On Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays (19-22, 4th AL East) continue their four-game series on the road with the Los Angeles Angels (25-18, 2nd AL West).
The Rays open the series on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Rays defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-3 for their third straight win and a sweep of the floundering Royals. C.J. Cron hit a home run and scored three times for Tampa Bay.
Los Angeles lost its second straight to Houston on Wednesday 2-0. The Angels were shut down by Houston’s Justin Verlander who threw a shutout allowing just five hits.
Matt Duffy leads Tampa Bay with a .322 batting average. C.J. Cron has the team lead in hits with 46, in home runs with 10 and RBIs with 26. Tampa Bay has a team batting average of .262 while opposing hitters are averaging .245 at the plate against Rays pitching. On Friday, the Rays will send Blake Snell to the mound. The southpaw this season is 4-3 with an ERA of 3.12, 53 Ks and 16 BBs.
Andrelton Simmons leads the Angels with a .342 batting average and team high 52 hits. Mike Trout is the team leader in home runs with 12, while Justin Upton leads in RBIs with 34. Los Angeles has a team batting average of .256, while opposing hitters are averaging .239 at the plate against Angels pitching. Los Angeles will send Nick Tropeano to the mound on Friday. The right-hander on the season is 1-2 with an ERA of 3.64, 22 Ks and 12 BBs.
