Thursday, June 17, 2010

Rays pitchers snap hitting skid

James Shields hit a fifth-inning single, snapping an 0-for-12 start to the hitting season for Tampa Bay pitchers. The crew did have batting practice Wednesday that manager Joe Maddon supervised.

"Shields has a good reputation," Maddon said before Thursday's game. "I'm not expecting much out of (Matt) Garza. I worked with him yesterday. I'll put that out there."

Maddon declined to describe his Garza work as a tweak or an adjustment, calling it "minor surgery." Garza starts Friday at Florida.

Before Shields' hit, Tampa Bay pitchers were hitless in their last 18 at-bats. Andy Sonnanstine had the last hit -- a third-inning single -- in a 5-3 loss at the New York Mets on June 19, 2009.

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