Blue Jays vs. Rays Preview
TAMPA (AP) – Facing the Toronto Blue Jays might help Tampa Bay’s James Shields bounce back from his worst start of the season.
The Rays hope their All-Star right-hander can put forth another strong outing against the Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.
Inconsistency has certainly plagued Shields (9-9, 3.03 ERA) of late. He allowed an unearned run in eight innings against the New York Yankees in his final start prior to the All-Star break but gave up six runs in six innings versus Boston in his next outing.
Shields then snapped a four-start losing streak when he yielded one run in 7 2-3 innings of a 2-1 win over the Yankees on July 21, but matched career highs by surrendering 10 runs and 12 hits in four innings of a 13-4 loss at Oakland last Wednesday.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Bodog have made the Rays -155 money line favorites for Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 67% of more than 245 bets for this game have been placed on the Blue Jays -155.
“It was an all-around terrible job,” said Shields, who insisted his latest rough outing had nothing to do with trade rumors involving his name. “The ball was up and they were hitting it. I wasn’t sharp all night right from the gates. I did a terrible job.”
Shields hopes to find his form from earlier this season when he tossed a four-hitter and struck out seven in a 2-0 win at Toronto on April 24.
Though Shields is 4-5 in 11 home starts, he’s posted a 2.46 ERA while receiving 21 total runs of support in those contests. His teammates have averaged 5.14 runs per nine innings while he’s gone 5-2 with a 3.38 ERA in nine career starts versus Toronto at Tropicana Field.
He looks to help the Rays (56-52) even the series after they mustered just three hits in Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat. Tampa Bay has dropped of 13 of 20.
Jose Bautista, 6 for 16 with two homers against Shields, hit his major league-leading 32nd home run and first in 15 games Tuesday as the Blue Jays (56-53) won for the fifth time in six contests to move within one-half game of the third-place Rays in the AL East.
“It was good to see Jose get a 2-0 fastball and do what he’s very much capable of doing,” Toronto manager John Farrell said.
Bautista is 8 for 17 with four solo home runs and eight walks against Tampa Bay this season.
Toronto, three games above .500 for the first time since April 8, turns to Carlos Villanueva (6-2, 3.60), who allowed four runs in five innings but still earned his first win in five starts in an 8-5 victory over Baltimore on Thursday.
“I had horrible command with my fastball but my secondary pitches were good,” Villanueva told the Blue Jays’ official website.
Though the right-hander is making his first career start versus Tampa Bay, he allowed a three-run homer to Ben Zobrist in relief during Toronto’s 6-4 loss April 23.
Villanueva has yet to face Tampa Bay outfielder Desmond Jennings, who homered Tuesday and is batting .324 (12 for 37) with two home runs and nine RBIs in 10 games since he was called up from Triple-A Durham on July 23.
Batting a disappointing .229 this season, Rays slugger Evan Longoria is 2 for 24 his last eight games and 3 for 20 versus Toronto in 2011.
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