First an update on the Mike Barkley negotiations: they're over. We went to $9.5M and now Barkley wants $23M (!) claiming the Padres have made him a huge offer. Enjoy San Diego Mike, it's a beautiful city.
It wasn't just another Opening Day at Publix Park this year as the Houston Astros came to town, bringing a pair of Rays heroes with them in the person of Jaiden Hardaway and Danny Ayala, in enemy uniforms for the first time. Neither did much against their old team and the good guys won 4-3 thanks to a couple of huge homers. First Josh Alexander took Houston ace Elias Gomez deep with a man on in the 6th to tie the game, and then Jeff Baez won it with a solo shot off Gomez in the 7th. Dan Gregory had a nice debut with a double and Seth Williams notched his first big league hit, a single. Danny Romero turned in a decent start and the bullpen was lights-out with Ed Pretty getting the win after picking up 9 last season, Chris Williams making an impressive Rays debut and Kikuo Kawase doing Kikuo Kawase things.
Game 2: The Rays battled back from an early deficit and beat another old friend to take a 7-4 win over the Astros. Brad Jackson started and was shaky early, giving up 3 runs in the first two innings. But he settled in to finish 5 6 3 3 3 4 and pick up the win when the comeback happened. That comeback started with an RBI single from Jose Mendez off former Ray Kevin Kerstetter to tie it up, and then a 2-run homer from new Ray and one-time Astro Dan Gregory in the 5th put them ahead to stay. Earlier Seth Williams hit his first MLB homer in the 1st and Josh Alexander hit his second in as many games in the 6th. Kikuo Kawase picked up another save with a solid 9th.
Game 3: Jeff Brockman was solid and the bats got the best of still another former Ray to make it 3 wins in 3 with a 5-2 triumph over the Astros. Brockman notched the win going 5.1 4 2 2 2 3, Dan Anderson turned in a valuable (and perfect) 2 1/3 innings of relief and with Kikuo Kawase having gone the last two days Ken Burgess got the call in the 9th and converted his first save of the year. Meanwhile the still ludicrously-hot Jose Mendez took old friend Jon Soranno deep in the 1st, and a 4-run 5th won them the game with a Dan Gregory single tying it, a Seth Williams fielder's choice scoring the go-ahead run, and Pat Moyer's 2-run single capping the inning.
Game 4: You can't win 'em all and thanks to a 5-2 Houston win in the series finale the Rays won't be going 162-0. Josh Alexander's third homer in four games and a Mike McKee RBI double gave the Rays an early 2-0 lead, but Vinny Willard couldn't hold it and Chris Toombs struggled in relief. Willard went 4 7 2 2 2 2 on 92 pitches, while Toombs allowed a couple of runs although they scored from a single off Jordan Perez. Pat Moyer tore an abdominal muscle while doubling in the 4th and will be out 5 weeks.
Team record: 3-1. Next up: 3 at home against the tough Colorado Rockies, who were 2039 World Series winners and a playoff team last year. The series will mark the return of Daniel Vasquez to Publix Park.