The Tampa Bay Rays are finding creative methods to continue their winning ways, while the Miami Marlins are hurting after getting swept by the worst team in the majors.
The Rays will look to ride the momentum of a late-game uprising as they host the next installment of the Citrus Series on Friday afternoon.
Tampa Bay recorded its 12th win in the past 15 games in wild fashion on Thursday, completing a three-game series sweep of the Texas Rangers by erupting for three runs in the ninth inning of a 4-3 victory.
Junior Caminero, who belted his sixth homer in the past eight games in the second inning, hit an RBI single with one out in the ninth, cutting the Rays’ deficit to 3-2. Taylor Walls stepped up two batters later and drove in two runs on an infield single to send Tampa Bay to its 10th win in its past 11 home games.
“Gritty. Finding ways to win. Everyone in this lineup is gonna contribute every day,” Walls told MLB Network. “… We’re not the biggest names, but we’re finding ways to win.”
Tampa Bay will turn to right-hander Zack Littell (5-5, 3.86 ERA) to start the Friday contest.
Littell improved to 5-0 in his past seven starts after allowing three runs on 10 hits as part of his first career complete game on Saturday against the Houston Astros.
He admittedly was hurting days after he tossed a career-high 117 pitches to subdue the Astros, but the Rays’ off day on Monday provided him some extra time to prepare for his next start.
“I’m feeling good now and, to be honest, I felt really good all the way through that game, too,” Littell said. “It was fun. It felt good to get a complete game because I guess it’s been a long time.”
Littell is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two career relief appearances (3 1/3 innings) against Miami.
The Marlins are looking to rebound after getting unceremoniously swept by the Colorado Rockies, who hadn’t previous won a series all year.
Miami took a 6-4 defeat on Monday and a pair of 3-2 setbacks the next two days, extending its overall skid to four games.
“I think we’ll just regroup from this, and we have to go on, right?” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “This league is unrelenting, and (we’ll) get back at it … in Tampa, and (we will) get back to winning some ballgames.”
Edward Cabrera (2-1, 4.14 ERA) is expected to get the nod for the Marlins on Friday. He won each of his past two starts, pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings in both outings while striking out a total of 15 batters.
Cabrera is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA in three career starts against the Rays.
Marlins left fielder Heriberto Hernandez recorded his first two hits of his career on Wednesday. He also collected his first RBI by driving home Connor Norby on a single in the seventh inning.
Norby went 4-for-13 with a double and three RBIs to help Miami take two of three games from Tampa Bay from May 16-18.
Liam Hicks went 4-for-8 in that series vs. the Rays, highlighted by a two-run homer in the Marlins’ 5-1 victory on May 18.
–Field Level Media
