May 3, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe (11) hits a RBI single during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Rays Key Players to Watch
- Evan Longoria still has only one home run this year to go along with five RBI. At the time the Red Sox last saw him, he was hitting just .205, but in the three games after the Red Sox left Tampa, he broke out with an 11 for 15 run of hits. He has cooled off since, going hitless in his last two games in Baltimore, but he still has a .274/.386/.405 batting line. Teams routinely pitch around him as he does not have a lot of protection in their batting order. The Red Sox will not take him lightly, and will certainly not want him to be the one that beats them in this series. Longoria was three for 11 with two runs scored and a double in the earlier series vs. Boston.
- Logan Forsythe, the Rays’ super-utility guy starting games at first base, second base and third base already in this young season, is having the season of his career. His .296/.374/.481 is the best of his career. He already has two homers on the season, when his previous season high was six. He has 11 RBI (tied for the team lead) on the season, when his previous season high was 26. Forsythe went three for eight, with four walks, and three RBI in the previous series with Boston.
- Kevin Kiermaier is one the Rays most exciting young players. While he only has two homers and seven RBI on the season, he leads the Rays in OPS with .860 (.296/.324/.535). He has excellent speed, yet has not mastered the skill of stealing bases, still looking for his first one of the season. His two triples and seven doubles can attest to his outstanding speed. A double digit figure in the triples category this season is not out of the question. Kiermaier was one for six in the earlier series against Boston.