The Braves offense has been piling up hits at a rapid pace and faces a struggling pitcher in tonight’s contest.
Tampa Bay Rays at Atlanta Braves
Tampa Bay had spent 52 consecutive days in first place in the AL East, but the Rays have shared the top spot with the Yankees the past three days. The team has held the majors best record for a total of 59 games this season, 19 more than their first 12 years combined. The offense has been scuffling since May 21, scoring two runs or fewer in a game nine times. Manager Joe Maddon summed it up after his club dropped Game Two of the series, “The good thing is we won on Tuesday night and lost today, let’s try and win the series on Thursday.” Tampa is still a dominating 23-9 on the road this season and has outscored opponents 188-110 away from Tropicana Field.
Rays SP James Shields is an even 5-5 with a 4.55 ERA in 13 starts this season. The right-hander is suffering through a rough stretch over his last three starts, giving up 20 earned runs and 30 hits over just 15.2 innings. Despite the recent struggles, Shields has posted a solid 4-2 record and 3.43 ERA in six road starts this season, an improvement from his 21-24 career mark away from the Trop. He may gain confidence in pitching under the lights, going 5-2 with a 4.56 ERA in eight nighttime starts (0-3, 4.55 daytime ERA).
Atlanta tallied 13 hits off Rays’ pitching for the second straight night, evening the series with a 6-2 victory. “Good night with the lumber,” said manager Bobby Cox. 1B Troy Glaus is still leading the offensive charge, batting .329 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs over his last 21 games, but may find it difficult tonight due to being hitless in seven at-bats against Shields. The Braves have the second-best record in baseball at 28-14 since May 1, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers (29-13). The club hopes to continue its success against the American League, posting a 113-103 all-time mark and possessing the third-best winning percentage in the National League in interleague play. Atlanta is a perfect 6-0 at home this season when the linesmaker has placed them at a money line of -100 to -125 (-600)
Braves SP Tim Hudson is 6-2 with a 2.43 ERA in 13 overall starts this season, leading the club with 11 quality starts and a 7-6 mark when he takes the mound. The right-hander has compiled a solid 6-1 record and 2.85 ERA in 10 career starts against Tampa Bay, but his last outing against them came back in 2004. Since Atlanta acquired him from Oakland before the 2005 season, Hudson is 1-12 with a 6.78 ERA in 15 interleague starts. He has posted a 3-1 mark and 2.03 ERA in four home starts this year, as the Braves have won his last three outings at Turner Field by a 30-5 margin.
With such a pitching matchup, it’s always important to dig into each starter’s success with the home plate umpire. Both Hudson (4-3) and Shields (1-1) have led their respective teams to even results with Billy Hohn behind the dish. This fits in similarly with the home team being 7-6 with Hohn calling balls and strikes during the season.
