GameDay Preview: Rays Look to Finally Win Series in Finale With Tigers on Sunday

DETROIT, Mich. — Despite remaining in the thick of the American League wild-card race, it's been a while since the Tampa Bay Rays have actually won a series. You have to go all the way back to July 15-17, when they won two of three games against the Baltimore Orioles just before the All-Star break.

The Rays have another chance to do that on Sunday, when they take on the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Rays won Thursday and Friday, but lost 9-1 on Saturday. Sunday's game give them the chance to win a series for the first time in 21 days.

They'll give it a try with Drew Rasmussen on the mound. He's 6-4 this season with a 3.06 earned run average. The Rays are 12-6 in his starts, and he lost the last one on Tuesday against Toronto despite giving up just one earned run in six innings of work. 

Matt Manning (0-0, 3.46 ERA) will start for the Tigers. This is just the fourth outing of the season for the 24-year-old right-hander from Elk Grove, Calif.

With Saturday night's loss to the Tigers, the Rays are now just 10-14 against American League Central teams. It's the only division the Rays have a losing record against. They are 25-21 against the AL East, 12-9 vs. the AL West and 10-6 in interleague play. 

The Rays pondered going with a bullpen day and backing up all the starters, but with two days off week — on Monday and Thursday around two games at Milwaukee — that was almost too much rest for the starters. 

So Rasmussen will go Sunday on normal four day's rest, and Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Yarbrough will pitch at Milwaukee. The sets up well for the Rays going into a suddenly critical wild-card series at home against the surging Baltimore Orioles. They'll be able to pitch their top three starters — Corey Kluber, McClanahan and Rasmussen — in that series, all with extended rest.

Here's how to watch Sunday's game, with TV information, starting lineups and more.

How to watch Rays at Tigers

• Who: Tampa Bay Rays (57-50) at Detroit Tigers (43-66)
• When: 1:40 p.m. ET, Sunday, Aug. 7.
• Where: Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich.
• TV: Bally Sports Sun
• Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
• Announcers: Dewayne Staats (play-by-play), Brian Anderson (color commentary) and Ryan Bass (reporter).
• Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM, SiriusXM Channel 178 (Tigers announcers)
• Latest line: The Rays are favored at minus-188 on the money line in according to the Fanduel.com website line as of Wednesday morning. The Tigers are plus-152. It's the largest line of the season in a road game for the Rays.The over/under is 8.5.

Starting lineups

• TAMPA BAY RAYS: Yandy Diaz 3B, Brandon Lowe DH, Randy Arozarena LF, Ji-Man Choi 1B, Isaac Paredes 2B, Luke Raley RF, Francisco Mejia C, Jose Siri CF, Yu Chang SS, Drew Rasmussen P.
• DETROIT TIGERS: Ricky Greene CF, Willi Castro RF, Javier Baez SS, Harold Castro DH, Jeimer Candelario 3B, Jonathan Schoop 2B, Kody Clemens 1B, Tucker Barnhart C, Akil Baddoo LF, Matt Manning P.

Related stories on Rays baseball

• TIGERS RALLY LATE, WIN 9-1 (Saturday): Detroit blew open a close game late, giving Tampa Bay starter Shane McClanahan his second straight defeat in a 9-1 win for the Tigers over the Rays on Saturday at Comerica Park in Detroit. CLICK HERE
• KEIERMAIER FUTURE: Tampa Bay outfielder Kevin Kiermaier had his hip surgery in Nashville on Wednesday and is back home, ready to attack his rehab. He vows to be back in 2023 ''better than ever,'' but it's the Rays who hold the option on his big $13 million contract next year. Kiermaier says he'll be back, but will the Rays say yes? CLICK HERE
• RAYS RALLY ON LOWE HIT TO WIN AGAIN (Friday): Tampa Bay set a team record by drawing 13 walks, and finally got some production late to grab a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, with Brandon Lowe delivering a two-run double in the eighth inning for the game-winner. CLICK HERE
• RAYS WIN OPENER (Thursday): Tampa Bay got a great start from lefty Jeffrey Springs and big hitting nights from Brandon Lowe and Randy Arozarena in a 6-2 win over the Tigers to open an important six-game road trip on Thursday night at Comerica Park in Detroit. CLICK HERE
• RAYS SCHEDULE: Here is the complete 2022 Tampa Bay Rays schedule, with results and stats so far, and dates and game times for the remaining games in the final two months of the season. CLICK HERE