangerous young pitchers in baseball, for feeling entitled to the job. Just five months ago he strutted into the Fenway Park crucible with Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on the line. And at the tender age of 23 he struck out three of the final four Red Sox batters to send the Rays to the World Series.

Four days later Rays Manager Joe Maddon turned to Price again to finish Game 2 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Without showing a shade of nerves, save perhaps for the sweat dripping off the brim of his cap, Price got the game's final seven outs to tie the series and send the Tropicana Field cowbells into overdrive.

"I usually don't even sweat out there, and my hat looks like I went swimming with it," he said at the time.

It is precisely because Maddon wants Price ready for next postseason that the Rays will probably leave him with Class AAA Durham for the start of the regular season. Though Maddon has not said as much, he is expected to make the announcement in the coming days. It is hardly a secret that the Rays like to grow their prospects slowly and to nurture developing arms, especially one that is attached to the left shoulder of a 6-foot-6, 225-pound body like Price's.

"Everybody saw him on the big stage last year pitching in brief spurts as a relief pitcher," Maddon said. "He's going to be a starter with us, and there's a difference with that. If you look at his track record in the minor leagues, he has done well, but a lot of high pitch counts after four or five innings, etc. We don't want that to be a part of his game.""

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LHP David Price was among five players optioned to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

Also sent down were OF Justin Ruggiano, INFs Reid Brignac and Elliot Johnson, and C John Jaso.

The Ruggiano move is surprising since he was considered a top candidate to replace OF B.J. Upton for the week he is expected to be on the DL. This could mean they are more likely to keep INF Adam Kennedy.

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Price said he expected the move and considers it "part of the game," though he did acknowledge: "Right now it kind of stinks a little bit.''

Executive VP Andrew Friedman said the Rays came into spring training with an "open mind" about Price, but made the move for the reasons that have been talked about - that he needs addtional development, specifically in terms of fastball command and pitch efficiency, and also because they want to limit his innings this season, and it's easier to do so at the Triple-A level.

The idea is that they want him to be available to pitch late in the season, and potentially the postseason, and, essentially, are willing to go without him in the early part of the season.

"We ultimately decided this is the right move for David and in turn the organization,'' Friedman said. "We're able to monitor his workload a lot more effectively in the minor leagues than in the major leagues, and we want him fully able in August and September. ... We have expectations of playing in October and we feel like we'll be a better team with David as a part of that, and also continuing to work on the developmental things as well.''

[DirtyKash]

The idea is that they want him to be available to pitch late in the season, and potentially the postseason, and, essentially, are willing to go without him in the early part of the season.

"Late in the season"? What does that mean? May? June?

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"Late in the season"? What does that mean? May? June?

I guess so I guess we want him to get lots of games in Triple A.

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"If B.J. starts the year on the DL, we could still recall him,'' Friedman said. "We still have options which way we want to go. ... We didn't send him out today for any other reason than to go down and play everyday. He may replace B.J. if B.J. starts on the DL, he may not.''

I guess Friedman knows that BJ will start the season on the DL, and when he comes back someone else will go down and he will stay.

[love_that_reefer]

Huge mistake for the Rays sending Price to AAA. ARod is out til May and the Red Sox will have Smoltz and Penny ready by mid-season. Rays need these games in April!!

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I know I'm so mad!