HOUSTON – Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier made his impact felt defensively in his return from the disabled list on Tuesday. There will be
changes in playing time moving forward as well.With Kiermaier
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thumb, back in the fold, Mallex Smith shifted to left field while Johnny Field
claimed a reserve role. While Smith appears a likely bet to maintain regular
at-bats, Field could see a decline in his. Field could potentially share time in
right field with veteran Carlos Gomez, whose defense played a part in the Rays’
2-1 victory Tuesday that ended Houston’s 12-game winning streak and set the
stage for the rubber match of this three-game series on Wednesday night.“Mallex is going to play a lot,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s done a good job; I think he’s deserving to play. He’s probably back in the spot that
benefits us the most in left or right when he goes over there at certain times.
I like that he can rove to all three of (the outfield slots) and back up K.K. in
center. But now it’s like the infield thing: I’m just going to have to do a good
job of making sure that everybody gets some consistency and also rest at the
same time.“I don’t think it’s going to hurt Carlos Gomez to get an extra day here and there. Same with Johnny. You see with really good teams that have a full roster
the ability to rest their so-called regulars. So, we’ll take that approach.”The Rays designated outfielder Rob Refsnyder for assignment to make room for Kiermaier.Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 4.63 ERA) will start the series finale for the Rays (34-39). He is 1-0 with a 2.52 ERA over four career starts against
Houston but hasn’t faced them since April 7, 2016, while pitching for the
Yankees.Eovaldi has faced the Astros once in Houston
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two runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings.Wednesday will mark his fifth start since returning from a second Tommy John surgery.The Astros (49-26) will counter with right-hander Charlie Morton (8-1, 2.94 ERA), who is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA over three career starts against the Rays.
Morton went 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts against the Rays last season,
allowing seven runs on 10 hits and five walks over 11 innings.He picked up the win in his last start, the 200th of his career, limiting the Royals to three runs on four hits and four walks with nine strikeouts over six
innings in a 7-3 victory on June 15.Major League Baseball released the second update of the American League All-Star voting results on Tuesday, and Astros second baseman Jose Altuve leads
all players in fan balloting with
1,572
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behind Altuve at 1,568,417.“I think it’s remarkable, and I think it’s well deserved for someone who represents our game in exceptional fashion,” said Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who
will manage the AL All-Stars in Washington, D.C., next month. “I think the
voters are getting it right. He’s every bit what’s right about baseball. I love
the guy and I’m happy that he’s getting the recognition that he
should.”Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski sat out practice Thursday with a concussion and quarterback Tom Brady was limited with his right-hand injury as
New England returned to the practice field in preparation for its Super Bowl
matchup with Philadelphia.
Gronkowski suffered his concussion after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit early in the Patriots’ AFC championship game win over Jacksonville. Brady got several
stitches in his hand after getting hurt in practice leading up to that game.Defensive lineman Deatrich Wise (concussion) and Malcolm Brown (foot) also did not participate in Thursday’s practice. Safety Devin McCourty (shoulder),
running back Mike Gillislee (knee) and offensive lineman LaAdrian Waddle (knee)
were all limited participants.—
