The Skinny: The Tampa Bay Rays continued the best start in team history by sweeping the defending champion, Boston Red Sox 3-0. Over the course of the series the young Rays pitching staff kept at bay one of the top offenses in all of baseball. The Rays are now 14-11 on the season and have six straight games.
The Pitching: James Shields went up against Josh Beckett of the Sox and came out on top as he threw a complete game shut out. The Red Sox could muster only two hits (both singles) against Shields who needed less than 100 pitches to get through the nine innings. Shields also struck out seven and walked only one batter. He is now 3-1 on the season with an ERA of 2.54.
The Hitting: The Rays managed only five hits today but managed to turn it into three runs which was more than enough for Shields. Leading 1-0 in the seventh inning, Rays rookie third baseman slugged a solo home run off of Josh Beckett to put the Rays up 2-0. They tacked on another run in the 8th on a Carl Crawford double.
What’s Next?: As of right now the Rays and Orioles are tied for first place in the AL East. The two teams will face off in Baltimore for a surprisingly big three game series. The Rays have a day off on Monday and will send Jason Hammel to the hill on Tuesday.
