SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012 AT BOSTON RED SOX RH Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 2.73) vs. RH Clay Buchholz (4-2, 7.84) First Pitch: 1:35 p.m. | Location: Fenway Park, Boston, Mass. | TV: Sun Sports, TBS | Radio: WDAE 620 AM, WAMA 1550 AM (Spanish) Game No.: 48 (28-19) | Road Game No. 24 (11-12) | All-Time Game No.: 2,313 (1,041-1,271) | All-Time Road Game No. 1,157 (455-701) April: 15-8 | May: 13-11 NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT—Today’s game airs nationally on TBS, but is NEED FOR SPEED—With 2 SB last night, the Rays took over the AL lead blacked out in the Tampa Bay and Boston markets...Dick Stockton and for the first time this season with 42 SB (2nd in majors to Miami’s 58)...they and Ron Darling will call the action. also lead the AL wtih 27 SB in May...the Rays are attempting to become the first team ever to lead the AL in SB five straight seasons...B.J. Upton leads TALKING SHOP—The Rays will hold their annual pre-draft media luncheon the AL with 11 SB. with Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and Scouting Director R.J. Harrison on Tuesday, May 29 at noon in the Han- RAYS vs. RED SOX—The Rays are 3-5 on the season series (1-1 at home, cock Bank Club. 2-4 at Fenway Park)...this is the Rays second visit to Fenway this year (also April 13-16)...the Rays are 26-18 since the beginning of 2010 and 45-35 RAY MATTER—Last night’s loss snapped a 3-game winning streak...the since the beginning of 2008...Rays have won 11 of the last 17 meetings... Rays have still won 8 of their last 13...they have won 7 of their last 10 Rays were 12-6 last year, their best mark ever, as the Sox hit only .189, against AL East opponents and are 14-11 within the division this season. their lowest vs. an AL opponent since 1921...since June 30, 2008, Rays are Ê After today’s game the Rays return home for a 6-game homestand 45-29 vs. BOS (60-116 prior to that)...Rays are 59-58 under Joe Maddon. against the White Sox (May 28-30) and Orioles (June 1-3)...the Rays are currently playing 14 of 17 games at home, with this series at DIVISION OF POWER—The AL East enters today with all 5 teams at .500 Fenway Park the exception. or better...this is only the 3rd season under the current 3-division format Ê The Rays 28-18 record is 5th best in the majors...it is their 2nd best (1994) that all 5 clubs in the AL East have been .500 or better...in 2008 all in club history through 47 games (32-15 in 2010)...the Rays began five were .500 or better as late as June 14...in 1994 all five were .500 or 5-6 through April 17, went 14-2 from April 18–May 4, and are 9-11 better as late as June 12. since May 5. Ê The AL East features 5 of the majors’ top 8 teams in home runs...the Ê The Rays are 11-12 on the road...they are an AL-best 17-7 (.708) at Rays rank 8th in the majors with 54 HR but last in the AL East...the home, and 2nd best in baseball after the Dodgers (20-5)...the Rays division has combined for 318 HR—55 HR more than any other divi- lead the AL with a 2.65 ERA (224-IP, 66-ER) at home, compared to sion...next closest is the 6-team NL Central with 263. their 4.51 ERA on the road. Ê The AL East owns a 77-52 (.597) outside of their own division, best of any division in baseball ahead of the NL East (92-66, .582)...the AL SURVIVORS—The Rays have 10 players on the disabled list, tying the club East is 38-21 (.644) against the AL Central. record (most recently July 30–Aug 7, 1999)...the last 5 players to hit the DL came in a span of 12 days (May 10-21)...however, the Rays are 13-11 since TAKE 30 FOR THE TEAM—The Rays have been hit by a pitch 30 times 3B Evan Longoria has been out of the lineup and 9-9 since OF Desmond this season, most in the majors...no other AL team has more than 19 HBP... Jennings has been out of the lineup. they are on pace to be plunked 103 times, which ties the modern major Ê The Rays have used 6 players at 3B in Longoria’s absence, led by league record (since 1900) held by the 2008 Indians. Sean Rodriguez (11 starts)...while playing 3B, this group has com- Ê The Rays offense has drawn 179 BB, 2nd most in MLB to CLE (195). bined to hit .304 (28-for-92) with 3 HR, 12 RBI and 4 2B. REAL MAN OF GENIUS—Joe Maddon has batted 1B Carlos Peña lead- FLIP THE SCRIPT—Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s pinch-hit, 2-run, walk-off off for the the last 4 games, his first experience in the leadoff spot, following homer last night off Fernando Rodney snapped a 12-game winning streak an 0-for-17 slump...4 games equals the combined total of games in Rays for the Rays in games decided in “walk-off” fashion...the last walk-off loss history a first baseman had batted leadoff prior to Peña...in these 4 games, for the Rays was July 23, 2011 at KC, when Eric Hosmer hit an RBI double he’s hit .250/.400/.688 (4-for-16) with 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 2B, 3 BB, 5 R, 1 HBP. off Brandon Gomes in the 10th inning. Ê Maddon employed the same tactic with slumping Evan Longoria Ê It was the first pinch-hit, walk-off homer ever allowed by the Rays... and Matt Joyce last season—neither had hit leadoff before in their Elias says it was the first pinch-hit, walk-off homer for Boston since careers, either—and all three homered and had multiple hits in their Wes Chamberlain on May 9, 1995 vs. BAL, before the Rays came first game...in 9 combined games at leadoff, Peña, Longoria and into existence. Joyce have hit .400 (14-for-35) with 5 HR, 7 RBI, 8 BB, 11 R, 2 2B. Ê The last time the Rays lost on a walk-off home run was April 22, 2011 at TOR, when John McDonald took Adam Russell deep in the 11th. NOT THE RAYS WAY—Yesterday the Rays did not commit an error, end- Ê It was the third time the Rays have been beaten in Boston on a walk- ing a streak of 7 consecutive games with at least one...it was their longest off homer...previously: Sep 12, 2007 (David Ortiz off Al Reyes) and streak since May 30–June 7, 2005 (also 7)...they have 19 errors over their Aug 14, 2000 (Rico Brogna off Billy Taylor). last 14 games...they have an AL-worst .976 fielding pct. and 42 errors are tied with Baltimore for most in the AL...they are on pace for a club-record IT’S BEEN A WHILE—Last night was only the second walk-off home run 145 errors...last season the Rays had a MLB-low 73 errors, an AL-best .988 Fernando Rodney has allowed in his career...the first came in his second fielding pct., and had only 19 through 47 games. major league game, more than a decade ago...on May 8, 2002 at ANA, Ê The Rays have allowed 26 unearned runs, most in the AL. Troy Glaus led off the 9th with a homer, making a winner of Troy Percival... Joe Maddon was the Angels bench coach. B.J. UPTON—Has a 9-game hitting streak, one shy of his career high (10, Ê Rodney entered last night’s game 15-for-15 in save opps, one shy 3 times, most recently Aug 9-19, 2010)...this is his longest streak since then of the club record for consecutive saves to begin a season, (Rafael as well...is batting .421/.450/.684 (16-for-38) with 2 HR, 4 RBI and 4 2B in Soriano in 2010; Al Reyes in 2007)...it was his first home run al- this span...this has raised his avg. from .247 to .303...last time he had a bat- lowed since April 29, 2011 at TB (B.J. Upton) for the Angels, ending ting avg. this high this late in the year was June 3, 2008 (.307). a career-long streak of 51 apps without a homer, and was just his Ê Yesterday had his 5th outfield assist, gunning down Dustin Pedroia second homer allowed in his last 91 apps beginning July 30, 2010. at the plate in the 6th…is tied with KC Jeff Francoeur and OAK Ê Rodney had only allowed 1 ER on the season prior: on April 19 at Josh Reddick for the AL lead and leads all major league center field- TOR with a 6-run lead. ers...has 47 OF assists since 2007, most among ML CF. FLIP THE SCRIPT—There were 3 game-ending homers in the majors yes- BEST IN BASEBALL—Since April 21 the Rays are 21-12, tied with Bal- terday, with Saltalamacchia, TEX Josh Hamilton and LAD A.J.