video thumbnail

DET@TB: Hellickson leaves game with injury

Jeremy Hellickson enters Thursday's start looking for a break, but against a surging Cleveland lineup, the right-hander may need his best stuff to keep the Rays close.

On Saturday against the Tigers, Hellickson made his first start since spending time on the disabled list with right soulder inflammation. The 25-year-old's shoulder held up, but he sustained a bruise after taking a line drive off his right shin in the third inning.

Hellickson gave up one run on four hits in 2 2/3 innings before exiting.

"It's pretty much 100 percent," Hellickson said of his leg. "Just a nice little bruise still, but I felt normal in my bullpen [session]. It feels good right now."

Against the Indians, Hellickson will face one of baseball's hottest offenses. Cleveland is hitting .325 (107-for-329) over its last nine games and is averaging 6.8 runs over that span after posting a 12-3 victory over the Angels on Wednesday.

"It's a heavy left-handed lineup," Hellickson said. "They've got a lot of guys that put the ball in play and a few guys in there that hit for power. All in all, it's a very solid lineup."

Josh Tomlin will start opposite Hellickson. The right-hander yielded five runs on seven hits over six innings against Baltimore on Saturday, but he still picked up his fourth win of the season, as the Indians scored 11 runs.

Considering his recent struggles, Tomlin may require another big output from his offense. He is 2-3 with a 6.89 ERA over his last six starts.

"That was the story of the game," Tomlin said of the offense after Cleveland's 11-5 win. "That's the reason we won the ballgame. Those guys came out with a plan, they executed it and they just kept it rolling."

Rays: Joyce begins rehab assignment
• Outfielder Matt Joyce began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday night against Norfolk. Joyce was also slated to play for Durham on Thursday. The Rays are 4-10 since Joyce went on the disabled list with a strained left oblique.

"He felt pretty good today," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said on Tuesday. "So we'll see if we could keep him to a minimum based on how he feels and react from there."

• Sean Rodriguez hit just .181 in June, but he's off to a much better start in July. He is 4-for-8 over his last two games, including a go-ahead home run in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Yankees.

Indians: Hafner returns
• Travis Hafner went 1-for-3 with two walks on Wednesday in his first game since spending more than a month on the disabled list. The designated hitter hadn't played since May 23 and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on May 31.

Manager Manny Acta said Hafner wouldn't immediately be able to play every day, but Hafner is eager to contribute.

"I'm just very excited to be back," Hafner said. "This is kind of what you're wired to do. ... There's still a little soreness here or there running, but I'll just kind of work through it, and it'll get better and better."

• Shin-Soo Choo continued his scorching stretch on Wednesday with an RBI double. Over his last 16 games, Choo is 25-for-62 (.403) with eight doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs.

Worth noting
• Current Cleveland players enter Thursday's game a combined 2-for-15 against Hellickson. Johnny Damon and Asdrubal Cabrera own the only two hits, both singles.

• Thursday marks the season's first meeting between the Rays and Indians. Tampa Bay won four of last year's six meetings.

MLB.com Comments