(Best E Casino) - The Tampa Bay Rays will try to win consecutive games at Angel Stadium for the first time in over eight years this evening, when they continue their three-game series with the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Tampa won at the Big A for the first time in almost three years on Monday, as Dioner Navarro went 4-for-5 with a solo home run, four RBI and three runs scored in a 13-4 rout.
Evan Longoria hit two solo homers, scored four times and drove in three runs, while Willy Aybar also had a solo home run, scored twice and drove in two for the Rays, who have won three of their last four games overall. Edwin Jackson (4-5) got the win after he gave up four runs on 10 hits in seven innings of work.
Tampa has won all four matchups with the Angels this season, but its win last night snapped an eight-game road slide in the series. The Rays haven't won two in a row in the building since April 27-28, 2000.
Torii Hunter hit a two-run home run while Vladimir Guerrero went 4-for-4 with two runs scored for the Angels, who have dropped two straight on the heels of a seven-game winning streak. Joe Saunders (9-3) was banged up for eight runs on nine hits in just 4 2/3 innings of action.
Getting the call for the Rays tonight will be right-hander James Shields, who hopes to last a little longer tonight than he did in his start on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. Shields threw at Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp in the second inning of that contest, triggering a bench-clearing brawl.
Shields, who is 4-4 with a 3.64 ERA this season, was ejected from that game and has been suspended for six games. He will start serving that suspension on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old hurler had one of the best outings of his career the last time he faced the Angels, as he tossed a one-hit shutout against them on May 9. He also fanned eight batters without a walk in that contest.
However, Shields has gone 0-2 in his five starts since that victory.
The Angels will pin their hopes on righty Jered Weaver, who is 5-6 with a 4.79 ERA. Weaver won for the third time in his last four starts Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners, holding them to four runs and 10 hits in six innings.
Weaver defeated the Rays the only other time he faced them, surrendering two runs and four hits in six innings on June 7, 2006.
