Toronto @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2011 ) Tampa Bay 3, Toronto 7
THE STORY: The Tampa Bay Rays went 5-6 on their last road trip of the season, but they are still standing. The Rays are two games behind the Boston Red Sox and one ahead of the Los Angeles Angels in the American League wild card race with six games left - all at home. Tampa Bay will send David Price to the mound to start a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays Friday. The Jays have won nine of their last 14 games, including a 4-3 victory in 12 innings over the Angels Thursday. Tampa Bay has won 10 of 15 games against Toronto in 2011.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, RSN (Toronto), SunSports (Tampa Bay).
PITCHING MATCHUP: Jays RH Brandon Morrow (10-11, 4.98 ERA) vs. Rays LH David Price (12-12).
Morrow pitched eight shutout innings in his last start Sunday against the Yankees, and broke a four-game losing streak. He is 1-2 against Tampa Bay in 2011, allowing nine runs in 17 innings. The Rays are batting .153 against Morrow in his career, but he is only 3-3 in 48 2/3 innings. Desmond Jennings hit two home runs off Morrow on Aug. 28. Price gave up two runs in four innings in his last start Sunday against Boston before leaving with an upper-chest contusion sustained when hit by a line drive in the third inning. He has allowed three runs or less in his last eight straight starts, and two or less in seven of those eight. Price is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 2011 and 9-1 lifetime with a 1.99 ERA against Toronto. Jose Bautista is 9-for-25 with four homers against Price.
ABOUT THE BLUE JAYS (79-77): The Jays go on the road for their final six games, needing a split to clinch a winning record for the second straight season. They have been a tough opponent down the stretch, losing only one series since late August. Eric Thames will be coming off a big four games against the Angels, when he went 9-for-19 with two homers. Bautista has gone eight games without a home run and is stalled at 42, but had three hits and an RBI Thursday to break out of a 3-for-18 slide. Colby Rasmus continues to struggle, going 3-for-40 his last 11 games - 3-for-27 since coming off the disabled list.
ABOUT THE RAYS (86-70): After scoring four runs in the first three games of the series, the Rays produced 15 in the finale Thursday against the Yankees. Tampa Bay is batting .244 as a team, near the bottom in the majors, but can still make the playoffs with one more hot stretch. B.J. Upton was 8-for-17 in the four-game series in New York and Jennings is also 9-for-28 his last seven games. Ben Zobrist was 2-for-25 in eight games before going 3-for-4 with three RBIs Thursday. Evan Longoria needs seven RBIs to reach 100 for the third straight season.
FINAL PITCH: Tampa Bay finished its road schedule 44-37 and its two-season total of 91-71 is the best in the American League, although the Yankees can match that record if they win their final three.