Socks? Underwear? Check. Rays prep for crucial 2-week West Coast trip

TAMPA — The Rays will not play a home game until Aug. 19 after Sunday afternoon’s loss to the Dodgers.

Tampa Bay starts a 12-game, 14-day West Coast trip with a three-game series against the Angels Monday in Anaheim. From there, the Rays will travel to Seattle; West Sacramento, California (to play the A’s); and San Francisco.

It’s the heart of a major road swing that started July 25 in Cincinnati and was interrupted only by the recently completed three-game series against the Dodgers at Steinbrenner Field.

When the Rays return home for an AL East series against the Yankees, they will have played 19 games away from home in a 22-game span.

The four new players added to the major-league roster ahead of last Thursday’s trade deadline will have to continue their acclimation process away from their new home.

Players and coaches will have to conquer the challenge of laundry on the road, regardless of how long they’ve been with the Rays.

Ryan Pepiot packed for the trip by emptying his underwear and sock drawers, hoping he has enough. “I think I should,” Tuesday’s starting pitcher said.

Pitching coach Kyle Snyder was less concerned with packing enough clothes for the trip. While it annoys his wife, Victoria, Snyder said, he is a low-stress traveler, typically packing at the last second.

“Just have a carry-on,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m 47 years old. I don’t really care outside of just covering my body.”

Reliever Griffin Jax, who officially reported Friday, only had clothes prepared for the Twins’ six-game trip to the Midwest, not the Rays’ much longer excursion, he said.

“I gotta do some shopping on the road,” said Jax. “Laundry day, I think, … will be pretty special.”

Laundry logistics aside, Shane Baz, set to start Wednesday, said he will take initiative during the trip to connect with his two new catchers, Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes, who Baz said did well behind the plate during his start on Friday.

“That’s at the top of my list,” said Baz. “I’m probably gonna bother both of them during the flight a little bit. I’ll make sure that they’re not sleeping.”

“I’m looking forward to hopefully getting together with some of the guys and … getting to know them on a personal level,” said Fortes, who was traded from the Marlins on July 29.

“I think that’s the best way to look at it,” said Jax. “These long plane rides and these four series on the road will be a good chance for me to get to know everybody.”

Houser to debut Monday

When the Rays take the field Monday against the Angels, it’ll be with a brand new pitching and catching duo, regardless of who gets the start behind the plate.

That’s because Adrian Houser, the right-handed starter acquired from the White Sox at the deadline, will be on the mound.

“A lot of communication,” said Houser of his strategy for his first start as a Ray. “I think that’s the only way you can really get some things across.”

Houser threw a good bullpen session on Saturday, said Snyder.

“He knows … how to manipulate the baseball,” said Snyder. “He’s going to compete. He’s not going to beat himself. He’s going to trust the caliber of defense that he has behind him.”

Jax makes Rays debut

Jax made his first appearance as a Ray Sunday, allowing a double, a walk and a run in the ninth. An impressive catch by Jake Mangum at the leftfield wall ended the inning and prevented Freddie Freeman from adding to the Dodgers’ lead with what likely would have been an extra-base hit.

“He’s got a pretty full arsenal of some nasty-looking stuff,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said after the game. “He’s definitely going to help us.”

Miscellany

Chandler Simpson has not played since leaving Thursday’s game against the Yankees with a left index finger sprain. Cash has said Simpson is available off the bench. “Just trying to make progress with hitting and fielding and stuff,” Simpson said Sunday. … With Dewayne Staats off, Andy Freed will slide over to the FanDuel TV booth for this trip, and Doug Waechter will join Neil Solondz on radio. … The attendance for Sunday’s game was 10,046. It was the 53rd sellout in 62 Rays games at Steinbrenner Field this year. … Ha-Seong Kim’s leadoff walk to start the ninth inning was the first one drawn by a Rays batter since the 10th inning of Wednesday’s game against the Yankees. … Feduccia recorded his first hit as a Ray with a second-inning single.

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Socks? Underwear? Check. Rays prep for crucial 2-week West Coast trip

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