Blake Snell should feel right at home Sunday when he takes the mound in St. Petersburg, Fla., for the San Francisco Giants in the rubber game of a three-game series against the host Tampa Bay Rays.
The veteran left-hander played his first five MLB seasons in Tampa Bay, posting the best season of his career with the Rays in 2018 when he finished 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA to win the first of his two Cy Young awards.
"I was raised through the (Tampa Bay) system, so when I got here there was so much love and care for me, and attention to me, that they made this place feel like home," Snell said before the series opener on Friday. "I'm excited to see what it feels like Sunday. It'll probably feel the same way. I really can't wait."
Snell (0-1, 9.00 ERA) is also hoping to make a better impression on the Giants than he did in his team debut on Monday. He allowed three runs and three hits in three innings of an 8-1 loss to the Washington Nationals.
Snell signed a two-year, $62 million contract with the Giants in March after spending the previous three seasons with the San Diego Padres.
He won his second Cy Young with San Diego last season after going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA.
He made his only previous appearance against the Rays with the Padres last June, allowing two hits with 12 strikeouts over six shutout innings in the 2-0 win in San Diego.
It will be a different feeling this time around, something Snell got a glimpse of when the Rays played a video tribute for him during the game on Friday.
Snell rattled off a list of players and coaches that he's looking forward to pitching in front of again, including Rays manager Kevin Cash.
"I've pitched in front of them so many times and they've supported me all the way throughout," Snell said. "Being able to pitch in front of them is such an amazing feeling."
The Rays won the series opener 2-1 on Friday before giving up five home runs in an 11-2 loss on Saturday.
Cash is hoping Tampa Bay's top two hitters last season, Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena, can get untracked offensively.
Diaz went 1-for-3 on Saturday to bump his batting average up to .203, while Arozarena went 0-for-3 to fall to .192.
Cash said it appears it's just a timing issue.
"I actually thought Yandy looked more the part with some of the foul balls, just misses," Cash said after Diaz went 0-for-3 on Friday. "Generally, when you see that, it's going to start trending in the right direction. ... They'll get through it, it's just right now in the moment, they know and we know how big of a part they are to our offense and we need them."
Shawn Armstrong (0-1, 5.68) will serve as the opener for the Rays in the series finale with Tyler Alexander expected to get the bulk of the innings.
Alexander (0-0, 8.68) came off the bereavement list on Saturday. He made his last start on April 6 in Denver, allowing four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of an 8-6 comeback win over the Rockies.
The left-hander has faced the Giants once in his career, giving up a hit in 1 1/3 innings of work.
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