Editor's note: Special feature today from BYB's sister site, DRays Bay, about what to watch for as the Tigers start their series in Tampa. Thanks to David Bloom for the information, and for providing evidence that yes, there really are Devil Ray fans out there. I've written a similar short post about the Tigers for Rays followers that should be up on David's site shortly.
Sean Douglass vs Seth McClung
After losing their past eight games on the road, the Devil Rays will be happy to be playing at home, where they seem to play well despite not having big crowds on hand for their games. The Devil Rays on the season have only managed to win at a .186 clip on the road, compared to .452 mark at home.
Inside The Numbers
The pitching has been a problem for the Rays this season with the team being in just about the bottom of the league in every category. The starting pitchers have an ERA on the season of 5.87 and the relief is just as bad with a 5.80. Then again, the hitting is not something to write home about either with a team OBP of .334 and a SLG of .413
Personnel
Aubrey Huff has been hot as of late. Jorge Cantu has become the team's best hitter on the season as a whole. DRays Bay was fortunate to meet tonight's pitcher Seth McClung in person and it was apparent then that he preferred starting rather than relieving games. He started the season making the team out of spring training in the bullpen. However, he pitched rather horribly and was eventually sent down to AAA. It was not until he began starting again in Durham that he found his groove. The lack of successful starters on the Devil Rays landed him in the rotation for the first time since 2003. He has been pitching rather well since his recall. He has gone past the sixth inning in his two starts so far, and his strikeouts have returned.