Rays' Zack Littell Poised to Face Cincinnati Reds in 21st Start.

After dropping a series to the American League-worst Chicago White Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays (53-50) will go on the road against the Cincinnati Reds (53-50) looking for an answer.

The first guy the Rays will turn to is right-hander Zack Littell.

On Friday, Tampa Bay kicks off a three-game set against the Reds, with Littell, who leads the team with 122 1/3 innings pitched, making his 21st start of the season. It's a new opponent, but Littell remains steadfast in his approach.

“I think the approach is kind of the same for me,” Littell said in the Rays clubhouse on Wednesday. “Always just get ahead and try to get them out of the box. Definitely a team, I think, that has been playing pretty well lately. 

“I haven’t dug into it a whole lot, but I know they got some guys who can definitely put the bat on the ball, so try to get them in and out of the box.”

Littell (8-7, 3.53 ERA) will have his hands full against the Reds, who lead the National League in hits against righties. Perhaps the biggest challenge facing him is keeping All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz in check.

With a bat in his hands, De La Cruz is Cincinnati’s most productive player, leading the team in hits (108), home runs (18), doubles (19) and RBIs (65).

“A guy like him, he’s not the one that you want beating you,” Littell said. “For me, that may mean being a little finer in the zone against him. Situationally, really looking at it as, is this the guy we want to beat?”

“That matchup in general is going to be one that we definitely want to avoid if it’s going to swing the game one way or the other. It’ll be fun, though, you enjoy pitching against those guys; he’s fun to watch.”

Sitting 1.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox for the third wild card spot in the American League, the Rays will try to recover some lost ground against Cincinnati on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET as Littell squares off against Reds right-hander Nick Martinez (8-9, 4.73 ERA).