Texas @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 17, 2010 ) Texas 1, Tampa Bay 10
Carl Crawford has been awash in milestones over the past three weeks.
The fact that they're happening during his team's surge back to the top of the American League East makes them even more gratifying.
Crawford looks to continue his hot hitting Wednesday as he leads the Tampa Bay Rays into the finale of a three-game series with the visiting Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field. The Rays go for the sweep behind right-hander James Shields, while the Rangers counter with lefty Derek Holland.
The Rays have won four straight games to climb back into a tie with the New York Yankees atop the AL East. The division has been a two-team battle for the majority of the season, with the Boston Red Sox lingering behind in third place.
Crawford was the catalyst in Tuesday's 10-1 whitewash, finishing a double short of the cycle. His first-inning RBI triple was the 100th of his career while his two-run home run in the seventh left him one shy of reaching the 100-homer plateau. Less than three weeks ago, he stole his 400th career base.
Crawford, who extended his hitting streak to eight games Tuesday night, had plenty of help. Evan Longoria finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs while Jason Bartlett added three hits and Ben Zobrist drove in a pair of runs.
Matt Garza took care of the rest, shutting down the Rangers over seven shutout innings for his 12th victory of the season – and first since tossing a no-hitter July 26. Garza scattered five hits while striking out 10.
Shields (10-11) will be looking to follow Garza's lead while putting a pair of lousy outings behind him. The 28-year-old has surrendered 12 runs over nine innings in his past two starts combined, bringing an unceremonious end to a three-game winning streak.
He was battered around by the Baltimore Orioles his last time out, tagged for four runs on 10 hits over five innings in a 5-0 loss. It was much better than his previous appearance, when he tied a modern record by allowing six home runs in a 17-11 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Shields is 2-2 lifetime with a 4.63 ERA in 35 innings vs. the Rangers. He last faced them on June 5, taking the loss after giving up six runs over seven innings in a 6-1 defeat.
Texas counters with Holland (2-1), who will be making his first start since May 30. The 23-year-old was placed on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation in June, and suffered a knee injury during rehab that set back his return.
Holland was winless in his last three outings prior to his DL stint after opening the season with a pair of victories. He is 2-0 against the Rays in his career despite a 5.73 ERA in 11 innings.
Texas continues its East Coast road trip Thursday with the opener of a four-game series in Baltimore, while the Rays begin a six-game West Coast swing with a visit to Oakland.