The Tampa Bay Rays won over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday in a spring training matchup that saw Evan Longoria get injured. Longoria suffered a shin injury in the game, but the issue is not serious and he is expected to be back in the lineup soon.
The Rays won 6-1 behind four home runs, but the main concern after the game was Longoria. The third baseman had to leave the game in the first inning after hitting a foul ball off of his right leg. The ball hit Longoria's shin above his leg protector. Longoria is not expected to miss time and could play as soon as Friday.
"He's day to day," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "It just got pretty sore on him. He's walking around."
Cash added that if Longoria played on Friday, he would be in as the designated hitter. An injury to Longoria would be tough to overcome for the Rays, but the team is fortunate that the issue is not serious. The Rays powered past the Phillies in the game with home runs from Logan Forsythe, Steve Pearce, Richie Shaffer and Mikie Mahtook.
Matt Moore pitched for the Rays and had eight strikeouts in nearly five innings of work. The Rays will be playing in Cuba next week against the Cuban National team, and Moore is slated to start in the game. Moore has looked strong in spring training and that is promising for the Rays after he had elbow surgery in 2014.
Vince Velasquez pitched well for the Phillies, allowing one run in five innings of work. Velasquez had seven strikeouts in the game and had another good audition as he tries to make the starting rotation. The pitcher is averaging over a strikeout per innings this spring and has posted a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings of work. Ryan Howard was responsible for the lone run for the Phillies with a solo home run.
Longoria has been one of the most durable players in baseball over the past few years, missing just four games. The third baseman missed just two games last season and has played in at least 150 games in five of the last seven seasons.
