Tampa Bay (41-40) went 8-1 at Tropicana Field

The Tampa Bay Rays finished the second-best homestand in their history Zach Allen Jersey , with a much easier path between now and the All-Star Game as they try to claw their way back into wild-card contention.
finishing a grueling stretch of 16 games against the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals and going 10-6 in those games to rise back above .500.

Now the Rays have a stretch of 16 straight games against teams with losing records, including a three-game series at the Miami Marlins (34-51) starting Monday.

The Rays have dominated with their patchwork pitching staff, allowing a total of seven runs in their last six games, with five wins and a 1-0 loss. They took three of four from Houston to close out the homestand and hope to continue the success to take some positive momentum into the All-Star break.

“The fact that we have been winning and everyone has been coming together at clutch moments has been great,” said outfielder Mallex Smith, who had a late solo home run in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Houston. “We’ve been jelling as a team. We’ve been feeding off one another. It seems like someone new coming through at the right time every day.”

Next for Tampa Bay is Nathan Eovaldi (2-3 Hakeem Butler Jersey , 4.08 ERA), who played for the Marlins from 2012 to 2014 and will almost certainly fare better than his only career appearance against his former team. In June 2015, he played there with the Yankees and gave up nine hits and eight earned runs in less than an inning, leaving after two outs with a 108.00 ERA to show for it.

Eovaldi has shown promise since returning from Tommy John surgery — his last start against Washington lasted six innings and he gave up no runs, one and and two walks with nine strikeouts.

The Marlins will answer with Wei-Yin Chen, who knows the Rays from his days with the Baltimore Orioles. He has started 21 career games against Tampa Bay, more than any other opponent, and posted a 5-6 record with a 3.72 ERA.

That’s considerably better than his overall numbers this year — he’s 2-5 with a 6.14 ERA Chris Lindstrom Jersey , though his last start was solid. He limited Arizona to one run and five hits in six innings last week. Against Tampa Bay last year, he pitched well, holding the Rays to two runs and two hits in six innings.

The in-state rivals will meet again right after the All-Star break for three more games, but the extended run against lesser opponents is something the Rays must dominate if they want to get back into wild-card contention.

Even after winning eight of nine games, Tampa Bay is still 11 games behind Seattle for the second AL wild card. Still, being 42-41 after opening the season 1-8 isn’t bad, especially considering the injuries they’ve dealt with and the talent traded away since the end of last season.

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions addressed needs on both sides of the ball while reuniting their coach and general manager with former New England Patriots cornerback Justin Coleman and receiver Danny Amendola.Coleman agreed to a $36 million, four-year contract with the Lions and plans to sign Wednesday http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jahlani-tavai-jersey , according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke Monday night to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.Coleman began his career with the Patriots in 2015, when Lions coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn worked for the organization. He was a nickel cornerback the past two seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. Coleman has three career interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns.The Lions signed Amendola to a $5.75 million, one-year contract, taking advantage of his comfort level with men he knew from New England.“I was around (Patricia) all the time and I just love the enthusiasm he brings to work,” Amendola said.Amendola said he knew Quinn as well from their time together in New England.“Very thankful for the opportunity he has given me here to come earn my way on this team,” Amendola said.Shortly after adding Amendola, the Lions released cornerback Nevin Lawson. Detroit drafted Lawson in the fourth round in 2014 out of Utah State and he started 54 of 62 games without having an interception.The Lions also cut linebacker Trevor Bates later in the day. He was arraigned last month from a psychiatric ward on charges of punching a New York City police officer after he was taken to a precinct house for failing to pay a taxi fare. Bates pleaded not guilty to charges of assault Kyler Murray Jersey , resisting arrest, theft of services and obstruction of governmental administration. He played in nine games for the Lions.Amendola potentially fills the void Detroit has had at slot receiver since it traded Golden Tate last season to the Philadelphia Eagles.He had 59 receptions for 575 yards and one touchdown last season with the Miami Dolphins after playing for New England from 2013-17, when he helped the franchise win two Super Bowls. He was cut by the Dolphins last week, creating $6 million in salary-cap space for the team.Amendola said he had a few conversations with Miami about returning, and refused to say if going back to New England was one of his options.“It’s 2019, that’s what I’m focused on,” he said.Amendola, an undrafted player from Texas Tech http://www.arizonacardinalsteamonline.com/byron-murphy-jersey , spent his first three years in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams.The 33-year-old Amendola has 485 career receptions for 4,684 yards with 20 touchdowns and joins Lions receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones.“I’m in the best condition of my life,” he said. “I’m as fast as I’ve ever been and I’m hungry as ever. I’m ready to play at a high level and do whatever I can to help this team win.”And as much as Patricia and Quinn helped to draw Amendola to Detroit, he sounded excited about catching passes from Matthew Stafford.“He’s a Texas kid, too,” Amendola said. “I’ve been a fan of Matthew for a long time, even before he went to Georgia. He has every throw in the book.”