Tampa Bay @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 18, 2010 ) Tampa Bay 4, Florida 7

The Tampa Bay Rays are at the top of the AL East, but they are finding it rough going against their National League counterparts.

The Rays look to change their fortunes in interleague play when they take on the Florida Marlins on Saturday.

On top in the AL East for nearly all season, Tampa Bay now has company thanks to its struggles against the NL East. The Rays lost two of three to the Marlins last weekend and then went to Atlanta and dropped two of three to the Braves as well.

Now tied with the New York Yankees for first in the division with the surging Boston Red Sox just a game back, Tampa Bay lost the series opener to Florida, 7-4, on Friday as Matt Garza labored through one of his worst starts.

The Marlins jumped on Garza for seven runs and seven hits in 1 1/3 innings, sending the Rays to their third straight loss.

Florida snapped a three-game losing skid with Friday's win, which was highlighted by a grand slam by rookie Mike Stanton.

A highly-touted prospect with pronounced power, Stanton connected off Garza for his first major-league homer.

The Marlins still have work to do to get back into the NL East race, but at least Stanton gives them hope for the future. The 20-year-old Stanton figures to be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come.

Florida may be looking a year or two down the road, but Tampa Bay's time is now. The Rays played in the 2008 World Series, so they know what it takes to get it done - but with the Yankees and Red Sox breathing down their necks, there is not much time to waste.

Looking to get the Rays back on track, Jeff Niemann (6-1, 2.83 ERA) gets the start Saturday. Niemann will try to avenge his lone loss of the season, which came to the Marlins, 6-1, on Sunday.

Niemann had won six of his first 12 starts with six no decisions. He gave up five runs and nine hits - including a pair of homers - in six innings. The six-inning stint ties his second shortest outing of the season behind a 1 1/3-inning outing in his first start of the season against the Baltimore Orioles.

Niemann left that game after he was hit by a line drive by Miguel Tejada which bruised his right shoulder.

Chris Volstad starts for Florida and will look to build off his least start when he got the better of Niemann and the Rays.

Volstad had lost four straight decisions and the Marlins had lost his last six starts before Sunday's 6-1 win in Tampa Bay. Volstad allowed a run and four hits in six innings in his second career start against the Rays.

While his record is just 2-3 at home, Volstad has been a pretty effective pitcher at Dolphin Stadium, posting an ERA of 2.77 and allowing 32 hits in 39 innings.