The Tampa Bay Rays look to go 6-2 on their three-city swing through Baltimore, Boston and Detroit — potentially their first .750 or better three-city trip since 2014 — in the series finale with the Tigers this afternoon.
LHP Blake Snell (4-1, 2.25 ERA), the Rays best starter up to this point, will toe the rubber for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of RHP Michael Fulmer (1-2, 2.76 ERA).
Blake Snell allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk over 7-1/3 innings of a win over the Red Sox on Friday. He struck out nine. It was the first time in the southpaw’s Major League career that he’s pitched into the eighth inning, as Snell threw 68 of 104 pitches for strikes, and generated 17 whiffs in his impressive performance. The 25-year-old has now produced four consecutive quality starts and sits at a 2.25 ERA on the season. His .286 BABIP suggests he could be due for a slight change of luck.
Michael Fulmer tossed six scoreless frames against the Pirates on Thursday, but did not factor into the decision. He scattered four hits and a walk while striking out nine. Fulmer has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his five starts this season and now has a 2.76 ERA, yet he has just one win to show for it, as the Tigers have not been providing him much run support. This season Fulmer has relied upon his 95 mph sinker and an 86 mph slider, while also mixing in an 88 mph changeup, a 96 mph four seam fastball, and an 86 mph curveball. He is 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA in four starts against the Rays (26-2/3 innings), having allowed seven total runs on 18 hits including two homers. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (2-8, RBI), Wilson Ramos (1-1, 2B, BB), Daniel Robertson (2-3, 2 RBI), Mallex Smith (1-3)
With a win, the Rays will have taken five consecutive series for the first time since 2014.
You can read about the series in our preview.
Rays 5/2/18 Starting Lineup
Span LF
Cron DH
Duffy 3B
Miller 1B
Ramos C
Wendle 2B
Gomez RF
Smith CF
Hechavarria SS
Snell LHP