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Fresh off stunning comeback, Rays open road trip vs. Mariners

Aug 7, 2008 - 2:04 PM Tampa Bay (68-45) at Seattle (44-70) 10:10 pm. EDT

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- With their latest win, the Tampa Bay Rays offered further proof that they are unlikely to wilt under the pressures of a pennant race.

The Rays aim to build off that stunning comeback win on Thursday when they open a 10-game road trip against the lowly Seattle Mariners.

Tampa Bay, which is two wins away from matching the best season total in franchise history, has been the surprise team. The Rays lead the Boston Red Sox (66-49) by three games and the New York Yankees (62-52) by 6 1/2 in the American League East.

However, many question whether an inexperienced Tampa Bay team can handle the pressure, particularly on the road. Most observers believe that the division race will come down to New York and Boston as it has every season since 1998. But the Rays opened quite a few eyes on Wednesday when Carlos Pena capped a six-run ninth inning with a three-run homer, lifting them to a 10-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Manager Joe Maddon said it could be a season-defining win.

"It's is just one game. However, it's the fact that it's a win and the way that we won it," Maddon said. "I like to believe this is the kind of game that we can build on."

Tampa Bay, which avoided its first home series loss in more than a month, hands the ball to Andy Sonnanstine (11-6, 4.58 ERA). Sonnanstine snapped a three-game losing streak by limiting the Detroit Tigers to two runs and seven hits in six innings of a 9-3 win on Saturday.

Seattle, which had its three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday, counters with ace Felix Hernandez (7-7, 3.04). Hernandez allowed two runs and eight hits in five innings of a 3-1 loss to Baltimore on Saturday. The 22-year-old righthander is 1-2 with a 3.85 ERA in his last five starts.

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