After a 25 pitch first inning Tampa Bay Rays starter Matt Moore found his groove and completed the next three innings with 29 pitches in his final outing of spring training against the Detroit Tigers. He struck out five and walked one, the very first batter of the game.The contest ended in a 3-3 tie.”I felt like I was just going at a nice tempo that was easy to work at,” Moore said.Moore has struggled with inconsistency throughout the spring. All three of the Rays runs came on solo homers by, James Loney, Ryan Roberts, and Sean Rodriguez.
Immediately after the game it was announced that designated hitter Luke Scott will be placed on the disabled list for at least 2 to 3 weeks and could miss five weeks with a right calf strain. Scott Has been plagued with injuries throughout his time with Tampa Bay, hitting 229/.285/.439 with 14 home runs, 55 RBI and a .724 OPS in 96 games last season in 2012. Earlier this spring Scott missed time with a sore hamstring.
For the time being the Rays are looking in-house fora replacement. Shelley Duncan, Brandon Guyer, Chris Gimenez or Stephen Vogt are being considered. The announcement of the replacement will be made on Sunday.
