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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Rays @ Jays: On the road again .... and Upton returns

Posted Aug 26, 2011 by Roger Mooney

Updated Aug 26, 2011 at 03:47 PM

ROGER MOONEY
TORONTO Let’s start with a little Willie Nelson, shall we?

“On the road again Just can’t wait to get on the road again.”

The Rays are on the road again, and on the road is where their offense seems to be at its best.

The Rays, who begin the day 8 ½ out of the Wild Card, open a four-game series tonight against the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.

James Shields is on the mound, looking to bounce back from his disaster of a start Sunday against the Mariners when he allowed seven runs and 12 hits in 7 1/3 innings but got a no-decision because of a walk-off home run from Johnny Damon.

The Rays are hitting .254 and have scored 312 runs on the road this season compared to a .236 average and 232 runs at the Trop. So much for home cooking.

They scored six runs in the four games against the Tigers, and one of those runs came in the 10th inning of the only game they won. That drought came after a three-game sweep of the Mariners in which they scored 19 times.

Despite Shields’s day against the Mariners, the Rays starting pitching as been nearly lights out.

From the today’s pregame notes:

—The Rays have had 10 consecutive starts of 7.0 or more innings, the longest streak by any team since June 11-23, 2003, when the Seattle Mariners had 11 straight starts of 7.0 innings or longer…the last team to go more than 11 straight starts of 7.0 or more innings was the Dodgers, who went 16 consecutively from June 25–July 10, 1994.

—Over the last 12 games Rays starters have 91 of the team’s 107 IP (85 percent) and compiled a 2.76 ERA (91-IP, 28-ER) but are only 4-5 in this stretch.

Only 4-5 because the offense has not been very supportive.

In five games this season at the Rogers Centre, the Rays are batting .199 and have scored 20 totals runs. They have, however, hit six home runs.

B.J. Upton returns to the lineup tonight. Reid Brignac in the lineup again, making this four starts in the last six games.

Here is the Rays lineup:
Jennings LF
Damon DH
Longoria 3B
Zobrist 2B
Kothcman 1B
Upton CF
Joyce RF
Jaso C
Brignac SS
—
Shields P