Rays wrap up set with Jays

Alvarez tries to win his fourth start in a row this evening as Toronto wraps
up a two-game series with Tampa Bay and ace David Price, who looks to rebound
after having his own winning streak halted.

The 22-year-old Alvarez is set to make his eighth start of the season and 18th
of his career, having allowed just four runs over his last 29 innings spanning
four starts. He took a tough-luck defeat in the first contest of that span,
but hasn’t lost since.

Alvarez won in Minnesota on Thursday, holding the Twins to two runs — one
earned — on seven hits and three walks over seven innings of a 6-2 triumph,
moving to 3-2 on the season with a 2.61 earned run average.

“I felt good out there tonight and the bullpen really backed me up,” said
Alvarez. “Those guys have been really solid for us lately and that is always
big.”

The right-hander has rebounded nicely after losing to the Rays for the second
time in as many career appearances back on April 19. It was arguably his worst
outing of the season as he was touched for a season-high six runs and two
homers in 6 1/3 frames.

Price, meanwhile, had a four-start winning streak halted on Thursday with a
loss at the Yankees. He was charged with season highs of five runs, 11 hits
and two homers, fanning just four one start after striking out 12 in a win
over Oakland.

“I thought I pitched a pretty good game,” said Price. “Just a few bad throws I
made and they (the Yankees) hit them well.”

The 26-year-old southpaw dipped to 5-2 with a 2.98 ERA and his recently-ended
win streak began with a victory over Toronto on April 18. Though Price pitched
just 5 2/3 innings, he only gave up two runs on eight hits of a 12-2 triumph.

Price, the top pick of the 2007 draft, has excellent career numbers against
the Blue Jays, going 10-2 with a 2.13 ERA in 13 meetings.

The Rays will count on Price racking up some innings this evening after the
bullpen was forced to pitch eight frames in Monday’s 7-1 win. Jeff Niemann got
the start, but suffered a small fracture in his right fibula after getting hit
in the leg by a liner off the bat of Adam Lind in the first.

Niemann finished the inning, but was unable to continue after warming up in
the second. After the game, the team stated that he was put in a walking boot
and was on crutches and that he would be out 4-to-6 weeks.

“The ball was not hit that sharply so I thought it would just be like a
stinger kind of a thing and then he’d be able to walk it off,” said Rays
manager Joe Maddon.

Five relievers combined to pitch the final eight innings, with Cesar Ramos
getting his first career win after giving up one run on two hits with three
walks over three innings. The final four pitchers gave up just one hit and two
walks over five frames.

Luke Scott and Sean Rodriguez each drove in two runs, while Ben Zobrist hit a
solo homer in Tampa Bay’s second straight win that featured a six-run fifth
inning.

“Once that big inning happened for them it kind of drained us,” Blue Jays
outfielder Eric Thames said. “We tried to claw our way back but it didn’t work
out.”

Kelly Johnson had two hits and drove in the lone run for the Blue Jays, who
have lost three of their last four. Brandon Morrow was touched for six runs –
all but one unearned — on four hits with four walks and seven strikeout over
five innings.

The Rays have won 10 of their past 13 versus the Blue Jays, including two of
three at Toronto from April 17-19.