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Rays-Royals Preview

Oct 3, 2010 - 6:05 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Tampa Bay (94-66) at Kansas City (67-93), 2:10 p.m. EDT

After spending most of the season engaged in a tight battle for the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays can determine their own fate in the final game of the regular season.

With a win Sunday against the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay will clinch its second division title in three years and enter the postseason with home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.

The Rays (95-66) avoided their fourth straight loss Saturday with a 4-0 win over the Royals. Matt Joyce hit a two-run triple in the first, Carl Crawford homered for the third time in five games and eight pitchers combined to allow eight hits.

The victory was the Rays' second in seven games and came after they were outscored 10-2 in the first two games of this series.

Tampa Bay enters the final day of the regular season tied with New York in the East after the Yankees split a doubleheader against Boston on Saturday.

"I'd prefer having the division won. But that's how it's going," manager Joe Maddon said. "We'll see what happens."

If the clubs finish the regular season tied, Tampa Bay would be the division winner because it won the head-to-head season series. It would also earn home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.

"I want to throw at home. Hands down, for sure," said Rays ace David Price, who pitched a perfect inning of relief Saturday, and could start Game 1 on Wednesday. "We all do. We want to win the AL East and have home-field advantage."

The Rays are scheduled to begin play 35 minutes after the start of the Yankees' game, but they hope the outcome of that contest won't matter. With a chance to help Tampa Bay clinch the division on its own, Wade Davis (12-10, 4.14 ERA) will take the mound.

Davis had a seven-decision winning streak snapped Monday against Baltimore after giving up three runs in 6 1-3 innings of a 4-0 loss, his first defeat since June 27. He had gone 7-0 with a 3.50 ERA over the next 12 outings.

The right-hander gave up three hits in seven innings of a 1-0 win over Kansas City on May 2.

Saturday's loss guaranteed the Royals (67-94) their sixth last-place finish in the AL Central in 10 years.

"We've got enough talent right now to compete," manager Ned Yost said. "But we need more talent to win."

Yost will hand the ball to Sean O'Sullivan (4-6, 5.91), who has won his last two starts. He gave up one run and overcame a season-high six walks in a 10-1 victory over playoff-bound Minnesota on Tuesday.

The right-hander made his only start against the Rays last season, allowing six runs, six hits and two homers in an 8-7 win while with the Los Angeles Angels.

Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria will likely miss his 10th straight game Sunday with sore left quadriceps and hopes to be ready for the playoffs.

"I think the more cautious we are right now, the better chance he'll have of playing third base regularly as opposed to playing the DH, which would really cause all kinds of things, lineup-wise, that I don't really want to have to do," Maddon told the Rays' official website.