WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014 at BALTIMORE ORIOLES RH Jake Odorizzi (1-1, 5.73) Vs
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014 at BALTIMORE ORIOLES RH Jake Odorizzi (1-1, 5.73) vs. RH Miguel Gonzalez (0-1, 9.64) First Pitch: 12:35 p.m. | Location: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Md. | TV: Sun Sports | Radio: WDAE 620 AM Game No.: 15 (7-7) | Road Game No.: 8 (3-4) | All-Time Game No.: 2,605 (1,202-1,402) | All-Time Road Game No.: 1,304 (532-771) THOUGHTS & PRAYERS—Today Rays Senior Baseball Advisor Don Zim- Rays have recorded a 3.44 ERA, more than a run better than the rest of mer will undergo surgery to repair a leaky valve in his heart…Zim, in his 66th baseball (4.49) vs. these four clubs. year of professional baseball and 11th with the Rays, played with Jackie Robinson from 1954-56 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. RAYS vs. ORIOLES—Today is the second of 19 scheduled games be- tween the Rays and O’s…last season the Rays went 13-6 (7-3 at home, 6-3 JACKIE ROBINSON DAY, TAKE TWO—After yesterday’s rainout, all uni- at Camden Yards), their 2nd-best mark ever vs. Baltimore (15-3 in 2008)… formed Rays and Orioles personnel will wear No. 42 tonight in observation of they finished the season series winning 11 of their last 13 including their Jackie Robinson Day…the annual league-wide celebration is commemo- first-ever4-game sweep of the Orioles at Tropicana Field, Sep 20-23…Rays rating the 67th anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier in went 5-1 in one-run games vs. Baltimore in 2013, after going 1-6 in 2012… 1947, and will feature on-field, pregame ceremonies in ballparks throughout Rays are 66-44 since the start of 2008 and lead the all-time series, 141-137. the league…in addition, Yankee Stadium will hold a ceremony featuring the families of Robinson and Nelson Mandela (rescheduled from yesterday). RAYS, O’S ON TOP AGAIN—The Orioles (.994) and Rays (.992) are the majors’ top two teams in fielding pct. for a second straight season…last MOORE ELECTS SURGERY—On Tuesday, LH Matt Moore will undergo year they finished at .996 and .994, respectively, and recorded the two low- Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow… est error totals in major league history (Orioles 54, Rays 59), breaking the Rays Medical Director Dr. James Andrews will perform the surgery…he mark held by the 2003 Mariners (65). is the first Rays major leaguer to undergo Tommy John surgery since RH Jason Isringhausen nearly five years ago (June 16, 2009). LONGO LOCKED WITH PEÑA—3B Evan Longoria is currently tied with Ê Moore is one of three Rays starting pitchers on the DL, along with RH Carlos Peña for the franchise home run record of 163…he’s gone 10 games Jeremy Hellickson (arthroscopic right elbow surgery) and RH Alex and 37 at-bats since his home run that tied Peña, April 3 vs. TOR…with his Cobb (left oblique strain)…the rest of the AL East teams have only next long ball, he will become only franchise leader in baseball currently with one starting pitcher on the DL combined (TOR J.A. Happ). that team…next in line are CWS Paul Konerko (21 behind Frank Thomas’ Ê The Rays have used six starting pitchers so far this season, after LH 448), NYM David Wright (29 behind Darryl Strawberry’s 252) and MIA Cesar Ramos started on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati…the Rays Giancarlo Stanton (32 behind Dan Uggla’s 154)…he is 12 doubles away used only seven starters in 2009 and 2010 over each full season, and from tying Carl Crawford’s club record of 215, and 42 RBI away from tying employed eight starters in 2011 and 2012. Crawford’s club record of 592. Ê The Rays have called up five players during this road trip, including LH Jeff Beliveau twice. HOMEWARD BOUND: RAYS vs. YANKEES—Tonight the Rays fly home to begin a 7-game homestand tomorrow against the Yankees (April 17-20) POSTPONEMENT—Yesterday’s rainout was the first of the season for the and Twins (April 22-24), with an off-day in between, on Monday…in 2013 Rays and the 37th in club history…no makeup date has been announced… the Rays posted a 12-7 record vs. New York, best in club history (5-4 at after today’s series finale, the Rays return to Baltimore for a 3-game series home, 7-3 at Yankee Stadium), and they won 8 of their last 10 meetings… June 27-29 (with June 26 a common off-day) and a 4-game series Aug 25-28. additional notes on the 2013 season series with New York: Ê Rays pitchers shut out the Yankees four times—only the third team in RAY MATTER—The Rays have lost the last 2 games, 7-1 at BAL and 12-4 the last 30 years to do so (1997 Blue Jays, 1990 A’s). at CIN, the first time they have lost consecutive games by a 6-run margin (or Ê The Rays recorded a 2.98 ERA (172.1-IP, 57-ER), lowest by any team more) since June 25-26, 2012 (8-0 and 8-2 at KC)…the pitching staff has vs. NYY (min. 10 games) since the 1997 Blue Jays (2.89)…they held seen its ERA inflate from 2.55 to 3.54—still the best in club history through New York to a .213 bating avg., lowest of any Yankees opponent 14 games (prev. 3.56 in 2010)…they’ve allowed a season-high 13 hits in since 1990 when the A’s, Red Sox and White Sox were all lower. each of the past 2 games, the first time they’ve done this since June 9-10, Ê The seasons series ended with their first-ever sweep in the Bronx, 2013 vs. BAL (16) and BOS (15). Sep 24-26, as the Rays outscored New York 19-3 and eliminated Ê The Rays are 3-4 on the road trip (1-2 at KC, 2-1 at CIN, 0-1 at BAL) them from Wild Card contention…it included 2 shutouts, marking the which ends today…the trip began a stretch in which they were sched- first time a visiting team shut out the Yankees twice in one series since uled for 19 of 26 and 34 of 53 games on the road—plus a stretch of the 1999 Angels (May 11-13). 16 straight games vs. teams that had winning records in 2013. Ê The Rays outhomered them, 26-9—the largest margin ever vs. NYY… Ê With Toronto’s win yesterday Rays are now 1.0 GB in the AL East, prev. high was +16 by the 1985 Tigers (27-11)…Evan Longoria alone in third place…they’ve held a share of first for 8 of the past 12 days. matched the Yankees home run output in the season series with 9, Ê The Rays lead the AL with 27 doubles. most of any player vs. NYY since TOR Jose Cruz Jr. in 2001…since the start of 2011, Rays have outhomered the Yankees, 70-45. LUMBER IN SLUMBER—In their last 8 games beginning April 6 vs. TEX, the Rays are 3-5 and have been oustcored 34-14, averaging 1.75 runs per LAST SEVEN YEARS—Since becom- BEST RECORDS ON ROAD, game while batting .192/.257/.307 (50-for-261)…in 6 games prior to this, ing the Rays in 2008, Tampa Bay owns MAJORS, SINCE 2010 they scored 31 runs (5.2 per game) while batting .267/.372/.435. the 2nd-best record in the majors (557- Tampa Bay 179-153 .539 430, .564) after the Yankees and are the New York-AL 174-156 .527 PREFERENCE FOR THE TIGHTROPE—The Rays are 4-0 in one-run only team with five 90-win seasons in Texas 173-157 .524 games—accounting for their last 4 victories—including two 1-0 wins (Tue that span…they have reached the post- MAJORS’ BEST RECORDS, at KC and Sat at CIN)…the A’s (3-0) are the only other team without a one- season four times in the last six years, SINCE 2008 run loss…they became the first AL team to get two 1-0 wins in their first tied with the Cardinals, Phillies and Yan- New York-AL 571-414 .580 12 games of the season since the 1986 kees for tops in baseball. Tampa Bay 557-430 .564 St. Louis 546-439 .554 Royals, and the first AL club to do so on BEST RECORD WITHIN Ê Since 2008 the Rays have won the road since the 1955 Red Sox…1B AL EAST, SINCE 2011 six BBWAA awards, most in MLB James Loney got the lone RBI in both Tampa Bay 128-97 .569 in that span: Joe Maddon (2008 and 2011 AL Manager of the Year), 1-0 games, becoming the first player New York 123-107 .535 David Price (2012 AL Cy Young), Evan Longoria (2008 AL ROY), Boston 111-116 .489 to do so in a span of a week since PHI Jeremy Hellickson (2011 AL ROY) and Wil Myers (2013 AL ROY). Baltimore 112-118 .487 Jimmy Rollins (July 10-11 vs. CIN). Toronto 97-133 .422 A PERFECT ELEVEN—Triple-A Durham OF Mikie Mahtook’s (MAH-took) LOWEST ERA WITHIN EASTERN SUPREMACY—Since 2011, streak of 11 consecutive hits came to an end in his final at-bat yesterday at AL EAST, SINCE 2011 the Rays own the best record within Charlotte…he entered the game with 7 straight hits—then in his first 4 AB, Tampa Bay 3.44 the AL East at 128-97 (.569)…during New York 4.23 doubled, singled, tripled and singled before striking out in the 8th inning… this span their four AL East opponents Boston 4.23 he came 4 hits shy of the 85-year-old International League record of 15… (BOS, NYY, BAL, TOR) all rank among Baltimore 4.33 the 11 hits raised his season batting avg.