The road was rewarding.
Can home offer a similar feeling of satisfaction?
On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays return to Tropicana Field after completing a 10-game road trip against the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners that featured seven victories. The Rays begin another three-game series against the Angels after taking two of three from Los Angeles in a set from June 1-3 at Angel Stadium.
Recently, Tampa Bay has done most of its damage because of strong pitching. The Rays scored just seven combined runs in the four-game series against the Mariners over the weekend, but they allowed four.
Another chance to extend the momentum awaits. This return to the Trop offers an opportunity to become comfortable in a familiar setting throughout the next month. The Rays play their next eight games at home, with the Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals to arrive after the Angels.
At 31-27, Tampa Bay stands 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. Los Angeles, meanwhile, holds a 28-29 record and is five games behind the Houston Astros.
Here's a closer look at the upcoming Rays-Angels series...
SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHERS
WHO'S HOT
Albert Pujols (Angels): He hit .300 (6 for 20) with two home runs and three RBI in five games from June 2-7. He had two contests with two hits each in the span, in losses to the Rays on June 3 and Yankees on June 7. He has hit .258 with 15 home runs and 29 RBI this season.
Joey Butler (Rays): He hit .348 (8 for 23) with one home run and three RBI in six games from June 2-7. He had three multi-hit contests in the span. He has hit .330 with four home runs and 11 RBI this season.
WHO'S NOT
Mike Trout (Angels): He hit .167 (3 for 18) with eight strikeouts in five games from June 2-7. He was held without a hit in four contests in the span. He has hit .283 with 16 home runs and 33 RBI this season.
Steven Souza Jr. (Rays): He hit .091 (2 for 22) with two strikeouts in six games from June 2-7. He was held without a hit in four contests in the span. He has hit .215 with 11 home runs and 26 RBI this season.
STORYLINES
7-3: Rays' record during their most recent road trip that included stops in Baltimore, Los Angeles and Seattle. The stretch featured a four-game winning streak from June 2-5.
0: Pitchers in major-league history to strike out 10-plus batters in three consecutive starts without a walk, before right-hander Chris Archer accomplished the feat Sunday in a 3-1 victory over the Mariners at Safeco Field. He's 7-4 with a 1.84 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 13 starts this season.
18: Games at home for the Rays to be played from June 9-July 2. Their lone road contests in the span will be against the Nationals (two from June 17-18) and Cleveland Indians (three from June 19-21).
QUOTE BOARD
"It was kind of weird, first time in my life facing them in a regular game not like BP or spring training." -- Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez to reporters, after he allowed one run and seven hits and struck out five in the Rays' 2-1 victory over the Mariners on Thursday at Safeco Field. He played for Seattle from 2012 to 2014.
"Those games sometimes come down to one swing. I was able to get the barrel to it. It worked out." -- Second baseman Logan Forsythe to reporters, after he hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning in the Rays' 1-0 victory over the Mariners on Friday at Safeco Field. Forsythe cracked the hit off Fernando Rodney, a former Tampa Bay closer.
"When I'm out there, I'm not thinking about strikeouts. Even whenever I need a strikeout, I'm just trying to execute every pitch. And if you do that, and you simplify it to that, then you start to do great things." -- Archer to reporters, after his outing Sunday. He allowed six hits and struck out 11 in seven innings.
LOOKING AHEAD
June 12-14 -- White Sox at Rays
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
