Tampa Bay Rays notes: Damon moves up hit list; 1 run, 4 hits again; Maddon's take on Chicago

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, April 10, 2011

The dish

Rays at Red Sox

When/where: 7:10 tonight, Fenway Park, Boston

TV/radio: Sun Sports, ESPN; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Starting pitchers:

Rays: RH Jeremy Hellickson (0-1, 4.76)

Red Sox: RH Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-1, 5.40)

Watch for ...

Jeremy's journey: Hellickson makes his first start at Fenway, having been hit around in a mopup appearance in September. He is looking to make more use of his fastball tonight than in his first start.

Dicey Dice-K: Matsuzaka has been something of a bust. And the Rays usually have had their way with him, given his 2-6, 5.09 mark in 12 starts against them, including 70 hits and 38 walks in 69 innings.

Key matchups

Rays vs. Matsuzaka

Johnny Damon 5-for-18 HR

B.J. Upton 2-for-15 HR

Ben Zobrist 4-for-12 HR

Red Sox vs. Hellickson

Jed Lowrie 1-for-1

Darnell McDonald 1-for-1

Jarrod Saltalamacchia 1-for-1

On deck

Tuesday: at Red Sox, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (0-2, 4.85); Red Sox — Jon Lester (0-0, 3.65)

Wednesday: at Red Sox, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (0-1, 4.72); Red Sox — John Lackey (1-1, 15.58)

Thursday: vs. Twins, 6:40, Sun Sports. Rays — Wade Davis (0-2, 4.38); Twins — Carl Pavano (1-1, 6.00)

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

Keepsake of the day

Johnny Damon asked for and got the ball from the sixth-inning single that gave him 72nd place on the hits list. Hit No. 2,575 broke a tie with Richie Ashburn and former teammate Manny Ramirez. "It meant a lot passing Manny because he was such a force in this game," Damon said. "And that's probably all I'll catch him in."

Quote of the day

"A lot of things happen in Chicago. It's historical here. It goes back to the Roaring '20s, and it's in the present day."

manager Joe Maddon, on having a bad call go against the Rays be a major issue for the second time at U.S. Cellular Field in four seasons

Play the 1-4

For the fifth time in nine games, the Rays totaled exactly one run and four hits:

• No team since 1919 has had five games of exactly 1 and 4 among its first nine.

• Only one other team, the 2003 Tigers, has had five games of four or fewer hits and one or fewer runs among its first nine.

• The most 1-and-4 games for any team in a season is 12, by the 1968 White Sox.

• The Rays have had more 1-and-4 games in only one other season, six in 2001.

Number of the day

4: Pitches Rays batters saw during the ninth inning

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/tampa-bay-rays-notes-damon-moves-up-hit-list-1-run-4-hits-again-maddons/1162993

Sepp Blatter North Korea Alliance & Leicester North-west Dorset Students