TAMPA BAY RAYS (13-14) Vs. HOUSTON ASTROS (14-12) LH Josh Fleming (1-2, 1.23) Vs
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Press Box Documents › bit.ly/3f0l9jz TAMPA BAY RAYS (13-14) vs. HOUSTON ASTROS (14-12) LH Josh Fleming (1-2, 1.23) vs. RH José Urquidy (1-2, 4.67) Saturday, May 1, 2021 First Pitch: 4:10 p.m. Location: Tropicana Field TV: Bally Sports Sun Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM, WMGG 1470 AM (Sp.) Game No.: 28 (13-14) Home Game No.: 16 (6-9) All-Time Game No.: 3,650 (1739-1910) All-Time Home Game No.: 1,828 (947-880) PRONUNCIATION GUIDE To hear Rays coaches and players pronouncing their names in their own voices, visit raysbaseball.com/pronunciation. UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHERS & BROADCAST SCHEDULE Upcoming Games Time (ET) Probable Starting Pitchers (Rays vs. Opp.) TV & Radio Sun., 5/2 vs. HOU 1:10 p.m. LH Rich Hill (1-1, 7.25) vs. RH Cristian Javier (3-0, 0.87) Bally Sports Sun, WDAE 95.3 FM, WMGG 1470 AM (Sp.) ROSTER MOVES—The Rays have optioned RH Louis Head and RH Trev- and 8th in the AL with a 3.56 ERA (91-IP, 36-ER) in 20 games. or Richards to Triple-A Durham, reinstated LH Rich Hill from the COV- Ê Five of the pitchers from the Rays planned season-opening bull- ID-19 Related IL and reinstated LH Cody Reed (left thumb weakness) from pen are sidelined…since the last week of spring, the Rays have lost the 10-day IL…Hill, who will start tomorrow, was on the COVID-19 IL due Nick Anderson (elbow), Ryan Sherriff (restricted list), Chaz Roe to vaccine side effects…the Rays had 13 players on the IL for the games on (shoulder), Pete Fairbanks (shoulder) and Collin McHugh (back). Thurs vs. OAK and Fri vs. HOU, tying April 23, 2015, June 9, 2017, June 23, 2017, June 27-28, 2017 and Sep 1, 2020 for the single-game club record. ABOUT THE OFFENSE—Through 8 games this homestand the Rays have scored 19 runs on 51 hits and 23 BB, have struck out 84 times and are bat- RAY MATTER—The Rays have lost back-to-back games and four of their ting .198 (51-for-258) overall and .089 (5-for-56) with RISP…the Rays have last 6 games, and they are 3-6 in their last 9 games following a season- 3 hits in their last 50 AB with RISP, and the last 7 games have seen them high 5-game winning streak…the Rays have been within a game of .500 go 1-for-6, 0-for-6, 1-for-8, 1-for-12, 0-for-5, 0-for-6 and 0-for-6 with RISP. for nine straight days since their walk-off loss on April 21 dropped them Ê Last night the Rays scored 2 runs in the 9th inning to avoid being from 10-8 to 10-9…the Rays are a season-high-tying 4 GB in the AL East, shut out for the second time in the last 6 games…this would have and are currently in 3rd and a half-game ahead of the Orioles and Yan- come on the heels of 69 consecutive games without a shutout loss. kees…the last four teams in the division are within a game of each other. Ê The Rays have scored 2 runs (or fewer) in three consecutive games, Ê The Rays went 13-14 in April, their first losing month since go- their longest such streak since Sep 20-22, 2020 (3) at BAL/NYM… ing 13-16 in June 2019…excluding partial months, it was only the they have scored 4 runs (or fewer) in 18 of 27 games this season, second time in the last 12 months the Rays had a losing calendar tied for 3rd in the majors behind the Tigers (20) and Orioles (19). month, a stretch that began when they went 13-12 in July 2018. Ê The Rays have used 27 different batting orders through 27 games. Ê The Rays are 6-9 at Tropicana Field this season after going 20-9 in Ê The Rays rank 9th in the AL in avg. (.226), 8th in on-base pct. (.306) the shortened 2020 season…the Rays and Twins are the only teams and 11th in homers (27)…they have only 3 HR in the last 6 games. in the majors to have already reached their number of home losses Ê The Rays are batting .195 (46-for-236) with RISP, last in the AL and from last season…the Rays are 1-2-1 in home series this season, 29th in the majors ahead of the Mets (.176)…with RISP/2 out, their compared to 6-0-4 in 2020…their only home series win was the .147 avg. (16-for-109) ranks 29th in the majors (30th: Mets, .137). first series of the first homestand, from April 9-11 vs. NYY (2-1). Ê The Rays are 6-3 this season when scoring 5 runs (or more), after Ê The Rays have used 37 players this season, tied with the Brewers going 25-1 when doing so in 2020…they are 5-2 when scoring 6 for most in the majors…they have used 22 pitchers, 2nd in the ma- runs (or more) after going 15-0 in them in the shortened season. jors, and 10 starting pitchers, tied for the most in the majors. Ê The Rays are 0-3 in extra-inning games and have been outscored, Ê The Rays have held a lead in 21 of their 27 games but have blown a 9-2, in five extra frames, which begin with a runner on second. lead in eight of their 13 losses…the eight blown leads (games even- tually lost after having the lead) match their total from 2020 and RAYS vs. ASTROS—Today is the second of six meetings with the Astros are tied for 3rd in the majors behind the Phillies (9) and Twins (9). this season, with the Rays visiting Minute Maid Park from Sep 28-30 on Ê Today's game continues a stretch of games on 17 consecutive days… the last road trip of the season…the Rays are 36-25 all-time against them this stretch ends with a May 10 off day after the next road trip. (18-10 at home, 18-15 on the road) including 30-19 since the Astros joined the AL in 2013…this series marks the first time the Rays are facing the NOT THE RAYS WAY—Last night the Rays allowed 9 runs on 15 hits in Astros since eliminating them in Game 7 of the 2020 ALCS at Petco Park. the series-opening loss…the 9 runs were their most allowed in a home Ê Last night was the eighth consecutive time the Rays lost a series- game since Aug 19, 2019 vs. SEA (9), and the 15 hits were their most al- opening game to the Astros, a streak that began on Aug 26, 2016. lowed at home since July 19, 2019 vs. CWS (17)…the Rays have allowed Ê The Rays have not lost a season series to the Astros since 2008, go- 124 runs this season, 9th in the majors, 4th in the AL and their most ing 8-0-1 since…the Rays went 4-3 in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and the through 27 games since 2018 (132)…the Rays rank 18th in the majors with Astros finished with 101, 103 and 107 wins in those seasons…ac- a 4.20 ERA (244.1-IP, 114-ER) and 19th in the majors with a .239 opp avg. cording to Stats LLC, the Rays were the first team in major league Ê Last season the Rays ranked 3rd in the majors with a 3.56 ERA be- history to win the season series in three straight years against an hind the Dodgers (3.02) and Indians (3.29)…it was the second con- opponent who finished with 100 wins in each of those seasons. secutive season the Rays finished among the majors’ top three in ERA, and fourth straight season they finished among the top ten. YANKEE DOODLES—The Rays are 5-1 this season with a +16 run differ- Ê This season the Rays have allowed 8 runs (or more) seven times, ential in 6 games against the Yankees, compared to 8-13 with a -27 run tied with the A's for most in the majors, after doing so only three differential in 21 games against all other opponents…the Rays offense is times in the 60-game 2020 season…the Rays have allowed 6 runs averaging 6.00 R/G and 1.50 HR/G against the Yankees and 3.67 R/G and (or more) 10 times, tied for 3rd in the majors…they have allowed 5+ 0.86 HR/G otherwise (77-R, 18-HR)…Rays pitching has a 2.95 ERA against runs 13 times, tied for 3rd in the majors and most in the AL. the Yankees and a 4.56 ERA (189.1-IP, 96-ER) against other opponents. Ê The Rays have allowed 51 runs in the 7th inning or later, over ¾ of FLEM GEMS—Tonight's starter Josh their 2020 total (62)…this ranks 2nd in the majors behind the Reds Fleming has held opponents to 1 run (or ERA LEADERS, A.L., SINCE (54)—the closest AL team is the Twins (41)…the Rays have yielded 3 fewer) in seven of 10 career apps, and AUG 23, 2020 (min.