• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Twins-Rays Preview

May 31, 2009 - 1:05 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Minnesota (24-26) at Tampa Bay (24-27), 1:38 p.m. EDT

Matt Garza was once the most promising pitching prospect in the Minnesota Twins' system, but after they traded him away prior to last season, they soon found themselves watching him help a different team to the AL pennant.

Garza has parlayed his postseason success into a strong start to this season, something he'll especially want to continue Sunday when he finally faces Minnesota for the first time since the team dealt him to the Tampa Bay Rays on Nov. 28, 2007.

He'll also be trying to lead the Rays to a much-needed three-game sweep of the Twins as the teams close their series at Tropicana Field.

Minnesota selected the hard-throwing Garza with the 25th overall pick in 2005, and he showed promise with a 3.69 ERA in 16 appearances in 2007.

But after that season, the right-hander was traded to Tampa Bay along with Jason Bartlett in a six-player deal centered around Delmon Young. While Young has been a relative disappointment, Garza (4-3, 3.65 ERA) was the MVP of last year's AL championship series.

Bartlett is hitting a surprising .373 with a career-high seven home runs, but currently on the disabled list. Garza, meanwhile, had a streak of five straight quality starts before allowing four runs in six innings of a 5-1 loss to Cleveland on Tuesday.

He leads the AL with a .200 opponent batting average.

Still, the erratic Rays (25-27) have been playing below expectations, and Pat Burrell, Akinori Iwamura, Scott Kazmir and Troy Percival are all on the disabled list.

They had lost five straight before returning home to face the Twins, and are in fourth place in the AL East after winning the division last year.

Tampa Bay, which last swept Minnesota (24-27) in a four-game series Aug. 10-13, 2001, used a strong performance from James Shields to win 5-3 on Friday, and rookie David Price struck out 11 in 5 2-3 innings of Saturday's 5-2 victory, earning his first major league win.

"Another one of those games where I think we were facing a guy that was really, really throwing the fire out of the ball," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

That could continue with Garza, and the pitching has complemented the Rays' prolific offense, which leads the majors with 292 runs. Outfielder Carl Crawford has homered in both victories and is 5 for 8 with four runs scored in the series.

The Twins, meanwhile, have lost three straight overall as their road woes continue. They have lost 11 of their last 12 road games, and their 5-16 record away from home is the worst in the majors.

Minnesota starters have a 6.21 ERA on the road, but having Nick Blackburn (4-2, 3.55) could help. Blackburn has earned two of those wins outside of the Metrodome, and he pitched seven shutout innings in the Twins' 20-1 win over the Chicago White Sox in his last road start.

The right-hander was also solid against Boston Tuesday, allowing two runs in seven innings and striking out a career-high seven. He has been perhaps Minnesota's most consistent starter this year.

"His ball is really sinking now. A lot of confidence. He's mastering the strike zone," Gardenhire said.

Blackburn beat the Rays on April 29, giving up two runs in seven innings of Minnesota's 8-3 home victory. But he lasted 1 1-3 innings and allowed six runs in his only start at Tropicana Field on Sept. 19.

The Twins will likely be without third baseman Joe Crede, who left Saturday's game in the fourth inning after fouling a ball off his knee.