Rays at Rangers
Texas brought the American League’s best record into its weekend home series with Tampa Bay, but the Rays came in with a five-game winning streak that they extended to six Friday, pouncing on Matt Harrison early in an 8-4 triumph. Evan Longoria homered and drove in four runs to help James Shields become the first American League starter to reach four wins. The two teams had last met in the 2011 American League Division Series, with Texas coming back from a Game 1 home loss to advance in four.
Winners of the last two American League pennants, the Rangers made a splash in the off-season by acquiring Japanese pitching star Yu Darvish and moving former closer Neftali Feliz into the starting rotation. Tampa Bay, still the underfunded contender in a loaded AL East, quietly brought back former first baseman Carlos Peña, who spent a lackluster 2011 campaign with the Chicago Cubs.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay), FS Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Jeff Niemann (1-2, ERA 4.11) vs. Rangers RH Colby Lewis (2-0, ERA 2.02)
Niemann has gotten off to a fairly pedestrian start, not getting through the sixth inning in any of his three starts and allowing a total of 10 runs (seven earned) in 15 1/3 frames. He was a winner in his last outing April 22 against Minnesota (5 1/3 innings, three hits, two runs), but is 0-2 on the road this season and 0-2 lifetime with a 10.66 ERA against the Rangers.
Lewis has been staking his claim to the title of staff ace in Texas, turning in four straight solid outings. He has yet to allow more than two runs in a start, yielding two total runs in 12 2/3 innings at home. The right-hander is unbeaten (3-0, 4.15 ERA) in four career regular-season games against Tampa Bay, and he went six innings for a win in last year’s AL Division Series (one run, one hit, six strikeouts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Current Texas hitters are 25-for-70 (.357) against Niemann. Second baseman Ian Kinsler is 2-for-6 with a pair of home runs and catcher Mike Napoli is 5-for-12 (.417) with a homer and six RBIs.
2. Rays designated hitter Luke Scott (2-for-5) is the lone Tampa Bay hitter with more than one career hit against Lewis. The rest of the team is a combined 5-for-43 (.116).
3. Josh Hamilton’s two-run homer in the fifth inning Friday was the first round-tripper with men on base allowed by Tampa Bay pitchers since April 17, a span of 83 innings.