After 11 years, Romo to get 1st start

The Rays are again plotting to try something extremely unusual with their pitching plans.

Veteran right-handed reliever Sergio Romo is expected to get his first career start Saturday night against the Angels. He’ll work the first inning and maybe into the second, with rookie lefty Ryan Yarbrough — the otherwise scheduled starter — coming in to handle the bulk of the innings.

Romo, 35, has never started a game in his 11-year major-league career. But on MLB Network Radio, Rays manager Kevin Cash said Romo was “really excited about it” and that he might be “the most excited of anybody in baseball.”

The thinking is that Romo’s combination of slow, sweeping breaking balls will stymie the six or so aggressive right-handers at the top of the Angels’ order.

And that in theory would allow Yarbrough to come in against the bottom third of the order and work deeper into the game without facing Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Justin Upton for an onerous third time.

“The way that their lineup stacks generally speaking is very heavy right-handed at the top,” Cash said. “It allows us in theory to let Sergio to come in there and play the matchup game in the first, which is somewhat unheard of — up until Saturday, anyway.

“Then Yarbs can, in theory, have the availability to get deeper in the game. There’s no more secret about the third time through the order. Everybody knows that. And that’s kind of what this is about.”

Keeping all but the elite-level starters from facing hitters a third time has been in vogue for the last several seasons, based on clear data that pitchers are hit harder when batters face them for a third time.