Lineup mishap sees Rays forfeit DH, pitcher at bat

Writing Evan Longoria's name in the lineup at third base is apparently a hard habit to break for the Rays' coaching staff, and it cost them the use of the designated hitter Sunday.

Manager Joe Maddon planned to have Longoria serve as the DH in the series finale against the Indians with Ben Zobrist playing third base. The lineup was listed that way on the card in the Rays' clubhouse, but apparently not on the official sheet provided to the umpires and the Indians before the game.

After the top of the first inning was played with Zobrist manning third for the Rays, the umpires gathered down the first-base line for a lengthy discussion. They then moved to the Indians' dugout, where they continued the talk with manager Eric Wedge, who appeared animated at times.

One umpire departed down the tunnel near the visitors' dugout and the other three walked across the field to speak with Maddon - but not before umpire crew chief Tim McClelland waved the Indians off the field.

Eventually word of what had happened filtered out. The Rays had listed both Longoria and Zobrist as third basemen on the official card. Because Zobrist had already played, the Rays had to forfeit the DH slot and have the pitcher bat in what would have been Longoria's slot - third in the batting order.

So Andy Sonnanstine, who loves hitting more than any other Rays pitcher, ended up batting third when play resumed in the bottom of the first inning - and promptly knocked Carl Crawford off the bases with an ineffective bunt down the third-base line that got Crawford forced out at second base.

Longoria had not officially entered the game, so he remained eligible to come on later as a pinch-hitter. But the Rays were forced to play it like a National League game with the pitcher batting six spots higher than he normally would.

The unplanned lineup change didn't hurt the Rays in the fourth inning, though. Sonnanstine came to the plate with Michel Hernandez on second and two out and lofted a double over Cleveland left fielder Ryan Garko's head to give the Rays a 7-3 lead. It was Sonnanstine's fifth career hit, and his first for extra bases.

The mess caused a 13-minute delay in the proceedings.