RaysREPORT

Did you know?

By MARC TOPKIN
Published June 22, 2007

Did you know?

Dodgers starter Derek Lowe threw a no-hitter against the Rays on April 27, 2002, while with the Red Sox. But no current Rays played in that game, which featured this powerful lineup: Jason Tyner, Randy Winn, Steve Cox, Toby Hall, Ben Grieve, Greg Vaughn, Brent Abernathy, Russ Johnson and Felix Escalona.

Number of the day

17 Home runs by Carlos Pena, more than Ryan Howard (16), Albert Pujols (16), Barry Bonds (14), Vladimir Guerrero (13), David Ortiz (13) and Manny Ramirez (11).

Quote of the day

"So far."

RHP prospect Jeff Niemann, left, when asked if the College World Series was the highest profile stage he had pitched on

Up next: Dodgers

Tonight-Sunday

What's new: The Dodgers, a half game behind the NL West-leading Padres, sit in third in a tight division race. ... They just lost RHP Jason Schmidt to season-ending shoulder surgery. Despite getting just six starts from their presumed ace, they have the second best staff ERA in the NL and fourth best in the majors at 3.76.

Key stat: Their 7.7 strikeouts per game lead the majors.

Who's hot: 1B Nomar Garciaparra is batting .412 (7-for-17) in the past week. ... Tampa native Luis Gonzalez has 14 RBIs in June and is hitting .400 in the past week. ... RHP Brad Penny is 4-0 with a 1.54 ERA in his past six starts.

Who's not: After hitting .319 in the first month of the season, 2B Jeff Kent has hit .221 since, going 31-for-140. ... Another fast starter, C Russell Martin, is hitting just .246 in June.

Connections: The Rays and Dodgers made three trades last season. LHP Mark Hendrickson is a former Ray, as are INF Marlon Anderson and LHP Joe Beimel. Rays RHP Edwin Jackson and C Dioner Navarro were touted prospects in the Dodgers system. ... Gonzalez is a Jefferson High grad who grew up in West Tampa. ... Rays RHPs James Shields and Brian Stokes are from the Los Angeles metro area. ... Rays senior adviser Don Zimmer played for the Dodgers from 1954 to 1959, including four seasons in Brooklyn.

Series history: The Dodgers won 2 of 3 games in their only previous meeting, which was in 2002 at Tropicana Field.

Eduardo A. Encina, Times staff writer

Tonight: Rays vs. Dodgers

When/where: 7:10; Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg

TV/radio: FSN; 1250-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Probable pitchers: Rays - RHP Andy Sonnanstine (1-1, 7.11); Dodgers - RHP Derek Lowe (7-6, 3.08)

Promotion: For Racing Night, the first 7, 500 fans get a Rays soft cooler, the first 15, 000 a Dale Earnhardt lanyard. Marvin Panch, the 1961 Daytona 500 winner, will sign autographs before the game and throw out the first pitch, and there will be several car-related displays.

Rays tickets: $13-$270. Available at Tropicana Field box office, all Ticketmaster outlets and devilrays.com.

Rays info: (727) 825-3250

Watch for ...

The Lowe down: Dodgers starter Derek Lowe spent seven seasons with Boston, and the Rays saw plenty of him as he went 9-3, 3.05 with 10 saves. Carl Crawford should be most excited to see him again, with a career .476 average (10-for-21).

Control freak: Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine's game is throwing strikes - and lots of them. He has unintentionally walked only one of the 79 big-league batters he has faced in his three starts.

Familiar faces: Dodgers Marlon Anderson, Joe Beimel and Mark Hendrickson are former Rays, and Luis Gonzalez is one of Tampa's most successful products.

On deck

Saturday: Dodgers, 7:10, Ch. 66. Prime game. Rays - LHP Scott Kazmir (5-3, 4.10); Dodgers - Randy Wolf (8-5, 4.24)

Sunday: Dodgers, 1:40, FSN. Prime game. Rays - RHP Edwin Jackson (0-8, 7.85); Dodgers - Brad Penny (9-1, 2.12)

[Last modified June 21, 2007, 23:14:57]