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Rays-Blue Jays Preview

Sep 11, 2010 - 5:37 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Tampa Bay (84-55) at Toronto (72-68), 1:07 p.m. EDT

It's been far from an impressive road trip for the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching staff, but the AL wild card leaders are in position to clinch their first series win during the swing.

Wade Davis will try to win his seventh straight decision as the Rays continue a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.

After series losses at Baltimore and Boston, Tampa Bay (85-55) improved to 3-4 on its nine-game road trip with a 9-8 win over Toronto (72-69) on Friday.

However, the victory didn't come easy. Tampa Bay led 6-0 in the first inning before Toronto tied the game at eight in the seventh off Joaquin Benoit. After blowing the save, Benoit earned his first win of 2010 as Evan Longoria scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error by shortstop Yunel Escobar in the ninth.

"At this time of the year, if you score one more point than the other team, you'll take it any day of the week," manager Joe Maddon said.

Tampa Bay also moved within 1 1/2 games of East-leading New York after the Yankees lost 6-5 in 13 innings to West-leading Texas.

The Rays have scored 48 runs on the road trip, but their pitchers have fared poorly. Tampa Bay's starters have a 7.88 ERA with only one quality start and the relievers haven't been much better, posting a 7.33 ERA while blowing two of four save chances.

Davis (11-9, 4.39 ERA) will try to continue providing some stability as the right-hander is 6-0 with a 3.97 ERA in nine starts since losing to Arizona on June 27. He allowed four runs and six hits in five innings Sunday versus the Orioles, but didn't receive a decision in the 8-7 loss.

Davis is 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA in two starts against the Jays this season. He has never pitched in Toronto.

He'll have the task of trying to keep the Blue Jays in the park after they hit four homers on Friday, giving them 27 in the last 12 games and 222 this year. Boston is a distant second with 187 homers.

Jose Bautista hit two more homers in the opener, giving him 30 at the Rogers Centre this year and increasing his total to 46. He needs to go deep one more time this season in Toronto to break Carlos Delgado's single-season club record for homers at home set in 2000, but is 1 for 6 against Davis.

The Blue Jays, who have lost three in a row, will hand the ball to Ricky Romero (12-8, 3.51) as he looks to win three straight starts for the first time this year.

Romero allowed one run in seven innings of a 7-2 victory over Texas on Monday. With a win Saturday, the left-hander will match his total as a rookie in 2009

"It's been fun to play behind Ricky," center fielder Vernon Wells said. "He challenges everybody he throws strikes, he's able to have command of some nasty stuff. ... He's learning how to pitch in the toughest division in baseball and it's been fun to watch him grow."

Romero is 1-0 with a 3.77 ERA in two starts against the Rays this season. The victory came Aug. 31 after allowing five runs, three hits and a season high-tying five walks in a 13-5 road win.

Longoria is 3 for 7 with four walks and Ben Zobrist, who homered for the third time in five games for Tampa Bay on Friday, is 5 for 10 against Romero.