Rays vs. Blue Jays
When/where: 7:10 tonight; Tropicana Field
TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM
Tickets: $11-$200, available at Tropicana Field box office, Ticketmaster, raysbaseball.com, team Tampa store; $3 surcharge within 5 hours of game time.
Probable pitchers
RAYS: RH Jeremy Hellickson (1-2, 2.98)
BLUE JAYS: RH R.A. Dickey (10-12, 4.00)
On Hellickson: Didn't get through fifth inning of last start at Baltimore, allowing eight hits and charged with four runs. Has had two leads blown by bullpen. Is 5-3, 3.06 in 13 starts vs. Jays.
On Dickey: Knuckleballing nemesis was 1-2, 4.40 in five August starts, allowing 48 baserunners in 301/3 innings. Is 4-5, 4.30 in 15 games (11 starts) vs. Rays, 2-3, 3.57 in nine games (seven starts) at Trop.
Key matchups
Rays VS. DICKEY
Yunel Escobar 4-for-19
Matt Joyce 6-for-30, 2 HRs
Jose Molina 1-for-15
JAYS VS. HELLICKSON
Jose Bautista 8-for-26, 3 HRs
Melky Cabrera 5-for-14
E. Encarnacion 9-for-33, HR
On deck
Wednesday: vs. Blue Jays, 7:10. Rays — RH Chris Archer (8-7, 3.46); Blue Jays — RH Marcus Stroman (8-5, 3.88)
Thursday: vs. Blue Jays, 7:10. Rays — RH Jake Odorizzi (10-11, 4.03); Blue — LH Mark Buehrle (11-9, 3.50)
Friday: vs. Orioles, 7:10. Rays — RH Alex Cobb (9-7, 2.98); Orioles — TBA
Marc Topkin, Times staff writer
No joking, right?
RHP Steve Geltz, right, was not expecting his callup: "Caught offguard is an understatement." So that's why, when he and other Triple-A Durham players got off the bus around 1:30 a.m. Sunday after a ride back from Norfolk, he didn't know why manager Charlie Montoyo was running after him and was "definitely surprised" when he was told he was going to the big leagues. "This is a mean joke if you're playing a joke," Geltz told Montoyo, who assured him it wasn't.
Numbers of the day
4, 13 Rays walkoff wins this season; team-record walkoff wins in 2013.
Good deed of the day
Led by 3B Evan Longoria, Rays players today will wear Strikeout Cancer T-shirts, featuring a backward K in team colors, to raise awareness and funds for the Moffitt Cancer Center. Fans are encouraged to join in; to buy the shirts, go to 108stitches.com.
AL wild-card race
Team W-L Pct. GB
A's 79-58 .577—
Tigers 75-62 .547—
Mariners 73-63 .537 11/2
Indians 70-65 .510 4
Yankees 70-65 .519 4
Blue Jays 69-67 .507 51/2
Rays 67-71 .486 81/2