Gameday Preview: Rays Look to Sweep Padres Sunday in Zack Littell Start

Zack Littell hasn't been nearly as bad as his 0-5 record as a Tampa Bay starter indicates, and he's hoping to get in the win column Sunday in the series finale against the San Diego Padres. Here's our gameday preview, with starting lineup, pitching breakdowns and more.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell (52) pitches against the Texas Rangers in early April. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Zack Littell has an ugly 0-5 record right now for the Tampa Bay Rays, but he hasn't pitched nearly as bad as the record indicates. He's done some good things, despite not getting any run support.

In those five losses, the Rays have scored a total of five runs. Littell has had to be nearly perfect, and he hasn't been that. Outside of getting roughed up against the Los Angeles Angels on April 10 — allowing seven runs in four innings — and one bad four-run in a loss to Texas, he's pitched 24 other innings and allowed only five runs.

Littell gets the start on Sunday against the San Diego Padres, with the Rays looking for a sweep after 1-0 and 4-1 wins. Littell is confident he will do his part.

"It's all about out there and putting up zeroes. That's my job, whether we're scoring runs or not,'' Littell said. "For me (in my evaluations), my concern is my inconsistency. I pride myself on eating innings and chasing wins. I was up and down with some mechanical stuff, but I feel better about that now.

"You catch yourself in a start thinking about things, but the last start or two have been better, and I've just gone out and pitched. It's all about getting outs, and that's going to be the focus.''

New Rays outfielder Travis Jankowski makes his first start on Sunday. He'll be in left field and will bat seventh. Chandler Simpson, who's hit safely in his first seven games, is batting leadoff and playing center field.

Randy Vasquez is starting for San Diego, and the Rays are hoping to get to him early. He gave up six runs in just two innings in his last start.

Here's everything you need to know about the game.

How to watch Rays-Padres

• Who: Tampa Bay Rays (13-14) vs. San Diego Padres (17-10)
• When: Sunday, April 27 at 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where: Petco Park in San Diego, Calif.
• TV: FanDuel Sports Sun
• Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM, WQBN 106.7/1300 AM (Spanish)
• Betting information: The Padres are favored on the money line at Fanduel.com at minus-110, and the Rays' money line odds are minus-106. On the run line, you can bet the Rays minus-1.5 at plus-146 odds, and the Padres plus-1.5 at minus-178 odds. The over/under is 8.5 runs.
• Weather: At 1:30 p.m. PT in San Diego, the temperature forecast is 64 degrees and mostly sunny with winds out of the west at 8 miles per hour. The chance of rain is 0 percent for the game.

Rays starting lineup

1. Chandler Simpson CF
2. Brandon Lowe 2B
3. Yandy Diaz DH
4. Jonathan Aranda 1B
5. Junior Caminero 3B
6. Kameron Misner RF
7. Travis Jankowski LF
8. Taylor Walls SS
9. Danny Jansen C

Padres starting lineup

1. Fernando Tatis Jr. RF
2. Gavin Sheets DH
3. Manny Machado 3B
4. Xander Bogaerts SS
5. Oscar Gonzalez LF
6. Tirso Ornelas DH
7. Jose Iglesias 2B
8. Tyler Wade CF
9. Martin Maldanado C

Rays-Padres starting pitchers

• ZACK LITTELL, Rays: The 29-year-old right-hander from Burlington, N.C. is 0-5 with a 5.54 ERA through five starts. Despite the record, he has had three quality starts. He's been baseball's biggest victim when it comes to run support. Tampa Bay has only scored five runs total in his five starts.

• RANDY VASQUEZ, Padres: Vasquez, a 26-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic, is 1-2 on the season with a 3.97 ERA. He was very good through his first four starts, allowing just four earned runs is 20 2/3 innings. But he got roughed up in his last start on Tuesday in Detroit, giving up six runs in just two innings. He made 20 starts for San Diego a year ago, and was 4-7 with a 4.87 ERA

Related Rays stories

• RAYS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT (Sat.): Ryan Pepiot was stellar for six innings and the Rays bullpen did the rest as the Tampa Bay Rays won their season-high fourth game in a row Saturday night, beating the San Diego Padres 4-1. Brandon Lowe gave them the lead with a home run and the defense was spectacular once again. CLICK HERE

• TOM BREW COLUMN: Getting traded is the hard part of a baseball life, and it was no different for standout reliever Jason Adam last summer when he was traded to the San Diego Padres by the Tampa Bay Rays. He loved his three years with the Rays, and was reunited with many of them Friday. No surprise, but he's having a great year with the Padres, too. CLICK HERE

• BAZ SPARKLES IN 1-0 WIN (Fri.): The Tampa Bay Rays won their third straight game Friday night, beating the San Diego Padres 1-0 thanks to seven scoreless innings from starter Shane Baz. Manuel Rodriguez and Garrett Cleavinger closed it out. CLICK HERE

• POSITIVE STATS WITH RISP: The negative side of the Tampa Bay Rays fan base would be shocked to learn that the Rays lead the American League in hitting with runners in scoring position. That's not an opinion, it's a fact. And that's why they lead baseball in late comeback wins, much like they did Wednesday and Thursday in Arizona. CLICK HERE