Outstanding pitching has put the Tampa Bay Rays in prime position to take control of the AL East as Jeremy Hellickson looks to add another victory to his season with a win on the road against the division leading Boston Red Sox Thursday night at 7:10 p.m. ET.
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Via ESPN:
Since being seven games back on June 28, the Rays have reeled off 19 wins in 22 games behind the pitching staff's 2.17 ERA and five complete games.
"It's just like hitting," Price said. "You hear it all the time -- hitting is contagious. So is pitching. We've been on a good groove, It's been fun. We feel like we have five guys that can go out there and win anytime. I don't think there are many teams in the majors that can say that."
It'll be Hellickson (9-3, 4.62 ERA) on the hill as the Rays try to take this four-game set and reclaim the East lead for the first time since they were 5-3 on April 6. Tampa Bay hasn't been atop the division this late in a season since winning it in 2010.
The Rays should feel quite confident handing the ball to the right-hander, who's 5-0 with a 2.19 ERA over his last six starts. He won a career-high six straight decisions over 13 starts bridging 2011 and '12.
His current streak started with a 6-2 win at Boston on June 19, when he allowed two runs in six innings. He's 3-0 with a 3.68 ERA in six career starts at Fenway.
Hellickson enters this one after overcoming an illness Saturday, yielding two runs in five innings of a 4-3 victory at Toronto.
While the pitching has been brilliant during Tampa Bay's surge, rookie Wil Myers has given the offense a big boost. The right fielder has had multiple hits in his last six games and eight of his last nine, driving in a pair Wednesday.
He's 6 for 14 with two doubles and five RBIs over his past four games at Boston.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, have dropped five of eight while averaging 2.9 runs and batting .225.
