Game #22: Pullin’ those brooms out of the closet
By Scott Caruso | April 24th, 2008 | Posted in Game Thread
What to watch for: Can Andy Sonnanstine follow up his fantastic start against the White Sox last Saturday with a solid outing against the Jays tonight? The pressure is off, in a sense, because the Rays have already won the series, but he’s going up against another solid hurler in McGowan.
The Jays have had moderate success against Sonny in the past, so it’ll be up to him to make the appropriate adjustments to try and get the win. Establishing his fastball and spotting it properly are, as always, the key to him performing well.
On the Rays’ side, Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford have dominated McGowan in the past. Could this be the hurler that Pena needs to see to help kick his slump? He’s 4-f0r-10 with 3 HRs lifetime against him; he’s also got 3 strikeouts, though.
Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Andy Sonnanstine - Sonnanstine moved to 2-1 on Saturday night with a three-hitter against the White Sox, posting his first complete game and shutout of his Major League career. The right-hander primarily used his fastball, which set up his other pitches nicely. Only one White Sox baserunner made it as far as second base, and Sonnanstine recorded first-pitch strikes against 21 of the 29 batters he faced. He is 1-1 with an 8.85 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox.
Dustin McGowan - McGowan earned his first win of the season with a strong outing at home against the Tigers. The 26-year-old right-hander only struck out one and had two walks over seven innings, but he limited Detroit to two runs and induced 11 outs via ground ball. In three of his four starts this season, McGowan has surrendered only two runs in an outing. In his career against the Rays, McGowan is 2-0 with a 3.58 ERA in five games.
Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Dustin McGowan.
View the game preview from Baseball Reference.
| TAMPA BAY RAYS |
TORONTO BLUE JAYS |
| 2B - Akinori Iwamura | SS - David Eckstein |
| LF - Carl Crawford | 2B - Aaron Hill |
| CF - B.J. Upton | RF - Alex Rios |
| 1B - Carlos Pena | CF - Vernon Wells |
| 3B - Evan Longoria | DH - Matt Stairs |
| DH - Eric Hinske | LF - Shannon Stewart |
| RF - Gabe Gross | 1B - Lyle Overbay |
| C - Dioner Navarro | C - Greg Zaun |
| SS - Jason Bartlett | 3B - Marco Scutaro |
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Tags: Blue Jays
