Rays of Light

Game #60: Salvage the series, retake first place

By Scott Caruso  |  June 5th, 2008  |  Posted in Game Thread  

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
James Shields – Shields held his own against a tough White Sox lineup on Friday night. The right-hander’s one mistake, a solo home run off the bat of Alexei Ramirez, earned him a no-decision, as the Rays’ bats were equally stagnant off Chicago’s Jose Contreras. The Rays right-hander threw six innings, scattering seven hits and a walk. Shields has a potent changeup, and Friday night was no exception, as the hurler’s best pitch carried him to the tune of six strikeouts. Shields is 1-1 in two starts vs. the Red Sox this year, with his lone win coming on April 27. He is a career 1-3 in six career appearances against Boston, posting a 4.76 ERA.

Jon Lester – The lefty has been unspectacular in the two starts since his no-hitter, going five innings each time. In his last outing, Lester took a no-decision, giving up seven hits and three runs. He walked three and struck out four, throwing 103 pitches. Lester is holding opponents to a .243 average this season. Lester won his only start against the Rays this season, allowing four hits and a run over six innings.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Jon Lester.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 5:07 pm and is filed under Game Thread. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 Responses to “Game #60: Salvage the series, retake first place”

1. BillG Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 9:37 am

   While there are some critizing the Rays swarming Crisp and hammering on him…I loved it. This is the LAST time that an opposing player with charge a Rays mound for a LONG time. Talk about sending a message.

   And it looks like Aki has culturally assimilated into US baseball!!!

2. Richard Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 1:39 pm

   Shields has to work on the timing of that straight right.

3. BillG Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 3:48 pm

   NEVER throw a roundhouse right if you are a RHP…ditch the glove and jab with the left….