WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017 vs. TORONTO BLUE JAYS RH Austin Pruitt (6-4, 5.37) vs. RH Marcus Stroman (11-6, 2.99) First Pitch: 7:10 p.m. | Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla. | TV: Fox Sports Sun | Radio: WDAE 620 AM, WGES 680 AM (Sp.) Game No.: 128 (62-65) | Home Game No.: 66 (33-32) | All-Time Game No.: 3,204 (1,482-1,721) | All-Time Home Game No.: 1,606 (813-792) April: 12-14 | May: 17-13 | June: 13-13 | July: 12-13 | August: 8-12 | Pre-All-Star: 47-43 | Post-All-Star: 15-22 WHO’S THE BOSS?—Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Man- POWER PLAY—The Rays have hit 174 HR (6th in AL), their most ever fred, making his annual visit to Tropicana Field, and Rays Principal Owner through 127 games (prev. 168 in 2016)…they are on pace for a club-record Stuart Sternberg will be available to media on the field following Rays BP, 222 HR (216 in 2016)…their 544 runs are their most through 127 games at approximately 5:30 p.m. since 2013 (571)…the Rays lead the majors with a club-record 12 back- to-back home runs, ahead of the Orioles (10)…the Rays have double-digit COMMUNITY CORNER—Earlier today, RH Chase Whitley visited patients home runs from every defensive position plus DH, as well as from all nine at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. spots in the batting order…their 24 HR from the leadoff spot rank 3rd in the AL (Astros 32, Twins 28) and 3rd in a single season in club history (28 ROSTER MOVE—The Rays have designated INF Trevor Plouffe for as- in 2016, 25 in 2006)…their 8 leadoff home runs (HR to lead off 1st inning) signment and recalled RH Andrew Kittredge from Triple-A Durham…when have tied the club record (2006)…their 16 HR from the No. 9 spot rank 3rd OF César Puello (PWAY-oh) makes his Rays debut, he will become the in the majors, behind the Rangers and Astros (18 each). 50th player used by the Rays this season, only two shy of the club record (52 Ê 1B Logan Morrison leads the team with a career-high 29 HR… in 2000)…Puello was claimed Saturday off outright waivers from the Angels. only four others in baseball can match his combination of homers and walks (66): NYY Aaron Judge (37-HR, 93-BB), CIN Joey Votto RAY MATTER—The Rays have won A.L. WILD CARD STANDINGS (32-HR, 103-BB), ARI Paul Goldschmidt (29-HR, 81-BB) and WAS back-to-back games for the first time (29-HR, 66-BB)…with his next home run would become New York 67-57 .540 +2.5 Bryce Harper since Aug 1-3 at HOU (3 straight) and Minnesota 65-60 .520 -- the seventh different Ray to record a 30-HR season. for the first time at home since July 25- Los Angeles 65-61 .516 -0.5 Ê 1B Lucas Duda leads the team with 6 HR since joining the Rays on 26 vs. BAL…this comes on the heels of Kansas City 63-61 .508 -1.5 July 28. a 4-game losing streak…last night’s 6-5 Seattle 64-63 .504 -2.0 win, combined with Baltimore’s 6-4 loss Texas 62-63 .496 -3.0 THE BUFFALO—C Wilson Ramos has recorded multiple hits in 5 straight vs. Oakland, moved the Rays back into Tampa Bay 62-65 .488 -4.0 starts, a new career high (prev. 4, Sep 1-5, 2011 with Nationals)…is the first third place in the AL East…with a win to- Baltimore 61-65 .484 -4.5 Ray with multiple hits in 5 straight starts since OF Corey Dickerson (5, May Toronto 59-66 .472 -6.0 night or tomorrow, the Rays can secure 16-21) and the second Rays catcher ever to do it, joining Toby Hall (July 28– their first series win since July 31–Aug 3 Aug 4, 2005 (5)…the last Ray to record multiple hits in 6 straight starts was at HOU (3-1) and first at home since July 24-26 vs. BAL (2-1)…the Rays have also Dickerson, Sep 7-14, 2016 (6), and the club record is 8 by Carl Craw- lost their five series in a row…prior to winning the last 2 games, they had lost ford (Aug 4-11, 2007)…Ramos is batting .583/.630/.875 (14-for-24) with 1 7 of their last 8 games, 10 of 12 and 12 of 15…since July 19 they are 11-21, 2B and 2 HR over his last 7 games (6 starts), compared to .109/.125/.127 dropping from a season-high 7 games over .500 (51-44, second place in the (6-for-55) with 1 2B over his previous 20 games (16 starts) from July 21–Aug AL East, 2 GB of first-place Boston) to 3 games below .500 (62-65, third place 12…this stretch has raised his season avg. from .170 to .250. and 11 GB of first)…they are one of seven teams separated by 4.5 games vying for the second AL Wild Card position. THE OUTLAW—After spending 61 games on the DL with a fractured hip, Ê Since July 8, 31 of their last 39 games have been decided by 3 runs CF Kevin Kiermaier has played 4 games and has hit .412/.444/.765 (7-for- or fewer, including 17 one-run games (7-10). 17) with 3 runs scored, 3 RBI, a double, triple and homer while leading off Ê The 6 runs scored last night equaled the Rays most at home since in each game…he is a career .307/.351/.459 (63-for-205) hitter vs. Toronto. the All-Star break (also Aug 19 vs. SEA)…the Rays are 6-13 at home since the All-Star break after going 27-19 here before it…the Rays SOUZA-PALOOZA—RF Steven Souza Jr. has reached base in 26 straight have averaged a major-league-low 3.14 runs per game (116-R, 37- games vs. Toronto, dating back to May 16, 2016, longest ever by a Ray vs. G) since the All-Star break, and the White Sox are next lowest at Toronto and longest by any player since BOS Dustin Pedroia (38) from 3.76…they averaged 4.76 R/G before it (13th in majors). 2014-16…this season vs. Toronto, Souza owns a .485 OBP with 16 BB most by any Ray vs. any opponent since Carlos Peña had 16 vs. BOS in 35—Games remain on the Rays regular-season schedule…30 of those are 2010…only twice has any Ray drawn more walks in a season vs. any op- against teams within 4.5 games of a postseason spot; the only exceptions ponent, both by Peña: 17 vs. TOR in 2007, and 22 vs. BAL in 2008. are these 2 games vs. TOR and Sep 1-3 at CWS…they need to go 19-16 to achieve Kevin Cash’s best record as Rays manager, 20-15 to finish with PROPER PITCHING—Rays starting pitchers rank 3rd in the AL with a a winning record, 23-12 to reach 85 wins and 28-7 to reach 90 wins…for 4.06 ERA (Indians 3.97, Red Sox 4.02) and rank 2nd with 731 IP (Red context, their best 35-game stretch during Cash’s tenure is 22-13 (June 7– Sox 750.1)…they have lasted at least 6 IP in 13 of their last 17 starts… July 18, 2017). Rays pitchers lead the AL with a 3.31 ERA (177-IP, 65-ER) in the month of August, 2nd in the majors behind Washington (3.04), but are 8-12 while the RAYS vs. JAYS—The Rays are 8-9 in the season series (5-3 at home, 3-6 team has been outscored, 69-53. in Toronto)…the Rays have won 8 of the last 9 season series, including Ê Since Aug 3, the Rays are 4-0 in games started by LH Blake Snell 2016 (11-8), but would have to sweep this series to win it this year…the and 2-12 in games started by any other pitcher. Rays lost 3 of 4 games at Rogers Centre last week, batting .135 (5-for-37) with RISP and leaving 45 runners on base…Rays are 184-166 (.526) all- PEN ADDITIONS WORKING WONDERS—In the month of August, the time, their most wins vs. any opponent. Rays bullpen ranks 4th in the majors with a 2.21 ERA and leads the majors Ê The Rays offense has had 9 games this season with at least as many with a .180 opp avg. (38-for-211), compiling a 3-2 record and 7-for-7 in save walks as strikeouts, and 5 of those games have come vs. Toronto… opps…they have totaled 61 IP, 38 H, 15 ER, 18 BB, 61 SO…the Rays bull- over the last 5 games vs. Toronto (starting with last week’s 4-game pen yielded 2 runs last night, the first time the Rays won a game in which road series), the Rays have totaled 24 BB and 28 SO including 4 the bullpen allowed any runs since July 25 vs. BAL. of these games with as many walks as strikeouts…5 of the Rays 8 Ê RH Steve Cishek has thrown 10.0 scoreless innings (4-H, 3-BB, 10- bases-loaded walks this season have come vs.