| SEASON | CAREER |
| W8 | 68 |
| L8 | 57 |
| G18 | 167 |
| IP104.1 | 1020.0 |
| BB62 | 460 |
| SO79 | 914 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W12 | 53 |
| L4 | 30 |
| G18 | 112 |
| IP119.0 | 694.0 |
| BB40 | 240 |
| SO113 | 633 |
David Price has pitched very well over the last month, and he's been dominant against the Cleveland Indians throughout his career.
Perhaps with a chance to become the majors' first 13-game winner, the Tampa Bay Rays left-hander hopes to continue his current run of success while winning his fifth consecutive start against the Indians on Thursday at Tropicana Field.
Just past the halfway point of the season, Price (12-4, 2.80 ERA) has already matched his win total from a disappointing 2011, when he went 12-13 with a 3.49 ERA. Two of the three other current 12-game winners, R.A. Dickey and Gio Gonzalez , also pitch Thursday afternoon against each other.
Price allowed three runs - two earned - and struck out eight in 7 1-3 innings of a 5-3 victory over Boston on Saturday to improve to 4-0 with a 2.29 ERA in five starts since losing to the New York Mets on June 13.
He has looked even better while going 4-0 with a 2.01 ERA in five career starts versus Cleveland. Price has yielded one unearned run and struck out 17 over 13 innings while winning both of his home starts against the Indians.
The All-Star looks to help Tampa Bay (47-45) rebound and split this four-game set after Cleveland used a five-run seventh inning to beat the Rays 10-6 on Wednesday.
Carlos Santana hit a three-run homer in the seventh and finished with four RBIs as the Indians (47-44) improved to 3-3 on a seven-game trip. Asdrubal Cabrera added three hits for Cleveland, which doubled its run total from the previous three games combined.
Batting .225 on the season, Santana's home run was his first since May 15, ending a 40-game dry spell.
"It means a lot to him because I know that's been weighing on him, especially the power drought that he's had," manager Manny Acta said. "It's hard on those guys. He must be feeling a lot better.
"We're so much better an offensive club when Santana is contributing."
Santana is hitting .313 (10 for 32) with seven walks in 10 career games at Tropicana Field. With two hits Wednesday, Cleveland's Shin-Soo Choo is batting .385 during a 10-game hitting streak against the Rays.
Luke Scott went 4 for 4 with an RBI for the Rays, who have lost five of seven at home and 13 of 20 overall. Since singling in his first at-bat against Baltimore on June 1, Scott is 12 for 29 in seven games versus Cleveland, but hitless in 41 at-bats versus other opponents.
"I really anticipate he's gonna continue this trend (against Cleveland) the rest of the half, regardless of who we're playing," manager Joe Maddon told the Rays' official website.
Scott is 2 for 2 against scheduled Cleveland starter Ubaldo Jimenez (8-8, 5.09), who allowed a two-run home run to Scott on July 7. Those were the only runs he gave up in that outing, though, as he struck out eight in six innings of a 7-3 win to improve to 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in two starts against the Rays.
Jimenez's next start didn't go nearly as well. The right-hander was roughed up for a season-high eight runs while walking four in 2 1-3 innings of an 11-9 loss at Toronto on Saturday.
"If you are not going to throw 50 percent of your pitches for strikes, it's going to be rough for you," Acta told the Indians' official website. "He's human. He had a bad one."
@
AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPS
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Michael Brantley | 7 | .143 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .143 | .286 | .143 |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | 10 | .200 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .200 | .500 | .300 |
| Shin-Soo Choo | 10 | .200 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .273 | .573 | .300 |
| Johnny Damon | 9 | .111 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .273 | .384 | .111 |
| Jason Donald | 4 | .500 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .600 | 1.100 | .500 |
| Shelley Duncan | 9 | .222 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .222 | .889 | .667 |
| Travis Hafner | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jack Hannahan | 6 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Lou Marson | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Carlos Santana | 8 | .250 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .333 | .833 | .500 |
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Brandon Allen | 9 | .444 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | .615 | 1.059 | .444 |
| Jeff Keppinger | 6 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Evan Longoria | 3 | .333 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .500 | .833 | .333 |
| Carlos Pena | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 | .250 | .000 |
| Will Rhymes | 3 | .333 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .666 | .333 |
| B.J. Upton | 4 | .250 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .500 | .250 |
| Ben Zobrist | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
 Cleveland Indians |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| June 30, 2012 | Lonnie Chisenhall | 15-Day DL | Fractured right ulna - out 4-6 weeks |
| June 29, 2012 | Lonnie Chisenhall | Day-to-Day | Fractured right ulna - out 4-6 weeks |
| June 05, 2012 | Jose Lopez | Day-to-Day | Sore lower back |
| May 27, 2012 | Jack Hannahan | 15-Day DL | Strained left calf |
| May 27, 2012 | Jack Hannahan | 15-Day DL | Strained left calf |
| May 26, 2012 | Carlos Santana | 7-Day DL | Concussion |
 Tampa Bay Rays |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| July 02, 2012 | Hideki Matsui | Day-to-Day | Left game - left hamstring tightness |
| June 30, 2012 | Jeremy Hellickson | Day-to-Day | Left game - bruised right shin |
| June 29, 2012 | David Price | Day-to-Day | Left game - lower back tightness |
| June 20, 2012 | Matt Joyce | 15-Day DL | Strained left oblique |
| June 20, 2012 | Matt Joyce | 15-Day DL | Strained left oblique |
| June 17, 2012 | Matt Joyce | Day-to-Day | Flu |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- David Price threw another gem.
Price became the AL's first 13-game winner, B.J. Upton had three RBIs, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians 6-0 on Thursday.
Price (13-4) allowed two hits over seven innings. The All-Star left-hander had seven strikeouts and three walks.
"I'd say he's in the top two or three (AL pitchers), no question," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "From a purely selfish perspective, I'd say he is the best right now."
Price has won five consecutive decisions.
"That's why I felt that (Wednesday's) win was so important for us, because you really don't want come into the last game of the series trying to tie the series against David Price ," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "He overpowered us. We just didn't have good at-bats against him."
Upton hit a three-run double off Ubaldo Jimenez (8-9) during a four-run sixth that put the Rays up 5-0. After getting two outs, Jimenez loaded the bases before giving up Upton's shot down the third-base line. Upton scored on Carlos Pena 's RBI single.
Jimenez allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. He struck out five and walked five.
Wade Davis pitched the final two innings and completed a two-hitter for the Rays.
After Carlos Santana walked to start the fifth, Jose Lopez lined a single to center for the Indians' first hit. Price, however, was able to work out of the jam, aided by Santana getting thrown out attempting to steal third during a double-steal try.
"My fastball's gotten better," Price said. "I have more velocity; it's consistent throughout the entire game. The curveball's better and my cutter is more consistent right now. I throw my changeup whenever I need to and that's a little tougher for those guys."
Jeff Keppinger made it 6-0 on a seventh-inning run-scoring double.
Luke Scott put the Rays up 1-0 on a third-inning solo homer. He is 14 for 33 in eight games against Cleveland since the weekend before the All-Star break, while going hitless in 38 at-bats in 12 games against all other teams.
"It's a very comfortable feeling when you have the lead out there, even if it's one," Price said. "They've done a very good job for me this year of scoring runs early and I appreciate it. Honestly I feel like we've played our best baseball when I've been on the mound."
The Rays loaded the bases with two outs in the first, but failed to score when the struggling Hideki Matsui struck out. After hitting homers in two of his first three games with the Rays, Matsui is 12 for 79.
Jimenez helped himself defensively in the fourth by fielding Sean Rodriguez 's bunt and tagging out Desmond Jennings , who tried to score from third, at the plate.
"I thought Ubaldo battled well for us," Acta said. "He gave us five innings to do something, to score runs, and we couldn't do it."
Tampa Bay second baseman Ben Zobrist made a nice running catch in shallow center on Shin-Soo Choo's soft liner leading off the first.
Notes: Price is 5-0 overall against Cleveland. ... Rays C Jose Molina swiped second in the second for his first stolen base of the year and 13th overall. ... Indians OF Michael Brantley was the DH. "Something to get Michael off his feet today," Acta said. ... Tampa Bay RF Matt Joyce has soreness and was out of the lineup after playing consecutive days. He had missed 23 games due to a left oblique strain before returning Tuesday from the 15-day DL.
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Cleveland Indians