Al DeMarco
Al DeMarco Friday's Play
5 Dime - Tampa Bay (Garza) - 1 1/2 Runs over Washington (Stammen)
After losing the final two games of a series at New York earlier this week, Tampa returned home and promptly extended its losing streak to three in a row by falling 4-3 to the Angels on Tuesday. During that three-game slump, the team managed just nine runs and 17 hits total. But the Rays re-discovered their power by belting LA the past two nights by a combined 20-6 score, improving their record to 8-2 in their last 10 home outings.
Washington opens this round of Interleague play fresh off a 3-2 home win against Cincinnati last night. But the Nationals carry a major league-worst 16-42 record into Tampa, including 24 losses in their last 30 games.
The Nats will give the ball to rookie righthander Craig Stammen, who is making only his fifth career start and second on the road. In 22.1 innings pitched this season, he has a 6.45 ERA despite facing four teams with little power: Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and the Mets twice. Tonight Stammen faces a Tampa line-up that's fourth in the majors with 80 home runs. And the Rays are expected to get a boost with the anticipated return of designated-hitter Pat Burrell from the disabled list following a 29-game absence.
Tampa's Matt Garza is 0-2 in his last four starts despite a 3.65 ERA, a mark that's slightly higher than his 3.38 earned run averaged compiled in seven home outings this season. And although he worked just five innings in Sunday's loss at New York, he held a hot-hitting Yankee line-up to four hits and one run.
Washington has scored more than two runs just twice in its last eight games. That factor, combined with the team's lack of success overall this season plus Stammen's inexperience on the road, is a major consideration in the decision to lay the 1 1/2 runs with Tampa, whose starter, Garza, went 2-1 with a 3.76 ERA in four interleague outings a year ago.
BOUGHT,PAID AND CONFIRMED BY STUCKFOREVER AND MYSELF-------------GL GUYS