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July 7, 2008
Pregame News and Notes for 7/7
Ted Fleming, Tampa Bay Sports Net
ST. PETERSBURG - The
Rays may have the best record in baseball, have a five game
lead over the reigning World Champions and have the best
turnaround from the previous year, but they don't have an
Al, Star starter. However, two members of the team will
be headed to Yankee Stadium for the midsummer classic, Scott
Kazmir and Dioner Navarro.
A third is a possibility, which would be
a first in franchise history, but the fans will have to
do their part in order to get Evan Longoria's ticket punched
for the Big Apple.
The rookie third-baseman is one of the five
finalists for the "Last Man" spot and voting is
currently underway at mlb.com.
In addition, you can text the word VOTE to 36197 on your
cell phones. To vote for Longoria text A4.
Balloting closes at 5:00pm (EDT) July 10.
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The Rays current seven game win streak entering
Monday's series and homestand finale is the second longest
in team history - they had 12 in a row in 2004 - and are
unbeaten through six since coming back to Tropicana Field.
Over that span the pitching staff has a
2.00 ERA and should they knock off Kansas City before heading
out to New York, it will be just the second time they have
completed a homestand without a defeat. The only other time
that was accomplished was a brief three-gamer against the
Tigers in 2002.
The Bay Bunch have scored 42 runs averaging
seven runs per contest and have held opponents to a .202
average, .163 against the Royals.
In addition, a Monday win would be the Rays
eighth sweep of the season which would tie the White Sox
for the most in the majors and it would mark the sixth time
they have completed a four-gamer, the first since 2005,
also against KC.
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TOMORROW AND BEYOND:
The final road swing before the break
begins Tuesday in New York with Scott Kazmir (7-3, 2.63)
taking on the Yankees' Andy Pettitte (9-6, 4.22). The two-game
series ends Wednesday as Edwin Jackson (5-6, 4.08) toes
the rubber for the visitors and Sir Sidney Ponson (5-1,
4.19) going for the homers.
PACING: It is nice to dream especially
with the Rays racking up win after win and should they keep
up this pace, they would wind up with 102 wins and that
would mark a 36-game improvement over 2007. Should that
happen it would be the greatest turnaround in baseball history.
The current mark is 35 by the Rays' expansion twin, the
Diamondbacks, in 1999.
DID YOU KNOW? At 55-32, Tampa Bay
has the best record at the 87-game mark since the 2006 Tigers,
who were 59-28.
MINOR MATTERS
DURHAM
DURHAM - The Norfolk Tides pounded Bulls starter Mitch Talbot
Sunday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park to emerge with
an 8-3 victory in a six-inning, rain-shortened game.
Talbot (7-7, 4.85) made his first start
for Durham after spending two days on the Tampa Bay Rays
roster. He allowed 12 hits and eight runs in six innings
with a walk and three strikeouts. He allowed five straight
hits at one point in the top of the second inning to permit
Norfolk’s first five runs, later giving up runs in the third,
fourth and sixth innings.
The Bulls never recovered. Norfolk’s Chris
Waters (2-5, 6.65) got the win in five innings of work,
allowing three runs on three hits and two walks, striking
out six. His lone rough spot came in the bottom of the fourth
inning when he gave up three runs, including a two-run home
run by Joel Guzman.
Durham’s Jeff Niemann (6-2, 3.76) will get
the start Monday as the Bulls continue their four-game series
with the Tides. Norfolk will counter with Hayden Penn (3-4,
5.32). First pitch at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park will
be at 7:05 p.m., with the Durham Parks and Recreation fireworks
show to follow the game. ---Matt Koizim---
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