ng pitchers this season than the Cleveland Indians. No team has gotten fewer than the Tampa Bay Rays.Yet the Indians and Rays have ended up in a similar spot. Cleveland’s team ERA is 3.84. Tampa Bay’s is 3.82.The Rays have been unorthodox in their approach http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , eschewing a normal starting rotation in favor of a system in which one of their usual relievers might take the mound at the beginning of a game. Right now, Tampa Bay’s depth chart on MLB.com only lists three pitchers in the rotation — yet the Rays are 60-58 and have a chance for their first winning season since 2013.Tampa Bay has tried using an “opener” at the start of games. One of the team’s relievers might start the game and pitch an inning or two. Then another pitcher — who might normally have been the starter — comes in and perhaps pitches through the middle innings. If his outing begins in the third, for example, he may benefit from not having to face the top hitters as often.The result is that the Rays’ stats are significantly skewed. Tampa Bay’s starters have thrown only 485 1/3 innings in 118 games. Cleveland, led by its stellar foursome of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger, has gotten 737 1/3 innings from its starters. The Indians are atop the AL Central, but the Rays are comparable in terms of run prevention.The starting pitchers for the 2012 Colorado Rockies threw only 765 innings, and according to the database at Baseball-Reference.com, that’s the lowest total since at least 1908 in any season that wasn’t shortened by a work stoppage. The Rays appear well on their way to finishing below 700.Other developments from around the majors:NO RESTE.D. stands for Edwin Diaz, and it also stands for every day.The Seattle closer saved all four games of his team’s series sweep of the Houston Astros. The last victory came in 10 innings Sunday.Diaz now has 46 saves for the playoff-chasing Mariners Jason Motte Jersey , and he could threaten Francisco Rodriguez’s record of 62, set in 2008. Diaz has also posted a 1.98 ERA.Problem is, his career high in innings is 66, set last season. He’s already at 59 this year. Diaz has also made 59 appearances. Only Jose Alvarez of the Angels (60) has more.HIGHLIGHTSDavid Bote and Cesar Hernandez both circled the bases in memorable fashion.Bote, pinch-hitting for the Chicago Cubs, won Sunday night’s game over Washington with a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs were down 3-0 with two outs before Bote’s drive to center .Hernandez went all the way around the bases after dropping a bunt in Philadelphia’s 5-2 win over Arizona on Tuesday night. There were two throwing errors by the Diamondbacks on the play . The Phillies play the Mets next weekend in the Little League Classic at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, so Hernandez should already be in the right spirit after taking advantage of Arizona’s carelessness.LINE OF THE WEEKMookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox continued his push for the American League MVP award, hitting for the cycle in an 8-5 win over Toronto on Thursday night. He completed the cycle in style, with a home run in the ninth inning. DENVER — Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, who has been dominant at Coors Field, will take the mound Thursday in the rubber game against the San Diego Padres. The Rockies are 16-9 in starts by Freeland (11-7 http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , 2.96 ERA), who is 7-2 with a 2.22 ERA in 11 home starts this season and will be opposed by rookie left-hander Joey Lucchesi (6-7, 3.79).Freeland has thrown 152 innings, close to the 156 he finished with as a rookie last year. But at this point last season, Freeland was wilting from the rigors of his first season in the majors. After Sept. 11, he made four relief appearances and one start, a three-inning effort in his final game of the season. Article continues below ...Freeland said experience has certainly been helpful this year. But he attributes his added strength and stamina to an offseason mechanical change and an altered throwing program.“The change in the mechanics helped not take so much of a toll on my body like my mechanics last year did,” said Freeland, who still pauses in his delivery when lifting his front leg but in a more efficient manner.“The hestitation’s more at the top,” he said, “where I can keep my load instead of de-loading and then trying to make a pitch and then keep that load and drive down the mound. And that’s taking less of a toll off trying to de-load and then trying to get it all back using my arm and my legs as much as I can.”Freeland said he changed his weightlifting programs to boost his stamina. And he has cut back on his throwing.“Since the All-Star break, every day after my start Brett Cecil Jersey , I haven’t thrown,” he said. “I just take a day (off), and then I’ll have my bullpen (session) the next day. This year, it’s much lighter every single day, just not stretching it out because I know how long the season is. There’s no reason to try and build arm strength in season because you’re going to get tired. “All season it’s been lighter throwing in between starts. Not throwing a lot of flat grounds or having long bullpens. Kept my bullpens short most of the year and really shortened them up after the All-Star break.”Freeland is 3-1, 1.72 in his past five starts, allowing one homer in 31 1/3 innings in that stretch. On Friday at Atlanta, he allowed three hits and one run in six innings and was the winner in Colorado’s 11-5 triumph. He’s 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA in two starts against the Padres this year and 1-2, 4.21 in six career games (four starts) against them.Lucchesi will be making his 20th career start and fourth against the Rockies. He held them to four hits and two unearned runs in six innings April 10 while winning his Coors Field debut 5-2, and he is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA against Colorado in three starts this season. In his last outing Friday against Arizona, Lucchesi lost 9-4, allowing a career-high nine hits and five runs in four innings. That matched the shortest outing of his career. Lucchesi http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , whose herky-jerky motion with his hands makes for an unusual delivery, has pitched six innings three times — on April 15 against San Francisco and Aug. 12 against Philadelphia in addition to his April 10 outing at Coors Field. Lucchesi is 2-2, with a 2.87 ERA in six road starts and 4-5, 4.26 in 13 starts at home. “I think for the longest time we’ve given Joey the opportunity to just go pitch and not overwhelm him with information,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “This is the time to start taking information in on what we’d like him to change and how we’d like him to grow. And I think he’s responded to that very well right now. And I’m excited about that, because that ultimately will be the determining factor to how great you’re going to be is, can you grow?“I think he’s handled this year great. There’s been ups and downs. He’s been through injuries. He’s been through some struggles that way. I think he’s handled it well.”