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Every team except Tampa Bay and Colorado got their 2025 Major League Baseball underway yesterday. The Rays will host the Rockies today at George M. Steinbrenner Field, across from Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay is favored (-1.5, -215 moneyline).
The Rays have had to move to the other side of the bay from their usual digs, the Tropicana in St. Petersburg. Thanks to Hurricane Milton, which ravaged the area, the climate-controlled venue lost much of its roof which led to extensive water damage. The stadium they are using is the spring training home of the New York Yankees
The Tarpons, the Yankees' minor league that would traditionally play at Steinbrenner, have also had to relocate as the stadium has undergone a complete makeover to make the venue look and feel like it truly is Tampa Bay's home stadium. All thanks to the New York Yankees who moved the Tarpons to the 1,000 person capacity GMS Field which has added lights and undergone other upgrades.
Steinbrenner Field will, of course, be the smallest park in the major leagues with a capacity of just 11,026. For the record, the ballclub only averaged 16,515 at the Trop last year, and just 13,927 in 2022.
Most people have been perplexed for years how the city has managed to keep a major league team with so little support. It's not a situation that is unique to Tampa Bay, as the Marlins also have a terrible time trying to drum up fan support in Miami. In 2024, the Marlins averaged 13,425.
Only the Oakland A's drew smaller home crowds than the Marlins and Rays, and the Chicago White Sox weren't too far ahead with 17,931.
For today's game, Richie Palacios has been placed on the Tampa Bay Rays injury list due to fracture right-hand ring finger. Catcher Danny Jensen is reportedly doing okay after pulling a rib muscle a little over a week ago which caused him to miss the last few spring training games. The injury to Palacios means Kameron Misner had to return after being optioned to the AAA Durham Bulls.
Left-handed starting pitcher Shane McClanahan was placed on the 15-day DL list yesterday with a left triceps nerve issue,
Tampa Bay native Alex Faedo is also on the injury list with a shoulder issue.
Ryan Pepiot will be on the mound instead of McClanahan, Last September, the right-hand slinger recorded the Rays' fourth-ever Immaculate inning (a 3-pitch strikeout of all 3 batters). Only 105 different pitchers in Major League Baseball's long history have achieved that feat. Former Dodger great Sandy Koufax did it three times. So have active pitchers Chris Sale and Max Scherzer.
Colorado will have lefty Kyle Freeland on the bump. Freeland was the 8th over-all pick by the Rockies in 2014 and he's been picking up a paycheck from the same organization since then while compiling a record of 60-73 with a 4.48 ERA. He has had nothing close to his 2018 season when he went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA.
Jeff Criswell, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery was placed On 15-Day injured list, as was Austin Gomber for "left shoulder soreness". Thairo Estrada was put on the 10-Day list for a broken wrist, but he's excepted to be out anywhere from four to eight weeks.
Last season, the Rays finished fourth in the AL East with a record of 80-82 with 4 losses in the last 6 games.
The Rockies have been the perennial NL West cellar-dwellers over the last three seasons, going 61-101 a year ago, 59-103 the year before that, and 68-94 in 2022.