SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2015 vs. HOUSTON ASTROS LH Matt Moore (0-0, 8.00) vs. RH Lance McCullers (4-2, 2.16) First Pitch: 1:10 p.m. | Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla. | TV: Sun Sports | Radio: WDAE 620 AM, WAMA 1550 AM (Spanish) Game No.: 91 (45-45) | Home Game No.: 51 (23-27) | All-Time Game No.: 2,843 (1,317-1,525) | All-Time Home Game No.: 1,426 (725-700) April: 12-10 | May: 14-15 | June: 16-12 | July: 3-8 ROSTER MOVE—The Rays placed SS Asdrubal Cabrera (right hamstring the 1964 Yankees duo of GM Ralph Houk and Manager Yogi Berra, who strain) on the 15-day DL and recalled INF Tim Beckham from Triple-A Dur- was 45-31 and in 3rd place in the AL East at the break and went on to win the ham…Cabrera is the 19th different Rays player to go on the DL and the 21st pennant with a 99-63 mark…the 1994 Astros under first-year GMBob Watson DL stint, tying the Rangers for most in the majors…the Rays have made 26 and first-year Manager Terry Collins were 50-38 at the break before the sea- roster moves in the past 19 days and 90 since Opening Day…their current son was stopped short on Aug 12…the other most recent occurrence was the DL is at 7 players, including three from their Opening Day lineup (Cabrera, 1992 Brewers (GM Sal Bando, Manager Phil Garner), who were 51-36 at the LF Desmond Jennings, RF Steven Souza Jr.) and two projected starting break en route to a 92-70 record and 2nd-place finish in the AL East. pitchers, RH Alex Cobb and LH Drew Smyly…the Rays have used an AL- high 47 players, 5 shy of their record for an entire season (2000). RAYS vs. ASTROS—The Rays own an 18-10 (.643) record all-time (8-4 here, 10-6 in Houston)…they’ve won 4 straight, and 7 of their last 8 here…since the RAY MATTER—The Rays have won consecutive games for the first time since Astros joined the AL in 2013, the Rays are 12-4 with a 1.63 ERA (144-IP, 26- June 19-20 at CLE, first time at home since June 14-15 vs. WAS…today they ER), and half of those wins (6) have been shutouts…since May 22, 2010 the look for their fourth sweep of the season, and their first sweep of a first-place Rays are 17-4…the Rays visit Houston for 4 games, Aug 17-20. team after the first month of the season since Sep 26-28, 2011 vs. NYY (3 games, capped by “Game 162”)…the Rays entered this series having lost 4 BACKYARD BASEBALL—Today Astros RH Lance McCullers from Tam- straight games and 11 of their last 12…this ends their streak of five straight pa Jesuit High School will become the sixth local high schooler to start series losses, their longest since June 11-27, 2010 (also five)…this is their first against the Rays at Tropicana Field…that group has made a total of 9 series win at home since June 12-14 vs. CWS…they’ve allowed only 1 run in starts, and the Rays have gone 6-3 in those games. the last 2 games combined, with a 3-1 win Friday and 3-0 win yesterday…yes- Dwight Gooden Hillsborough HS 1 start 1-0 terday was their eighth shutout (first since June 17 at WAS) and 30th since the Jose Fernandez Alonso HS 1 start 0-1 start of 2014, most in the AL…it was the 11th time they yielded 3 hits or fewer, Jesse Litsch Dixie Hollins HS 4 starts 1-2 most in the majors…they’ve allowed 1 run or fewer 26 times, most in the AL. Todd Redmond Northside Christian HS 1 start 0-0 Ê The Rays gained a game on first-place New York yesterday (3.5 GB), Boof Bonser Gibbs HS 2 starts 1-0 and remain tied with Toronto for third place in the AL East. Ê The Rays have been at .500 or better for 40 of the last 43 days. LEFTY LOOSEY—With their win over All-Star LH Dallas Keuchel yester- Ê The Rays arrive at the All-Star break having played 33 games in 34 day, the Rays set a club record with their 11th straight victory when the days (14-18 so far)…their final 10 games will be against teams cur- opponent starts a left-handed pitcher…their last loss in a game facing a rently in first place—NYY, KC, HOU—and the Rays are 3-6 so far. lefty starter was May 26 vs. SEA J.A. Happ…the Rays 16-8 record vs. lefty starters is tied with the Angels (14-7) for best record in the AL. FIRST HALF WRAP—At 45-45, the Rays MOST PLAYERS USED today have a chance to reach the All-Star BEFORE ALL-STAR BREAK, JAKE McGEE—Yesterday made his 17th consecutive scoreless appear- break with a winning record for the sev- SINCE 1933 ance, the longest streak by a Rays reliever since RH Fernando Rodney enth time in eight years since becoming the Texas, 2014 50 ended the 2012 season with 19 straight scoreless apps…the club record is Rays…only four other teams in baseball Atlanta, 2015 49 24 scoreless apps by LH J.P. Howell in 2012…McGee’s career high is 18 have had a winning mark at the break in at Kansas City, 2004 48 scoreless apps, from July 20–Sep 13, 2012. Tampa Bay, 2015 47 least 7 of the last 8 seasons: the Cardinals San Diego, 2008 47 (8), Tigers (8 with a win today), Yankees (8) San Diego, 2012 47 WEB GEMS—The Rays have had just 4 errors by their shortstops this sea- and Angels (7)…Rays were 44-53 at the All- Los Angeles-AL, 2014 47 son, 2 of those by Asdrubal Cabrera who ranks 2nd among ML shortstops Star break a year ago…the Rays have used in fielding pct. (.993)…by contrast, Oakland shortstops have committed 29 MOST PITCHERS USED 47 players, a club record before the break BEFORE ALL-STAR BREAK errors…Cabrera and 3B Evan Longoria have combined to make only 7 er- and tied for 4th most in major league history Toronto, 2013 29 rors, fewest of any 3B-SS combo in the majors…at the time of his injury, Ca- before the break (see chart)…they’ve used Atlanta, 2015 28 brera had gone 42 games without an error, his last coming May 24 vs. OAK. 27 pitchers, tied for 5th most in major league Texas, 2014 28 history before the break—and already a club Los Angeles-AL, 2014 28 RAYS AND THE ALL-STAR GAME—This week RH Chris Archer and RH record for an entire season. Tampa Bay, 2015 27 Brad Boxberger will represent the Rays at the 2015 American League All- Ê The Rays enter today’s game with a New York-AL, 2015 27 Star Team at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park…Rays pitchers have 3.57 ERA, and have a chance to set Source: Stats LLC never allowed a run in a Midsummer Classic in 10 innings—the longest cur- a club record for ERA before the All- rent streak by an AL or NL team in All-Star Game competition. Star break (3.58 in 2011)…they’ve yielded 338 runs; the club record Ê Archer (26) and Boxberger (27) are two of 37 players chosen to the for fewest before the All-Star break is 339 (2010). game who are age 27 or younger, and two of 32 first-time All-Stars… Ê Rays have 36 saves, a club record before the break (27 in 2010, 2012). see Page 2 for more notes on Archer and Boxberger. Ê Rays pitchers have held opponents to a .2360 batting avg., and have Ê Archer’s selection marked the sixth straight season the Rays have a chance to break the club record before the break (.2364 in 2013). had a starting pitcher on the All-Star Team…only three teams have Ê The Rays offense has scored 328 runs…unless they score 10 runs current streaks as long: San Francisco (8), Seattle (7) and Detroit (7). today, it will be their fewest runs scored in the first half since their Ê In the Rays era (since 2008), the Rays have had 15 different players inaugural 1998 season (308)…with a .305 OBP, they are in jeopardy named to the All-Star Team, and none of them had been an All-Star of the lowest first-half OBP in club history (.306 in 2002). prior to joining the organization…8 of those 15 are pitchers, a figure matched by only three other teams: PERSONAL STUFF AT THE HALF—CF Kevin Kiermaier’s 9 triples are tied Most All-Star Pitchers Since 2008 with Carl Crawford (2004, 2005) for the Rays record before the break, and are Oakland (10) Gray, Doolittle, Kazmir, Balfour, Colon, Cook, the most by any AL player at the break since DET Curtis Granderson in 2007 G. Gonzalez, Bailey, Cahill, Duchscherer (15)…INF Logan Forsythe has already established career highs in games Pittsburgh (10) Burnett, Cole, Melancon, Watson, Grilli, Locke, started (84), RBI (35), HR (9) and 2B (16)…RH Chris Archer’s 147 SO are Hanrahan, Correia, Meek, Duke 2nd most in club history before the break, trailing LH David Price (164 in 2014).