By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, April 22, 2011
Rays at Blue Jays
When/where: 1:07 today; Rogers Centre, Toronto
TV/radio: FSN; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)
Probable starters
RAYS: LH David Price (2-2, 2.83)
JAYS: RH Brandon Morrow (0-0, 0.00)
Watch for ...
Price check: Price has dominated the Blue Jays, going 6-0 with a 1.93 ERA in seven career starts, and six of the 10 runs he allowed came in one game, July 25 last season. He is coming off a strong start Monday vs. the White Sox, when he threw eight shutout innings.
He's baaaaack: Morrow, whose 17-strikeout, near-no-hitter was the best game thrown against the Rays last year, comes off the disabled list (elbow) to make his first start of the season. Overall, he is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA in eight games vs. the Rays.
Key matchups
Rays vs. Morrow
Reid Brignac 0-for-8
B.J. Upton 1-for-8
Ben Zobrist 2-for-11
Jays vs. Price
Jose Bautista 5-for-16, HR
Adam Lind 4-for-20
Juan Rivera 4-for-9, HR
On deck
Sunday: at Jays, 1:07, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (1-1, 3.07); Jays — Ricky Romero (1-2, 3.12)
Monday: Off
Tuesday: at Twins, 8:10. Sun Sports. Rays — Wade Davis (2-2, 2.73); Twins — TBA
Marc Topkin, Times staff writer
Fuld and Hellickson giveaways — in Des Moines
OF Sam Fuld said the Rays' May 29 Super Sam Fuld Superhero Cape giveaway is the first promotion in his honor and that he was close but "didn't make the cut" for an Iowa Cubs T-shirt during parts of four seasons in Triple A. Now he has, as the I-Cubs on May 24 will give away Fuld jersey T-shirts. "He was a fan favorite here, and his quote got our attention, in a good way," public relations man Randy Wehofer said. "With some of the guys we've done, there's no reason we shouldn't have had one for him." Fuld was honored and amused at the news: "That's hilarious. I guess I guilted them into it."
The I-Cubs will honor one of their own, with a Jeremy Hellickson bobblehead giveaway June 29. He is in his Hoover High jersey. Wehofer said they designed several promotions around native Iowans, and with Hellickson's success last year, "this was an easy conclusion to come to."