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Indians-Rays Preview

Jul 9, 2010 - 4:05 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Cleveland (33-51) at Tampa Bay (51-33), 7:10 p.m. EDT

No matter the caliber of their opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays keep winning.

The Rays try to equal a season high with their seventh straight victory while looking to continue their home success over the Cleveland Indians on Friday night.

After going 11-14 in June, Tampa Bay (52-33) has won seven of eight to open July. The Rays' surge began by handling a pair of probable postseason contenders, as they took three of four against Minnesota and then swept Boston.

Tampa Bay won 5-2 over the last-place Indians on Thursday.

"Happy with the win. Happy that the team is winning again," All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford said. "It's been a good week for us."

Crawford hit a pair of two-run homers as Tampa Bay won its sixth straight at home over Cleveland (33-52), which has lost three in a row and five of seven.

The Rays won seven in a row April 12-19.

Voted to start in next week's All-Star game, Crawford has helped fuel the Rays' recent success, batting .405 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in eight games.

"He is a rare combination of speed and power. ... It doesn't surprise me at all," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "I watch him in BP every day. I know what he's capable of doing."

Crawford is 4 for 9 in two games against Cleveland this season and 3 for 9 versus scheduled starter Fausto Carmona (7-7, 3.69 ERA).

Despite a .500 record, Carmona is the Indians' lone All-Star representative. The right-hander has turned things around after he followed a 19-win effort in 2007 with a combined 13-19 record the past two seasons.

"I feel so much better this year," Carmona said. "I'm comfortable, but I still have work to do."

Carmona, who allowed three runs in seven innings of a 3-1 loss to Oakland on Sunday, is 2-1 with a 6.17 ERA in five starts against the Rays. He gave up two runs and struck out seven in 6 2-3 innings of a 4-3, 11-inning loss at Tampa on May 17.

James Shields (7-8, 4.83) will try again for his first victory over the Indians after going 0-3 with a 3.73 ERA in five starts. He allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings of a 7-4 win at Minnesota on Sunday.

Michael Brantley and Andy Marte each homered Thursday for the Indians, who have scored six runs during their three-game skid.

After going 0 for 4 in the series opener, Cleveland's Jhonny Peralta is 5 for 36 in his last nine games. However, the third baseman is 6 for 13 with three homers against Shields.