NewsGarza at his best when facing Toronto
Tampa Bay (43-35) at Toronto (41-37), 7:07 p.m. ET
By Erika Gilbert / MLB.com
06/30/09 1:12 AM ET
TORONTO -- Rays manager Joe Maddon was not looking forward to facing Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay on Monday, since he knew his hitters would have a tough night ahead of them. With right-hander Matt Garza set to pitch for Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Toronto's batters must be feeling the same.Garza's 3-2 record against the Jays last season does not reflect how thoroughly the right-hander dominated Toronto's offense. In five starts against the Jays in 2008, Garza posted a sparkling 0.47 ERA, averaged almost 7 2/3 innings per start and did not allow a home run.
The two losses came thanks to equally impressive performances by Toronto's pitchers. Garza and left-hander David Purcey traded 1-0 wins over the other in back-to-back meetings. Garza's other loss came on May 7, when he left a game in the seventh with the Rays trailing, 1-0, eventually losing to right-hander Shaun Marcum, 6-2.
The Jays have found it almost impossible to score against Garza over the past year, eking out a win only when Garza got next to no run support.
"Some guys do pitch better against particular groups, for whatever reason," Maddon said. "Then all of a sudden you're a little bit more relaxed and become more aggressive in a good way, and then the good results are to fall.
"There are pitchers that have pitched against us in the past several years that have beaten us up. ... I don't know the reason except that their stuff matches up well against our group."
For Maddon, Garza is at his best when he's pitching with confidence and aggressiveness.
"I just like when he gets aggressive with his fastball and he gets ahead in the count -- then he becomes very difficult . Probably if you look back at his good games against them, I bet that you saw a lot of aggressiveness with his fastball -- getting ahead of the hitters.
"When he pitches like that, it really, it gives a lot of teams a hard time. When he's very aggressive in the zone, he throws his fastball judiciously, uses his breaking stuff and is more aggressive, he pitches well against a lot of teams."
Pitching matchupTB: RHP Matt Garza (5-5, 3.61 ERA)
Garza got back on track against the Phillies on Wednesday after suffering three losses in his last three decisions. The 25-year-old right-hander allowed one run on three hits while walking four and striking out seven in eight innings to earn his fifth win of the season. Garza has the best stuff on the staff and seems to be maturing on the mound, where he has experienced problems controlling his emotions in the past. Garza is 3-3 with a 1.99 ERA in six career starts against the Blue Jays; he is 1-2 with a 0.79 ERA in three career starts at Rogers Centre. TOR: RHP Scott Richmond (6-4, 3.68 ERA)
Richmond followed up a strong eight-inning, one-run performance in Philadelphia with another effective outing, earning a win in the Jays' 7-2 victory over the Reds on Wednesday at Rogers Centre. He gave up two runs -- one on a solo homer -- in seven innings, allowing the fewest hits he's ever given up as a starter (two). He issued two walks and threw two wild pitches, striking out three. Despite a 37-pitch third frame, Richmond settled down from there and did not allow a single base runner after that inning. Tidbits
Carl Crawford's single in the first inning of Monday's game extended his hitting streak to eight games. His home run in the third was his 15th against the Blue Jays -- the most against any opponent. ... The home runs by Crawford and designated hitter Pat Burrell on Monday gave the Rays 38 homers in the month of June. That ties a club record for long balls in a single month, accomplished in August 2005 and August '08. ... J.P. Howell pitched in all three games against the Marlins over the weekend, earning wins on Friday and Saturday and a save on Sunday. He has not allowed a run in his past 14 appearances, totaling 12 2/3 innings, and has not allowed an earned run in his last 17 outings (16 2/3 innings). Tickets
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• Wednesday: Rays (James Shields, 6-5, 3.41) at Blue Jays (Ricky Romero, 5-3, 3.20), 1:07 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Rays (Scott Kazmir, 4-4, 7.28) at Rangers (Derek Holland, 1-5, 6.20), 8:05 p.m. ET
Erika Gilbert is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
