News
Shields looks for two in a row vs. Tigers
Tampa Bay (72-62) vs. Detroit (73-61), 7:08 p.m. ET
By Zach Schonbrun / MLB.com
09/05/09 1:30 AM ET
ST. PETERSBURG -- As a veteran in his fourth full season and one of the most durable pitchers in the league, there aren't many secrets left about James Shields. Facing the Tigers twice in one week, however, doesn't make things any easier for him. "It's kind of awkward," Shields admitted. It's not as if Shields, who threw seven innings for the win in Detroit on Monday, has too much to hide. He's making his 29th start of the season, and it's the third time this year that he's facing a team twice in one week (Boston on May 3 and May 8, and Toronto on July 1 and July 7). Shields said that experience could actually work to his advantage -- he's practiced enough to know how to adjust accordingly. Nonetheless it's an added challenge against a playoff-caliber team like the Tigers. "I don't really think of it that way," Shields said. "I like to have amnesia. I already forgot about last game and moved on." In learning from his mistakes, he may want to avoid Carlos Guillen, Detroit's left fielder who hit two home runs and had four RBIs against Shields on Monday. Shields said he missed with both pitches to Guillen -- errors he intends to polish up on Saturday. "He's just a good baseball player and a good hitter," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "There's always going to be one guy that's annoying within a group." Last start, Tampa Bay staked Shields with six runs in the first inning, an unusual amount of output behind a pitcher with one of the lowest run-support averages in the league. The Rays won't be facing Jarrod Washburn again, though. He was scratched with a sore knee. So Shields is left as the one slightly overexposed. He'll be looking for his first win at home since June 4, despite a 3.81 ERA at Tropicana Field this season. Shields believes there are enough positives in the way he's been pitching lately to feel confident going against the Tigers, or any team, no matter how many consecutive times. "The good news is I feel good with my changeup right now, I feel good with my fastball, and I'm healthy," Shields said. "I'm going to try and finish strong here in my last couple starts." Pitching matchupTB: RHP James Shields (9-10, 3.86 ERA)
The right-hander was more of a strike-thrower than normal in his last start. By the time he was lifted after the seventh, he had allowed four earned runs on 10 hits en route to picking up his ninth win of the season. While facing the Tigers in the same week can always be a dangerous proposition, Shields has historically pitched well at Tropicana Field, where he is 23-14 with a 3.27 ERA in 57 career starts. DET: RHP Armando Galarraga (6-10, 5.05 ERA)
Galarraga had been scheduled to start Friday for Triple-A Toledo after missing his scheduled turn for Detroit last week with inflammation in his right elbow. Jarrod Washburn's sore left knee changed the plan. Galarraga was already scheduled to be recalled from the Mud Hens on Saturday, but now he'll be doing so to pitch that day. His lone outing at Tropicana Field, last August, saw his allow one run in seven innings. Tidbits
Akinori Iwamura was not in the starting lineup for the second straight game Friday, though Maddon said the second baseman is healthy. Iwamura returned last week after missing 81 games with a left knee injury and Maddon said he didn't want to overwork him. Iwamura entered Thursday's game in the fifth inning after center fielder B.J. Upton left with an injury. Maddon said Iwamura is available to pinch-hit. ... Rays outfield prospect Desmond Jennings went 7-for-7 on Thursday night playing for Triple-A Durham, setting a team record. Only two players in Major League history have recorded seven hits in a nine-inning game: Baltimore's Wilbert Robinson in 1892 and Pittsburgh's Rennie Stennett in 1975. ... Maddon said he was not in favor of Major League Baseball's fining of Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon for taking too much time between pitches. Maddon believes the rule is too subject to umpires' enforcement, which is not often uniform. "So then you're sending mixed messages," Maddon said. "I think if you want it to be a rule, put a clock up on the board." ... The Beach Boys will perform at Tropicana Field following Saturday's game, part of the Rays' Summer Concert Series. Tickets
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• Sunday: Rays (Wade Davis, 0-0, -. -- ) vs. Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 11-6, 3.09), 1:38 p.m. ET
• Monday: Rays (Andy Sonnanstine, 6-8, 6.62) at Yankees (A.J. Burnett, 10-8, 4.29), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Rays (Matt Garza, 7-9, 4.01) at Yankees (TBD), 7:05 p.m. ET
Zach Schonbrun is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
