Massive Road Trip
It remains to be seen if the Tampa Bay Rays will still be in first place in the AL East by the time they return from their season-high 10-game, three-city road trip.
The only certainty is that they couldn’t be leaving Tropicana Field on a bigger high.
Coming off perhaps their most dramatic home win of the season, the East-leading Rays kick off their trip Thursday with the first of four games against the last-place Seattle Mariners.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Seattle -124 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 55% of bets for this game have been placed on Seattle -124 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Tampa Bay (68-45), the worst franchise in the majors for much of its first decade of existence, is now the best team in a tough division, thanks largely to an astounding 45-17 home record.
On Wednesday, The Rays trailed Cleveland by three runs heading into the bottom of the ninth before rallying.
After an Eric Hinske RBI double, Gabe Gross tied the score with a two-run homer with no outs. An infield hit and a walk later, Carlos Pena hit his 20th homer – a three-run, walk-off shot – to give the Rays a 10-7 win.
"Probably the most exciting win I’ve been involved with here,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "If we take that attitude into every game, every night, we will have a really solid chance to play in October. And that’s what it’s all about."
Tampa Bay will hit the road for 10 games against the West. Maddon’s club has won four of its last six away from Tropicana Field, but prior to that had dropped seven in a row on the road.
"We just have to raise the level of play away from here," Maddon told the Rays’ official Web site. "I would like to see us at least be able to sustain that .500 mark or better (on the trip)."
The Mariners (44-70) have the AL’s worst record, but the pitcher they’ll send to the mound in the series opener is anything but a pushover. Felix Hernandez (7-7, 3.04 ERA) has received the fourth-lowest run support in the AL (4.10), part of the reason he’s won just once since June 17 despite a 3.58 ERA in that stretch.
Hernandez, however, hasn’t been getting very deep in games lately. He lasted just five innings – throwing 109 pitches – on Saturday against Baltimore, yielding two runs in a 3-1 loss.
Hernandez is 1-1 with a 2.90 ERA in four career starts against Tampa Bay.
One Mariners hitter providing plenty of run support recently is Raul Ibanez. Seattle’s left fielder, a subject of trade rumors at the deadline who ultimately wasn’t dealt, has been on a tear in August. In his last five games, he’s hitting .524 (11-for-21) with two homers and 15 RBIs.
"He never misses a day out here on the field to hit," manager Jim Riggleman told Seattle’s official Web site. "He’s in the cage constantly. He’s in the weight room, looking at tape. He’s dedicated to his trade."
Ibanez had two more hits on Wednesday, but the Mariners lost 7-3 to Minnesota, ending their season-high tying three-game winning streak.
Seattle will face right-hander Andy Sonnanstine (11-6, 4.58) for the second time in 2008. The Mariners handed Sonnanstine his first loss of the season on April 9, when he gave up four runs over six innings of a 7-1 Seattle win.
Sonnanstine snapped a personal three-start winless drought Saturday, limiting Detroit to two runs over six innings of a 9-3 victory.
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