Detroit @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( Mar 14, 2010 ) Tampa Bay 6, Detroit 9
After putting an end to their long drought at Cleveland, the Tampa Bay Rays return to the Sunshine State to open an important 11-game homestand against the Detroit Tigers Monday.
While the Rays are still three games back of the New York Yankees for the race in the AL East, the wild card race may prove to be just as important. Tampa Bay built its lead to five games over the wounded Boston Red Sox in the wild card standings.
Tampa Bay begins the longest homestand of the season with a couple of four-game series against the Tigers and the Minnesota Twins sandwiched around a three-game set with the Yankees.
The Rays will start Matt Garza (10-5) in the series opener. Garza has won five of his last six decisions, but is 0-4 lifetime against Detroit.
Tampa Bay, which had lost 18 straight games at Cleveland, won both games against the Indians over the weekend. Reid Brignac was the latest Ray hero on Sunday.
Brignac hit a three-run homer in the second inning to give the Rays a 3-1 lead and then made a diving catch in the seventh to help preserve the victory.
Wade Davis (8-9) got the win to remain undefeated in the month of July.
The Tigers have lost eight of their last 10 games and have slipped to third place in the AL Central. Detroit is eight games back in the wild-card standings.
Max Scherzer (7-7) makes the start for Detroit. Scherzer is quickly becoming the stopper for the Tigers. In his last start, he threw seven scoreless innings to halt a seven-game losing streak. Scherzer gave up four hits and three walks while throwing a career-high 123 pitches to win his sixth straight start at home.
The hurler has won five of his last six decisions and lowered his ERA from 6.66 to 4.43 in less than two months. He's never faced the Rays.
Scherzer came to the Tigers in an offseason deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and struggled to start the season. Since then he's become a strikeout machine. He fanned 14 in just 5 2/3 innings against the Oakland Athletics in late May.
The Tigers dropped a 5-3 decision to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Jose Valverde entered the game in the ninth with the score tied at 3-3 and surrendered a two-run homer to Lyle Overbay.
Detroit, which lost outfielder Magglio Ordonez to a broken ankle on Saturday, also put Carlos Guillen on the disabled list with a strained right calf.
Detroit is already missing third baseman Brandon Inge.
The Tigers purchased the contracts of infielders Jeff Larish and Will Rhymes from Triple-A Toledo to take their spots. Rhymes made his major league debut when he pinch hit in the ninth inning and struck out swinging.