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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 nervous about A’s’ pitching

Posted Aug 19, 2010 by Tribune Sports

Updated Aug 19, 2010 at 09:43 AM

By TONY FABRIZIO

Rays manager Joe Maddon looks at his club’s next opponent and sees a reflection staring back at him.

“Oakland is going to pitch like we pitch,” he said. “Oakland is playing like we’re playing right now.

“If you look at this statistical stuff, their defense is close to ours, their pitching is ahead of ours, and their batting average is close to ours. They’re starting to put a little more pressure on the defense, so they present different challenges, combined with a really godo pitching staff.”

The Rays open a four-game series against the Athletics tonight at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It’s the first part of a seven-game West Coast road trip that concludes with three games next week at Anaheim.

Similarities between the teams notwithstanding, only the Rays are fighting something. They’re 74-46 and tied with the Yankees for first place in the American League East after concluding a 5-1 home stand, while the A’s are 59-60 and 14 1/2 games behind the Rangers in the West.

Still, Oakland leads the American League in team ERA (3.55), ranking one spot ahead of the Rays (3.61). The Athletics are 10th in team hitting at .257, while the Rays are 11th at .253.

Tampa Bay leads the majors in stolen bases 143, but Oakland has 40 stolen bases since the All-Star break, and 105 overall.

The Rays’ stiffest challenge will be Oakland’s starting pitching, beginning tonight with Trevor Cahill (12-5, 2.50). The 22-year-old sinkerball specialist can break Nolan Ryan’s streak of 20 starts with at least five innings and no more than six hits. He tied the mark in his last outing and is 2-1 with an 0.38 ERA in his last three starts.

Andy Sonnanstine (3-1, 4.10), who has been filling in as a starter while Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis are working through shoulder strains, opposes Cahill.

“The thing that stands out to me (about Sonnanstine) is he’s fearless,” Maddon said. “Here’s a guy who hasn’t started all year and he walks right into that Toronto caldron up there (after a 17-loss the previous day in which the Blue Jays hit eight home runs) and pitches like he did.

“He comes back and follows it with another good start (against Baltimore).”

Over the next three days ,the Rays will send the formidable trio of Jeremy Hellickson, David Price and Matt Garza against Vin Mazzaro, Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden. Of course, Braden threw a no-hitter against the Rays on May 9 in Oakland.

After going only 12-21 against the AL West last year, the Rays are 14-6 against the division this season after their weekend sweep of the Rangers.

“You look at the Central and the West, and we’ve done better against both of those divisions this year,” Maddon said. “Obviously, we’ve only played the Angels once; they’re having a little bit of a down year.

“Seattle … of course, they’re having a bit of a down year. I think from our perspective, I want to believe it’s a maturation process – that we’re able to travel distances and play better. We’re going to find out.”