Sonnanstine in the rotaion?

ROGER MOONEY
rmooney@bradenton.com

TAMPA – Rays manager Joe Maddon will announce his pitching rotation Sunday and there’s a good chance Andy Sonnanstine will be one of the five.

The right-hander made a strong case for himself Friday with five scoreless innings against the Yankees in the Rays 2-1 loss at Legends Field.

“No question,” Maddon said. “Yes, he made a very good case for himself.”

Sonnanstine allowed just three hits and lowered his ERA to 0.64. He’s allowed just one run in 14 innings this spring.

“I felt like I showcased what I had pretty well,” he said. “I was ahead of hitters and pretty much stuck to the game plan, so I’m very happy with the way I performed.”

He pointed to a victory at Yankee Stadium last August as a possible turning point to his season.

“That’s a tough lineup that’s for sure. But after that game in New York where I got the win, that was a confidence booster for me,” Sonnanstine said. “I know it can be done, so I try to think like that every time I face them.”

He proved that again Friday against a Yankees lineup that included Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera.

“Sonnanstine looked rally good,” Maddon said. “Very sharp. He had everything working and made good pitches when he had to. It was a very impressive performance, I thought.”

Sonnanstine wasn’t sure if he was pitching for a spot in the rotation, the bullpen or headed to Triple A Durham this spring. Yet he has been the most effective of the five candidates vying for the last three spots in the rotation.

“Definitely,” Sonnanstine said. “There’s been a lot of what ifs, but those decisions are not up to me, so I’ll go with the punches and be glad to come to a big league spring training.”

Play of the Game
The Rays trailed 2-0 in the ninth when Johnny Gomes walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Evan Longoria. The Rays rookie third baseman worked the count 3-2 and fouled off seven pitches before doubling home Gomes.

Eric Hinske followed with a line drive to right-center field.

“When he hit it I thought it was 3-2,” Maddon said. “And he couldn’t have hit it any harder. The wind was blowing in enough that it held it up.”

Yankee center fielder Brett Gardner ran the ball down near the wall to prevent the tying run from scoring.

“It was a great play,” Maddon said.

Play of the Game II
Robinson Cano was on first with one out in the fifth inning when Yankee catcher Chad Moeller bounced a slow roller over the mound. The ball looked headed to center field when Rays second baseman Elliot Johnson caught up with on the run, spun, jumped and threw Moeller out at first.

“The play by Johnson I thought showed a lot of good baseball instinct, because the runner was going to second base and you think it would be easier to flip, but he was going so hard in the direction that he was that to stop and flip it to second was a harder play,” Maddon said. “I was really impressed with that play, the athleticism and the mental wherewithal on the play.”

Injury updates
Catcher Shawn Riggans (bruised left hand), infielder Willy Aybar (left hamstring) and infielder Andy Cannizaro (back) are expected to rejoin the lineup Saturday against the Pirates. Scott Kazmir (elbow) played catch with trainer Ron Porterfield. Second baseman Aki Iwamura (lower back stiffness) is expected to play Sunday against the Reds in Sarasota.

Up next
J.P. Howell starts Saturday against Pittsburgh during the first of two trips to Al Lang by the Pirates in a three-day span. Howell is one of five pitchers in competition for the final three spots in the rotation. The left-hander could end up in the bullpen if he doesn’t make the rotation.

Zack Duke is expected to start for the Pirates.

This & That
Maddon said Cliff Floyd will spend the majority of the season as the DH … Longoria now has the team lead in RBIs with 10. He’s batting .289 … Elliot Johnson began the day leading the American League Grapefruit League teams in hitting with a .457 average and an on-base percentage of .512. Eric Hinske was fifth in batting at .382 … James Shields pitched seven innings of one-hit ball for Triple A Durham against Scranton on Friday. He allowed an unearned run and struck out seven.