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Struggling Devil Rays host Blue Jays

Jul 30, 2007 - 1:03 PM Toronto (52-52) at Tampa Bay (39-65) 7:10 pm EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) - Another lost season for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays continues on Monday when the team opens a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Owning the worst record in the majors, Tampa Bay has just six wins in its last 31 games and is 24 1/2 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox in the American League East.

Of course, this is familiar territory for the perennial punching bag which has finished last in the division in eight of nine seasons since joining the league as an expansion team in 1998. With an all-time winning percentage of .396, the team's crowning achievement is a fourth-place finish in 2004.

The Devil Rays send 2004 13th-round draft pick Andy Sonnanstine (1-6, 5.57 ERA) to the mound in search of his first win since June 10. The 24-year-old righthander has lost his last three starts and is 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA in his last eight outings.

Dustin McGowan (7-5, 4.45) gets the start for the Blue Jays, who have won six of eight. The righthander has won his last two starts and allowed just two runs total in those games, a span of 14 1/3 innings.

McGowan has struggled on the road with a 3-4 record and 5.13 ERA in nine starts.

Toronto designated hitter Frank Thomas is batting .310 (71-for-229) with 19 home runs in 67 career games against the Devil Rays.