Tampa Bay @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 10, 2010 ) Tampa Bay 8, Detroit 0
The future certainly looks bright for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Faced with a five-game losing streak and two starting pitchers headed to the disabled list, Tampa Bay handed the ball to David Price and rookie Jeremy Hellickson in back-to-back starts.
Both were dominant for the Rays, who go for the sweep of the three-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday afternoon.
Matt Garza makes his start. The last time he faced the Tigers he threw a no-hitter.
Price ended the Rays’ skid with a strong five-inning effort on Monday to become the American League’s first 15-game winner. Hellickson, the Rays’ top pitching prospect, won the second straight start of his major league career.
Hellickson had pitched seven innings and allowed two runs in his debut, a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins last week. On Tuesday, he was even better.
He allowed just three hits and no walks while fanning seven as Tampa Bay broke open a close game for an 8-0 win.
Hellickson got the call after Wade Davis was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. Jeff Niemann went on the DL with the same injury a day earlier.
The Rays have no need to panic. Hellickson, the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2005 draft, was 12-3 with a 2.45 ERA for Triple-A Durham.
Garza is 0-1 in his two starts since his no-hitter. In that game he struck out six and walked one and faced the minimum 27 batters.
The Tigers will counter with their ace, Justin Verlander (12-7), who has struck out 140 in 151 innings on the season. He is winless in his last three starts but the Tigers have given him little offensive support during the span, scoring just seven runs.
Verlander is 4-1 lifetime against the Rays.
Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera continues to see few pitches to hit. Cabrera has driven in just one run since Aug. 1 as teams continue to pitch around him with Magglio Ordonez sidelined. And the Tigers have suffered in that stretch.
Detroit has lost seven of its last eight series and all six of its meetings with Tampa Bay this season.
The Tigers’ struggles continue offensively and in the bullpen. They had sent down Jeff Larish to make room for Carlos Guillen from the disabled list. Larish then promptly drove in 10 runs in a doubleheader on Friday.
While Detroit has managed just three runs in the two games and has lost six of its last seven games, the Tigers’ bullpen has been hit hard.
On Tuesday, three Tiger relievers combined to surrender six runs in two innings. The Tigers also issued three consecutive bases-loaded walks in the ninth inning.