Rays at Indians
The Tampa Bay Rays suffered more than one loss in the opener of a three-game set and hope to find some positives when they visit the Cleveland Indians for the second contest on Tuesday. The Rays coughed up a lead and fell 7-4 to post their fifth straight loss on Monday in the first contest of the series and could be without two key position players for an extended period of time.
Outfielder Mikie Mahtook suffered a fractured left hand while hot-hitting Steve Pearce pulled a hamstring late in the opener of the series and will be evaluated Tuesday. Cleveland hopes to take advantage of injury-plagued Tampa Bay after winning its ninth straight at home and notching a 15th come-from-behind victory in 2016. All-Star Game candidate Francisco Lindor had three hits for the fourth time in eight games Monday, including the go-ahead solo homer for the Indians. Corey Kluber, the 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner, takes the mound for Cleveland Tuesday against promising rookie left-hander Blake Snell.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Blake Snell (0-1, 2.16 ERA) vs. Indians RH Corey Kluber (6-7, 4.23)
Snell’s second major-league start did not go as well as his debut, allowing five runs (one earned) on eight hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings last Thursday. The 2011 first-round pick gave up one run on two hits with six strikeouts over five frames against the New York Yankees in April. The 23-year-old Snell was 3-5 with a 3.29 ERA in 12 starts at Triple-A Durham earlier this season.
Kluber was pounded last time out at Kansas City, yielding eight runs on nine hits in five innings, after winning four of his previous five starts. The 30-year-old Alabama native gave up three runs on four hits in 7 2/3 innings to lose at Tampa Bay in April, dropping to 2-2 with a 2.75 ERA lifetime against the Rays. Evan Longoria is 6-for-16 with a homer, three RBIs and a pair of walks versus Kluber.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cleveland OF Rajai Davis is 8-for-18 during a five-game hitting streak and leads the AL in stolen bases with 21 – four in the last three games.
2. Longoria homered Monday – his ninth blast in his last 15 contests and 18th overall to pull within three of last year’s total.
3. Indians 3B Jose Uribe has homered in three straight, going 6-for-13 with six RBIs in that stretch.