ST. PETERSBURG — To this point, it has been hard to argue that the Rays' pitching experiment hasn't worked.
What we don't know for sure is whether their mixing and matching of starters and relievers makes a difference.
On Saturday, their pitchers made the case that it doesn't. In a role reversal of a role reversal, the Rays asked Ryan Yarbrough — their starter turned reliever — to be a starter again. Then they asked Ryne Stanek — their reliever turned starter — to be a reliever again.
Confused? Just know that it worked, as the Rays (69-61) beat the majors-best Red Sox (90-40) 5-1 at Tropicana Field.