© Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company.

The Tampa Bay Rays will play a total of 72 regular-season games against AL East opponents. That includes the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays.

The Rays will begin the 2012 MLB season with a three-game home series against the Yankees from April 6 through April 8. The Rays will finish their season with a three-game home series against the Orioles from October 1 through October 3. 18 of the first 26 divisional games will be played on the road.

Here is a brief rundown of the Rays’ schedule against divisional opponents for the 2012 MLB season.

Complete MLB schedule can be found HERE.

April 2012 (3 Home, 7 Road)

April 6-8: New York Yankees

April 13-16: at Boston Red Sox

April 17-19: at Toronto Blue Jays

May 2012 (5 Home, 11 Road)

May 8-10: at New York Yankees

May 11-13: at Baltimore Orioles

May 14-15: at Toronto Blue Jays

May 16-17: Boston Red Sox

May 21-23: Toronto Blue Jays

May 25-27: at Boston Red Sox

June 2012 (3 Home, 3 Road)

June 1-3: Baltimore Orioles

June 5-7: at New York Yankees

July 2012 (6 Home, 3 Road)

July 2-4: New York Yankees

July 13-15: Boston Red Sox

July 24-26: at Baltimore Orioles

August 2012 (6 Home, 2 Road)

August 3-5: Baltimore Orioles

August 7-9: Toronto Blue Jays

August 30-31: at Toronto Blue Jays

September And October 2012 (13 Home, 10 Road)

September 1-2: at Toronto Blue Jays (Continued)

September 3-5: New York Yankees

September 11-13: at Baltimore Orioles

September 14-16: at New York Yankees

September 17-20: Boston Red Sox

September 21-23: Toronto Blue Jays

September 26-27: at Boston Red Sox

October 1-3: Baltimore Orioles

MLB schedules subject to change due to rainouts or any other unanticipated postponement.

Joshua Huffman grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs enthusiast. He immediately gained an admiration for Cubs fans after watching numerous games on WGN during the mid-90s. His favorite Cubs moment was Kerry Wood’s(notes) 1-hitter, 20K extravaganza that was only denied of a no-hitter by Kevin Orie’s defensive blunder. As a Packers and Cubs fan, he suffered through Steve Bartman and “4th & 26″ in a span of three months. He can be found on Twitter HERE.

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Can the Tampa Bay Rays hang with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the American League East? As I predicted in my preview of the division, they’ll be in the thick of the race. But in terms of fantasy baseball, does it really matter? Tampa has a talented team and these five Rays will help you stay in the race for your fantasy baseball championship — and that’s all that matters, right?

Desmond Jennings (OF) – Some fantasy owners may take B.J. Upton over Jennings, but I rolled the dice last year on Upton’s upside and won’t do it again. I’d rather ride with Jennings, who in 247 at-bats last season banged out 10 homers and stole 22 bags. Project those numbers over a full season — and Jennings should get plenty of playing time in 2012 — and you have a major category contributor. The former top prospect may be a reach before round eighth, unless you play in a keepers league.

James Shields (OF) – Shields was a mess in 2010, but he bounced back in a big way last season. In addition to hurling an MLB-best 11 complete games, he went 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Shields appears to have unlocked his potential and with the Rays holding a contract option for next season, he should be extra motivated to duplicate last season’s performance. With an abundance of quality pitchers in the draft, however, you can wait until the eighth round to pick Shields.

Ben Zobrist (2B/OF) – Zobrist is one of the more underrated players in fantasy baseball. He provides solid, across-the-board production, especially for a middle infielder. Over the last three seasons, he is averaging 19 homers, 86 RBI and 20 stolen bases. And that includes a down year in 2010. Furthermore, Zobrist walks a ton and is a doubles-hitting machine, making him valuable in OPS leagues. If you’re still looking for a second baseman by round five, don’t let Zobrist get away, as the position is thin.

David Price (SP) – After winning 19 games in 2010, Price slumped to a record of 12-13 last season. His overall numbers, however, weren’t terrible. His ERA jumped to 3.49 from 2.72 the year before, but his strikeouts went up to 218 and his WHIP dropped to 1.14. Those numbers indicate Price may have been the victim of bad luck last season and is due for a bounce-back season. The price is right in the fifth round.

Evan Longoria (3B) – Longoria blasted 33 home runs and knocked in 99 runs, but his career-low .244 batting average frustrated many fantasy baseball owners in 2011. Remember, he missed nearly the first month of the season and batted .263 in May. In September, however, he pulverized the baseball with a .289 batting average, seven homers and 22 RBI. In my opinion, the 26-year-old is poised for a huge season and possibly a run at the AL MVP. Draft him in the second round.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, draft projections are based on participation in a 10-team fantasy baseball league with standard 5×5 scoring.

More fantasy baseball from this Yahoo! contributor:
Fan’s Take: Top Five Boston Red Sox in Fantasy Baseball
Fan’s Take: Top Five Toronto Blue Jays in Fantasy Baseball
Fan’s Take: Top Five Baltimore Orioles in Fantasy Baseball
Adam Martini is a freelance sports writer who roots for the New York Mets (and any team that is playing the New York Yankees ). A dedicated fantasy baseball player since 1998, his games of choice growing up were Strat-O-Matic and MicroLeague Baseball
Sources

Baseball-Reference.com.

The Official Site of Major League Baseball.

The Boston Red Sox will play a slate of 72 regular-season games against their AL East rivals that include the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. They’ll have 36 home games and 36 away games.

The Red Sox will host their first divisional series of the season when they play the Rays from April 13 through April 16. Their first series against the Yankees will occur at Fenway Park from April 20 through April 22. The Red Sox will finish their season with a three-game series in New York from October 1 through October 3.

Here is a brief rundown of Boston’s schedule against divisional opponents for the 2012 MLB season. All series against the Yankees are italicized and in bold.

Complete MLB schedule can be found HERE.

April 2012 (7 Home, 3 Road)

April 9-11: at Toronto Blue Jays

April 13-16: Tampa Bay Rays

April 20-22: New York Yankees

May 2012 (6 Home, 5 Road)

May 4-6: Baltimore Orioles

May 16-17: at Tampa Bay Rays

May 21-23: at Baltimore Orioles

May 25-27: Tampa Bay Rays

June 2012 (6 Home, 3 Road)

June 1-3: at Toronto Blue Jays

June 5-7: Baltimore Orioles

June 25-27: Toronto Blue Jays

July 2012 (6 Home, 6 Road)

July 6-8: New York Yankees

July 13-15: at Tampa Bay Rays

July 20-22: Toronto Blue Jays

July 27-29: at New York Yankees

August 2012 (0 Home, 6 Road)

August 14-16: at Baltimore Orioles

August 17-19: at New York Yankees

September And October 2012 (11 Home, 13 Road)

September 7-9: Toronto Blue Jays

September 11-13: New York Yankees

September 14-16: at Toronto Blue Jays

September 17-20: at Tampa Bay Rays

September 21-23: Baltimore Orioles

September 25-26: Tampa Bay Rays

September 28-30: at Baltimore Orioles

October 1-3: at New York Yankees

MLB schedules subject to change due to rainouts or any other unanticipated postponement.

Joshua Huffman grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs enthusiast. He immediately gained an admiration for Cubs fans after watching numerous games on WGN during the mid-90s. His favorite Cubs moment was Kerry Wood’s(notes) 1-hitter, 20K extravaganza that was only denied of a no-hitter by Kevin Orie’s defensive blunder. As a Packers and Cubs fan, he suffered through Steve Bartman and “4th & 26″ in a span of three months. He can be found on Twitter HERE.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—A career backup with two World Series rings,
Jose Molina is excited about having an opportunity to become an everyday catcher
with the Tampa Bay Rays.

At least as regular as you reasonably can expect at age 36.

The brother of a couple of other two-time World Series winners, Bengie and
Yadier Molina, signed with the Rays this offseason. Manager Joe Maddon envisions
a healthy “J-Mo” starting somewhere between 80 and 90 games as the Ray chase
their fourth playoff berth in five years.

Molina says he preparing as if he’s going to play 162, even though he’s
never appeared in more than 100 during parts of 12 seasons with the Cubs,
Angels, Yankees and Blue Jays.

“I’m ready to catch 162 every year, not just this year. Every year. Because
you never know. If the starting catcher gets hurt, you have to come in and be
ready to do your job,” Molina said Tuesday, the first day of spring training
for Tampa Bay’s pitchers and catchers.

Known more for his defensive skills than his offense, Molina started 44
games as a backup to Toronto rookie J.P. Arencibia while batting a career-best
.281 with three homers and 15 RBIs.

He has been the toughest catcher to steal against in the majors over the
past four seasons, throwing out 62 of 170 runners (36.5 percent). He was
sixth-best a year ago when he threw out 12 of 36 for a 33.3 percent success rate
that enticed the Rays, already one of baseball’s top defensive teams.

Maddon has known Molina since the manager’s days as the Angels’ bench coach.
The Rays declined a $3.2 million option on incumbent starter Kelly Shoppach
after losing in the divisional round of the playoffs in October and traded John
Jaso to the Seattle Mariners the following month.

Molina signed a $1.8 million, one-year contract with the Rays on Nov. 28.
Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos, who’ve played a combined 42 games in the
majors, are competing for the backup job.

Molina won World Series rings with the Angels in 2002 and 2009 with the
Yankees. Bengie also part of the Angels championship team in 2002 and won again
with the San Francisco Giants in 2010. Yadier helped the St. Louis Cardinals win
titles in 2006 and 2011, meaning one of the Molina brothers has won each of the
past three World Series.

Overall, at least one of the brothers has played in seven of the past 10
postseasons.

The Rays pitching staff is eager to work with Molina, who’s continuing a
tour of the AL East following stints with the Yankees from 2007 to 2009 and the
Blue Jays the past two seasons.

“He’s got a lot of knowledge back there, a lot of innings back there. …
He might be the best receiver in the game. I can’t wait to throw to him,”
right-hander James Shields, a 16-game winner in 2011 said.

“From what I’ve heard from other players on other teams, his game-calling
is superb. And from what I’ve seen (from the opposing dugout), his receiving is
unreal,” Shields added. “He gets strikes that might not be strikes on a normal
basis with other catchers. … He knows how to catch. Any time you put a Molina
back there, you should be in good business.”

Tampa Bay’s recent success, winning two division titles and making the
playoffs three of the past four seasons, was a factor in Molina’s decision to
sign. So was a talented starting rotation and solid bullpen that are part of the
reason the Rays believe they have an excellent chance of getting back to the
postseason.

“Everybody in the league knows it’s a great pitching staff, and they’re not
afraid to pitch. You start learning that more when you play 18 games against the
same team,” Molina said, alluding to the time he’s spent in the AL East.

He’s just as eager to begin to get to know the starters and relievers are to
work with him.

“I need to learn all of them. … That’s what spring training is for, to
work with them, talk to them regarding what they like to do, what they expect,
where they want me behind the plate,” Molina said. “Some guys want the catcher
to be in the middle, other guys want you on the corners. I think just talking to
them will be a good beginning.”

The catcher said he doesn’t have any preconceived notion of how many games
he can—or will—play. He stressed that whatever Maddon decides is fine with
him.

“The manager will do whatever he wants, and I will respect it,” said
Molina, who hasn’t started consecutive games behind the plate since August 2010.
“He got his way of thinking. I won’t change that. I can’ change that. I’ll be
ready every day. If he puts me in the lineup every day, I’ll be there.”

Molina started 81 games for the Yankees in 2008, when he appeared in a
career-high 100. Most of his playing time came while Jorge Posada was sidelined
with a shoulder injury.

“I don’t think you want to push him much further than that because you
don’t want to break the guy. I would say that’s a legitimate number, right
around 80 to 90 games,” Maddon said, adding that he’s confident Molina will
flourish in the role he figures to play in Tampa Bay.

“He’s played on some pretty good teams, caught some pretty good pitchers. I
know how he operates. I know how much pride he takes in what he does back there.
… One thing about him, even back in the day, he always wanted to be considered
more of a regular, everyday player as opposed to a backup.”

The Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly been in pursuit of free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran of late, but it appears they’re out of the running to land him now as Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted on Thursday that the bidding is down to the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals. 

Meanwhile, Rosenthal and his Fox colleague Jon Morosi write that the Rays have now turned their interest toward trading for Colorado’s Seth Smith.

The 29-year old from Jackson Miss. hit 15 home runs and drove in 59 runs while posting an .830 OPS for the Rockies in 2011. He also flashed a bit of speed in stealing 10 bases. His power numbers have not dipped below 15 homers since 2008, when he played in just 67 games. For his career, Smith owns a .275 batting average and an .833 OPS.

For more on the Rays, check out DRays Bay, SB Nation’s Tampa Bay Rays blog.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Thursday, December 8, 2011

DALLAS — The winter meetings may end up being all talk for the Rays. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Executive VP Andrew Friedman seems likely to head home today without making any deals — ending a four-year streak — but with progress toward future moves.

“We’ve in the last 24 hours had a number of productive conversations, some that have kind of been offshoots of talks that we had had in the preceding days,” Friedman said Wednesday.

“Trades are so difficult to characterize, but I do feel there is decent momentum on a couple of fronts that have a chance to materialize. Whether that’s in a day or in a month, that’s tough to say. But there are certain spots where ideally we’d be more aggressive and (that we could) take care of so we could take care of other areas. It doesn’t always work out that way.”

The Rays are looking to fill vacancies at first base and DH and to improve their offense, and they have starters to deal, presumably preferring to part with Wade Davis or Jeff Niemann.

The Rays have talked to a number of teams — the Reds “several times,” Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty said — but nothing had developed. The Reds (1B Yonder Alonso) and Marlins (1B Gaby Sanchez) seem good matches, though the Rays likely would prefer a left-handed hitter at first base.

Bringing back Carlos Peña could work, though agent Scott Boras said he has received multiple inquiries and expects Peña, who made $10 million with the Cubs in 2011, to get multiyear offers.

The Rays continued to have interest in free-agent OF/DH Josh Willingham, a right-handed hitter who declined arbitration from Oakland. Boras said there is mutual interest in having DH Johnny Damon return.

Also:

• The Rays have an open roster spot but appear unlikely to make a selection in today’s Rule 5 draft of minor-leaguers. .

• Andres Reiner, the game’s foremost expert on scouting and player development in Venezuela, retired at age 76. The Rays’ academy in Venezuela is dedicated to him. “He is a true visionary and has left a tremendous legacy for our game,” senior VP Gerry Hunsicker said.

MARLINS MANIA: The Marlins missed out on free-agent 1B Albert Pujols (who seems likely to stay in St. Louis but also was talking to the Angels) but continued their spending spree by signing LHP Mark Buehrle, who got $58 million over four years to follow manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox. And they were still pursuing LHP C.J. Wilson, who is also considering an offer from the Angels. That was after the Marlins introduced SS Jose Reyes, saying he was their top offseason target, and insisted Hanley Ramirez would accept a move to third base.

ELSEWHERE: The Padres acquired closer Huston Street from Colorado. … Ex-Rays RHP Dan Wheeler declined arbitration from Boston and remained a free agent. … The Angels signed RHP LaTroy Hawkins, and the Tigers were close with RHP Octavio Dotel. … SS Jimmy Rollins appeared headed back to the Phillies. … Boston’s David Ortiz (voted the game’s top DH), Toronto’s Kelly Johnson and Milwaukee’s Francisco Rodriguez accepted arbitration. Rodriguez is likely to be traded. … The Yankees won the bidding for Japanese INF Hiroyuki Nakajima.

MISCELLANY: Fox analyst Tim McCarver received the Hall of Fame Frick award. … Ex-Ray Scott Kazmir, released by the Angels, made a tough Dominican Republic debut, throwing 27 pitches and getting one out.

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(Reuters) – The Tampa Bay Rays sorted out their catching needs for the 2012 Major League Baseball season by signing veteran Jose Molina to a one-year deal, the team said Monday.

The $1.5 million deal includes a club option to bring the 36-year-old Molina back in 2013 for the same salary, according to a report posted on the team’s website.

Free agent Molina, an accomplished defensive catcher, hit a career-high .281 last season with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Jose has been one of the best defensive catchers in baseball over the past decade, and his presence will bring even more stability to our defense, and he will be a great asset to our young pitchers,” said Rays General Manager Andrew Friedman.

Tampa Bay had created an opening for a veteran catcher by trading catcher John Jaso to the Seattle Mariners Sunday for reliever Josh Lueke, after earlier deciding not to pick up a $3.2 million club option to retain Kelly Shoppach.

Those moves left the Rays with only young catchers Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos on their major league roster.

Over his career, Molina has thrown out 153 of 410 attempted base stealers for a 37.3 percentage that ranks fourth best among active catchers who have played a minimum of 500 games.

The Rays witnessed his throwing ability first-hand in April when Molina, while playing for Toronto, threw out four Tampa Bay runners attempting to steal in the first four innings.

Molina has played in parts of 12 seasons for the Cubs, Angels, Yankees and Blue Jays with a .241 career batting average.

The native of Puerto Rico comes from a family of big league catchers. Older brother Bengie played 13 seasons before retiring after 2010, while younger brother Yadier has spent his eight-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals and won his second World Series ring with them last month.

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Sunday, November 20, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays appear to have crossed one thing off their offseason checklist, as they’re reportedly close to a deal with free agent C Jose Molina.

If and when the deal becomes official, possibly this week, it’s a move that would make sense for Tampa Bay.

Molina, 36, has been a backup primarily during his 12-year career, but he fits well with the kind of catching platoon the Rays desire. He’s very strong defensively, ranking fourth among active catchers by throwing out 40 percent of attempted basestealers. He handles pitching staffs well, which is important with the Rays’ prized rotation. Molina has a wealth of experience in the American League East, having played for the Yankees and Blue Jays the past five years, and could be a valuable mentor for rookies Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos. He has won two World Series, one with Anaheim in 2002 along with Rays manager Joe Maddon, who is a big fan.

And considering that Molina made just $1.2 million last year in Toronto, he falls in Tampa Bay’s price range. Foxsports.com reported the discussed Molina deal would be for one year plus an option for 2013. The Rays declined C Kelly Shoppach‘s $3.2 million option for next season, and though both sides were open for a reunion, a signing of the right-handed hitting Molina would end that.

Like Shoppach, Molina isn’t a big offensive threat (his career high is six homers), but he’s coming off a strong season in which he hit .281 for Toronto in 55 games; Shoppach hit .176 last year. The most games Molina has started in a season is 81 (in 2008 with the Yankees), but executive VP Andrew Friedman said early last week it was more likely the Rays would go with a platoon situation anyway.

“It’s just a demanding position,” Friedman said. “Basically a 100-60/62 (split). Who knows? We might get into a situation 80-80. It depends on the players involved.”

The Rays’ other options are Lobaton, whom they like but who was hampered by a knee sprain and hit .118 in 15 games last season; Chirinos, who showed flashes but likely needs more minor-league time; and John Jaso, who took a step back last year.

The signing of Molina wouldn’t be splashy, but it could be a solid one. Recent history has shown it doesn’t hurt to have a Molina brother on your roster, as they’ve played for the past three World Series champions (Jose with the Yankees in 2009, Bengie with the Giants and Rangers in 2010 and Yadier with the Cardinals last season).

PITCHING IN: It was a big week for the Rays rotation, with RHP Jeremy Hellickson winning American League rookie of the year Monday and RHP James Shields finishing third in the AL Cy Young voting Tuesday. And though there will be speculation all offseason that the Rays will trade from their surplus of starting pitching, Friedman maintained that’s not a foregone conclusion.

“It’s something that I expect that we’ll get a lot of inquiries,” Friedman said. “It’s not something that we’re flippant about. We’re not sitting in our internal meetings and talking about how we have too much starting pitching. Obviously if someone puts something forward that’s compelling, we owe it to everyone to talk through it. But I wouldn’t necessarily count on it.”

RAYS RUMBLINGS: The Rays are still looking at options at first base and DH as well as finding a couple of relievers. … The Rays remain interested in talking with DH Johnny Damon and 1B Casey Kotchman, and potentially bringing them back: “They are very prominent in our discussions right now as we’re going through things,” Friedman said. “I expect that will continue.” … According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes, ex-Rays LHP Scott Kazmir will pitch in the Dominican Winter League with the Escogido Lions.

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com.

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Free-agent catcher Jose Molina(notes) has spent the last four and a half seasons in the American League East behind the plate for the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. Now it appears that he’s getting ready to spend another season in the division.

FOX Sports reports that Molina “is close to signing a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays that includes an option for the 2013 season.”

The 36-year-old, who has played on two World Series champs, could sign the deal “within the next several days,” the site notes. He batted .281 with three homers in 55 games for Toronto this past season.

Don’t forget to follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: FOX Sports

Related: New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 25, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are focusing on their playoff push rather than the shocking slide of the Boston Red Sox.

B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist homered in the first inning to back Wade Davis, and the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 Sunday to pull within one game of the Red Sox for the AL wild-card lead.

“It’s more about the ascension of the Rays right now,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “Obviously, they’re struggling a bit, and that happens. But from our perspective, it’s more important what we do. It’s fortuitous that they’ve had a hard time, but I love the fact that we’re taking care of business.”

Evan Longoria and Kelly Shoppach also homered for the Rays, who have closed despite going just 14-10 in September.

Nine games back of the Red Sox heading into play on Sept. 4, Tampa Bay would have moved into a tie for the wild-card lead if the Yankees completed a sweep of Boston in their day-night doubleheader. The Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the nightcap for a 7-4 victory in 14 innings.

“The more pressure you put on yourself, the tougher it is to play baseball, which is probably what the Red Sox are doing right now,” Davis said. “There’s probably a lot of pressure on them. They’re playing tense and they’re not playing their game. As long as we can stay relaxed and understand our position, we can just keep it going.”

No major league team has overcome a nine-game deficit in September to claim a postseason berth. The closest was the 1964 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, who trailed the Philadelphia Phillies by 8½ games on Sept. 3.

Tampa Bay closes at home against the Yankees, while the Red Sox play at Baltimore.

“I know we have a tough team coming in, and we really have to play well,” Tampa Bay’s Johnny Damon said. “It’ll be a tough go, but I think we’re feeling good about ourselves and fortunately for us, there’s no off-day.

Davis (11-10) allowed two runs and three hits in eight innings, and Joel Peralta finished for his sixth save in eight chances. The Rays have won 27 games in a row when scoring five runs or more.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista, the major league leader with 43 homers, bruised a spot just below his left knee on Zobrist’s first-inning homer, hitting the right-field fence hard while attempting to make a catch. Mark Teahen hit for Bautista in the sixth inning.

“It’s sore right now,” Bautista said. “It started getting more sore and stiff to run. It was hurting when I was running.”

Blue Jays manager John Farrell doesn’t expect Bautista to play in Monday night’s game at the Chicago White Sox. The slugger hasn’t ruled himself out from playing again before the regular season ends Wednesday.

“We feel like we dodged a bullet,” Farrell said. “It could have been something much more severe. There’s a little bit of a gap in that padding out there, and there’s a little bit of exposed metal and that was the impact.”

Upton homered with one out, and Zobrist hit an inside-the-park homer to right with two outs, also off Brett Cecil (4-11).

David Cooper had an RBI double in the second, but Longoria’s two-run homer made it 4-1 in the third. He has driven in 82 runs over his last 95 games.

After Toronto’s Dewayne Wise had a solo homer in the fifth, Shoppach hit a sixth-inning shot.

Cecil gave up four runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings. He is 0-7 with a 5.16 ERA in his last 10 starts.

Notes

• RHP James Shields (15-12), who leads the majors with 11 complete games this season, will start Monday night’s game against the Yankees. He will be followed in the series by Jeremy Hellickson (13-10) and David Price (12-13).
• Blue Jays CF Colby Rasmus was late scratch due to flu-like symptoms. 1B Adam Lind, who left the team Friday for the birth of his child, missed his third straight game.
• Toronto manager John Farrell will miss Monday night’s game with the White Sox to be with his 20-year old son Luke, who is having scheduled surgery.
• obrist has four homers in his last eight games after going 39 games without one.
• Farrell said it’s becoming more unlikely that SS Yunel Escobar (left elbow) will play again this season.
• Toronto RHP Dustin McGowan (0-1) and White Sox RHP Dylan Axelrod (0-0) will pitch Monday’s series opener.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 25, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are focusing on their playoff push rather than the shocking slide of the Boston Red Sox.

B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist homered in the first inning to back Wade Davis, and the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 Sunday to pull within one game of the Red Sox for the AL wild-card lead.

“It’s more about the ascension of the Rays right now,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “Obviously, they’re struggling a bit, and that happens. But from our perspective, it’s more important what we do. It’s fortuitous that they’ve had a hard time, but I love the fact that we’re taking care of business.”

Evan Longoria and Kelly Shoppach also homered for the Rays, who have closed despite going just 14-10 in September.

Nine games back of the Red Sox heading into play on Sept. 4, Tampa Bay would have moved into a tie for the wild-card lead if the Yankees completed a sweep of Boston in their day-night doubleheader. The Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the nightcap for a 7-4 victory in 14 innings.

“The more pressure you put on yourself, the tougher it is to play baseball, which is probably what the Red Sox are doing right now,” Davis said. “There’s probably a lot of pressure on them. They’re playing tense and they’re not playing their game. As long as we can stay relaxed and understand our position, we can just keep it going.”

No major league team has overcome a nine-game deficit in September to claim a postseason berth. The closest was the 1964 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, who trailed the Philadelphia Phillies by 8½ games on Sept. 3.

Tampa Bay closes at home against the Yankees, while the Red Sox play at Baltimore.

“I know we have a tough team coming in, and we really have to play well,” Tampa Bay’s Johnny Damon said. “It’ll be a tough go, but I think we’re feeling good about ourselves and fortunately for us, there’s no off-day.

Davis (11-10) allowed two runs and three hits in eight innings, and Joel Peralta finished for his sixth save in eight chances. The Rays have won 27 games in a row when scoring five runs or more.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista, the major league leader with 43 homers, bruised a spot just below his left knee on Zobrist’s first-inning homer, hitting the right-field fence hard while attempting to make a catch. Mark Teahen hit for Bautista in the sixth inning.

“It’s sore right now,” Bautista said. “It started getting more sore and stiff to run. It was hurting when I was running.”

Blue Jays manager John Farrell doesn’t expect Bautista to play in Monday night’s game at the Chicago White Sox. The slugger hasn’t ruled himself out from playing again before the regular season ends Wednesday.

“We feel like we dodged a bullet,” Farrell said. “It could have been something much more severe. There’s a little bit of a gap in that padding out there, and there’s a little bit of exposed metal and that was the impact.”

Upton homered with one out, and Zobrist hit an inside-the-park homer to right with two outs, also off Brett Cecil (4-11).

David Cooper had an RBI double in the second, but Longoria’s two-run homer made it 4-1 in the third. He has driven in 82 runs over his last 95 games.

After Toronto’s Dewayne Wise had a solo homer in the fifth, Shoppach hit a sixth-inning shot.

Cecil gave up four runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings. He is 0-7 with a 5.16 ERA in his last 10 starts.

Notes

• RHP James Shields (15-12), who leads the majors with 11 complete games this season, will start Monday night’s game against the Yankees. He will be followed in the series by Jeremy Hellickson (13-10) and David Price (12-13).
• Blue Jays CF Colby Rasmus was late scratch due to flu-like symptoms. 1B Adam Lind, who left the team Friday for the birth of his child, missed his third straight game.
• Toronto manager John Farrell will miss Monday night’s game with the White Sox to be with his 20-year old son Luke, who is having scheduled surgery.
• obrist has four homers in his last eight games after going 39 games without one.
• Farrell said it’s becoming more unlikely that SS Yunel Escobar (left elbow) will play again this season.
• Toronto RHP Dustin McGowan (0-1) and White Sox RHP Dylan Axelrod (0-0) will pitch Monday’s series opener.