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<channel>
	<title>Tampa Bay Sports Blog &#187; Ben Zobrist</title>
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	<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com</link>
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		<title>Explain this to me Joe, please.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/explain-this-to-me-joe-please/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/explain-this-to-me-joe-please/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2009 03:02:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>DeezNuts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[BJ Upton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Desmond Jennings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dioner Navarro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fernando Perez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gabe Gross]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gabe Kapler]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Maddon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Joyce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michel Hernandez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tim Beckham]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Jaso]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=656</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s been a while, but who cares. As I sit and watch my favorite teams in the time that I get in the middle of my hectic weeks, I have decided to finally post something and it will be directed at Joe Maddon. The Rays are struggling in the early part of the season and that&#8217;s not really shocking, but I find something about the lineups that get run out everyday extremely troubling. What does it take to lose or win a job on this team? Seriously, what does it take? The constant days off for regulars has always troubled me, but I get it. What puzzles me is constantly running guys out who are clearly struggling. Let&#8217;s start with the fat catcher. Navarro looks bad in every sense of the word right now. He is not the same guy we saw last year, this is the mope we saw the year before. Weak stick, bad at bats and lazy catching. There is a problem with Navarro and we don&#8217;t know what it is. Now I&#8217;m not saying TFC needs to lose his job to Michel Hernandez, but wouldn&#8217;t it send a nice message to TFC and the rest of [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Rays close to signing Pat Burrell.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/rays-close-to-signing-pat-burrell/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/rays-close-to-signing-pat-burrell/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:24:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bobby Abreu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brandon Lyon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fernando Perez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gabe Gross]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Giambi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Beimel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pat Burrell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philadelphia Phillies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rocco Baldelli]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=507</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[According to Ken Rosenthal, via MLB Trade Rumors, the Rays are close to signing former Phillie outfielder Pat Burrell to a two year $16 million deal. This move makes way too much sense for all parties involved to not happen. Burrell is the right handed bat that the Rays are looking for to slot at DH on a regular basis and he comes fairly cheap. The contract that&#8217;s speculated on above is a perfect fit for the Rays and their budget. I really like this move for a few reasons. Burrell can still hit and we won&#8217;t have to watch him stumble around in the outfield too often. He comes with no baggage and seems like he would fit right in to the clubhouse the Rays currently have.This move also allows the Rays to hopefully leave Fernando Perez in AAA Durham for at least another year of seasoning. It also would allow the Rays to put the Abreu/Giambi fiasco to bed and focus on upgrading the bullpen. I was no fan of Abreu or Giambi so it makes me pretty happy there. With Burrell coming fairly cheap as well this may put Brandon Lyon and/or Joe Beimel into the picture as [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Five moves the Rays should make.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/five-moves-the-rays-should-make/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/five-moves-the-rays-should-make/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:57:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Akinori Iwamura]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andrew Friedman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andy Sonnanstine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BJ Upton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boston Red Sox]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brandon Lyon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brian Fuentes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carl Crawford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carlos Guillen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carlos Pena]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chad Bradford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dan Wheeler]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Price]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dioner Navarro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Edwin Jackson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elijah Dukes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evan Longoria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Francisco Rodriguez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gabe Gross]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gary Sheffield]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grant Balfour]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J.P. Howell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Shields]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Bartlett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Hammel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeff Niemann]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Beimel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Maddon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonny Gomes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Dodgers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Magglio Ordonez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Garza]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Miguel Cabrera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mitch Talbot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pat Burrell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philadelphia Phillies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reid Brignac]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rocco Baldelli]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scott Kazmir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shawn Riggans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trever Miller]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Willy Aybar]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=371</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[    In the spirit of trying to keep up with the goings on of the hot stove league I&#8217;ve decided to look at the possibilities and suggest five moves the Rays should make to improve their team. I will try to be as realistic as I can be while trying to view things from both sides. Let&#8217;s roll with it and see how it goes. Sign Joe Beimel: Starting slow and sounding as simple as possible, I know, but the addition of Beimel as Trever Millers replacement would be a huge upgrade to an already good bullpen. Beimel has done very well in the last few years with the Dodgers and, as a type B free agent, there would be no draft picks lost. Beimel could legitimately be used in more situations than just the lefty on lefty matchups if needed, but would be the ideal guy to slot in with Howell, Balfour and Wheeler in shutting teams down from the seventh inning on. There is a lot of competition out there for Beimel but I think it could be done. Re-sign Rocco Baldelli: One of those sentimental moves I think both sides would go for. The only problem that [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Rays season over, sigh.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/rays-season-over-sigh/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/rays-season-over-sigh/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:36:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Akinori Iwamura]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Al Reyes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andy Sonnanstine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BJ Upton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carl Crawford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carlos Pena]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chad Bradford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cliff Floyd]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dan Wheeler]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Price]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eric Hinske]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evan Longoria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fernando Perez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gabe Gross]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gary Glover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grant Balfour]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J.P. Howell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Shields]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Bartlett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Hammel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeff Niemann]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonny Gomes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Salas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kurt Birkins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Garza]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mitch Talbot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nathan Haynes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rocco Baldelli]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scott Dohman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scott Kazmir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shawn Riggans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trevor Miller]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Troy Percival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Willy Aybar]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=336</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   Time to wrap up the Rays season. What a season we had here, never saw this coming. I thought, the same as everyone else, the Rays would improve but not to this extent. Let&#8217;s wrap it up&#8230; The defense: The most dramatically improved thing on this team was the defense. The arrival of Jason Bartlett and Evan Longoria made this into the best left side defense in baseball. I was skeptical of Bartlett in the beginning (no need to bring my stupidity there again) as he had some unexplained throwing errors early but recovered to have a great season (should&#8217;ve got the gold glove over Young in my opinion). Longo was great defensively from day one and that&#8217;s that. Aki transitioned nicely over to second and Pena (won gold glove) was phenomenal. Having Pena at the corner saved Barty and Longo at least 5 errors a piece. Navarro&#8217;s improvement behind the plate was far and away the most amazing difference I saw. He was such a different player all around this year that I want to compare images from last season to see if this is the same guy. Unreal! Crawford and Upton were very good and have the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Rays grab Bradford, Crawford back in lineup.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/rays-grab-bradford-crawford-back-in-lineup/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/rays-grab-bradford-crawford-back-in-lineup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:25:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Al Reyes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baltimore Orioles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bradford crawford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carl Crawford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chad Bradford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Bartlett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Hammel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rocco Baldelli]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=275</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   A couple of Rays notes for the day. The snagged reliever Chad Bradford off of waivers from the Orioles and will be sending the infamous &#8220;player to be named later&#8221;. Bradford is a capable reliever who I can&#8217;t stand watching, but is effective. He is one of the few submarine style pitchers left in the game and is a groundball machine. I would expect to see him in those situations that require a double play ball and against tough right handed hitters. He&#8217;s having a good season to the tune of a 3-3 record with a 2.45 ERA. We can only speculate on who&#8217;s going to be the odd man out and I would have to guess Al Reyes. Rays Index thinks Jason Hammel may be gone (who they don&#8217;t seem to be a big fan of) but I gotta think that Hammel serves more of a purpose than Reyes and there isn&#8217;t anyone to really take his long relief spot. After watching the 85 mph balloons Reyes has been throwing lately I gotta think he&#8217;s on the way to the DL at least. In other news The Heater is also reporting that Carl Crawford will be back in the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Gomes is gone, yay!!!!!!</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/gomes-is-gone-yay/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/gomes-is-gone-yay/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:17:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonny Gomes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=271</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   I know there are a lot of Jonny Gomes fans out there and I have been driving you all crazy with my rants and complete disgust of this guy. Well it&#8217;s all over. Gomes was optioned to AAA Durham today in a move that brings back Ben Zobrist to fill the backup SS need. I haven&#8217;t had much time to post over the last few days, but I think we all knew I would be excited about this. I now say farewell to the strikeout machine and good riddance. I have had no love for this guy and am still confused as to what made him so popular here with the fans. I will now stop cold calling today and do a little celebrating. Which reminds me, if you need some Insurance of any kind in any state, pop on over to www.insuranceoptionsdirect.com and I&#8217;d be happy to help. Scott Brannelly Source: The Heater Related Posts:Zobrist is back, yay!All this damn work!Gomes for Heilman? Please,please, please!Rays in first yet I still must bitch&#8230;.This has to be Gomes&#8217; LAST chance!Rays reportRays grab Bradford, Crawford back in lineup.The Rays keep winning in Orlando.Rays reportBay to Bay! Technorati Tags: Ben Zobrist, Jonny [...]]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Some Rays rambling.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/some-rays-rambling/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/some-rays-rambling/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:54:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andrew Friedman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BJ Upton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carl Crawford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carlos Pena]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Price]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dioner Navarro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Bartlett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeff Niemann]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Maddon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonny Gomes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Holliday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rays Index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Fat Catcher]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Xavier Nady]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=254</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   Listening to Ron and Ian today they did an interview with Joe Maddon which was pretty good. The only thing Maddon said that I don&#8217;t agree with is that BJ Upton hustles &#8220;all the time&#8221; and that he never has mental lapses. Are you kidding me? Does he think we all listen to the games on the radio and never watch them? I&#8217;m glad he thinks we are so stupid. I don&#8217;t expect him to bash BJ or anything but don&#8217;t tell me that what I SEE isn&#8217;t true. Anyway, they reported on the radio that Maddon and Friedman had a 45 minute closed door session after the game. God I hope it&#8217;s discussing trad possibilities! I can&#8217;t watch Gomes anymore, I change the channel or look away at the games now when he hits. It is the ugliest spectacle I&#8217;ve ever seen. And Carlos Pena&#8217;s and Carl Crawford&#8217;s at-bats are almost as unbearable now too. It seems that everyone on the team is capable of at least one hideous at-bat every game and something needs to be done. I would love to see Nady here but I continue to hear that the asking price is too high. There [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Zobrist is back, yay!</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/zobrist-is-back-yay/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/zobrist-is-back-yay/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:11:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gabe Gross]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonny Gomes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Justin Ruggiano]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=242</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   This is where I don&#8217;t understand the politics of baseball and what not. It appears that Ben Zobrist is still holding those pictures of someone making love to a sheep. Mr. Zobrist is a guy who I have always wondered how he made it. The Rays needed another infielder and now the big Z is here to fill that need. I&#8217;ll deal with that. My biggest question here is with Justin Ruggiano. Why send him down? Let&#8217;s be honest here, Jonny Gomes is the one who should be gone. Gomes is completely useless in the field and is almost as useless at the plate. I know they&#8217;re paying him and he doesn&#8217;t have options, but isn&#8217;t it time they just DFA&#8217;d the guy? I feel pretty confident he&#8217;ll get through waivers, and if he doesn&#8217;t, he can go somewhere else and strike out with the bases loaded. Justin has earned his shot and brings more to the table than the Pro Wrestler. He can actually play the field, he hits well enough and should be someone the Rays are looking at to platoon with Gabe Gross. Now we still have Gomes and the big Z is back. Outstanding! Source: Rays Report [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Rays are winning in spite of Maddon.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/rays-are-winning-in-spite-of-maddon/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/rays-are-winning-in-spite-of-maddon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2008 22:33:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Akinori Iwamura]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carl Crawford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evan Longoria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Bartlett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Maddon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Garza]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shawn Riggans]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=219</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   First thing to say here is that the players on the field are getting it done. All the credit in the world belongs to the guys on the field doing what needs to be done. No doubt about it. I am getting very frustrated with our idiot Manager now though. It seems at the moment that the players are winning in spite of what Mr. Maddon does. This creates a problem because Maddon isn&#8217;t going to try and correct what seems to be working even though it won&#8217;t continue to work. At the game today there a some things that stuck out to me.   First thing is a glaring issue. What the hell was Jason Bartlett doing batting sixth? Is a guy swinging a rubber bat (who&#8217;s BA, SLG and OBP were all under .300 to start the day) really going to protect Evan Longoria? In the first inning they walked Longoria intentionally to get to Bartlett and JB grounded out. I hope this was just an attempt at something different and doesn&#8217;t become some sort of new wave crap Maddon wants to try.    We don&#8217;t bunt enough! This is the main thing that bothers me where the players are overcoming stupid [...]]]></description>
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		<title>What&#8217;s wrong with Joe Maddon?!!</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/whats-wrong-with-joe-maddon/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-rays/whats-wrong-with-joe-maddon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:02:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Zobrist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eric Hinske]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonny Gomes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nathan Haynes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/2008/04/02/whats-wrong-with-joe-maddon/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   Did Eric Hinske hurt himself? Isn&#8217;t Jonny Gomes appealing his suspension? Someone please tell me why in the name of everything holy would Joe Maddon start career minor leaguer Nathan Haynes over Eric Hinske and Jonny Gomes. I understand the lefty vs. righty thing managers do and I understand playing stat games sometimes but when a guy hits a bomb like Hinske did the other night and is supposed to be in a platoon playing against righthanded pitchers please tell me why he&#8217;s not in the lineup?!?!?!?! I&#8217;ve never liked Joe Maddon and this is the biggest reason why. He wants to appease bench players too much. There is a reason a guy is a bench player. He&#8217;s not good enough to play everyday. He should be used to coming off the bench in pinch-running and defensive replacement roles. I bet you right now as soon as Ben Zobrist comes off the DL he&#8217;ll be put in the starting lineup as soon as he&#8217;s back. There is no need for a day off for anyone right now, especially when they just had one yesterday! It&#8217;s the second game Joe, stick with a STARTING LINEUP!!!!! By the way the Rays [...]]]></description>
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