Florida @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( Mar 13, 2010 ) Florida 8, Tampa Bay 5
The Tampa Bay Rays begin interleague play with the best record in baseball. Things are not as bright for their rivals, the Florida Marlins.
The two teams begin a three-game series Friday night at St. Petersburg and if the Marlins are going to make a run at a playoff berth they’ll have to turn things around soon.
Florida, currently in last place in the National League East, is coming off a 2-0 win against the Philadelphia Phillies as Josh Johnson outdueled Roy Halladay on Thursday.
Johnson (7-2) and today’s starter, Anibal Sanchez, have been the best of the Florida rotation. Against the Phillies, Johnson scattered three hits and a walk over eight innings and Leo Nunez closed the door in the ninth for his 13th save.
Johnson lowered his ERA to 1.91 on the season and Florida has won just two of its past seven games, both starts by Johnson.
Sanchez will pitch in place of Nate Robertson. With Wednesday’s scheduled game against the Phillies rained out, manager Fredi Gonzalez moved Johnson back a day to match up against Halladay and will skip Robertson in the rotation.
Sanchez had a string of four straight victories snapped in his last outing, a 4-3 loss to the New York Mets. He’s allowed just one home run in over 68 innings this year.
Interleague play will allow the Marlins to use former Ray Jorge Cantu at designated hitter. Cantu went 5-for-9 in the role earlier in the year against the Chicago White Sox.
Wes Helms will start at third base.
Rookie Mike Stanton will get his first taste of the Sunshine State rivalry. After going 3-for-5 in his debut, Stanton was 0-for-4 against the Phillies and Roy Halladay on Thursday.
The Rays continue to set the pace in the American East and have done so without Carl Crawford lately. Crawford has sat three of the past four games, but Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said he was just resting the speedy outfielder and that Crawford is not hurt. Maddon said Crawford will play the entire series against the Marlins.
Catcher Dioner Navarro may not. Navarro was scratched from Thursday’s lineup with a stiff neck, giving John Jaso the start. Kelly Shoppach, who returned to action last week after a long stint on the disabled list, will see action in the series at designated hitter.
Mired in a season-long drought, Carlos Pena homered in his fourth consecutive game Thursday. Pena set the Rays franchise record for career home runs with his 13th of the season off Toronto starter Brett Cecil. The Jays, however, went on to salvage the finale of the three-game series 3-2.
Rays season-ticket holder and ESPN analyst Dick Vitale was struck in the stomach by a line drive in Thursday’s game. He was OK and given an autographed ball by the team.