Thursday, May 12, 2011
Rays vs. Orioles
When/where: 7:10 tonight, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg
TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)
Probable starters:
Rays RH Jeremy Hellickson (3-2, 3.72)
Orioles RH Jeremy Guthrie (1-5, 4.09)
Tickets: $12-$255 at Tropicana Field box office, Ticketmaster, raysbaseball.com, team store in Tampa, $3 surcharge within five hours of game.
Watch for ...
Instant replay: Hellickson posted five shutout innings to beat the Orioles, and Guthrie, in his last start on Saturday in Baltimore, though he walked five. He also beat them last year, and is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA overall.
Different bird: Guthrie hasn't won since his dominating opening day vs. the Rays that had manager Joe Maddon referencing Greg Maddux, though he hasn't pitched badly. In 17 games vs. the Rays, he is 6-8 with a 4.23 ERA.
Rays vs. Guthrie
Reid Brignac 5-for-16, HR
Matt Joyce 6-for-18
Casey Kotchman 8-for-17, HR
Orioles vs. Hellickson
Adam Jones 2-for-4
Nick Markakis 2-for-7
Luke Scott 2-for-6
On deck
Saturday: vs. Orioles, 4:10 Sun Sports. Rays — Wade Davis (4-2, 3.07); Orioles — Brad Bergesen (0-4, 5.57)
Sunday: vs. Orioles, 1:40. Sun Sports. Rays — Andy Sonnanstine (0-0, 2.87); Orioles — Jake Arrieta (4-1, 4.17)
Do they know something we don't?
Maybe the answer to the Rays' stadium issue is in the tea leaves. A release promoting a Lipton Iced Tea sampling event during the next homestand said the "Lipton Lounge" will be set up at, and we share verbatim: "Tampa Bay Rays Stadium, 400 North Tampa Street, Tampa." That is the address — for now anyway — of the team's Tampa store.
Quote of the day
"I really wanted to get to second base really bad. … It'd been a while."
Reid Brignac, Rays SS, on his determination to make it on what turned out to be his first extra-base-hit this season
Friggatriskaidekaphobia stat of the day
6-5 Rays record in their first 11 Friday the 13th games.
Promotion of the day
Ladies Love Longo T-shirt to first 10,000 women fans