ST PETERSBURG FL - SEPTEMBER 26: Pitcher James Shields #33 of the Tampa Bay Rays winds up to deliver a pitch against the Seattle Mariners at Tropicana Field on September 26 2010 in St. Petersburg Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)
Tampa Bay Rays Sweep Florida Marlins, Manager Rodriguez Resigns
Rays had the Fish on the hook as the Marlins slip to 1-17 in June.
Tampa Bay Rays Sweep Florida Marlins, Manager Rodriguez Resigns
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James Shields Four-Hits Fish
James aka "Big Game" aka "Juego G" Shields went the distance for his fifth complete game of the season. On Family Fun Day the Rays swept the Marlins to take the Citrus Series and it was a great day to be at the ballpark:
- James Shields racked up 10 strikeouts to get the win and send the fans home with free pizza, four-hitting the Marlins with only one unearned run (Longoria error in the third). The Rays won 2-1 on a Casey Kotchman single that snuck up the third base line in the eighth to plate the speedy Matt Joyce.
- Super Sam Fuld had two diving catches in the eighth:
- On his own bobble head day, B.J. Upton stole second twice and leads the Rays with 18.
- And of course, it was Father's Day!
Floundering Fish
Today was certainly hard for the Marlins. They've now lost 18 of 19 and are on a 10 game losing streak, one shy of the franchise record. Ace Josh Johnson is still on the disabled list, rookie hotshot Ricky Nolasco has been falling apart, Chris Volstad has yet to win in ten starts and those are the stars of the pitching rotation. Additionally, the face of the Fish, Hanley Ramirez, is batting .204 with only 17 RBIs after spending two weeks on the disabled list with an injured back and the club manager Edwin Rodriguez filed his resignation this morning.
Rodriguez was the first Puerto Rican manager in MLB history and a real gentleman. "He's one of the nicest, most decent men I've met in this game, and it's unfortunate that he has to feel the weight of this whole moment because it's not his fault," said our manager Joe Maddon. You can read a full article at ESPN.
almost 2 years ago Update 0 comments
Tampa Bay Rays Vs. Florida Marlins: Family Fun Day & Citrus Series Finale
The Tampa Bay Rays and Miami's Marlins will finish the Citrus Series this afternoon as the Rays don the Columbia Blue jerseys for Family Fun Day.
James Shields (6-4), coming off his five-hit shut out against Boston, will start for the Rays as Chris Volstad (2-7) tries to rescue the floundering Marlins. Volstad game up eight earned runs in his last appearance at Philly, but has never lost to the Rays. The last time James Shields saw the Marlins he struck out a career high 13 batters in a 4-0 victory on May 22, one of his three shut outs this season.
Game Time: 1:40 PM
Pitching Matchup:
Chris Volstad (6.07 ERA, 4.98 FIP) vs. James Shields (2.60 ERA, 3.44 FIP)
Available On: Sun Sports, Fox Sports Florida, WDAE 620
Though the Rays don't view the series as a rivalry, it's always fun to best the interleague Florida fish. The Rays have won eight of their last twelve and a win today would give the Rays a .500 home record for the first time since May 13. The Marlins are on a 10 game loss streak. Eleven consecutive losses would match their franchise worst.
Family Fun Day Notes
- From @RaysRepublic, Jeremy Hellickson and Justin Ruggiano are scheduled to sign autographs for kids 14 & under from 12:00-12:30 down the Right Field line. Bring a ball and a pen!
- As always, Kids can run the bases after the game.
- And the first 10,000 kids 14 and under will get a B.J. Upton bobble head, thanks to AT&T.
For more Rays coverage, make sure to head over to our affiliate DRaysBay. For more information on the Marlins, check out Fish Stripes.
Photographs by
cstreet.us,
thelastminute,
turtlemom nancy ,
fesek,
kthypryn,
justinwright,
sue_elias,
pointnshoot,
and
scrapstothefuture
used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.
