NEWS » On Saturday, five relievers combined to outduel

ST. PETERSBURG Josh Allen Jersey , Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays were a wobbly 34-40 on June 20, but have pitched their way back to .500 mostly without true starting pitchers.
Justin Verlander in a 5-2 victory, and as the series wraps up Sunday, the Rays are on even footing with the pitching-dominant Houston Astros on the mound.

“It’s pretty remarkable what they’ve strung together here as of late, and today was no different,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said after Saturday’s win.

The Rays turn to their best starter of the first half in Blake Snell, who looks to be a first-time All-Star with a 10-4 record and a 2.31 ERA.

Snell has taken only one loss in his last eight starts, and was superb against the Astros on June 19, throwing seven innings and holding a potent lineup to one run and three hits in a 2-1 victory. He managed to survive seven walks Parris Campbell Jersey , including three in one scoreless inning, getting key double plays to work his way out of predicaments.

In his last seven starts, Snell has a 1.27 ERA. He is 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA in four career starts against Houston.

The Rays, who have been above .500 for only three days all season, face a stiff challenge Sunday in Astros right-hander Charlie Morton.

Morton (10-1, 2.54) hopes to continue a career resurrection since coming to Houston. Before arriving, he was 46-71 in his career. Since joining the Astros, he’s 24-8 in two seasons with a career-low ERA this year and a career-best strikeout rate of 11.5 per nine innings.

Morton is 3-0 in his last four games, with three earned runs allowed in his last 19 innings and none in his last two starts. He faced the Rays on June 20 and dominated, throwing six innings and holding Tampa Bay to two hits and one unearned run. He was even better in his last start http://www.coltsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-bobby-okereke-jersey , holding Toronto scoreless in seven innings while striking out 13, one off his season and career high.

Houston manager A.J. Hinch doesn’t like playing at Tropicanaa Field, and his team’s bats have been stifled in all three games, including Thursday’s 1-0 victory. The Astros have lost eight games this season with Verlander starting, and in six of those losses, they’ve scored a total of five runs.

“I hate the results at this ballpark, if you look back at what we’ve done,” Hinch said. “Those are facts. It is what it is. We have another game (Sunday). We need to figure it out before then.”

Astros standout Alex Bregman said the stadium has given Houston problems, but some of the credit should go to Rays pitchers, who have given them fits this weekend.

“I don’t know if it’s the ballpark. I think they just have a good staff Khari Willis Jersey ,” Bregman said. “They have been playing really good ball as of late.”

Another NFL season is here and there are a lot of headlines going around the league. How will the Cleveland Browns do with all of their new acquisitions? Will the Eagles have a Super Bowl hangover or will they once again prove they are the best that the NFC conference has to offer? Will the Jaguars take the next step toward being the new powerhouse of the AFC? Will the Patriots continue their reign over the NFL for at least one more season? These are all legitimate and exciting questions going into the season. Of course with the Patriots, they have had a very un-Patriot like offseason. One constant factor they have had throughout the years is Tom Brady. Although, isn't it funny to think about the receivers Brady has been in the same huddle with throughout his career?Granted, Brady has had some good receivers to throw to throughout his historic career. Randy Moss recently was inducted into the Hall of Fame and had 23 touchdown receptions from Brady in 2007. Deion Branch was another reliable receiver who helped in the postseason, including an MVP performance in the Super Bowl when the Patriots won it all in 2003. But for the majority of his career, Brady hasn't necessarily had the cream of the crop to throw to in most years. Why not take a look at who the most unproductive receivers were in their time alongside one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL? Let's look at the 20 least productive wide receivers that Tom Brady has ever had.