Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Live Streaming

Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Live | Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics | Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Streaming | Tampa Bay vs Oakland MLB Live Stream | Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Live Webcast

10:05 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

Jeremy Hellickson has done more than the Tampa Bay Rays could have expected in his first three major league starts. After Friday night’s outing, however, he may be headed to the bullpen. The red-hot rookie will try to improve to 4-0 in what may be his final start of the season as the visiting Rays look to rebound from a series-opening loss to the Oakland Athletics. Hellickson has risen from the minors to fill a void in the Rays’ rotation, providing a major boost with Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann on the disabled list. The highly-touted right-hander held Baltimore to one run and three hits in six innings of Sunday’s 3-2 win, becoming the first player since 1920 to pitch at least six innings and give up three hits or fewer in each of his first three big league games.

Tampa Bay’s original plan had been to use the 23-year-old Hellickson in relief, as the club did with left-hander David Price when he was first called up in 2008. That outcome may come to fruition next week if Davis and Niemann can return from shoulder strains. First, Hellickson hopes to help the Rays regain a share of the AL East lead. While Tampa Bay slipped one game behind New York on Thursday night, the club still leads Boston by 5 1/2 games for the wild card. The Rays had won five straight before opening this four-game series with a 4-3 loss. It was their first game against the A’s since May 9, when Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game against them.