Tampa Bay @ Cleveland preview
Progressive Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 11, 2010 ) Cleveland 5, Tampa Bay 6
The Cleveland Indians have rather enjoyed their role as spoiler to start the season’s second half. Now they’ll get their stiffest test against the two best teams in the powerful American League East.
Cleveland will host Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees for the next seven games at Progressive Field, but the Indians have the psychological advantage over the Rays – they’ve won 17 consecutive games at home against them despite Tampa being one of the league’s best teams during that time.
Included in that run of dominance was a stunning 11-10 win last year, when the Indians scored seven runs in the ninth to win it.
The Indians trailed that game by 10 runs going into the fourth inning and the comeback highlighted a stunning four-game sweep, after which Rays manager Joe Maddon joked that the next time the Rays came to Cleveland, they’d bring some candles and holy water.
This marks their first trip since that series. Tampa Bay hasn’t won in Cleveland since Sept. 28, 2005 – the longest active losing streak for any team in a visiting city.
The Rays have the right man on the mound Friday. Jeff Niemann doesn’t have a decision against Cleveland this season, but Tampa Bay has won both games he has started against the Indians. The Rays have beaten Cleveland five of six times at Tropicana Field this year.
Niemann allowed four runs in 6 1-3 innings to the Yankees in his most recent start, the first time he has allowed more than three runs in an outing since June 13.
The Rays are hoping to have Carl Crawford back in the lineup. He was hit in the groin on a pickoff attempt Tuesday and missed Wednesday’s game. Crawford is second in baseball with 33 stolen bases and his .317 average is the best on the team.
The Indians are finally getting healthy. Just a few days after welcoming back shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is expected to play tonight. Choo has been out since July 2 with a sprained right thumb, yet he still leads the team with a .286 average, 13 homers and 12 stolen bases.
All-Star pitcher Fausto Carmona will try for his 10th win of the season, which would be his first double-figure victory total since he won 19 games in 2007.
Carmona is responsible for the Indians’ only victory over the Rays this season – a 9-3 win on July 9, when he allowed two runs in 6 2-3 innings. Carmona has allowed more than three earned runs in a start only once since May 28.