SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2012 VS. DETROIT TIGERS RH Alex Cobb (3-4, 4.73) Vs
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SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2012 VS. DETROIT TIGERS RH Alex Cobb (3-4, 4.73) vs. LH Drew Smyly (2-3, 4.48) First Pitch: 1:40 p.m. | Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla. | TV: Sun Sports | Radio: WDAE 620 AM, WAMA 1550 AM (Spanish) Game No.: 79 (41-37) | Home Game No.: 40 (22-17) | All-Time Game No.: 2,342 (1,053-2,288) | All-Time Home Game No.: 1,172 (591-580) April: 15-8 | May: 14-14 | June: 12-15 | July: 0-0 ALL-STAR SUNDAY—TBS will exclusively televise the announcement of first week of the season...after winning 6 WHERE RAYS STAND, the 2012 American League and National League All-Star rosters today at straight games from the Tigers in 2010, the AL & MLB RANKINGS 1 p.m. during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game Selection Show Rays have lost 11 of 14 games since (be- Pitching AL MLB presented by Taco Bell...the American League team will have nine starters ginning Aug 11, 2010) and have scored only 3.67 ERA 4th 9th elected via fan balloting, while the National League team will have eight 34 runs in those 14 games...the Rays are 634 SO 3rd 5th fan-elected starters...the pitchers and reserves for both squads will be de- 53-56 all-time. .241 opp avg. 2nd 5th termined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections Hitting AL MLB made by AL Manager Ron Washington and NL Manager Tony La Russa, MEDICAL MATTERS—The Rays starting .233 avg. 13th T-28th in conjunction with MLB...the Rays All-Star(s) will be made available follow- pitcher has exited the last 2 games early 33 HBP 1st 2nd ing today’s game against the Tigers. due to injury...on Friday, David Price left 285 BB 1st 1st before the 8th inning due to lower back Fielding AL MLB FREE STUFF TODAY—Today the first 10,000 kids 14 and under receive a tightness...last night, Jeremy Hellickson .978 field % 13th 29th James Shields bobblehead presented by Progress Energy and the Heart exited during the 3rd inning with a right shin 66 errors 2nd 2nd 40 unearned runs 2nd 3rd Gallery...for Autograph Sunday, Shields will be joined by Will Rhymes sign- contusion after being struck by a Prince ing for fans 14 and under from noon–12:30 p.m. down the right field line. Fielder liner...both are expected to make RAYS AFTER 78 GAMES, their next start. 2008-12 Year W-L Pos GB NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT—Tomorrow’s game against the Yankees will Ê With the activation of Hellickson 2012 41-37 T-3rd 6.5 air on ESPN with Chris Berman and Rick Sutcliffe broadcasting...Tim (right shoulder inflammation) and 2011 44-34 3rd 2.0 Kurkjian will provide in-game updates. Kyle Farnsworth (right elbow strain) 2010 46-32 3rd 2.0 yesterday, the Rays DL was reduced 2009 43-35 3rd 5.0 RAY MATTER—The Rays have lost 5 of their last 6 games and 8 of their to 6 players, fewest since May 13 (6). 2008 47-31 2nd 0.5 last 11...they are 6-12 since they were last in first place on June 11...the Ê The Rays have used 8 different 3Bs, Rays are 22-29 since being a season-high 11 games over .500 on May 4 most in the majors...Evan Longoria (19-8)...the Rays are 6.5 games out of first place, matching their season has been on the DL since May 1...the Rays were 15-8 before Longo- high (also June 27-28). ria’s injury, with him starting every game, and are 26-29 since then... Ê The Rays have lost 8 of their last 9 games against AL Central teams, Sean Rodriguez leads the team with 20 starts in his absence. dating back to April 22 vs. MIN...the Rays are 4-11 this season vs. the AL Central, but 37-26 (.587) against all other teams. JEFF KEPPINGER—Yesterday hit the first pinch-hit homer of his career… Ê Since starting the season 13-1 at home, the Rays have gone 9-16 is now 4-for-5 in PH appearances this season and 16-for-47 (.340) for his over their last 25 games at Tropicana Field. career...is 11-for-23 (.478) since coming off the DL on June 23 at PHI... Ê The current 7-game homestand (4 vs. DET and 3 vs. NYY) opens a hitting .333 (37-for-111) on the year—the only active Ray with a .300 avg. stretch in which the Rays play 17 of their 21 games at home, wrapped Ê Batting .417 (20-for-48) vs. LHP compared to .270 (17-for-63) vs. around the All-Star break. RHP...owns a career .331 (215-for-649) avg. against LHP. Ê The Rays are 11-16 when the opponent starts a left-handed pitcher... Ê Has only 6 SO in 121 PA, making him the hardest to strike out in the they are 30-21 against right-handed pitchers. majors this season with a 20.17 PA/SO rate (min. 100 PA). Ê The Rays are batting .205 (52-for-254) over their last 8 games, with 7 hits or less in 7 of those contests. ALEX COBB—Has a 2.78 groundball-to-flyball ratio, which leads the ma- jors since his debut on May 19...has only allowed 6 HR in 16 career major POWER SURGE—The Rays have hit 5 HR in the past 2 games (3 on Fri- league starts (98.1 IP)...has not allowed a HR to a right-handed hitter since day, 2 last night), all of them solo shots...they had gone 16 games without a his major league debut, May 1, 2011 vs. LAA (Hank Conger). multi-homer game prior to this, since June 10 at MIA. NEXT UP: NEW YORK—The Rays have won 7 straight home games (be- TURN THE CALENDAR—JUNE IN REVIEW—The Rays finished the ginning July 21, 2011) vs. the Yankees, who arrive tomorrow for a 3-game month of June with a 12-15 record, their worst June since 2007 (11-15)... series...this is their longest ever vs. New York—in fact, they had never won they hit .222 (199-for-897) as a team, lowest in the AL and 2nd lowest in the more than 3 straight home games prior to this streak...the Rays are 5-4 in majors to the Dodgers (.212)...it was the lowest batting avg. of any month the season series, including a 3-game sweep in the season-opening se- in club history (previously .230 in May 2002)...the Rays were outscored ries...the Rays are 26-22 since Oct 2, 2009...they are 38-43 (.469) as the 118-109, the first full month they were outscored since September 2009 Rays after going 55-111 (.331) as the Devil Rays. (144-107)...the Rays hit only 18 HR in June, fewest in the AL and their low- est total for any full month since April 2005 (14). DAVID PRICE—Is tied with TEX Matt Harrison for the AL wins lead...Price Ê David Price recorded 5 wins, setting a new club record for June (11-4, 2.92) and NYM R.A. Dickey (12-1, 2.15) are the only pitchers in and matching Scott Kazmir (May 2008) for the club record for any baseball with at least 11 wins and a sub-3.00 ERA...Price has won 4 of his month...Price tied 4 others for the major league lead in June...Price’s last 5 starts...during this stretch he has faced DET Justin Verlander, NYM 40 SO also were tied for 2nd in the AL, trailing NYY Hiroki Kuroda R.A. Dickey, NYY CC Sabathia, PHI Cole Hamels. (43) and tying TEX Yu Darvish. Ê Price has 11 career starts vs. former Cy Young winners, and he is Ê Carlos Peña had 19 walks, 3rd in the AL and one shy of the club 7-1 with a 2.24 ERA while the Rays have won 10 of these 11 games record for June (shared by B.J. Upton in 2008 and Jose Cruz Jr. (does not include games prior to the opponent’s Cy Young Award). in 2004). Ê Ben Zobrist’s .443 OBP ranked 4th in the AL and 2nd in club history THE ARROW SOARS—Fernando Rodney’s 22 saves are one shy of the for June behind Fred McGriff’s .500 mark in June 2001. ML lead (BAL Jim Johnson, ATL Craig Kimbrel and CLE Chris Perez)... his 32 games finished are also one shy of the ML lead held by BOSAlfredo AL EAST IS A BEAST—All 5 teams in the AL East enter play tonight at Aceves...his 1.04 ERA (34.2-IP, 4-ER) ranks 4th among ML relievers (2nd least 2 games over .500...that’s the latest into the season that has ever in AL)...Rodney has thrown his change-up 144 times, 102 for strikes...op- happened...in fact, since the current divisional format began in 1994, only ponents have swung at 75 and missed on 36 (48 percent). 2 times has a division had 5 teams over .500 this deep into the season and Ê Rodney is on track to become the 8th different pitcher in the last 8 both them have been in the NL: 2005 NL East (as late as Oct 1) and 2004 years to lead the Rays in saves…the last AL team with a streak as NL Central (as late as July 10).