The Rays say they are going with a four-man pitching rotation for the opening round of the American League playoffs.

   James Shields starts Game 1 Thursday at the Trop.

   Scott Kazmir goes in Game 2 Friday.

   Matt Garza will get the call in Game 3 Sunday on the road.

   And right now, the Rays will go to Andy Sonnanstine in Game 4.

   It appears Edwin Jackson has become the odd man out.  Jackson was tied with Shields for the Rays lead with 14 wins.  But he also led the Rays with 11 losses.  There were times when Jackson was electric.  There were other times when he'd get off to a slow start and he put the Rays in an early hole.

  Now the question is, will Jackson be included on this opening round roster in the bullpen?Joe Maddon admits he has some tough decisions.  What you don't want is to put pitchers in roles they did not fill during the regular season.

  Al Keck