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Once again, the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays are hoping to play baseball after a rainy night at Citizens Bank Park.
The stakes are far lower this time, and the Phillies have altered their pitching plans for Saturday's opener of this three-game set in the Rays' first visit to Philadelphia since the 2008 World Series.
Friday's scheduled opener was finally postponed after these teams sat through a 2-hour, 48-minute rain delay. It brought back memories of the World Series four years ago, when the Phillies' clinching victory in Game 5 had to be completed two days after it began.
"It seems like there's always a strange occurrence when we come here," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "It's uncanny."
The situation was different this time since the teams never took the field. They will play a day-night doubleheader Sunday.
"(Umpire) Jim Joyce did the right thing," Maddon said. "We would've preferred to get the game in, but it wasn't going to happen."
Philadelphia (33-38) was set to start Cliff Lee on Friday, but the winless left-hander will likely pitch Sunday instead. Kyle Kendrick (2-7, 5.29 ERA) will get the ball Saturday.
Kendrick fell to 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in his last three outings after allowing six runs over 6 1-3 innings last Sunday in a 6-2 defeat at Toronto.
The right-hander is 0-2 with an 8.68 ERA in five career interleague home starts. He has never faced the Rays.
Tampa Bay (38-31) will stick with James Shields (7-4, 3.72). He warmed up for his scheduled start Friday but does not believe that will hinder him one day later.
"Absolutely, I'm good to go," Shields said. "I warmed up like I was going into the game. Then I shut it down a little when it started to rain harder."
The right-hander has allowed four runs - one earned - and 13 hits over 14 innings in his last two starts, both against Miami. He had recorded an 8.18 ERA in losing his previous two outings.
Shields last faced Philadelphia in Game 2 of the 2008 World Series, throwing 5 2-3 scoreless innings in Tampa Bay's lone victory.
The following June, the Rays took two of three from the Phillies at home, improving to 10-3 in the last 13 regular-season matchups.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had kept Shane Victorino out of Friday's lineup. The center fielder is batting .252 on the season, but has six hits in his last 16 at-bats and could play Saturday.
Tampa Bay made some roster moves Friday, placing outfielder Matt Joyce on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique strain. Jeff Keppinger, a .295 hitter, was reinstated from the DL after missing 29 games with a broken right big toe.
Reliever Joel Peralta has dropped his appeal and will begin serving his eight-game suspension for using a foreign substance on his glove in Tuesday's 5-4 victory at Washington.
The Rays have dropped six of nine while the Phillies are losers of 13 of 18.
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