>RAY DAY, RAY DAY

The Tampa Bay Rays have decided to change the traditional rules of a starting rotation in an effort to maintain mediocrity. The Hot Corner believes this is not good for baseball or the Rays. Part of the appeal of baseball is its identifiable history, the ability to compare years, decades and centuries via the rankings of players based on statistics and roles: the best lineups, the best power hitting, the best rotations. Then along come the Rays. Manager Kevin Cash began this year with a potentially thin five-man rotation that was made thinner via injury. Part of his solution has been have the bullpen pitch the entire game, and at other times start relievers and bring in more traditional starters after. The Rays have every right to do what they want with their pitching staff, but their image around the rest of baseball — as an organization and among players on opposing teams who have future free-agent decisions to make — may suffer. Through 64 games, here are the 13 Rays who have started a game (games, starts, ERA):

Blake Snell 14 14 2.30 Chris Archer 13 13 4.24 (10-day DL) Jake Faria 10 10 5.48 (60-day DL) Nate Eovaldi 3 3 3.94 Yonny Chirinos 6 5 3.71 (minors) Sergio Romo 5 4 5.63 Ryan Yarbrough 14 3 3.68 Andrew Kittredge 13 3 9.72 (minors) Ryne Stanek 13 3 3.14 Matt Andriese 18 2 3.58 Anthony Banda 3 1 3.68 (DL, Tommy John surgery) Jonny Venters 15 1 5.06 Wilmer Font 5 1 3.24