THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014 Vs. BALTIMORE ORIOLES LH David Price (3-2, 4.44) Vs
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THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014 vs. BALTIMORE ORIOLES LH David Price (3-2, 4.44) vs. RH Ubaldo Jimenez (1-4, 5.19) First Pitches: 7:10 p.m. | Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla. | TV: Sun Sports | Radio: 97.9 FM, WHNZ 1250 AM, WGES 680 AM (Spanish) Game No.: 35 (15-19) | Home Game No.: 17 (7-9) | All-Time Game No.: 2,625 (1,210-1,414) | All-Time Home Game: 1,311 (673-637) RAYS TAMPA CHAMBER LUNCHEON TOMORROW—Manager Joe Mad- STARTING A TURNAROUND?—Rays RAYS THRU 34 GAMES, don, players Wil Myers and Brandon Guyer and team president Matt Sil- starting pitchers have allowed 3 runs or 2008-14 verman will be attend the Rays Tampa Chamber of Commerce luncheon less in 5 straight starts after doing so only Year W-L Pct. Pos GB tomorrow at the Tampa Marriott Waterside (700 S. Florida Ave.)…tickets are 3 times in their prev. 9 games…it’s the lon- 2014 15-19 .441 5 3.5 $50 for chamber members and $60 for non-members and can be reserved gest such streak assembled by the Rays 2013 16-18 .471 4 4.5 at tampachamber.com…for the past two years, Maddon has allowed those rotation this season, having not gone more 2012 20-14 .588 2 2.0 attending the luncheon to help him make out the lineup for that night’s game. than 3 straight starts previously. 2011 20-14 .588 T-1 +4.0 2010 24-10 .706 1 +1.5 2009 15-19 .441 4 7.5 GIVEAWAYS THIS WEEKEND—This weekend’s series vs. Cleveland fea- STILL GROUND TO MAKE UP—After 34 2008 18-16 .529 2 3.5 tures a pair of unique giveaways…on Saturday (7:10 p.m.) the first 20,000 games, Rays relievers have worked an AL- BEST HOME RECORDS, fans will receive a DJ Kitty Plush Hat presented by Bright House Net- high 121 innings, 37 innings greater than MLB, 2008-14 works…on Sunday (1:40 p.m.) for Mother’s Day, the first 10,000 women will a year ago at this point (84, T-2nd fewest Yankees 315-188 .626 receive a Rays Sun Hat presented by Bayfront Health. in majors on that date)…the Rays are 8-14 Rays 309-193 .616 since RH Alex Cobb (left oblique strain) Tigers 306-197 .608 BROADCAST SHUFFLING—Tonight’s Rays Radio broadcast airs on was placed on the DL the morning of April 97.9 FM and WHNZ 1250 AM due to a conflict with the NFL Draft…the TV 13 (joining fellow starters Matt Moore and broadcast for Saturday’s game vs. CLE will move from Sun Sports to Fox Jeremy Hellickson)…before-and-after stats by the Rays pitching staff: Sports 1, with Brian Anderson and Justin Kutcher in the booth. Ê Opening Day—April 12: Rays pitchers owned a 2.55 ERA, 4th best in baseball…the starting rotation carried a 2.77 ERA, 6th best in RAY MATTER—The Rays remain in last place in the AL East, falling to 3.5 MLB…Rays starters absorbed 70.4 percent of the team’s innings. GB of co-leaders Baltimore and New York…this is only the second time Ê Since April 13: Rays pitchers own a 5.27 ERA, highest in baseball… since becoming the “Rays” in 2008 that they’ve been in last place after the the starting rotation has a 5.54 ERA, highest in baseball…Rays start- first month of the season—they spent 2 days in the cellar last June 22-23, ers have pitched only 55.5 percent of the team’s innings. percentage points behind Toronto and were 5.0 GB end of play June 23…33 days later (end of play July 26), they were in 1st place after a 22-5 run. STARTERS USED—Since 2008, the Rays have used only 21 different Ê The Rays have lost 4 straight home games, the last two nights vs. starting pitchers, fewest in the majors (Giants are 2nd at 24)…the Orioles BAL and April 23-24 vs. MIN. have used 45 different starters during that same span, most in the majors. Ê Since the start of the last road trip, the Rays are 5-7 and have blown 12 leads in those 12 games. EASTERN SUPREMACY—Since 2011, the Rays own the best record Ê In the last 7 games, the Rays have thrown a combined 1,166 pitch- within the AL East at 134-104 (.563)…during this span their four AL East es—167 per game and 17.1 per inning. opponents (BOS, NYY, BAL, TOR) all rank among the majors’ top 9 in runs scored—yet the Rays have recorded a 3.50 ERA, nearly run better than the RARE ONE-RUN LOSS—Last night’s 4-3 setback was the Rays first one- rest of baseball (4.48) vs. these four clubs. run loss of the season and their first since Aug 31, 2013 at OAK (2-1), end- ing an 11-game winning streak in one-run games…at 6-1, the Rays still hold FLASHES OF LEATHER—The Rays have committed only 16 errors, tied the majors’ best record in one-run games, and only one other team has lost with the Orioles for 3rd-fewest in the majors…only the Blue Jays (11) and only one game by a one-run margin: the Yankees (4-1). Reds (12) have fewer…since the start of 2013, the Orioles (.9902) and Rays (.9897) own the two best fielding percentages in the majors. NO BROOMS ALLOWED—The Rays look to avoid being swept for the DOME SWEET DOME—Despite scoring 3 runs each of the past 2 nights, first time this season in a series of 3 or more games (swept in 2 games, the Rays have averaged 5.31 runs per game at home (85-R, 16-G), 3rd April 14-16 at BAL)…since 2008, the Rays have been swept at home only most in the AL…on the road, they have averaged 3.28 R/G, 2nd fewest in 5 times in a series of 3 or more games, most recently June 12-14, 2012 vs. the AL (Astros 3.00). NYM—2nd fewest in the majors in that span after the Yankees (4 times)… those five times the Rays were swept here since 2008: BEN ZOBRIST—Is currently tied with Carlos Pena for 3rd on the club’s ca- June 12-14, 2012 vs. NYM lost 11-2, 9-1, 9-6 reer RBI list (468) behind Carl Crawford (592) and Evan Longoria (563). May 28-30, 2012 vs. CWS lost 2-1, 7-2, 4-3 April 1-3, 2011 vs. BAL lost 4-1, 3-1, 5-1 DAVID DEJESUS—Is batting .364 (12-for-33) with 3 HR, 9 RBI and a .500 May 24-26, 2010 vs. BOS lost 6-1, 2-0, 11-3 OBP over his last 13 games starting April 22 vs. MIN, when he snapped a Sep 4-6, 2009 vs. DET lost 4-3, 8-6, 5-3 career-long 0=for-24 skid…was hitting .119 (5-for-42) with 0 HR, 0 RBI and a .196 OBP in 14 games prior to that. RAYS vs. ORIOLES—The Rays are now 0-4 vs. Baltimore this season, the second time in club history they’ve dropped the first 4 games of the sea- KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES—Last night LH Cesar Ramos yielded son series (also 2000)…the Rays haven’t been swept by the Orioles in this two first-pitch homers to BAL Adam Jones in his first 2 at-bats…the last building since Opening Weekend in 2011 (April 1-3)…the Rays lost on April batter to hit two first-pitch homers in a game vs. the Rays was TOR J.P. 14 (7-1) and April 16 (3-0) at Camden Yards with a rainout in between…the Arencibia on Aug 7, 2010 at Rogers Centre, off James Shields and Dale Rays have opened the season series 0-4 after finishing last year’s season Thayer…it was the first time since pitch count data is complete (1999) that series having won 11 of their last 13…last season the Rays went 13-6 (7-3 a single Rays pitcher allowed 2 first-pitch homers to an opposing player. at home, 6-3 at Camden Yards), their 2nd-best mark ever vs. Baltimore (15-3 in 2008)…Rays went 5-1 in one-run games vs. Baltimore in 2013, HANIGAN ON RECORD PACE—C Ryan Hanigan’s RBI single in the 9th after going 1-6 in 2012…Rays are 66-46 since the start of 2008 and lead the inning last night was his 18th RBI this season, tied with BAL Matt Wieters all-time series, 141-140…next time these clubs meet is a 4-game set June for 3rd among major league catchers…only MIN Kurt Suzuki (22) and ARI 27-29 at BAL, with a day-night doubleheader the first day to make up for Miguel Montero (19) have more…is on pace for 86 RBI, which would be the April 15 rainout. a record for a Rays catcher (77, John Flaherty, 1999)…he has 11 RBI with 2 outs, tied with Evan Longoria for most on the team, tops among AL DAVID PRICE—Tonight’s starter has totaled 55 SO and 5 BB in his first 7 catchers and T-4th in the AL overall…Rays catchers had only 19 2-out RBI starts (48.2 IP)…he leads the AL with 11.00 SO/BB and 0.92 BB/9 IP ratios all of last season.