SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2013 vs. TORONTO BLUE JAYS RH Chris Archer (6-5, 3.10) vs. RH Todd Redmond (1-1, 3.62) First Pitch: 1:40 p.m. | Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla. | TV: Sun Sports | Radio: WDAE 620 AM, WAMA 1550 AM (Spanish) Game No.: 122 (69-52) | Home Game No.: 64 (40-23) | All-Time Game No.: 2,549 (1,172-1,376) | All-Time Home Game No.: 1,277 (655-621) April: 12-14 | May: 18-10 | June: 13-15 | July: 21-5 | August: 5-8 RAY MATTER—Last night’s loss snapped A.L. EAST STANDINGS STINGY vs. RIGHTIES—RH Chris RAYS AFTER 121 GAMES a 3-game winning streak and dropped the Boston 73-52 .584 -- Archer has held right-handed hitters Year W-L Pct. Pos GB Rays to 2.0 games back of first-place Bos- Tampa Bay 69-52 .570 2.0 to a .160/.236/.211 line in his career, 2013 69-52 .570 2 2.0 ton in the AL East…they have lost 7 of their Baltimore 66-56 .541 5.5 including .157/.250/.204 (17-for-108) 2012 67-54 .554 2 5.0 last 10 games…the Rays maintain a half- New York 63-59 .516 8.5 this year…over his last 6 starts, RH 2011 65-56 .537 3 9.5 game lead on Oakland in the AL Wild Card Toronto 57-66 .463 15.0 batters have hit just .137 (10-for-73) 2010 74-47 .611 1 1.0 race…with today’s rubber match vs. Toron- A.L. WILD CARD against him with 9 of the 10 hits be- 2009 66-55 .545 3 10.5 2008 74-47 .612 1 +3.5 to, their streak of 8 unbeaten series at home STANDINGS ing singles…has only allowed 3 extra- (7-0-1) is on the line…their last series loss Tampa Bay 69-52 .570 -- base hits to righties all season (Mike Oakland 69-53 .566 -- here was June 13-16 vs. KC (lost 3 of 4)… Morse double in last start vs. SEA; Austin Jackson solo HR and Omar Baltimore 66-56 .541 3.0 last night was only the Rays 5th loss in their double on June 29 vs. DET)…right-handed hitters are slugging just Cleveland 66-57 .537 3.5 Infante last 22 home games. (GB of 2nd Wild Card) .204 against him, 2nd-lowest in the majors since his recall behind only TEX Ê The Rays hold the AL’s best record Yu Darvish (.196). MLB’S BEST SINCE JUNE 29 since June 29 (28-13, .683) and since Los Angeles-NL 36-7 .837 May 8 (55-34, .618), trailing only the Tampa Bay 28-13 .683 BEN ZOBRIST—Is errorless in his last 70 games at second base, the 2nd- Dodgers in the majors for both spans. Atlanta 29-14 .674 longest streak in club history for a 2B behind Aki Iwamura (75) in 2007-08. Ê The Rays are 19-17 in one-run Ê Zobrist’s next RBI will tie B.J. Upton (447) for 5th most in team his- games, but are 17-9 in their last 26 tory…he is 3 away from tying Aubrey Huff (449) for 4th. after starting the season 2-8. Ê Is batting .330/.394/.505 (32-for-97) with 3 HR, 6 2B, 1 3B, 11 BB and Ê The Rays are 3-2 so far in a stretch of 46 games in 48 days to finish 4 SB in 24 games since the All-Star break. the regular season. Ê The Rays have had 9 walk-off wins this season—including twice in YUNEL ESCOBAR—Leads all active major league shortstops with a .989 the last 4 games—by 9 different players. fielding pct. (DET Jhonny Peralta led at .991 before his suspension)…his Ê The Rays are 24-17 vs. left-handed starters, but have lost 6 of their .989 mark is on pace for a career high (prev. .982 in 2012 with Toronto) and last 7 including last night. club record for a shortstop (.980 by Chris Gomez in 2002). Ê Since the All-Star break, Escobar leads AL shortstops (min. 60 AB) ST. PETE’S NATIVE SON—Today the Rays face RH Todd Redmond, a with a .299 batting avg. (23-for-77) and leads all major league short- graduate of Northeast High School…he will be the fourth St. Pete-born stops with a .382 OBP in 22 games…has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 pitcher (third opposing) to start at Tropicana Field and first since TORJesse games and 17 of his last 19 with 5 multi-hit games over that stretch… Litsch on Aug 28, 2008…Litsch made 3 starts here in 2007-08…the oth- he can tie his season-high hitting streak (7) with a hit today…over his ers were MIN Boof Bonser (2 starts in 2006-07) and TB Doug Waechter last 100 games (98 starts) since April 17, is batting .283 (97-for-343) (30 starts from 2003-06)…only twice has a St. Pete-born pitcher beaten with a .348 OBP. the Rays at Tropicana Field: Bonser on Sep 4, 2006 and Litsch on July 31, 2007—both in their first starts here…only two other St. Pete-born play- EVAN LONGORIA—Has 8 extra-base hits over his last 10 games…only ers have played at the Trop: TEX/CWS/CIN reliever Nick Masset and 1B had 7 extra-base hits over his previous 33 games (June 23–Aug 4). Casey Kotchman. RISING IN THE EAST—The Rays are playing 9 straight games vs. AL East RAYS vs. JAYS—Last night’s loss snapped a 4-game winning streak vs. opponents (1-1 so far), with series at Baltimore and vs. New York to follow… Toronto…they have won 7 of their last 9 and lead the season series, 9-6 they have won 12 of their last 16 games vs. AL East clubs but are only 29-27 (5-4 at home, 4-2 on road)…they need one more victory to win the season (.518) on the year within the division compared to 40-25 (.615) outside it. series for a 6th consecutive year…they have won 18 of their last 19 home series vs. Toronto—when the Rays lost 2 of 3 here May 20-22, it was their ON TO BALTIMORE—After today’s game the Rays fly to Baltimore for first series loss at home vs. Toronto since April 6-8, 2007, ending a span of a brief 3-game road trip…their off-day Thursday after that series is their 17 straight series victories…their all-time 145-127 (.533) mark vs. TOR is penultimate off-day of the season, with Sep 9 the last…the Rays are 7-5 the 2nd best vs. an AL opponent (KC, .544)…Rays are 78-39 (.667) since against the Orioles this season and have won 5 of their last 6…last time May 1, 2007…they meet again Sep 27-29 at TOR to finish the season. they were in Baltimore they swept a 3-game series, May 17-19. DEFENSIVE WIZARDRY—The Rays have been fielding at a historic DAVID PRICE—Since his return from the DL, tomorrow’s starter has only pace…through 121 games, their 44 errors are 2nd fewest in major league walked 3 of his 258 batters faced (9 starts, 71.1 IP) and has allowed only history behind this year’s Orioles (36; see chart)…the Rays have commit- 21 three-ball counts…overall this year leads the AL in walks per 9 IP (BB/9 ted only 3 errors in their last 17 games, 9 in their last 40 and 28 in their IP) at 1.21 and strikeout-to-walk ratio (SO/BB) at 5.88…in the majors, ranks last 90 since May 7…the Rays 44 errors are 2nd in the majors in both categories to STL Adam Wainwright (1.18 and 2nd fewest in the majors behind the Orioles FEWEST ERRORS AFTER 6.75)…Price’s career rates coming into the season were 3.0 BB/9 IP and (36) and almost half their total through 121 121 GAMES, MLB HISTORY 2.80 SO/BB…since 2007, the only AL pitchers to have a higher SO/BB ratio games in 2012 (86)…the Rays and Orioles Baltimore, 2013 36 over a full season are SEA/TEX Cliff Lee in 2010 (10.28) and TOR Roy are both on pace to break the 2003 Mari- Tampa Bay, 2013 44 Halladay in 2009 (5.94). ners’ mark for fewest errors in a 162-game Boston, 2006 44 Ê Price has set new club records twice this year with streaks of 35.1 season (65). Seattle, 2003 44 (July 19-Aug 9) and 27 innings (July 2-19) without a walk. Ê Since June 19, 5 of the Rays last 13 errors have been committed by pitchers including LH Alex Torres WIL CHASING HOOT—OF Wil Myers leads AL rookies with 37 RBI…the last night…this means that position players have committed only 8 most regular-season games Wil can play this season is 90…the last player errors in the last 52 games. to lead all AL rookies in RBI and play in 90 or fewer games was DET Hoot Evers in 1946, with 33 RBI in 81 games…the only other occasions it has STARTING STRUGGLES—In the month of August, Rays starting pitchers happened in AL history were BOS George Whiteman in 1918 (28 in 71 have a combined 5.17 ERA (69.2-IP, 40-ER), 3rd worst in the AL, after re- games) and PHA Danny Murphy in 1902 (48 in 76 games).