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Diamondbacks-Rays Preview

Jun 26, 2010 - 4:18 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Arizona (28-45) at Tampa Bay (43-29), 4:05 p.m. EDT

The Tampa Bay Rays have a potent lineup, but it can go severely cold at times.

For the third time in less than a year, the Rays look to bounce back from being no-hit as they continue a home set with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Arizona's Edwin Jackson held Tampa Bay (43-30) without a hit despite walking eight and throwing an astounding 149 pitches in a 1-0 win Friday. Jackson pitched for the Rays from 2006-08 and was a vital part of their run to the World Series two years ago.

"Whether it was in no-hit fashion, it was big for us to get a win," said Jackson, who joined Randy Johnson as the only Diamondbacks to throw a no-hitter. "It just so happened it was against a team that I played for."

The victory was the third in 10 games for the Diamondbacks (29-45).

Jackson is the fourth pitcher to throw a no-hitter this season, joining Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez, Oakland's Dallas Braden and Philadelphia's Roy Halladay. Braden and Halladay threw perfect games.

Braden's came against Tampa Bay on May 9, making the Rays the first team since San Diego in 2001 to be no-hit twice in the same season. Tampa Bay was also held to one hit against Boston on May 25.

"I'm looking for research to find out when was the last team to win a World Series after being no-hit twice in a season," Rays manager Joe Madden said.

The last team to accomplish that feat was the 1917 Chicago White Sox.

Add Mark Buehrle's perfect game against the Rays in Chicago on July 23, and Tampa Bay is the first team in major league history to be no-hit three times in less than a year.

Though they are among the major league leaders in runs (370) and on-base percentage (.336), the Rays have recorded 11 runs and 29 hits while losing four of five.

Tampa Bay hopes facing Arizona's scheduled starter Ian Kennedy (3-5, 3.60 ERA) will help turn things around Saturday.

Not only does the right-hander and former New York Yankee have the challenge of following up Jackson's effort, but he's also 1-2 with a 6.64 ERA in four starts versus Tampa Bay.

Kennedy allowed three runs - on two homers - in 6 2-3 innings of a 3-1 loss at Detroit on Sunday.

"This was very, very, very frustrating," said Kennedy, 0-3 with a 4.17 ERA in six starts since beating San Francisco on May 19.

The Rays have to like their chances of getting back on track with David Price (10-3, 2.45) taking the mound in hopes of becoming the AL's first 11-game winner.

Price allowed four runs and struck out nine in six innings of a 4-1 loss at Florida on Sunday that snapped his personal three-start winning streak.

"We're human. That happens," Price told the Rays' official website.

Making his first appearance against Arizona, the left-hander is 2-1 with a 5.63 ERA against NL opponents this season.

Adam LaRoche's second-inning homer Friday was his second in four games. The Diamondbacks first baseman has driven in nine runs during that span, and he's 7 for 18 in six games against the Rays.