Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scoreboard - Live Odds - Sporting Events - Live Lines

O&N HOME | NFL MLB NBA NHL NCAAF NCAABk Nascar Golf Soccer Tennis Boxing Horse Racing All Sports

Rays face true test at Angel Stadium

Mon 9th, June 2008

(Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Rays will be able to test just how much they've improved this season when the upstart club begins a three-game series with the red-hot Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim tonight at Angel Stadium.

Tampa's 37-26 record at the moment is the third-best mark in the American League, but the majority of those victories have come at Tropicana Field, where the Rays have posted a gaudy 24-10 ledger. The Rays are just 13-16 on the road so far and have gone 2-4 thus far on a nine-game road trip.

The young squad did rebound from being swept by the powerful Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park by winning the first two tests of a weekend set in Texas. However, the Rangers avoided a sweep with a 6-3 triumph in Sunday's finale.

Texas put up three runs on six hits against Rays starter Matt Garza (4-3), who left after just four innings and was involved in a dugout confrontation with catcher Dioner Navarro, with both players having to be restrained.

B.J. Upton had a two-run homer in the sixth inning to lead Tampa offensively.

The Angels own the AL's best record at 39-25 and had won seven straight contests before Sunday's 7-3 defeat at Oakland. Anaheim will also be sending out one of the league's top pitchers tonight in Joe Saunders, who comes in tied for the AL lead with nine wins and ranks third among hurlers in the Junior Circuit with a 2.63 earned run average.

Saunders ran his record to 9-2 with seven solid innings to beat Seattle on Wednesday. The left-hander did allow four runs, but only one was earned due to a pair of Anaheim errors, and held the Mariners to five hits.

The 26-year-old limited the Rays to one run and four hits over six innings back on May 10, although he wound up on the wrong end of a 1-0 decision that night. It was Saunders' first career appearance against Tampa Bay.

The Rays swept that three-game series from Anaheim, which took place in St. Petersburg. However, Tampa Bay has lost eight straight games at Angel Stadium and has not won at the Big A since September 25, 2005.

The Angels' long streak came to an end when Oakland's Mark Ellis belted a grand slam off Chris Bootcheck in the bottom of the 12th inning on Sunday.

Vladimir Guerrero had a two-run homer for Anaheim, while Gary Matthews Jr. finished 2-for-4 with an RBI single.

Ervin Santana worked the first 6 1/3 innings for the Angels and allowed just two runs while striking out nine A's before exiting.

Anaheim will take its swings tonight off Edwin Jackson, who will be seeking to end a personal two-start losing streak for the Rays.

The hard-throwing righty surrendered four runs over five innings in Wednesday's 5-1 setback at Boston, five days after he was touched for four runs and 10 hits in six frames during a May 29 setback to the Chicago White Sox.

Jackson is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA over six career appearances versus the Angels, three of which have been starts. He did not pitch against Anaheim when these teams met in mid-May.

Tampa Bay will play tonight's tilt without outfielder Jonny Gomes, who will be serving the third of a five-game suspension for his participation in a bench- clearing brawl against the Red Sox this past Thursday.

Where the players come to play and STAY.