Rays Vs. Rangers Final Score: Rays Win 8-4, Are Half-Game Behind Baltimore In Wild Card Race

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Texas Rangers on Thursday night, winning 8-4 to break a four-game losing streak and avoid a sweep in the three-game series. The Rays scored three runs each in the first and second innings and were able to hold on to the lead all the way through. Alex Cobb picks up the win for the Rays.

Evan Longoria had a hot night at the plate for the Rays, following an RBI double from Ben Zobrist with a two-run homer, and adding the final run of the game in the ninth with another home run. B.J. Upton had a three-run shot in the second, and Elliot Johnson contributed a solo home run in the top of the sixth.

The Rays improve to 71-59 with the win. With the Baltimore Orioles losing to the Chicago White Sox, the Rays are a half-game away from the second American League Wild Card.

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Tampa Bay Rays: Joe Maddon Defends Carlos Pena

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon defended 1B Carlos Pena as his team prepared to take on the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. With the Rays mired in a four-game losing streak and Pena hitting .188, Maddon told the Tampa Bay Times that Pena had been unfairly cast as a "whipping boy." "I refuse to let people just jump on Carlos,'' Maddon said.

"I really try to look at the good with the bad and try to balance it out as well as I possibly can. For me, there is no whipping boy on this team. We win together, we lose together. Right now, we're just coming off this great streak and we were the next best thing since the '27 Yankees and all of a sudden we lose four tough games and everybody's going negative-town on us, negative-ville. I ain't going there man.''

Pena is hitting just .130 in his last ten games, and has gone without a hit in his last five. He approached Maddon after Tampa Bay's 1-0 loss to the Rangers Tuesday and the two spoke in Maddon's office for about 30 minutes.

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Rays Vs. Rangers Lineup: Rays Hope To Avoid Sweep

The Tampa Bay Rays look to avoid a sweep against the Texas Rangers in tonight's series finale. They'll start RHP Alex Cobb against Texas southpaw Matt Harrison. Cobb checks in at 8-8 on the season, with a 4.32 ERA. Harrison comes in at 15-7, with a 3.07 ERA.

The lineups are as follows:

Tampa Bay Rays

LF Desmond Jennings
CF B.J. Upton
SS Ben Zobrist
DH Evan Longoria
1B Jeff Keplinger
2B Ryan Roberts
3B Elliot Johnson
C Jose Molina
RF Sam Fuld

SP Alex Cobb

Texas Rangers

DH Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
2B Michael Young
LF David Murphy
1B Mitch Moreland
C Luis Martinez

SP Matt Harrison

The Rays enter tonight's contest a game and a half out of the wild card, while the Rangers have a five-and-a-half game lead in the American League West. Texas won last night's game 1-0, and won Monday night's game 6-5. The Rays follow this series with a four-game set in Toronto.

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Rays Vs. Rangers: Game Preview, TV Info And More

The AL West has been unkind to Tampa Bay, as the Rays have now lost five straight games to the As and Rangers over the last week. As a result, Tampa Bay has slipped in the AL Wild Card standings behind both Baltimore and Oakland.

On Wednesday night, the Rays will try to avoid being swept when they send Alex Cobb to the mound.

The Rangers will counter with Matt Harrison, a 27-year-old All-Star who has been their most consistent pitcher in 2012.

A win would not only help Tampa in the standings but it could also help their confidence against the two-time defending AL champs, who have knocked the Rays out of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

The game will start at 7:05 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the Sun Sports TV network. Tampa area fans who want to catch it on the radio can check it out on 970 AM.

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Rays 1-0 Loss Made Only More Frustrating By Yu Darvish's Bad Command

The Rays lineup got aggressive on Yu Darvish late in the game, and it cost them.

Rays Vs. Rangers Final: Darvish Shuts Out Tampa 1-0

Texas Rangers righthander Yu Darvish hasn't exactly disappointed this year, but his performance -- 12-9 with a 4.31 ERA and 154 innings -- hasn't quite lived up to the hefty price tag that accompanied him to the US.

That wasn't the case on Tuesday night, as the Japanese righthander absolutely dominated the Tampa Bay lineup. There wasn't much the Rays could do, as Darvish struck out ten and walked only two.

As a result, they wasted a strong performance from James Shields, who allowed only four hits to a Texas offense that shellacked David Price on Monday.

The difference in the game was a solo HR from Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler in the fourth inning, as the Rays were once again on the wrong end of a low-scoring affair.

Tampa Bay has now lost five in a row, dropping them below both Baltimore and Oakland and out of the AL playoff picture for now.

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Rays Vs. Rangers Score Update: Texas Up 1-0 In 6th

One night after Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price was shelled in Arlington, James Shields has responded by shutting down the potent Texas Rangers offense through six innings.

He's allowed only three hits so far with only one real mistake -- a solo HR by Ian Kinsler in the fourth inning.

Unfortunately, that's been more than enough for Rangers rookie Yu Darvish. The high-priced Japanese import has been inconsistent in his first season in the States, but he's been able to get out of trouble on Tuesday, allowing six hits but no runs. He has 10 strikeouts as well.

The Rays are 1-8 with runners in scoring position tonight, something that's been a problem for their often punch-less offense this season.

Texas has been a nightmare for Tampa, knocking the Rays out of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. If the current playoff bracket holds up, it looks like Tampa will need to get through the two-time defending AL champions in 2012 as well.

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Matt Joyce Leaves Rangers Game With 'Forearm Strain'

Rays outfielder Matt Joyce left Tuesday's game against the Rangers in the second inning due to a left forearm strain. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports Joyce is day-to-day.

In the meantime, Sam Fuld is replacing Joyce in right field against Texas. Joyce struck out swinging in his only at-bat on Tuesday. In Fuld's first plate appearance, he singled to shallow right field.

Joyce is hitting .255 this season, but has a .304 batting average against the Rangers in 46 plate appearances.

The Rangers took a 1-0 lead against the Rays in the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run by Ian Kinsler.

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Joe Maddon Sounds Disappointed In Sean Rodriguez

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Sean Rodriguez plans on being healthy and ready to play at some point late in September, as his fractured hand does not require surgery.

Rays manager Joe Maddon, though, isn't taking any solace in that.

Per Marc Topkin:

As for Rodriguez returning in late September: "It's possible, but it's still unfortunate because we needed him earlier than that. So there's no real great solace in the fact that he's going to be available at some point. He should be available as of Sept. 1. That's what we were looking for.''

Rodriguez fractured his own hand after reportedly punching a locker following an altercation with a teammate after Durham's Triple-A game.

Though Maddon is disappointed now, Rodriguez, if healthy, will almost certainly be utilized by Maddon if he's healthy late in September.

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Jeff Niemann To Start Saturday Against Blue Jays

Jeff Niemann will return from the disabled list on Saturday, when the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Toronto Blue Jays.

Niemann has been sidelined since May, after he was struck by a comebacker during his May 14 start that fractured his fibula. Niemann had been effective for the Rays through 34 and 2/3 innings prior to being injured, posting a 3.38 ERA and 1.18 WHIP while holding opponents to a .221 batting average.

Roger Mooney also reported that James Shields will start Friday's game against the Blue Jays, while David Price will get the nod on Sunday.

The Rays and Niemann received a scare over the weekend, when Niemann was hit in the right hand by a line drive, but he's apparently fine, and will start Saturday for Tampa Bay.

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Sean Rodriguez Could Return In September

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Sean Rodriguez is hopeful that he can return in late September from a fractured hand, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Rodriguez fractured his hand after reportedly punching a locker in frustration on Sunday, following Durham's Triple-A game. Rodriguez was demoted to Triple-A on Aug. 21, when the Rays activated Luke Scott off the disabled list.

Rodriguez has not played well for the Rays this season, batting a paltry .215/.278/.330 in 297 at-bats. Rodriguez has hit six home runs and stolen five bases, but has just 24 walks against 72 strikeouts.

Whether or not Rodriguez makes it back in late September remains to be seen, but since he won't require surgery, it's a strong possibility that he will be able to.

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Rays Vs. Rangers: Evan Longoria Starting At Third Base

Evan Longoria returns to his defensive home on Tuesday night, as the Tampa Bay Rays look to even up a three-game series against the AL West leading Texas Rangers.

Longoria has spent most of his time serving as Tampa Bay's designated hitter since returning from the disabled list, as the Rays ease the All-Star third baseman back into the lineup.

With the right hander Yu Darvish on the mound, Joe Maddon has elected to put Longoria at third base so that Luke Scott can serve as Tampa Bay's designated hitter.

Both Maddon and Rangers manager Ron Washington have released the starting lineups, and they are as follows:

Tampa Bay Rays

LF Desmond Jennings
CF B.J. Upton
RF Matt Joyce
3B Evan Longoria
SS Ben Zobrist
DH Luke Scott
1B Carlos Pena
2B Ryan Roberts
C Jose Lobaton

SP James Shields

Texas Rangers

2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
DH Michael Young
LF David Murphy
C Geovany Soto
1B Mitch Moreland

SP Yu Darvish

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Rays Vs. Rangers Game Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Tampa Bay Rays will take on the Texas Rangers for the second game of their three-game set Tuesday at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Recently the hottest team in baseball, the Rays have cooled to the point of losing three straight. David Price was beaten badly on Monday, leaving James Shields to stop the proverbial bleeding against perhaps the best lineup in baseball.

Shields has been solid this year with 12 wins and an ERA of 4.01. In his last start, Shields earned the win against the Kansas City Royals by going 7.2 innings and allowing just three runs on five hits and a walk.

The Rangers will counter with Japanese import Yu Darvish. The 26-year-old started the season in fine fashion but has since seen his numbers take a hit with each passing month. Darvish had a 5.74 ERA in July and a disturbing 6.75 ERA in August.

In his last start on Aug. 17, Darvish actually pitched well but took the loss. The Toronto Blue Jays beat him with three runs in seven innings, despite Darvish's 10 strikeouts.

TV: SUN Sports

Time: 8:05 p.m. ET

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Rays Vs. Rangers Final Score: Texas Sneaks By Tampa, Thanks To Adrian Beltre

Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre flirted with another cycle (falling a triple shy) and drove in four runs as the Rangers beat Tampa, 6-5, on Monday night. Beltre belted a solo shot (his 25th) in the second, doubled home two runs in the third, and plated one more with a single in the fifth inning.

The Rays jumped out front in the first on Evan Longoria's two-run homer, his seventh, before Texas answered with three runs of their own in the second on back-to-back solo shots from Beltre and Nelson Cruz, and Mike Olt's RBI groundout.

Desmond Jennings led off the third with a triple and B.J. Upton drove him home with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three, but again, the Rangers answered -- this time on the strength of Beltre's two-run double to right. Tampa tied the game at five apiece in the fifth as Upton drove in one run with a triple and scored on Ben Zobrist's single.

It was only right that Adrian Beltre would decide this game, and he did so with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. It would be the final margin.

Derek Holland (9-6) earned the victory and Joe Nathan saved his 26th game. David Price (15-6) took the loss after allowing six earned runs in four innings.

For more on the Tampa Bay Rays, head over to DRays Bay, and be sure to check out Baseball Nation, SBNation's dedicated baseball hub.

Sean Rodriguez Injury: Rays Infielder Fractures Right Hand

Infielder Sean Rodriguez sustained a fracture in his right hand after he punched a locker in frustration on Sunday. Rodriguez, who is currently with the Durham Bulls in Triple-A, called it the "dumbest thing" he's ever done. He is hopeful that the injury is minor enough that he'll be able to get back on the field in a week.

Rodriguez is back in St. Petersburg to see hand specialist Dr. Doug Carlan Tuesday. Rodriguez is confident the break, which showed up on an X-ray, is not severe since he still has some movement in his hand and that he will be able to return to action soon.

"I'm hoping I'm ready in a week," Rodriguez said. "I don't think it's as bad as it seems."

Related: Series Preview: Rays at Rangers

Rodriguez is hitting .215/.278/.330 with 14 doubles and 32 RBI for the Rays in 2012.

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Tampa Bay Rays Vs. Texas Rangers: Starting Lineups

The Tampa Bay Rays open up a three-game series against the two-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers on Monday night in Arlington, as the Rays look to continue to climb up the AL East standings.

Both Joe Maddon and Ron Washington have announced the starting lineups, and they are as follows:

Tampa Bay Rays

LF Desmond Jennings
CF B.J. Upton
SS Ben Zobrist
DH Evan Longoria
1B Jeff Keppinger
2B Ryan Roberts
RF Sam Fuld
C Jose Molina
3B Elliot Johnson

SP David Price

Texas Rangers

2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
LF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
DH Michael Young
C Geovany Soto
CF Craig Gentry
1B Mike Olt

SP Derek Holland

Once again, the Rangers boast a fairly deep lineup, and should provide a challenge for the Rays' Cy Young-candidate ace David Price.

First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

For the latest on all things Rays, head over to DRays Bay and join the discussion.

Rays Vs. Rangers Game Preview, TV Info And More

Tampa begins a huge three-game series with the team that has knocked them out of the playoffs the last two seasons.