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Rays hope to end four-game skid vs. lowly Indians

Jul 11, 2008 - 10:12 AM Tampa Bay (55-36) at Cleveland (38-53), 7:05 pm EDT

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Rays are looking to end a losing streak, something the Cleveland Indians understand well.

The Rays will send James Shields to the mound as they try to avoid a fifth consecutive loss when they meet the Indians on Friday in the second contest of a four-game series.

Ben Francisco and David Dellucci both homered Thursday as Cleveland snapped a season-long,10-game losing streak with a 13-2 victory. Francisco, who is batting .273, drove in a career-high four runs.

Shields (7-5, 3.64 ERA) will try to reverse his club's recent woes as he looks for his fourth win in as many starts. After failing to win in his previous seven outings, Shields posted a 3-0 record with a 2.21 ERA over his last three starts.

The Indians, who have gone 5-16 over their last 21 games, will send All-Star Cliff Lee (11-2, 2.43) to the hill. The lefthander is looking to join Anaheim's Joe Saunders as a 12-game winner.

Lee, who owns the second-best ERA in the AL, gave up four runs and six hits with two walks and six strikeouts over seven frames in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins. It was Lee's first defeat since May 18.