After being swept in their first two series, the Rays head to Chicago for a four-game series where they'll try to secure their first win of the season. David Price takes the mound for the Rays today, facing off against former Ray Edwin Jackson.
The Rays' offense has struggled in their first few games, posting a .136 team batting average through five games, but there's reason to believe they can turn it around soon. US Cellular Field is a notorious hitters park, boosting homeruns by around 30% over league average, and the Rays have been getting unlucky on balls in play. For example, Matt Joyce has hit the ball hard in many of his at bats, yet so far he's only had one ball fall in for a hit. Sooner or later, if the Rays keep hitting the ball, the hits will start falling in and the runs will come.
David Price looked solid against the Orioles in his first start of the season, going seven innings while striking out seven and walking only one. Despite only allowing six total baserunners, four of those came around to score and made his final results look less impressive. He had all his pitches working, though, and was blowing the O's away with his fastball, so he should hopefully be able to lead the Rays to their first win.
Other Notes:
- Edwin Jackson faces off against the Rays for the first time since his perfect game last season. Here's hoping the Rays keep that from happening again...
- Adam Dunn will not be in the lineup, as he had an emergency appendectomy yesterday. He could be back as early as sometime this weekend, depending how his recovery goes.