James Shields is now the official ace of the Rays' staff — for what that's worth. On this team, I suspect it's not worth much because the Rays' rotation is the deepest part of a really deep team. On many clubs, Scott Kazmir would be the unquestioned stud. On many clubs, Matt Garza would be the ace. Here, he's No. 3. Andy Sonnanstine is as solid as it gets at No. 4. And in a couple of years, we could be writing about the choice of David Price as Opening Day starter. ...more

March 5, 2009

For the second consecutive season, James Shields will be called upon to set the tone for the Rays on Opening Day. But this year's assignment will be a bit sweeter. ...more

March 5, 2009

James Shields will be on the mound April 6 in Boston when the Rays begin their defense of the American League championship, Manager Joe Maddon announced today. ...more

March 4, 2009

When his fastball explodes through the strike zone, when his paralyzing slider causes a batter's knees to buckle, it's difficult to show restraint about the future of Rays rookie pitcher David Price. ...more

March 1, 2009

The Red Sox didn't exactly bring their Opening Day lineup north from Fort Myers on Friday, but there were enough legitimate major-leaguers atop the lineup to give Jeff Niemann the taste he wanted. ...more

February 28, 2009

You guys know each other, right? They do now. The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox play today, provided traffic lets up and the Boston team bus gets through. What's that? Oh, sorry, our fault: The American League champion Rays play the Red Sox today. ...more

February 27, 2009

The list of contenders for the fifth spot in the Rays' starting rotation is growing practically by the hour. ...more

February 27, 2009

The games that count are still a ways off, but the Rays will take another significant step toward Opening Day as they begin their Grapefruit League schedule this afternoon against the Cincinnati Reds. ...more

February 25, 2009

On the eve of spring training's exhibition season, when questions must be answered, the Rays have a large one looming. What to do with David Price? ...more

February 24, 2009

Sonnanstine is dependent upon precision and consistency, and his margin for error is narrower than most of his peers. ...more

February 22, 2009