(Sports Network) - Jeremy Hellickson tries to follow up a sensational major league debut this evening when the Tampa Bay Rays continue their three-game series with the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
Hellickson beat the Minnesota Twins last Monday, allowing two runs and three hits in seven innings, while fanning six. He was sent back to Triple-A right after the start, but with both Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann being placed on the disabled list with shoulder problems, Hellickson could be with the big club for awhile.
"Yeah, I mean, traveling's been tough," Hellickson said. "But I'm here and I'm happy. ... I don't know what happened [to Niemann and Davis], but it's not the way I wanted to get called up."
The Rays drew first blood in this set on Monday, as Matt Joyce homered and drove in two runs and David Price set a franchise record with his 15th win of the season, helping Tampa Bay to a 6-3 victory.
Price (15-5) worked just five innings, yielding five hits and two runs with nine strikeouts and four walks. James Shields (2008), Edwin Jackson (2008) and Rolando Arrojo (1998) all won 14 games for the Rays to tie the previous franchise mark.
"It's a great honor. It's a lot of hard work and it's been fun, but I don't plan on stopping at 15," Price said.
Rafael Soriano shut the door in the ninth for his 32nd save as the Rays moved within 1 1/2 games of the Yankees for first place in the AL East.
John Jaso had three hits and drove in a run, while Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford knocked in a run each for the Rays, who had been swept in Toronto and had lost five straight games.
Brennan Boesch hit a solo homer and Gerald Laird posted two hits with an RBI for the Tigers, losers in five of their last six.
Armando Galarraga (3-5) allowed four runs on five hits with four walks over five frames in defeat.
"We were thinking if we could attack the strike zone maybe we'd have a chance tonight, but we just didn't do that," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We did a poor job."
Heading to the hill for the Tigers tonight will be righty Max Scherzer, who is 7-8 with a 4.19 ERA. Scherzer has not received a decision in either of his last two outings, despite allowing just three runs in 13 1/3 innings of those outings. He gave up two runs and eight hits in seven innings in a 6-4 loss Chicago White Sox his last time out on Thursday.
Scherzer lost to the Rays earlier in the year in his only other appearance against them.
Tampa has won all five of its matchups with the Tigers this season.