Braves at Rays
As their walking wounded heal and the Tampa Bay Rays fight to stay near the top of the American League East, they'll need more big hits such as the one Matt Joyce provided Saturday. The left fielder hit his third career grand slam, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 advantage as the Rays beat Atlanta. Tampa Bay has nine players on the disabled list, but is within two games of first-place Baltimore. Atlanta lost for only the third time in its past 13 road games. In those games, the Braves have scored two runs or less only three times.
Already owning series victories at Arizona, Los Angeles, Colorado and St. Louis, the Braves can add Tampa Bay to the list with a victory Sunday. Atlanta leads the National League East by 1½ games. Runs figure to be at a premium with a pair of aces – Atlanta’s Tim Hudson and Tampa Bay’s David Price – toeing the rubber. Price can become baseball’s first seven-game winner, while Hudson has won two of his four starts since coming off the disabled list.
TV: 1:40 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Atlanta RH Tim Hudson (2-1, 3.96 ERA) vs. Tampa Bay LH David Price (6-2, 3.10)
In his first four starts since off-season back surgery, Hudson has pitched six or more innings three times. He scattered nine hits against Cincinnati on Tuesday, giving up two earned runs in winning. Left-handed batters are hitting .302 against Hudson. Price rebounded from his second loss of the season with a strong showing Wednesday at Toronto, limiting the Blue Jays to six hits and three runs in seven innings. He has 22 strikeouts and only four walks in his past 22 innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Hudson is 7-1 lifetime against Tampa Bay; Price is 1-0 in one career start against Atlanta.
2. Atlanta’s Martin Prado went hitless Saturday, snapping his hitting streak at 10 games.
3. Tampa Bay second baseman Will Rhymes, who fainted Wednesday after being hit with a pitch, returned to the lineup Saturday.