Tampa Bay Rays Vs Minnesota Twins mlb live streaming baseball league regular season online radio commentary sopcast playoffs lineups 28 April, 2011. Game Review: The Minnesota Twins didn't have close to their full complement of players for the opener of this three-game set with Tampa Bay. Now they have to try and get through two games.
1:10 PM ET, April 28, 2011
Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Twins look to end the Rays' three-game winning streak Thursday when they play a day-night doubleheader at Target Field.
The doubleheader was created after Tuesday's game was rained out. Tampa Bay (12-11) took advantage of a short-handed Twins team to win 8-2 on Wednesday.
Delmon Young was scheduled to return to action after missing five games with a strained left oblique, but pulled himself out of the lineup before the game, and was later placed on the disabled list.
Jim Thome was unavailable with strained oblique and Jason Repko was out with a sore quad, and both are day-to-day. That left Minnesota (9-13) with backup catcher Steve Holm as the only healthy bench player.
Pitching Matchup
Tampa Bay v Minnesota
Jeremy Hellickson
1-2, 4.32 ERA
Last appearance:
4/22 at TOR
7.0 IP, 3 ER
Dec = ND
Nick Blackburn
1-3, 4.01 ERA
Last appearance:
4/20 at BAL
7.0 IP, 5 ER
Dec = Loss
Gameday Lineups
NO. Tampa Bay Minnesota
1. S. Fuld, LF D. Span, CF
2. J. Damon, DH A. Casilla, SS
3. B. Upton, CF J. Kubel, DH
4. M. Joyce, RF J. Morneau, 1B
5. B. Zobrist, 2B M. Cuddyer, RF
6. S. Rodriguez, 3B D. Valencia, 3B
7. K. Shoppach, C R. Tosoni, LF
8. C. Kotchman, 1B S. Holm, C
9. R. Brignac, SS L. Hughes, 2B
"I'm worried about everybody, OK?" manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We got two games (Thursday) so we got a lot to worry about. There's a lot to worry about when you got two ballgames and not very many on the bench."
Making matters worse for Minnesota on Wednesday was Francisco Liriano, who lasted three-plus innings. Three relievers finished up the final six innings, and Gardenhire knows he needs better work from his starters in the twinbill.
"We didn't pitch," Gardenhire said. "Our lineup didn't do anything but the pitcher got us behind. That had nothing to do with our lineup."
Nick Blackburn (1-3, 4.01 ERA) will start the opener for Minnesota. Since winning his first outing, he's 0-3 with a 4.74 ERA.
The right-hander has yielded five runs in each of his last two starts, pitching seven innings on April 20 in a 5-4 loss at Baltimore. Blackburn is 2/3 with a 6.41 ERA in five career starts against the Rays.
Tampa Bay has opted to use Jeremy Hellickson (1-2, 4.32) opposite Blackburn and Jeff Niemann (0-3, 7.08) in the nightcap.
Hellickson is 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA in two day starts this year. Niemann is 22-11 with a 3.84 ERA at night over his first three seasons -- although he is 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in two such starts in 2011.
"Pitching Helly in the first game, in the day game; Jeff's a little more comfortable in night games," manager Joe Maddon told the Rays' official website. "That's a big body to get going by noon, so we don't want to tempt biology or whatever."
Hellickson has pitched seven innings in each of his last two outings, allowing three runs in Friday's 6-4, 11-inning loss at Toronto. The right-hander gave up four runs in a 4-2 loss April 17 to Minnesota -- the only defeat for Tampa Bay in five meetings with the Twins.
The Rays have won all four of Niemann's starts against Minnesota. He's 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA in those games, limiting the Twins to three runs in a 4-3 home win April 16.
Tampa Bay's Sam Fuld is 8 for 19 against Minnesota this season while Matt Joyce is 8 for 15. Johnny Damon has eight RBIs in the season series.
Damon is the one of only three Rays to face Anthony Swarzak, who was recalled Wednesday from Triple-A Rochester to start the nightcap. Swarzak went 3-7 with a 6.25 ERA in 12 starts in 2009 and has not pitched in the big leagues since.
The right-hander has never faced Tampa Bay.
1:10 PM ET, April 28, 2011
Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Twins look to end the Rays' three-game winning streak Thursday when they play a day-night doubleheader at Target Field.
The doubleheader was created after Tuesday's game was rained out. Tampa Bay (12-11) took advantage of a short-handed Twins team to win 8-2 on Wednesday.
Delmon Young was scheduled to return to action after missing five games with a strained left oblique, but pulled himself out of the lineup before the game, and was later placed on the disabled list.
Jim Thome was unavailable with strained oblique and Jason Repko was out with a sore quad, and both are day-to-day. That left Minnesota (9-13) with backup catcher Steve Holm as the only healthy bench player.
Pitching Matchup
Tampa Bay v Minnesota
Jeremy Hellickson
1-2, 4.32 ERA
Last appearance:
4/22 at TOR
7.0 IP, 3 ER
Dec = ND
Nick Blackburn
1-3, 4.01 ERA
Last appearance:
4/20 at BAL
7.0 IP, 5 ER
Dec = Loss
Gameday Lineups
NO. Tampa Bay Minnesota
1. S. Fuld, LF D. Span, CF
2. J. Damon, DH A. Casilla, SS
3. B. Upton, CF J. Kubel, DH
4. M. Joyce, RF J. Morneau, 1B
5. B. Zobrist, 2B M. Cuddyer, RF
6. S. Rodriguez, 3B D. Valencia, 3B
7. K. Shoppach, C R. Tosoni, LF
8. C. Kotchman, 1B S. Holm, C
9. R. Brignac, SS L. Hughes, 2B
"I'm worried about everybody, OK?" manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We got two games (Thursday) so we got a lot to worry about. There's a lot to worry about when you got two ballgames and not very many on the bench."
Making matters worse for Minnesota on Wednesday was Francisco Liriano, who lasted three-plus innings. Three relievers finished up the final six innings, and Gardenhire knows he needs better work from his starters in the twinbill.
"We didn't pitch," Gardenhire said. "Our lineup didn't do anything but the pitcher got us behind. That had nothing to do with our lineup."
Nick Blackburn (1-3, 4.01 ERA) will start the opener for Minnesota. Since winning his first outing, he's 0-3 with a 4.74 ERA.
The right-hander has yielded five runs in each of his last two starts, pitching seven innings on April 20 in a 5-4 loss at Baltimore. Blackburn is 2/3 with a 6.41 ERA in five career starts against the Rays.
Tampa Bay has opted to use Jeremy Hellickson (1-2, 4.32) opposite Blackburn and Jeff Niemann (0-3, 7.08) in the nightcap.
Hellickson is 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA in two day starts this year. Niemann is 22-11 with a 3.84 ERA at night over his first three seasons -- although he is 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in two such starts in 2011.
"Pitching Helly in the first game, in the day game; Jeff's a little more comfortable in night games," manager Joe Maddon told the Rays' official website. "That's a big body to get going by noon, so we don't want to tempt biology or whatever."
Hellickson has pitched seven innings in each of his last two outings, allowing three runs in Friday's 6-4, 11-inning loss at Toronto. The right-hander gave up four runs in a 4-2 loss April 17 to Minnesota -- the only defeat for Tampa Bay in five meetings with the Twins.
The Rays have won all four of Niemann's starts against Minnesota. He's 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA in those games, limiting the Twins to three runs in a 4-3 home win April 16.
Tampa Bay's Sam Fuld is 8 for 19 against Minnesota this season while Matt Joyce is 8 for 15. Johnny Damon has eight RBIs in the season series.
Damon is the one of only three Rays to face Anthony Swarzak, who was recalled Wednesday from Triple-A Rochester to start the nightcap. Swarzak went 3-7 with a 6.25 ERA in 12 starts in 2009 and has not pitched in the big leagues since.
The right-hander has never faced Tampa Bay.