The Rays head to Minneapolis to start a series tomorrow. The Twins may get Joe Mauer back as early as Tuesday, according to Yahoo! Sports. This could make it tougher on the Rays. Here are the matchups for the series:
Jeff Niemann vs. Scott Baker
James Shields vs. Francisco Liriano*
Scott Kazmir vs. Nick Blackburn
*This is my most intriguing matchup of the series. Historically, James Shields does not do well on the road. This, however is after he is coming off a one run, one mistake start in the 1-0 loss to the Mariners. Liriano has not done well this season, posting a 7.44 ERA. This would fall in line with the every other day offense.
The Rays then get to head home to a four gamer with the Red Sox. Thursday’s game is on MLB Network. This should be interesting since the Rays beat the Sox in the opening series of the year. The Rays need this series win.
