WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 vs. CHICAGO CUBS LH Blake Snell (3-6, 4.25) vs. LH Jon Lester (11-7, 4.30) 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.: 152 (73-78) | Home Game No.: 78 (38-39) | All-Time Game No.: 3,228 (1,493-1,734) | All-Time Home Game No.: 1,618 (818-799) April: 12-14 | May: 17-13 | June: 13-13 | July: 12-13 | August: 13-15 | September: 6-10 | Pre-All-Star: 47-43 | Post-All-Star: 26-35 ZIMMER FIRST PITCH—Tonight Beau Zimmer, grandson of the late Don going 17-3 in those games prior to the All-Star break. Zimmer, will throw a ceremonial first pitch on behalf of the Zimmer fam- Ê The Rays have hit 7 HR in extra innings, tying the club record (2008). ily…Zim was the Rays longtime senior baseball advisor until his passing in Ê The Rays have a club-record 24 HR from their catchers. 2014, managed the Cubs from 1988-91 and was named NL Manager of the Year in 1989…his 11 seasons with the Rays were his most with any major A RARITY OF SORTS—2B Brad Miller’s home run last night marked league club, and his No. 66 (for his 66 years in baseball) is one of only three the seventh time since Baseball Reference data is available (1912) that a numbers retired by the Rays. team’s only hit was a home run by the No. 9 hitter…it was the fourth time Ê Five-time All-Star OF Bernie Williams will perform “Take Me Out the Cubs were involved in a game like this…the others: to the Ballgame” at 7th-Inning Stretch on acoustic guitar as part of Joe Randa, PIT PH Sep 22, 2006 at SD the Breathless IPF campaign, which raises awareness of the lung Ken Phelps, OAK PH April 20, 1990 vs. SEA disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which afflicted his father, Charlie Moore, MIL C July 30, 1979 vs. BAL Al Ferrara, LAD PH May 15, 1965 vs. CHC Bernabé…visit breathlessipf.com for more information. Walt Moryn, CHC PH April 16, 1960 at SF George Crowe, MIL-NL PH May 21, 1955 vs. CHC ROSTER MOVES—The Rays will recall INF Daniel Robertson and RH Ê It was also the first time this season that Miller’s homer(s) accounted for Chih-Wei Hu from Triple-A Durham, and will activate LH Xavier Cedeño all the Rays runs in a game, after 7 such games last season…since the (left forearm tightness) from the 60-day DL…all three are expected to join start of 2016, his 8 games with his homer(s) accounting for all his team’s the Rays in Baltimore tomorrow, at which point the club will need to make a runs are most in the majors, ahead of CWS/NYY Todd Frazier, LAA corresponding 40-man roster move to accommodate Cedeño. Albert Pujols, CIN Joey Votto and WAS Ryan Zimmerman (6 each). —The Rays dropped last RAY MATTER A.L. WILD CARD STANDINGS K’s FOR DAYS—The Rays offense leads the AL with 1,457 SO, 2nd in the night’s series opener, 2-1, falling to 3-8 New York 84-67 .556 +6.0 majors to Milwaukee (1,471)…this is already the 3rd-highest total in Ameri- over their last 11 games…they are now Minnesota 78-73 .517 -- can League history, behind the 2013 Astros (1,535) and 2016 Rays (1,482), 5 games under .500, matching their Los Angeles 76-74 .507 -1.5 and the 9th-highest total in major league history…the Brewers and Rays low point of the season…a win tonight Texas 74-76 .493 -3.5 are both on pace to surpass the major league strikeout record set by the Seattle 74-77 .490 -4.0 would end a streak of three straight se- 2016 Brewers (1,543)…Major League Baseball is on pace to break its own Kansas City 73-77 .487 -4.5 ries losses…their only hit last night was strikeout record for a 10th consecutive season; MLB totaled a record 38,982 Tampa Bay 73-78 .483 -5.0 a solo homer by 2B Brad Miller with in 2016 and is on pace for more than 40,000 this year (37,330 currently). one out in the 6th inning off LH Mike Baltimore 73-79 .480 -5.5 , the first time in club his- Montgomery BETTER BULLPEN—Although the Rays have lost 8 of their last 11 games tory the Rays only hit of the game was a home run…one hit was their fewest (since Sep 6), the Rays bullpen has compiled a 1.80 ERA (55-IP, 11-ER) since Aug 1, 2016 vs. KC (1)…last night was the Rays sixth loss of the sea- over this span compared to a 6.19 ERA (48-IP, 33-ER) by the starters…the son when yielding 2 runs or fewer, first since Aug 14 at TOR (2-1)…tonight Rays bullpen leads the majors with a 2.37 ERA (163.1-IP, 43-ER) and leads finishes a stretch of five consecutive series and (14 games) vs. teams cur- the AL with a .205 opp avg. since Aug 1, after acquiring veteran relievers rently positioned to reach the playoffs; they are 5-8 thus far…the current 3-8 RH Steve Cishek, RH Sergio Romo and LH Dan Jennings in the week stretch, which began on Sep 6, comes on the heels of winning 10 of 15 and leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline…prior to that, they had has reduced their odds of reaching the postseason from 10 pct. to 0.7 pct., a 4.41 ERA (20th in majors) and .248 opp avg. (15th)…a deeper look: according to FanGraphs…their season high was 43.9 pct. through July 18, when they were a season-high 7 games over .500 (51-44)…with 11 games W-L SV-Opp IP H R ER BB SO ERA oAVG Thru July 31 19-25 35-54 341.0 320 180 167 140 298 4.41 .248 remaining, the Rays are 5.0 GB of the second AL Wild Card spot and have Since Aug 1 7-6 16-19 163.1 122 51 43 48 162 2.37 .205 five teams ahead of them (see chart). Ê Since the start of the last road trip (10 games), the Rays are batting ALEX COLOMÉ—Leads the majors with 45 saves, tied with RH Rafael So- .106 (7-for-66) with RISP. riano (2010) for 2nd most in club history behind RH Fernando Rodney (48 Ê After tonight’s game, the Rays embark on their final road trip of the in 2012)…the major league record for a Dominican-born closer is 51 saves, season, a 7-game jaunt to Baltimore (4 games) and New York (3). by NYM Jeurys Familia (2016)…Colomé has 5 more saves than any other Ê The Rays are 44-41 (.518) outside the division, and 29-37 (.439) pitcher in baseball (COL Greg Holland, 40) and 8 more than any other AL within the AL East. pitcher (TOR Roberto Osuna, 37). —Tonight is the 8th time in the last 11 TROUBLE WITH THE SOUTHPAWS 13—Catches by Rays outfielders this season rated as “5-Star,” five more than games that the Rays have faced a left-handed starter…they have lost 7 of any other team in baseball (Reds, 8)…5-Star catches are defined by MLB their last 8 when facing LH starters…the Rays are an AL-worst 17-28 (.378) StatCast as any ball caught with a 0-to-25 pct. catch probability…RF Steven vs. LH starters this season, compared to 56-50 (.528) vs. RH starters. Souza Jr. leads all AL outfielders with five 5-Star catches, Kevin Kiermaier has four, Corey Dickerson has three and Shane Peterson has one. RAYS vs. CUBS—Last night was the Rays first-ever loss to the Cubs at Tropicana Field, following a 3-game sweep, June 17-19, 2008…the Rays are OUTLAW ON THE LOOSE—Despite spending 61 games on the disabled 1-2 in the season series, after splitting a 2-game set in Chicago, July 4-5… list, Kevin Kiermaier ranks 2nd among major league center fielders with they are 7-5 (.583) all-time (3-1 home, 4-4 at Wrigley Field). 19 Defensive Runs Saved in only 770.2 innings behind MIN Byron Buxton (26 DRS in 1,069 inn.), according to FanGraphs…he is tied for 3rd among —Tonight is the Rays final interleague game of the INTERLEAGUE WRAP all outfielders, trailing BOS Mookie Betts (30 DRS in 1,327.1 inn.), Buxton season, and at 10-9 they need a win to avoid only their second losing inter- and tied with LAD Yasiel Puig (19 DRS in 1,143.2 inn.). league record in 10 seasons of the “Rays” era (7-11 in 2010)…they are 109- 80 (.577) since 2008—5th best in the majors behind the Red Sox, Rangers, TRIPLE-A CHAMPS—Last night the Durham Bulls defeated the Memphis Yankees and Angels—and 183-184 all-time…the AL is 154-137 (.529) in Redbirds (Cardinals), 5-3, in the Triple-A National Championship Game… interleague play this season, and will win a 14th consecutive season series.