The Tampa Bay Rays will take on the Baltimore Orioles for the second game of the season today. On Opening Day yesterday, the Rays young ace, left-handed pitcher David Price, took the loss, allowing 4 run through 7 otherwise strong innings. Today, the Rays send last year's ace and team work horse James Shields to the mound.
In 2010, James Shields had a poor earned run average (ERA) of 5.18, despite pitching over 200 innings for the 4th consecutive season. The Rays management is confident, however, last year was a fluke, noting how his peripheral statistics (strikeout, walks, ground ball percentages, etc.) were largely unchanged from previous years.
Opposing Shields on the mound today will be young right-handed pitcher Chris Tillman, who turns 23 later this month. Tillman, who has seen limited starts for the Orioles over the last two years, will look to translate his strong minor league numbers into major league success. His career ERA is 5.61 in just over 100 innings..............
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