Arizona @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 26, 2010 ) Arizona 3, Tampa Bay 5
The Tampa Bay Rays have just five hits in the first two games of their three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
They have one win, however.
David Price became the first 11-game winner in the American League, pitching eight strong innings on Saturday to pace the Rays to a 5-3 win. The Rays had just five hits in the game, but that was a lot better than Friday night when they were no-hit by Edwin Jackson.
On Saturday, Tampa Bay took advantage of nine walks and just five hits to defeat Ian Kennedy and the Diamondbacks.
The teams complete their three-game series Sunday at St. Petersburg, Fla., as interleague play comes to an end.
Price fanned a career-high 11 batters Saturday and seems a logical choice to start the All-Star Game for the American League. He is second in the AL with a 2.44 ERA and has emerged as the clear ace of the team.
The Diamondbacks are searching for consistency in their pitching. Jackson is just 5-6 on the season despite his no-hitter and the whole team has battled control problems.
Things looked bad when they walked 13 batters in a loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. They haven’t gotten much better over the weekend.
Arizona has walked 19 batters in the two games against the Rays (Jackson walked eight in the no-hitter) but Tampa Bay has been unable to break things open, going just 4-for-22 with runners in scoring position in the series and 6-for-47 on the homestand.
The Rays will deal with a familiar foe today in Rodrigo Lopez. The former Baltimore Orioles is 11-6 in his career against Tampa Bay.
Wade Davis starts for the Rays. Davis has not won since May 29 and has lost four straight. Davis has never faced the Diamondbacks.
While the Rays have struggled as of late, falling behind the New York Yankees in the AL East race, their battle with the Boston Red Sox for second place may have gotten quite a bit easier.
Boston has been besieged by injuries throughout the season and was dealt two big blows on Saturday.
Emerging pitcher Clay Buchholz was injured running the bases and left the game after one inning. His status is uncertain. And Dustin Pedroia broke his foot in Friday’s night loss to San Francisco. He may need surgery and spend an extended time on the disabled list.
Those injuries could help Tampa Bay pull away in the wild-card race. The two teams begin a three-game series in Boston next week.