GDT: 8/2/08 - DET (55-54) AT TB (64-44) - 6:10 p.m. ET

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Tampa Bay area didn't have a Major League team when he was growing up, but Tampa native Gary Sheffield has no bones about making Tropicana Field his home.

Dating back to the start of the 2005 season, Sheffield has hit .362 (25-for-69) in the Rays' home dome, and entered Friday's series opener third among all active Major League players in that stretch.

"I like playing in front of my home crowd, I feel relaxed at home," said Sheffield, a product of nearby Hillsborough High School. "I see a lot of people in the stands that I know, I grew up with, and played against. And, you know, I've been [in the Majors] for a long time. And when you see people that you know in the stands, and they come out to see you play, you want to perform well."

Sheffield estimated that he had about 40 friends and family members on hand for Friday night's series opener, with the droves likely to continue throughout the three-game weekend series.

"I never thought I'd get the opportunity to play here," he said.

So far, Sheffield has made good on the chance, entering the series with six home runs, three doubles and 16 RBIs at Tropicana Field.

Unfortunately, like most of the Tigers squad, Sheffield's bat wasn't quite up to par in Friday night's loss.

Although he tacked on an RBI with a first-inning walk, the designated hitter went 0-for-3, as Detroit combined to strand 12 runners in the 5-2 loss to the Rays.

The Tigers entered the series with at least 10 hits in nine of their previous 13 games, and will look to provide starter Kenny Rogers with more offensive support on Saturday night.

"They are a first-place team and we are trying to get back into contention," Sheffield said, adding that the series would likely be a clash of the Rays pitching and the Tigers hitting. "We are right there, but we got a tough job ahead of us. They are a good team and we've respected them since Spring Training."

While the Tigers have won 31 of their last 49 games, the Rays are equally hot, and currently sit atop the AL East over perennial powerhouses New York and Boston.

Sheffield and the rest of the Tigers' bats will look to jump on Andy Sonnanstine early on Saturday night, as the right-hander has never faced Detroit and enters the contest with three straight losses.




Pitching matchup

DET: LHP Kenny Rogers (8-7, 4.62 ERA)
Rogers is 9-4 with a 3.10 ERA in his career against the Rays, but just 1-4 with a 5.04 ERA at Tropicana Field, where he hasn't won since 2001 and hasn't pitched at all since 2006. He returns to find an obviously much-improved Rays team that probably won't make his task any easier. The Gambler has alternated quality and non-quality starts over his past six outings, most recently a Monday loss at Cleveland that sank on an unlikely Asbdrubal Cabrera two-run homer on what ended up being a cut changeup, a pitch Rogers had neither invented nor intended.

TB: RHP Andy Sonnanstine (10-6, 4.65 ERA)
Sonnanstine expressed disappointment at the offense's lack of fire power and with good reason. In his last start, a loss to Kansas City, he got one run of support. Before that, he also got one. Against the Royals, he did well for the first six innings, allowing three runs. Then in the seventh, he allowed two runners on base before exiting the game. Reliever Al Reyes came in and gave up a three-run homer. Sonnanstine finished with 6 2/3 innings, allowing five runs.

Tidbits

With a double in the seventh inning, Curtis Granderson extended his hit streak to 11 games. ... Miguel Cabrera went 1-for-3 with an RBI triple to collect his 80th RBI this season. He entered the night fourth in the AL in that category. ... With three extra-base hits in Friday's loss, the Tigers have now collected an extra-base hit in their last 50 games.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSN, FSND

On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Sun., Aug 3: Tigers (RHP Armando Galarraga (9-4, 3.36 ERA)) at Rays (RHP James Shields (9-7, 3.66 ERA)), 1:40 p.m. ET

• Mon., Aug 4: Off-day

• Tues., Aug 5: Tigers (LHP Nate Robertson (6-8, 6.06 ERA)) at CWS (RHP Gavin Floyd (11-6, 3.43 ERA)), 8:11 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Detroit AVG
:curtis: Granderson, CF .308
:placido: Polanco, 2B .306
Guillen, 3B .283
Ordonez, RF .319
Cabrera, 1B .294
:joyce: Joyce, LF .280
:sheff: Sheffield, DH .226
:edgar: Renteria, SS .256
Inge, C .228

Tampa Bay AVG
Iwamura, 2B .276
Upton, CF .267
Crawford, LF .272
Longoria, 3B .275
Pena, 1B .237
Gomes, RF .191
Aybar, DH .226
Riggans, C .241
Bartlett, SS .252

72 degrees indoors

gs78 wrote:

72 degrees indoors

What about out?

Probably tack about 20 degrees on, plus lotsa humidity!

TigersGirl wrote:

gs78 wrote:

72 degrees indoors

What about out?

A lot warmer and more humid


No place like Dome in Tampa


Beats playing the heat

72 degrees better than 92


GO TIGERS


BEAT THE RAYS

And the stupid Rays want an outdoor stadium with an odd tarp type roof. I would rather see them build a movable roof one with air, like the Diamondbacks...and other teams have.

5 min to game time

:curtis: 9 pitch but he beat the ball to 1st so Curtis is on 1st on a passed ball

:placido: flies out

grounds into force out at 2nd

flies out to cf -3 outs

Iwamura -

Upton - walk

Crawford - hit by pitch

Longoria -

WOOHOO!!! Just got a call from Trinita! She is at the game!!!

Pena - walk

laprimamirala wrote:

WOOHOO!!! Just got a call from Trinita! She is at the game!!!

She is lucky to get in, it is a sell out!

She said Magglito was with his dad in the outfield during warmups!

She could not get in at the Vinoy, though.

Gomes -

laprimamirala wrote:

She said Magglito was with his dad in the outfield during warmups!

That's cute!

singles

hope she posts pics. She has a brand new camera with a telephoto...and they're sitting very close to the visitor's dugout.
Her son got Renteria's and Sheffie's autograph!

:joyce:

:sheff: singles