The Tampa Bay Rays rallied for an impressive victory on Wednesday afternoon, scoring four in the ninth to beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2.

After being held to one hit by Tigers ace Justin Verlander through the first eight innings, the Rays got three off him in the ninth, Evan Longoria singling in Desmond Jennings to tie it.

Jeff Keppinger got them started with a single. After Reid Brignac struck out, Jennings singled to right. Carlos Pena walked, with Keppinger scoring on a ball-four wild pitch. Longoria then singled in Jennings.

After the Tigers went to the bullpen, Elliot Johnson drew a walk and Ben Zobrist singled in two runs to put them ahead.

The Rays were stifled much of the afternoon, with just Zobrist’s fifth-inning single to show for their efforts.

James Shields pitched well for the Rays, allowing a first-inning run on a single by Miguel Cabrera, and the other in the fifth when he balked on a throw to third after Andy Dirks doubled and went to third on a ground out.

The Rays face the Tigers again on Thursday afternoon, with Jeff Niemann on the mound.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann will skip his scheduled start against the Boston Red Sox due to a blister.

Niemann recently won the final spot in the rotation over Wade Davis, but isn’t scheduled for his first regular-season start until April 11 or 12. At this point the Rays don’t expect the blister — which is on his middle finger, to be an issue then.

The Rays will use the bullpen to work Saturday’s game, with Kyle Farnsworth the likely starter. Wade Davis will see his first action out of the bullpen.

Also, manager Joe Maddon said RHP Fernando Rodney is still swollen and sore from being hit by a line drive on Wednesday and there is no date for his return to the mound but he should be ready to start the season.

Though Tampa Bay Rays CF B.J. Upton continues to feel better, today he acknowledged that being ready to open the season on April 6 is not likely.

“Definitely not at this point,” Upton said. “(But) it’s not out of the question.”

Upton, who has played in just part of one minor-league game since a March 14 outfield collision with Desmond Jennings, said Monday he was confident he would be ready for the opener. But manager Joe Maddon made it clear Upton would first have to get back on the field and go through some form of a spring training before being cleared to play.

Which led to Upton on Tuesday sounding much more resigned to not being ready at the start of the season. “If it doesn’t happen, so be it, there’s too much baseball to worry about one series of games. I just rather be healthy all year than try to rush back for a weekend or so.”

Also, “It’s just going to take time for me to get back into playing shape. I’m cool with it, whatever I have to do to get back and be healthy is what I’m going to do, so I don’t know.”

Upton said his lower back continues to get tight and at times “won’t loosen up.”

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon will shave his head next Thursday to raise funds for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children’s Hospital.

Maddon said he will encourage other players, coaches and team officials to do so as well, with Dave Martinez and Tom Foley already committing and executive VP Andrew Friedman and team president Matt Silverman in his sights.

“It’s under the heading, fortune favors the bald,” Maddon said.

Maddon encouraged fans to show their support by making a donation, either by texting Cut to 50555 or visiting pcfcutforacure.orgbetween now and May 4.

The shearing of Maddon’s oft-changing hair will take place at 11:30 a.m. on the stadium boardwalk prior to the game with the Phillies.

Maddon did say the event does not necessarily require going totally bald, that a No. 1 or 2 trim cut would count.

PORT CHARLOTTE — If nothing else, Rays pitcher David Price might have cleaned up in the race for oddest injury of the spring.

Price was forced to leave Thursday’s game with a neck spasm after toweling himself off too vigorously.

Seriously.

Call it over-toweling.

Price claimed he was simply drying his head in the dugout after his second inning against the Tigers and, well, let’s just let him tell it.

“The towel just catches the back of my head, and it pulls my neck forward,” he said. “I just felt it a little bit in back of my neck and just wanted to be cautious with it.

“There’s a little pop, and it just spasms up and gets a little tight.”

Amazingly, Price said this has happened to him twice before — last spring and in September — and it usually takes 2-3 days to work itself out.

Naturally, Rays manager Joe Maddon had some suggestions to avoid such issues in the future:

• The athletic training staff serves as “cornermen,” like legendary boxing trainer Angelo Dundee, for Price: “Get in there, towel him down, get in his face, the shroud of David, that kind of thing. Let’s stop having him towel himself down. We have plenty of people that can do that here.”

• More instruction and repetition such as how legendary basketball coach John Wooden had his players practice putting on their socks to avoid blisters: “David might need better technique when it comes to toweling himself down. He’s been doing it for 20-some years now but apparently doesn’t have it down yet.”

• Put it in the hands of home clubhouse/equipment manager Chris Westmoreland: “We might need more fabric softener in the towels.”

Price, who said he felt the best he had all spring on the mound, ended up throwing 38 pitches (24 strikes) over two innings, one less than scheduled. Neither he nor Maddon expect his schedule to be disrupted, though the incident was frustrating.

But not enough, of course, to throw in the towel.

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@tampabay.com.

PORT CHARLOTTE — The details have not yet been made official, but the Tampa Bay Rays players like what they’ve heard of the plans to expand the playoffs to include a second wild-card team in each league.

“I think it’s exciting,” Rays 3B and player rep Evan Longoria said. “It’s exciting for all of us. .. I think the goal was to allow more teams to have a chance in the end, to hold on to those playoff hopes for longer.”

Longoria said the players are all for the idea. “I think it was pretty unanimous around the league that the more playoff spots the better,” he said. “Once you get into the playoffs it’s more revenue for the ballclub, it’s more excitement for the players, so I think it would be a no-brainer for everybody.”

The idea of a one-game “playoff” between the two wild-card teams, however, does raise some concerns.

“I wouldn’t mind two out of three, but at least it gives you a shot to get in,” RHP James Shields said.

“I don’t think anybody’s “comfortable” with it – it’s an uncomfortable feeling going into any game that you know you could go home, your season could end,” Longoria said. “But at the same time, it’s exciting – you’re in the playoffs now.”

“It’s cruel,” OF Sam Fuld said, “but it’s going to be an exciting night.”

Tampa Bay Rays rookie LHP Matt Moore will indeed miss his scheduled batting practice session today due to what the Rays are calling “a mild lower abdoninal strain.”

Moore said it has been bothering him since Friday, when it popped up during his second bullpen session of the spring, and “it feels like a sore muscle.”

Moore said the discomfort is in the middle of his abdomen, just below his belly button, and he notices it only when he throws. He said it does not seem related at all to the oblique muscles.

Moore played catch at 60 feet on Saturday and 75 feet on Sunday but won’t throw at all today to see how it responds. He said it was “a possibility” he could be back on the mound Wednesday for what would be next scheduled session. If it does, there conceivably would be no impact on his availability to start the season. If he misses more time, there’s a chance he might not be ready as the Rays are sure to be cautious with their prized rookie.

“I don’t feel like it’s a major setback just because I told (the athletic training staff) and I threw the next couple days,” Moore said. “If it was something major I would have shut it down and just been like, “Hey, this is it for right now.”

Moore, 22, is expected to have a major role in the Rays starting rotation this season, following his heralded debut last September. He is considered the top pitching prospect in baseball.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

Posted: Nov 28, 2011 03:48 PM

The Tampa Bay Rays are bringing back all their coaches on two-year contracts, and have made Stan Boroski their bullpen coach.

All coaches’ contracts expired after the 2011 season. While manager Joe Maddon said at the end of the season media wrapup that he expected to keep the staff intact, the Rays have yet to announce the deals.

The two-year term is interesting because Maddon has only one year remaining on his deal, and it’s unusual for coaches to have longer contracts than a manager. Both Maddon and the Rays have said they hope to eventually work out an extension.

Boroski was on the staff as assistant to the pitching coach and took over as bullpen coach during last season when Bobby Ramos, on the job since 2006, left the team in August due to illness. Ramos could end up with another position in the organization.

Returning to their posts are bench coach Dave Martinez (fifth season), pitching coach Jim Hickey (sixth season), hitting coach Derek Shelton (third season), first-base coach George Hendrick (seventh season) and third-base coach Tom Foley (11th season).

Boroski, 46, joined the Rays for the 2010 season, working with pitchers alongside Hickey and doing some of the pre-game computer work. He continued to handle those duties while filling in for Ramos last season and is expected to continue to handle both roles.

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

Posted: Nov 28, 2011 03:48 PM

The Tampa Bay Rays are bringing back all their coaches on two-year contracts, and have made Stan Boroski their bullpen coach.

All coaches’ contracts expired after the 2011 season. While manager Joe Maddon said at the end of the season media wrapup that he expected to keep the staff intact, the Rays have yet to announce the deals.

The two-year term is interesting because Maddon has only one year remaining on his deal, and it’s unusual for coaches to have longer contracts than a manager. Both Maddon and the Rays have said they hope to eventually work out an extension.

Boroski was on the staff as assistant to the pitching coach and took over as bullpen coach during last season when Bobby Ramos, on the job since 2006, left the team in August due to illness. Ramos could end up with another position in the organization.

Returning to their posts are bench coach Dave Martinez (fifth season), pitching coach Jim Hickey (sixth season), hitting coach Derek Shelton (third season), first-base coach George Hendrick (seventh season) and third-base coach Tom Foley (11th season).

Boroski, 46, joined the Rays for the 2010 season, working with pitchers alongside Hickey and doing some of the pre-game computer work. He continued to handle those duties while filling in for Ramos last season and is expected to continue to handle both roles.

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By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

Posted: Nov 14, 2011 05:14 PM

Shields awaits Cy Young vote

Rays right-hander James Shields is set for a top-five finish when the American League Cy Young Award is announced today at 2 p.m. by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander is a lock to win the award after his 24-win season, but Shields could land in the top three after a bounce-back season in which he racked up a career-high 16 wins and a major-league best 11 complete games. If Shields is in the top five, his option for 2012 increases to $8 million. Angels right-hander Jered Weaver and Yankees lefty CC Sabathia will also be among the finalists.

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

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By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Monday, November 14, 2011

Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson is one of the top candidates for the American League rookie of the year award to be announced today at 2 p.m. by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The right-hander, who went 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA, had a .210 opponent’s average and 20 quality starts, tops among rookies. His competition: Angels first baseman Mark Trumbo (29 homers, 87 RBI), Mariners pitcher Michael Pineda (9-10, 3.74 ERA) and Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova (16-4, 3.70).

CARDS PICK MANAGER: The Cardinals said they will announce the hiring of Mike Matheny as manager during a news conference today.

Matheny, a former St. Louis, catcher replaces Tony La Russa, who retired after leading the team to the World Series title.

Matheny, 40, was a minor-league instructor with the Cardinals and has no managing experience. He played for St. Louis from 2000-04 and won three Gold Gloves, plus another with the Giants. He was one of six men interviewed to replace La Russa.

Information from Times wires was used in this report.

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Wednesday, October 26, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — Dave Eiland liked working again for his hometown Rays as a scout and minor-league instructor. But what he really wanted was to be a major-league pitching coach again, and he got that opportunity with the Royals, agreeing to a two-year deal announced Tuesday.

“I’m very happy; it’s what I do,” Eiland said. “I wouldn’t have left Tampa Bay for any pitching coach job. It had to be the right fit, and Kansas City felt like a very good fit.”

Eiland, 45, grew up in Zephyrhills and pitched parts of 10 seasons in the majors, the last three with the Rays. He then went into coaching, working his way up to be the Yankees pitching coach in 2008-10. He spent last season as a special assistant with the Rays and would have returned if he hadn’t gotten a big-league job.

“In 25 years in the game, those were some of the smartest, brightest, sharpest baseball people I’ve been around,” Eiland said. “It’s really hard to leave.”

Also, director of baseball operations Dan Feinstein left the Rays to return to the A’s as director of professional scouting and baseball development. Feinstein, a native of Lafayette, Calif., worked for Oakland from 1994-2004. With the Rays, he assisted executive VP Andrew Friedman with contracts, arbitration, trades, rules and budgets.

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By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

Posted: Oct 21, 2011 07:18 PM

Tampa Bay Rays righthander Jeremy Hellickson has been named MLB’s Rookie of the Year by Baseball America.

Hellickson went 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA this season, with a 2.10 opponent average and 20 quality starts, that were the best of all major league rookies.

Hellickson is also a main candidate to win the AL’s Rookie of the Year award voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (announced Nov. 14). The last time an AL rookie had a lower ERA than Hellickson’s 2.95 was 1990, when Kevin Appier posted a 2.76 for the Royals. A rookie had not finished with Hellickson’s combination of wins, innings and ERA since 1980, when Britt Burns did so for the White Sox.

Here’s Baseball America story on Hellickson.

Meanwhile, Rays OF Desmond Jennings joined Hellickson on Baseball America’s Rookie Team.

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

Posted: Oct 07, 2011 12:09 PM

Tampa Bay Rays pre- and post-game radio host Rich Herrera has resigned to pursue other opportunities in sports broadcasting.

Herrera had been with the Rays for seven seasons, also serving as director of radio operations. His on-air role was diminished during the season.

Play-by-play broadcasters Andy Freed and Dave Wills are under contract and will return

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