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Rays and Twins hope to get one in at Target Field

Apr 27, 2011 - 2:47 PM (Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Rays try to move over .500 for the first time this season when they begin a three-game series tonight with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

This series was slated to get underway on Tuesday, but rain in the area of the Twin Cities caused a postponement. The game will be rescheduled as part of a day/night doubleheader on Thursday.

The Rays opened the year with six consecutive losses and just one win through their first nine games. They then reeled off wins in eight of nine games to get back to .500, but lost their next two contests. Tampa, though, has once again put itself into position to move above the break even mark, as it took the final two games its three-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays, culminating with a James Shields shutout in Sunday's 2-0 win.

"Ever since we had that 0-6 start, our motto is, 'We want to win series,'" said Shields, who scattered four hits in his second consecutive complete game. "That's all we're worried about right now, we don't care about anything else. All we want to do is win series."

Tonight, the Rays will turn to right-hander Wade Davis, who has won his last two starts after losing his first two. Davis was brilliant against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, as held them to a run and six hits in seven innings, lowering his ERA on the year to 2.73.

Davis beat the Twins two starts ago and is 1-0 in three outings against them, while pitching to a 5.71 ERA.

Minnesota, meanwhile, will counter with struggling left-hander Francisco Liriano, who picked up his first win in his last start. After losing his first three starts, Liriano found his way into the win column on April 18 in Baltimore, as he held the O's to two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 frames. He did walk five batters in the victory and is still pitching to a 7.40 ERA on the season.

"I felt really comfortable," he said. "I made two mistakes. Even though I walked a couple of guys, I wasn't overthrowing." ] Liriano is 2-1 lifetime versus the Rays with a 2.16 ERA in five starts.

Like the Rays, the Twins have enjoyed a bit of a resurgence and enter tonight's opener riding a three-game winning streak following a weather- abbreviated two-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians over the weekend.

The Twins outscored the Tribe, 14-6, in the series and have now won five of their last seven games overall.

Tampa took three of four from the Twins earlier in the year and won five of the eight matchups between the clubs last season.