Tampa Bay Rays Blog

Rays 4, Blue Jays 0 (Game #149) [76-73]

2009-09-19T12:15:00.001-04:00

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Matt Garza stopped a slump against Toronto.
Garza struck out 10 while ending a personal nine-game winless streak and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Blue Jays 4-0 on Saturday night.
“He always pitches great against us,” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said. “We haven’t beat him too many times.”
Garza (8-10) allowed three hits over 7 1-3 innings in winning for the first time since beating Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay 4-2 on July 24. The right-hander is 3-5—with all three victories coming against Toronto—over his past 15 starts.
“My record doesn’t matter as long as we win,” Garza said. “The last couple starts I’ve been on a roll.”
Since joining the Rays last year, Garza is 6-2 against the Blue Jays. The right-hander is 3-0 this season when facing Toronto.
“He had movement on his pitches,” Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro said. “When he fell behind, he made pitches.”
Toronto rookie Ricky Romero (12-9) lost for the fourth time in five starts, giving up four runs and seven hits in six innings.
“Just one bad inning,” Gaston said. “After that he pitched well.”
The Blue Jays are 4-13 against Tampa Bay this season.
“When you have streaks like that against teams, you try not to ask too many questions,” Tampa Bay left fielder Carl Crawford said. “You just try to keep the streak going.”
The Rays scored four times in the first. Jason Bartlett walked and Carl Crawford, who stole second base in the eighth inning Friday night with Tampa Bay ahead 9-4, was hit on the right elbow by a Romero pitch.
“He wasn’t throwing at him,” Gaston said.
Crawford agreed.
“I just think it got away from him,” Crawford said. “I don’t think he was trying to hit me on purpose.”
Evan Longoria then singled in Bartlett to give him 108 RBIs on the year. Ben Zobrist, Willy Aybar and Gabe Kapler also singled in a run before Romero struck out Navarro and Akinori Iwamura to end the inning.
Garza, who walked six, worked out of jams in the first and third to help Tampa Bay win for the fourth time in six games, including three in a row, following an 11-game skid. Russ Springer, Randy Choate and Dan Wheeler combined to finish the three-hitter.
“I’m really happy with the way the boys are playing,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “There’s a lot of energy and fight.”
Navarro was briefly stunned, but remained in the game after being hit in the head by Adam Lind’s back swing in the third.
Xtra, xtra: Rays 1B Carlos Pena (two broken fingers on left hand) has started light hand exercises and should have surgically inserted pins removed in about four weeks. “I’m happy with the way it’s going,” said Pena, who is expected to be ready for spring training. Blue Jays LHP Jesse Carlson served the final game of a three-game suspension stemming from a bench-clearing incident Tuesday against the New York Yankees. Five-time All-Star Pedro Guerrero threw the ceremonial first pitch and also led fans in singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch. There were 10 singles and no extra-base hits in the game (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 11, Blue Jays 4 (Game #148) [75-73]

2009-09-18T12:04:00.001-04:00

James Shields finally got a win at home, after waiting nearly half the season.
Eight straight Tampa Bay batters reached base to start a six-run third inning that helped Shields and the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-4 Friday night.
“Today was a pretty important game for me, I hit 200 innings and that’s one of the goals I reached,” said Shields, who has thrown 200 or more innings in three straight seasons. “And got a ‘W’ finally. It’s good to get that off my back and hopefully I can finish up strong.”
Shields (10-11) had been 0-5 in his previous 10 starts at Tropicana Field since beating Kansas City 3-2 on June 4. He gave up four runs and nine hits in six innings.
“It’s almost like I’m getting stronger towards the end here, which is a good thing,” Shields said.
Carl Crawford had an RBI triple and Gregg Zaun hit a run-scoring double in the third to help the Rays take a 6-2 lead.
Evan Longoria hit his 31st homer of the season and had three RBIs for the AL champs, who won for just the third time in 16 games.
Scott Richmond (6-10) was pulled after allowing five consecutive hits to start the third.
“He’s been having trouble with his location for a while,” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said. “Tonight was bad location. No control with his fastball.”
Tampa Bay (75-73) has won two in a row for the first time since beating the Blue Jays on Aug. 24-25.
“We’re rollin’ now,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said with a smile.
Adam Lind hit an RBI single in the first and Vernon Wells drove in a run with a double during the third as the Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead. Toronto has lost 14 of its last 18 road games.
Lind has 104 RBIs this season, including 30 over the last 29 games. Wells has an 11-game hitting streak, and moved past Tony Fernandez into second place on the Toronto career list with 292 doubles.
Richmond, 0-5 in eight starts since returning from a biceps injury on July 31, allowed five runs and seven hits over two-plus innings.
Longoria, Willy Aybar and Gabe Gross each had an RBI single in the third. The Rays’ sixth run of the inning scored when B.J. Upton hit into a double play.
The Rays went up 8-2 in the fourth when Ben Zobrist and Zaun both hit run-scoring singles. Gross had a seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
Crawford tied his career high with his 59th stolen base when he took second in the eighth before scoring on Longoria’s two-run homer. Longoria has driven in 107 runs this season.
“Just let it go,” Gaston said of Crawford’s late stolen base in a five-run game. “He (Maddon) runs his team the way he wants to. I run my the way I want to.”
Crawford had no second thoughts about the play.
“I just want ahead and stole the base,” Crawford said. “I’ve seen worse. I didn’t really think it was a big deal.”
Tampa Bay’s bullpen, which worked the final three innings, has struggled recently, going 2-12 with nine blown saves in 13 opportunities over the past 39 games.
Lyle Overbay and pinch hitter Kyle Phillips had RBI doubles during the sixth for the Blue Jays.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay is 12-4 against the Blue Jays this season. Rays LHP Darin Downs was one of the players honored as a Tampa Bay minor league MVP. Downs, struck in the head by liner while pitching for Double-A Montgomery on Aug. 17, is expected to be ready for the 2010 season. Blue Jays LHP Brian Tallet (bruised right foot) might miss his next start Tuesday. Toronto reliever Scott Downs has a hamstring injury and is day to day (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 3, Orioles 0 (Game #147) [74-73]

2009-09-17T11:58:00.000-04:00

Wade Davis had just thrown a four-hit shutout to earn his first major league win, and getting the game ball wasn’t nearly enough to mark the occasion.
During the postgame television interview, the rookie got a shaving-cream pie to the face from Tampa Bay teammates Matt Garza and Evan Longoria. That was followed by a beer shower in the clubhouse.
With Davis leading the way, the Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 Thursday night to salvage a split of the four-game series.
Making his third big league start, Davis (1-1) struck out 10 and walked two in his first complete game. The right-hander worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, then permitted only one runner past first base over the final eight innings.
Davis capped his outstanding performance by striking out the side in the ninth. He threw 124 pitches.
Then came the antics. It was only the second win in 15 games for the Rays, who desperately needed a reason to smile.
“The shaving cream didn’t taste very good,” Davis said. “But it’s fun. It’s supposed to be.”
The 24-year-old was coming off a horrid outing in Boston in which he yielded eight runs in 2 2-3 innings. His effort against the Orioles lowered his ERA from 8.38 to 4.34.
“I didn’t get to watch too much film and maybe I should have,” said Baltimore’s Nick Markakis, who went 0 for 4. “I don’t know. You’ve got to tip your hat. He threw a great game.”
Davis outdid seven Baltimore pitchers, led by Mark Hendrickson (5-5), who gave up two runs and five hits over 3 1-3 innings in his first start since May 12. The left-hander was removed from the rotation after going 1-4, then made 42 relief appearances before returning as a starter in place of rookie Brian Matusz, who has been shut down for the remainder of the season.
Hendrickson is 1-5 as a starter and 4-0 out of the bullpen.
Michael Aubrey had two hits for the Orioles, who failed for the 10th time this season to win a four-game series. They’re 0-5-5.
Baltimore wasted an opportunity to grab an early lead. After a walk, a double and another walk loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning, Nick Markakis hit into a forceout at the plate, Melvin Mora struck out and Luke Scott hit a routine fly to right.
“The first inning, you couldn’t have scripted it any better, the way we started the game,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. “But then when you get nothing out of it, boy, he’s got to take a deep breath and go, ‘OK, here we go. Lady Luck’s on my side tonight.”’
As the game wore on, the only suspense was whether Davis would go the distance.
“I was just trying to get to the sixth, just battle it out,” he said. “When I had the real quick inning in the seventh and eighth, I figured I could go out there and do it again.”
Home plate umpire Ron Kulpa ta… AP - Sep 17, 10:40 pm EDT
“I am a firm believer that a young guy like that, if he has a chance to throw a complete game and a shutout, it can really catapult him,” Maddon said.
Tampa Bay went up 1-0 in the third. With two outs, Jason Bartlett hit a sinking liner to left that bounced to the wall after Nolan Reimold’s ill-advised bid to make a sliding catch. Bartlett was credited with a triple, and Carl Crawford followed with an RBI single.
In the fourth, Ben Zobrist hit a leadoff double, took third on a fly ball and scored on a squeeze bunt by Gabe Kapler.
Longoria’s third hit of the game, an RBI single in the ninth, made it 3-0.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay CF Fernando Perez ran into the wall after making an outstanding running catch of a third-inning drive by Brian Roberts. He left the game in the 7th with a sore left wrist. The Rays play 12 of their final 15 games at home. Trembley was ejected in the seventh for arguing balls and strikes. It was his fourth ejection of the season (Associated Press - Sports).

Orioles 4, Rays 2 (Game #146) [73-73]

2009-09-16T11:53:00.001-04:00

First, Matt Wieters stopped the Tampa Bay Rays with his arm.
Then he beat them with his bat.
Wieters hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Russ Springer, giving the Baltimore Orioles a 4-2 victory Wednesday night.
Tampa Bay went up 2-1 in the top half when Ben Zobrist hit a 3-2 pitch from Jim Johnson over the center-field wall. It was the fifth blown save for Johnson (4-5).
But in the bottom half, Luke Scott drew a leadoff walk from Springer (0-4) and Wieters hit a drive that landed in the front row of the seats in left. The rookie catcher, who had a homer and five RBIs on Tuesday, rounded the bases and jumped on home plate and into the arms of his teammates.
“I was going to look for a fastball early and try to put a good swing on it. I was fortunate enough that it carried out,” Wieters said. “It’s a situation where you might bunt, but they gave me the sign to swing away and try and drive something.”
Wieters twice threw out fleet-footed Carl Crawford trying to steal second. It was the second time in his career Crawford was nabbed twice in the same game; the other was April 10, 2007.
Crawford has 57 steals and has been thrown out 14 times, but is only 27 for 41 after opening the season with 30 straight stolen bases.
“Wieters did it behind the plate and did it with the bat. He had a great game,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. “Threw out Crawford—release was quick, good footwork, right on the bag—and hits a walk-off.”
Gregg Zaun homered for the Rays, who have lost 13 of 14 to drop to .500 (73-73) for the first time since June 11, when they were 31-31.
“I love the fact that we came back out and tied it up,” manager Joe Maddon said.
And then Wieters untied it.
“When it left, I didn’t think it was going that far. He’s just a strong young man and the ball kept carrying,” Maddon said.
It landed just beyond the reach of Crawford, who leaped in vain at the wall.
“I tried to put my arm over the rail, but it was kind of slick and I couldn’t get a good grip,” said Crawford, who can hardly believe the Rays are a .500 club again.
“You definitely didn’t expect this, but you just deal with it,” he said. “I never thought we’d end up like this.”
Making his 10th start since being summoned from Triple-A Norfolk on July 29, Orioles rookie Chris Tillman gave up five hits and one walk in 6 2-3 innings. The 21-year-old retired the first 10 batters and faced one above the minimum over five innings.
After Tampa Bay used singles by Evan Longoria and Willy Aybar to put runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh, Matt Albers replaced Tillman and struck out B.J. Upton to preserve a 2-1 lead.
Danys Baez worked the eighth, and the bottom half was halted by rain for 1 hour, 40 minutes. After the stoppage, only a few hundred of the announced crowd of 10,548 remained.
They hit the exits after Scott walked and Wieters homered on the following pitch.
“He’s been holding his own in this league,” Scott said of Wieters. “This is not an easy league. It’s a tough league and he’s been doing good. The more hits he gets, the happier I’m going to be because I’m going to get better pitches to hit in the future.”
Tampa Bay’s Andy Sonnanstine allowed two runs, one earned, and three hits in 5 2-3 innings. It was the first time in nine starts since May 22 that he permitted fewer than two earned runs.
The Orioles went up 1-0 in the second when Melvin Mora hit a leadoff double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Wieters. In the fourth, Brian Roberts reached on an error and scored on a two-out double by Scott.
Zaun homered leading off the sixth, his seventh of the season and third since coming to the Rays from Baltimore on Aug. 8.
Xtra, xtra: For the first time in eight games, the Orioles did not yield a first-inning run. Tampa Bay is 1-9 on a trip that mercifully ends Thursday night in Baltimore. The Orioles lead the season series 7-6. They were 3-15 vs. the AL champion Rays last year (Associated Press - Sports).

Orioles 10, Rays 5 (Game #145) [73-72]

2009-09-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

If the Baltimore Orioles are looking for positive signs for next season, they got plenty of them in a gritty comeback win.
Despite being in last place with nothing to play for, the Orioles received solid contributions from two rookies and rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-5 on Tuesday night.
“This late in the year, to not give in, that’s a lot of fight and determination,” manager Dave Trembley said.
Matt Wieters fueled the comeback with a homer and a career-high five RBIs, and right-hander Jason Berken held the Rays in check after giving up four first-inning runs.
Wieters, a former No. 1 draft pick playing in his 78th game, appears to have justified the hype that surrounded his arrival in late May.
“It’s good for the organization, it’s good for the team,” Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said. “There’s a lot of pressure, and it’s hard enough up here without having to deal with that. I think it was a little unfair, the expectations early on. Now he’s finally started to get comfortable and find his groove.”
Berken (5-11) kept the Orioles in the game after a rocky start. He gave up four hits in the first inning and only three more before being lifted with one out in the seventh.
“That’s one of the reasons why these guys are here, to help them learn how to do those sorts of things. You can’t learn that down there,” Roberts said. “He could have easily folded early on.”
It was a good night for Roberts, too. He collected his career-high 74th RBI and set a franchise record with his 52nd double of the season.
“It’s something that when it’s all said and done and I’m old and I have my grandkids sitting on my knee, I might look back and enjoy it,” he said. “But right now, it’s just kind of, try to play games and help these young guys along and get us ready for next year.”
Roberts, Wieters and Cesar Izturis had three hits apiece for the Orioles, who rallied against rookie Jeff Niemann (12-6).
Niemann, who allowed six runs and a career-high 11 hits in 4 1-3 innings, lost for the first time in nine starts since July 26. It was his shortest start since June 21, and the six earned runs matched a career high, set in his first outing of the season against Baltimore.
“A lot of balls were left up. I didn’t really execute location very well today, and that’s what happens when you miss,” Niemann said. “They’re going to take advantage of that.”
Wieters put the Orioles ahead for good with two-run single in the fifth, Luke Scott hit his team-high 22nd homer in the seventh and Wieters clinched it with a three-run drive off Chad Bradford in the eighth.
“There’s definitely progress being made,” said Wieters, who raised his batting average to .272. “There are a lot of adjustments to be made up here, and you’re going to have to keep making them.”
Tampa Bay’s Pat Burrell broke out of a 1-for-22 slump with a homer and four RBIs, and Ben Zobrist fell a home run short of the cycle. But the Rays lost for the 12th time in 13 games.
Only 11,575 showed up on a beautiful night for baseball. But with the Orioles 34 games out of first place, and because the opponent wasn’t Boston or the New York Yankees, the stadium wasn’t even one-fourth full.
An RBI single by Zobrist and a three-run homer by Burrell staked the Rays to a 4-0 lead in the first, and Tampa Bay added a third-inning run when Zobrist tripled and scored on a single by Burrell.
“It’s definitely on me for not being able to hold that lead,” Niemann said.
Baltimore closed to 5-2 in the bottom half on Roberts’ record-breaking RBI double and a run-scoring grounder by Nick Markakis.
Izturis singled in a run in the fourth, and the Orioles chased Niemann during a three-run fifth that included a run-scoring groundout by Scott and Wieters’ two-run single.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria grounded into his AL-high 27th double play. For only the third time in 21 starts, Berken had three perfect innings. Orioles CF Felix Pie returned after missing three games with back spasms. He went 1 for 4, scored a run and made a couple of nice running catches (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 8, Orioles 4 (Game #144) [73-71]

2009-09-14T11:43:00.000-04:00

Having finally rid themselves of an embarrassing losing streak that ended their playoff hopes, the Tampa Bay Rays can turn their attention toward concluding the season on a positive note.
Using a 15-hit attack and an effective pitching performance by David Price, the Rays snapped their 11-game skid Monday night with an 8-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
Tampa avoided becoming the first World Series team in history to lose 12 in a row the following year. Rookie Reid Brignac had a career-high four hits—his first big league homer, two doubles and a single—and B.J. Upton also connected for the Rays in their first win since Sept. 2 against Boston.
“Sleep is more tranquil, food tastes better and I like my dog a whole lot more,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said.
Held to eight runs in their previous seven games, the Rays equaled that amount by the fifth inning. Tampa Bay, which batted .183 during its 11-game skid, hadn’t had as many as 15 hits in a game since Aug. 24 against Toronto.
“It’s important. All this, the whole world revolves around confidence, and our confidence definitely took a hit by these last two weeks,” Maddon said. “We have to regenerate our confidence. As we do that, we’re going to start winning.”
Price (8-7) gave up four runs, three earned, and seven hits in seven innings. The left-hander allowed four runs and four hits in the first inning, then settled down. He retired 13 straight at one point.
“I tried to keep us where we were at, and the offense obviously did a great job tonight and fought back,” Price said. “It kind of gives me a redo. It was very appreciated by me, obviously.”
Orioles rookie David Hernandez (4-8) was staked with a 4-1 lead but immediately gave it away and fell to 0-4 in his last six starts. The right-hander yielded five runs and nine hits, including two homers, in three-plus innings. He has surrendered nine home runs over his last 9 2-3 innings.
“It’s easy right now to lose confidence,” Hernandez said. “But I have three starts left and there is still time to finish the season off on a good note.”
After Tampa Bay got a first-inning run on a sacrifice fly by Ben Zobrist, Baltimore took a 4-1 lead in the bottom half. Price retired the first two batters, then allowed RBI singles to Melvin Mora, Matt Wieters and Luke Scott before another run scored on a throwing error by third baseman Evan Longoria.
The Rays tied it in the second. Upton broke a 2-for-21 skid with a two-single and Brignac homered, a no-doubt drive to right on a 1-0 pitch, before Jason Bartlett and Carl Crawford hit successive doubles.
“The second inning was really unacceptable after you get two quick outs,” Hernandez said. “It’s really a downer.”
Especially because it allowed Price to recover from his shaky start.
“He probably felt the momentum change greatly to go on their side,” Price said. “Once we scored four and they go back out and score three, he’s got to say to himself, ‘Hey, I’ve got to go out there and shut them out because the game’s swinging back in our favor.’ And he did exactly what he had to do.”
Upton’s 10th homer gave Tampa Bay a 5-4 lead in the fourth, and a pair of Baltimore errors fueled a three-run fifth.
Brignac went 4 for 4 with a career-high three RBIs in his finest game as a major leaguer.
“I’m very excited, but I’m more happy that we got the win,” he said. “It got us back on the right path of where we were. It’s just good to come in and get that win. Now let’s see if we can continue on.”
Xtra, xtra: The Orioles have given up a first-inning run in six straight games and eight of the last nine. It was the first time in eight games that Tampa Bay scored more than two runs. Brignac’s homer came in his 67th at-bat. Mora played his 793rd game at third base, second-most in Orioles history behind Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson (2,870) (Associated Press - Sports).

Red Sox 4, Rays 0 (Game #143) [72-71]

2009-09-13T11:35:00.000-04:00

Jon Lester made the most of his second chance.
Two days after struggling in a game that was rained out, the Red Sox left-hander allowed two hits in eight innings and Boston beat Tampa Bay 4-0 on Sunday for a doubleheader sweep, handing the AL champion Rays their 11th consecutive loss.
Lester gave up hits to three of the first four batters Friday night but none of that counted when the game was called after he threw only 23 pitches. It was made up as the opener Sunday, a 3-1 Boston win.
“I was kind of surprised the way my body responded,” Lester said. “I figured I’d be a little more sore (Saturday) than I was.”
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said he wasn’t worried after Lester, who is 5-0 with a 2.26 ERA in his last 10 outings, told him Friday’s work was similar to a regular side session for a pitcher between starts.
“They’re creatures of habit and that’s not the way you draw it up,” Francona said. “He didn’t let it affect him.”
In the opener, Dustin Pedroia’s tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth sent Boston to a victory behind Clay Buchholz and two relievers.
Tampa Bay was eliminated from the AL East race one year after winning the division and reaching the World Series. The losing streak is the longest by a major league team this season.
“It’s embarrassing,” said James Shields, the second-game loser. “Eleven straight losses. Not fun at all. Whether we’re in the race or not, we’ve got to play better baseball.”
The Rays were outscored 16-2 and managed 14 hits in Boston’s three-game sweep. The AL wild-card leaders won 9-1 behind Josh Beckett in a game shortened by rain to five innings Saturday night.
“This whole week has been pretty much negative offense,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
Boston’s win in the second game of the split doubleheader was its 11th in 15 games and eighth straight at Fenway Park.
Lester (13-7) allowed only singles to Gabe Kapler in the second and Dioner Navarro in the eighth. He struck out seven, walked three and threw one wild pitch.
Shields (9-11) had a rare solid performance at Fenway, where he is 0-6 with an 8.04 ERA.
The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the second on a groundout by Mike Lowell that drove in J.D. Drew, who walked and went to third on David Ortiz’s double.
Boston scored twice in the sixth. Drew led off with a single and went to third on a double by Lowell. Both scored on Jason Varitek’s single, a hard shot that took a bad hop past first baseman Willie Aybar.
Jason Bay’s 32nd homer just inside the Pesky Pole in right made it 4-0 in the eighth.
Billy Wagner pitched the ninth for Boston, allowing two hits before striking out the final two batters.
For a change, there was no rain Sunday. Friday’s game was postponed after a delay of 2 hours, 20 minutes. The start of Saturday’s game was delayed for 2:05. Play was stopped in the top of the sixth due to heavy rain and the game was called 55 minutes later.
In Sunday’s opener, Buchholz allowed one run and five hits in seven innings before Hideki Okajima (6-0) pitched a perfect eighth. Jonathan Papelbon got three outs for his 36th save in 39 chances.
The 5-foot-9 Pedroia’s opposite-field power surprised even Francona.
Asked if he thought Pedroia could clear the fence in Fenway Park’s deep right field, Francona quickly said: “No.”
“You look up and they’re shading right field way in, so off the bat it looks like we’re going to get the run,” the manager said. “It just kept going. You saw his reaction. I don’t think he knew he could do it, either.”
Victor Martinez added an RBI single for Boston and blocked the plate on a tag play that prevented Tampa Bay from taking the lead.
“Pedroia hitting a home run to right field is the last thing you expected,” Maddon said.
Ortiz opened the eighth with a pinch-hit double off the base of the right-field wall against Matt Garza (7-10). Jacoby Ellsbury sacrificed and Pedroia drove a 2-0 pitch into the Rays’ bullpen for his 13th homer.
“They’ve been pitching me away a lot lately with high fastballs,” said Pedroia, the reigning AL MVP who hit 17 homers last season. “I just got a pitch out there and drove it. I was kind of joking with (David) that he hit the wall.”
Boston went up 1-0 on Martinez’s sixth-inning RBI single.
Tampa Bay tied it in the seventh on Jason Bartlett’s run-scoring single. Second baseman Pedroia fielded Bartlett’s hit behind the bag and threw wide to first, but Casey Kotchman cut down Gabe Gross as Martinez blocked the plate.
Buchholz held the Rays to five singles, walking three and striking out five. In his last three starts at Fenway, he’s given up just two runs and 10 hits in 22 1-3 innings.
Xtra, xtra: John Stockton threw out the ceremonial first pitch in the second game two nights after he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Red Sox RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka, on the disabled list since June 21 with a mild shoulder strain, turned 29. He is expected to start Tuesday against the Angels. Tampa Bay DH Pat Burrell is in a 1-for-19 slump. He was ejected as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of the second game after arguing a third strike (Associated Press - Sports).

Red Sox 3, Rays 1 (Game #142) [72-70]

2009-09-13T11:27:00.000-04:00

Red Sox 9, Rays 1 (Game #141) [72-69]

2009-09-12T14:30:00.000-04:00

Josh Beckett watched college football during a rain delay of more than 2 hours. Then he put on a show that Red Sox fans hadn’t seen in a month.
Boston’s ace got his first victory since Aug. 12, allowing one run on four hits, and Alex Gonzalez led an eight-run third inning as the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-1 in a game called by rain in the top of the sixth Saturday night.
“There was a different football game on every TV that you walked by so we stayed pretty busy,” before the game began 2 hours, 5 minutes late, Beckett said. “I’ve been through these situations enough to where I know that I can’t expend a lot of energy worrying about when the game is going to start.”
It was another encouraging sign for Beckett (15-6) after a four-game stretch in which he allowed 24 earned runs and 12 homers in 24 1-3 innings. His comeback began last Monday when he gave up three runs in seven innings in a 3-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox in which he retired his last 10 batters.
“Hopefully, that will bring his confidence up for his next start,” said Kevin Youkilis, who singled in a run in the third and hit his 25th homer of the year, a solo shot, in the fourth.
Beckett allowed just one single through four innings and two more in the fifth. The Rays’ final hit was a double by Evan Longoria leading off the sixth, the last batter before the field was covered during a pouring rain. After a 55-minute delay, the game was called at 11:54 p.m.
Boston increased its AL wild-card lead to 3 games over Texas, which lost to Seattle. Tampa Bay’s losing streak reached nine games.
For his last 2 1/2 games, the timing of Beckett’s delivery improved and he avoided overthrowing the ball which had led to poorly located pitches, pitching coach John Farrell said. On Saturday, he struck out four and walked one.
“That’s what I feel like I should do every time out,” said Beckett, whose five-game winless stretch was his longest since July 29-Aug. 19, 2006. “You’ve just got to keep grinding every day and things end up working out.”
There was no rain most of the time during the first delay, but forecasts showed improving conditions. Friday night’s game was postponed by rain after just 12 minutes of play that began after a delay of 2 hours, 20 minutes. It was rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader on Sunday.
Wade Davis (0-1) was shelled after an outstanding major league debut six days earlier when he left with a 3-1 lead after seven innings—he allowed three hits and one walk with nine strikeouts. But Detroit’s Brandon Inge hit a grand slam in the ninth off Russ Springer.
On Saturday, Davis retired the side in order in the first. He walked the first two batters in the second then struck out the last three. But he fell apart in the third when Gonzalez had two hits, two runs, three RBIs and a stolen base.
He didn’t blame the rain delay.
“I had to get ready and then not get ready and then get ready a couple times,” Davis said, “but it came down to I still felt good when I was out there and I didn’t execute.”
Gonzalez led off with a single, stole second and took third on Dustin Pedroia’s one-out single. Then Victor Martinez, Youkilis and David Ortiz hit consecutive RBI singles for a 3-0 lead.
Jason Bay followed with a walk, loading the bases, and Youkilis scored on a wild pitch. J.D. Drew then was walked intentionally, reloading the bases, and Gonzalez cleared them with a double.
Dale Thayer replaced Davis and allowed an RBI single by Jacoby Ellsbury inside the first-base line that gave Beckett an 8-0 cushion.
“You can’t give up that many runs in an inning and expect to beat him,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s going to put it on cruise control.”
The rain resumed in the top of the fifth, but play continued as Tampa Bay scored its only run.
With one out, Akinori Iwamura singled, only the second hit off Beckett. Dioner Navarro was hit on the foot by a pitch and Jason Bartlett singled in a run before Carl Crawford flied out to end the fifth.
“It was a long day,” Boston manager Terry Francona said, “but it was a productive day.”
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay is 12-18 since Aug. 7 after going 52-34 from April 30 to Aug. 5. Martinez extended his hitting streak to 13 games, a stretch in which he is batting .356 (16 for 45). Youkilis went 2 for 2 with a walk and is hitting .400 in his last 13 games (18 for 45). Tampa Bay’s Fernando Perez made a twisting catch in deep center field but struck out in both his at-bats. Boston won its sixth straight home game (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays vs. Red Sox - Postponed!

2009-09-11T14:26:00.001-04:00

Rain out! Doubleheader on Sunday.

Yankees 4, Rays 2 (Game #140) [72-68]

2009-09-09T14:20:00.000-04:00

Derek Jeter stood at first base and waved his batting helmet, cheers resonating from the upper reaches of a packed Yankee Stadium.
After tying Lou Gehrig atop the Yankees hit list, the ever-confident captain suddenly wasn’t so sure of himself.
“I really didn’t know what to do because we were losing at the time and I didn’t want to disrespect Tampa,” Jeter said. “I never dreamt about all of this.”
Jeter broke out of his slump in a big way Wednesday night, getting three hits to match Gehrig’s franchise mark, and New York rallied for a 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays thanks to a three-run homer by pinch-hitter Jorge Posada in the eighth inning.
Jeter tied Gehrig with 2,721 hits in a Yankees uniform, a mark the Hall of Famer had held by himself for more than 70 years.
“He’s one of the classiest people to ever play this game,” Jeter said during an on-field, postgame television interview pumped over the stadium public address system. “It’s just kind of mind-boggling to have my name next to his.”
Moments after Posada’s homer, Jeter received a booming ovation as he stepped to the plate in the eighth with a chance to break the record. But he walked against reliever Grant Balfour, bringing a loud chorus of boos from the crowd.
The Yankees are off Thursday. Jeter gets his next chance to set the record Friday night at home against Baltimore.
“I have a pretty good feeling that it’s going to happen pretty quickly,” manager Joe Girardi said.
Shut down by rookie Jeff Niemann most of the night, the Yankees completed a four-game sweep and sent the AL champion Rays to their eighth consecutive loss. It’s their longest skid since dropping eight straight in July 2007.
Already on their feet in anticipation, fans at Yankee Stadium let loose with a roar when Jeter’s sharp grounder inside the first-base line got by a diving Chris Richard in the seventh.
Jeter’s parents, watching from an upstairs box between home plate and first base, raised their arms and exclaimed in excitement.
“I felt proud. I got goose bumps,” Posada said. “It was a perfect moment.”
Jeter took off his helmet and twice waved it to the crowd of 45,848 during an ovation that lasted about 2 minutes. Rays players and coaches clapped as Jeter stood at first base.
“I’m very happy for him,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “He carries himself in a manner that’s worthy of passing Gehrig.”
After entering the game in an 0-for-12 slump, his longest hitless stretch this season, Jeter snapped out of the rut with a bunt single toward third base leading off the bottom of the first. He beat the play without a throw, bringing a standing ovation from the crowd.
“That’s why I bunted in the first inning. I needed to get one hit, right?” Jeter said.
With cameras flashing all around the ballpark on every pitch to Jeter, he grounded out in the third and drove a ground-rule double to straightaway center in the fifth.
On his first chance to tie Gehrig, Jeter came through in fitting fashion— with an opposite-field hit on the first pitch.
“I don’t want to say it was a relief,” Jeter said. “Afterward I was pretty excited that I was able to do it tonight.”
In the middle of the eighth inning, the large video board in center field showed a replay and flashed “Congratulations Derek!”
“What an ovation I got from the fans,” he said. “I’ve been trying to do it for them.”
Jeter also stole second base in the first inning for his 300th career steal, which ranks second on the franchise list behind Rickey Henderson (326).
Gehrig’s final hit came on April 29, 1939, a single against the Washington Senators. The Iron Horse had held the club record for hits since Sept. 6, 1937, when he passed Babe Ruth.
Gehrig’s career ended suddenly in 1939 because of illness. Two years later, he died at 37 from the disease that would later bear his name.
A key throwing error by Richard helped the Yankees rally in the eighth. Posada, one of Jeter’s best buddies, connected off Balfour with one out to give New York a 4-2 lead and raised his arm as he rounded first base.
“It would be tough to lose a game when he ties Lou Gehrig, so we needed to win this one,” Posada said.
Jonathan Albaladejo (5-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
With star closer Mariano Rivera getting a night off, Phil Coke struck out pinch-hitter Gabe Kapler with a runner on for his second save.
Lance Cormier (2-3) took the loss.
With the Yankees limiting Joba Chamberlain’s workload this season, the 23-year-old right-hander was pulled after three innings for the third straight start.
Xtra, xtra: Jeter was back at shortstop after a night as the DH. B.J. Upton (sprained left ankle) started in CF for the Rays but was lifted in the sixth and replaced by Fernando Perez. Jason Bartlett drove Chamberlain’s fourth pitch to left for his second homer in two games and second career leadoff shot. Both have come this season at Yankee Stadium (Associated Press - Sports).

Yankees 3, Rays 2 (Game #139) [72-67]

2009-09-08T14:08:00.001-04:00

Nick Swisher gladly filled in for a silent Derek Jeter.
Swisher launched his second home run of the game Tuesday night, hitting a one-out shot in the ninth inning that barely cleared the wall and gave the New York Yankees a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay. The Rays lost their season-high seventh in a row.
“When you’re going into the late innings like that, it’s hard not to think about hitting a home run to win the game,” the ever-chatty Swisher said.
Jeter, meanwhile, struck out three times and remained stuck in his longest slump of the year, moving no closer to the Yankees hit record held by Lou Gehrig.
Rays rookie David Price fanned Jeter his first three times up, twice looking. The Yankees star had nothing to show for four at-bats, leaving him in an 0 for 12 rut and still four hits from surpassing Gehrig’s total of 2,721.
Jeter wasn’t available for postgame interviews. He usually stays around for comment, but this time left after his first three-strikeout game since July 2008.
“I’ve never seen him press before, so I don’t know what it looks like,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s taking a lot of ribbing from this teammates. I’m sure it’s on his mind. I think he wants to put this behind him.”
Mariano Rivera (2-2) pitched a perfect ninth as the Yankees won for the 12th time in 15 games and got their major league-leading 90th win of the season, surpassing last year’s total.
The Yankees have won 13 times in game-ending fashion, the most for them since 1978.
“Walkoffs here are like base hits and bunts,” starting pitcher Chad Gaudin said.
The switch-hitting Swisher connected from both sides of the plate. He won it with a left-handed shot off Dan Wheeler (4-4) that barely made it over the right-field wall.
“The inches have been going against us,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “This is pretty much the script of the last three weeks.”
Swisher homered in the second and Alex Rodriguez had an RBI single in the sixth. Swisher has three multihomer games this season—he connected lefty and righty each time. Of Swisher’s 26 homers this season, only five have come at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium.
“Just being the new guy over here … it’s nice to make memories of our own,” he said.
Jason Bartlett greeted Yankees reliever Phil Hughes with a leadoff home run in the eighth, tying it at 2. Evan Longoria hit his 30th homer the previous inning off Gaudin.
Plagued by deep pitch counts earlier in the year, Price came out throwing strikes. He gave up only three hits in six innings, walked two and struck out six.
Randy Choate retired Jeter on a lineout leading off the eighth, then made the defensive play of the game. The sidearming lefty tracked down Johnny Damon’s drag bunt, lunged for the ball and flipped it with his glove while falling forward for the out.
Gaudin took a 2-0 lead into the seventh. His winless streak reached 10 starts, before he was traded from San Diego to the Yankees in early August.
Gaudin helped himself by picking off speedster Carl Crawford at first base with a quick move in the sixth. Crawford also got trapped after a triple in the opening inning, taking off on Longoria’s grounder and getting tagged out in a rundown.
Jeter’s parents watched from an upstairs box, and they saw their son go hitless in three straight games for the first time this season.
A day after moving past Yogi Berra into third place for most games played as a Yankee, Jeter joked with the Hall of Famer catcher in the clubhouse.
“I got more rings than him, that’s what counts,” Berra kidded. “He’s still a baby.”
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay slugger Carlos Pena, who broke two fingers Monday when hit by a pitch from CC Sabathia, met with a hand specialist. He hasn’t made a decision on whether to have surgery. Jeter has struck out four times in a game twice. Curt Schilling fanned him four times in 1997 with Philadelphia (Associated Press - Sports).

Yankees 11, Rays 1 (Game #138) [72-66]

2009-09-07T23:59:00.000-04:00

Derek Jeter got a standing ovation—when he came on the field for his pregame wind sprints at the start of a very long day. He didn’t give fans more to cheer about, failing to gain ground on Lou Gehrig.
Jeter went 0 for 8 with a walk and remained three hits behind the Iron Horse as the New York Yankees swept a day-night doubleheader from the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 and 11-1 Monday.
“You’d like to get it over with,” Jeter said. “Hopefully, tomorrow will be a little bit better.”
After a sparkling seven-inning pitcher’s duel between CC Sabathia and Matt Garza in the opener, Robinson Cano hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in a three-run eighth. Mark Teixeira had a three-run homer in an eight-run third that broke open the second game and added a solo shot, boosting A.J. Burnett (11-8) to his first win since July 27.
New York had 24 hits, but none by Jeter on a day that ended with a spring-training-like slew of late-innings substitutes.
Flashes went off throughout the stadium whenever he came to the plate. Limited to a tying RBI grounder in the third, he came out for a pinch runner in the sixth inning of the second game and stayed stuck at 2,718 hits, leaving Gehrig to hold the team record for another day.
“You think about it, because that’s all you’re hearing about, especially when you’re on deck,” he said.
Jeter did surpass another Yankees great—with 2,117 games, he jumped ahead of Yogi Berra for third on the Yankees list behind only Mickey Mantle (2,401) and Gehrig (2,164).
New York (89-50) has won 11 of 14, matched last year’s victory total with more than 3 1/2 weeks to play and is 39 games over .500 for the first time since 2004. The Yankees opened a season-high nine-game AL East lead over second-place Boston and moved 6 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for best record in the AL—and homefield throughout the postseason.
“We’ve been on quite a roll here for quite some time, and you want to continue it because we still haven’t won anything. We haven’t clinched anything,” Jeter said.
Fading Tampa Bay has lost six straight, its longest skid since dropping seven from July 7-13 last year. Making matters worse, slugger Carlos Pena broke two fingers on his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the opener. Because he swung, he didn’t even get to first base.
“I knew when the ball hit me it was going to be bad,” he said. “You don’t take a 95 mph fastball on the finger and live to tell about it—or the finger live to tell about it.”
The All-Star first baseman, who may need surgery, leads the AL with 39 homers and finished with 100 RBIs.
“It’s very discouraging,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He was swinging the bat about as well as anyone I’ve seen this season.”
Sabathia matched his season high with 10 strikeouts and allowed one run, three hits and four walks. He is 6-0 with 2.31 ERA in eight starts since 6-2 loss at Tampa Bay on July 28.
Garza gave up only an unearned run, five hits and a walk, striking out seven. Even though his opponents’ batting average of .233 coming in was the best in the AL, he is 0-2 in eight starts since July 24.
“All I can do is go out there and pitch as well as I can,” he said.
Phil Hughes (6-3) pitched the eighth and Mariano Rivera, out since Sept. 1 with a sore left groin, struck out two in finishing the three-hitter for his 39th save in 40 chances.
“It responded real well,” Rivera said. “I’m not worried about it.”
Burnett watched Sabathia, then gave up one run, four hits and three walks in six innings, striking out eight. He had been 0-4 with 6.54 ERA in seven starts since winning at Tampa Bay on July 27.
“Any time you get to pitch behind that big man, you know, you want to put up his numbers,” Burnett said. “You just get inspired.”
Lance Cormier (2-2) lost the opener, dropping Tampa Bay’s bullpen to 2-9 since Aug. 6. Andy Sonnanstine (6-9) was pounded for eight runs, eight hits and three walks in 2 2-3 innings of the night game, inflating his ERA to 7.23.
“My arm was dragging. I couldn’t catch up,” Sonnanstine said. “Definitely today was probably one of the worst days of my life.”
Xtra, xtra: Nick Swisher was hit on the left elbow by pitch from Jeff Bennett on a swing in the sixth inning of the night game. While announced attendance for the night makeup of a June 5 rainout was 45,953, the turnstile count was 35,128. Jorge Posada caught Sabathia for the first time since Aug. 18. Teixeira has three multihomer games this season, 24 overall. Tampa Bay is 1-7-7 in doubleheaders. Jose Molina (three hits, two walks in Game 2) reached base five times in a game for the first time in his career (Associated Press - Sports).

Yankees 4, Rays 1 (Game #137) [72-65]

2009-09-07T22:24:00.005-04:00

Derek Jeter got a standing ovation—when he came on the field for his pregame wind sprints. He didn’t give fans more to cheer about, failing to gain ground on Lou Gehrig.
Jeter went 0 for 4 and remained three hits behind the Iron Horse as the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in the opener of Monday’s day-night doubleheader. After a sparkling pitcher’s duel between CC Sabathia and Matt Garza, Robinson Cano hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in a three-run eighth inning.
“I think everybody’s excited,” Sabathia said, “and wants to see him get that record.”
Applauded ahead of every at-bat, Jeter stayed stuck at 2,718 hits. He did match another Yankees great—the first game was his 2,116st, tying Yogi Berra for third on the Yankees list behind only Mickey Mantle (2,401) and Lou Gehrig (2,164).
“I’m sure he wants to get this behind him so he doesn’t have to talk about it,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Fading Tampa Bay lost its fifth straight, equaling its season high. Making matters worse, slugger Carlos Pena broke two fingers on his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the first. Because he swung, he didn’t even get to take first base.
“I knew when the ball hit me it was going to be bad,” he said. “You don’t take a 95 mph fastball on the finger and live to tell about it—or the finger live to tell about it.”
Pena was to return to Florida and meet with the Rays medical staff before a determination was made whether he needs surgery. He leads the AL with 39 homers and finished with 100 RBIs.
“It’s very discouraging,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He was swinging the bat about as well as anyone I’ve seen this season.”
New York went ahead off Lance Cormier (2-2), dropping Tampa Bay’s bullpen to 2-9 since Aug. 6.
Nick Swisher walked leading off the eighth and took third when Mark Teixeira singled and Gabe Kapler bobbled the ball. Kapler then hit Swisher with the throw for an error that allowed Teixeira to advance. After an intentional walk to Alex Rodriguez, Cano hit a flyout to center that scored pinch-runner Jerry Hairston Jr. Chad Bradford allowed Jorge Posada’s RBI single off the right-field wall and Eric Hinske’s sacrifice fly.
“I didn’t catch the ball cleanly. Then it came up and bounced away,” Kapler said. “My responsibility. I should have handled it.”
Sabathia matched his season high with 10 strikeouts and allowed one run, three hits and four walks in seven innings. He is 6-0 with 2.31 ERA in eight starts since 6-2 loss at Tampa Bay on July 28.
Garza gave up only an unearned run, five hits and a walk in seven innings, striking out seven. Even though his opponents’ batting average of .233 coming in was the best in the AL, he is 0-2 in eight starts since July 24.
“All I can do is go out there and pitch as well as I can,” he said.
Phil Hughes (6-3) pitched the eighth and Mariano Rivera, out since Sept. 1 with a sore left groin, struck out two in finishing the three-hitter for his 39th save in 40 chances.
“It responded real well,” Rivera said. “I’m not worried about it.”
Rodriguez lined a two-out double past left fielder Fernando Perez in the first that scored Teixeira, who reached when second baseman Ben Zobrist misplayed his grounder for an error. Evan Longoria tied the score in the second with his career-best 29th homer, a drive into the first row of the right-field seats.
Brett Gardner, activated before the opener, made a sliding, backhand catch on Perez in right-center field in the fifth with a runner on first, saving a run. The speedy center fielder had been on the disabled list since breaking his left thumb on July 25
“It’s a different game if that ball falls,” Girardi said.
Xtra, xtra: A.J. Burnett, 0-4 in seven starts since winning at Tampa Bay on July 27, was to pitch the second game for the Yankees against Andy Sonnanstine. The doubleheader was caused by a June 5 rainout. Posada caught Sabathia for the first time since Aug. 18. Carl Crawford was thrown out by Posada trying to steal second on a pitchout in the eighth. Maddon argued—replays weren’t clear cut. New York is 15-0 when tied after seven innings—the longest such streak at the start of a season in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (Associated Press - Sports).

Tigers 5, Rays 3 (Game #136) [72-64]

2009-09-06T12:24:00.000-04:00

Brandon Inge struck out in each of his first three at-bats Sunday. Then, one swing changed everything.
Inge hit a grand slam in the ninth inning and the Detroit Tigers picked apart Tampa Bay’s bullpen in a 5-3 victory over the Rays that completed a three-game sweep.
“It’s one of those days where I couldn’t really figure out why I was missing,” Inge said. “I felt like I was taking good swings all day. As long as you can remember that that very last at-bat is going to be one that can make a huge difference in the game, put all of your previous at-bats aside because it’s the last one that’s very important.”
Detroit earned its sixth consecutive win and opened a seven-game lead over Minnesota in the AL Central.
After Rays starter Wade Davis pitched seven sharp innings in his major league debut, Detroit overcame a 3-1 lead when Tampa Bay used five relievers in the ninth. Inge capped the comeback, connecting with one out against Russ Springer (0-3) for his fifth career slam.
“He did a great job,” Springer said of Davis. “It makes it worse to ruin his first start. It was bad in a couple different ways. It wasn’t that bad of a pitch. It was on the outside corner. I know he’s a hook guy, but on paper he’s supposed to hit the ball to second. He got it.”
Edwin Jackson (12-6) allowed three runs and six hits in eight innings for Detroit. Brandon Lyon pitched the ninth for his third save.
“He gave up that three-spot, but I thought he was tremendous,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of Jackson. “That’s what gave us a chance to win the ballgame.”
Evan Longoria hit his career-high 28th homer for the Rays, who have lost eight of 11 and fell seven back of wild card-leading Boston. The 2008 AL Rookie of the Year joined teammate Carlos Pena in reaching 100 RBIs, marking the first time two Tampa Bay players have reached that total in the same year.
Davis allowed one run and three hits with nine strikeouts and one walk. Taken in the third round of the 2004 draft, the native of nearby Lake Wales, Fla., pitched a day before his 24th birthday.
“Everybody wants to win,” said Davis, who watched the ninth in the clubhouse. “I gave them a chance.”
Davis struck out his first four batters before Aubrey Huff homered to put the Tigers ahead 1-0 in the second. The right-hander then closed out the second with two more strikeouts.
Lance Cormier pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings, striking out Carlos Guillen to start the ninth. Manager Joe Maddon then brought in Grant Balfour, who walked Miguel Cabrera.
Struggling closer J.P. Howell entered and walked pinch-hitter Marcus Thames, the only batter he faced. Springer took over and gave up a single to Magglio Ordonez before Inge’s 27th homer of the season. Randy Choate got the last two outs.
Maddon said the ninth-inning matchups were established before the inning.
“Obviously the two walks can’t happen,” he said. “The walks really turned that game around.”
Tampa Bay’s bullpen is 2-8 with eight blown saves in the last 28 games.
Longoria homered in the second and Tampa Bay added two more in the third. Dioner Navarro scored on Carl Crawford’s double-play grounder and Fernando Perez came home on Jackson’s wild pitch.
Xtra, xtra: Jackson, traded from Tampa Bay to Detroit during the offseason, received his 2008 AL championship ring from the Rays on Saturday. He went 14-11 last season. Davis’ nine strikeouts set a team record for a rookie in his first game. Tigers closer Fernando Rodney, who threw 35 pitches on Friday, rested for the second straight game. Leyland plans to talk with RHP Armando Galarraga, whose spot in the rotation might be in jeopardy. A group of Detroit players enjoyed watching Leyland drive RHP Jeremy Bonderman’s remote-control, high-speed mini-car in the outfield before the game. “We both flipped it,” Leyland said (Associated Press - Sports).

Tigers 8, Rays 6 (Game #135) [72-63]

2009-09-05T12:46:00.000-04:00

The Detroit Tigers dug themselves out of an early hole for a satisfying victory.
Pinch-hitter Marcus Thames came through with a tiebreaking single during a two-run eighth inning and Alex Avila had a two-run homer to lead the streaking Tigers past the Tampa Bay Rays 8-6 on Saturday night.
Detroit, which overcame a three-run deficit, went ahead 8-6 when Thames hit a bases-loaded single and Adam Everett drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt. The AL Central leaders, who also got a homer from Placido Polanco, have won five in a row.
“That’s how you win games in the playoffs,” Avila said. “When you get everybody contributing, you can’t ask for anything better than that.”
Detroit’s bullpen was stellar, with six relievers holding the defending AL champions to four hits over 6 2-3 scoreless innings.
“The bullpen kept the wind in our sails,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland. “The bullpen gave us confidence.”
Detroit used 23 players overall.
“I’m drained,” Leyland said.
Evan Longoria hit his 27th homer—matching the total from his AL Rookie of the Year season in 2008—for the Rays, who have lost seven of 10. Tampa Bay remained six games behind Boston for the wild card.
“That’s been too much of the script, that we’ve been able to play well and then we’ve given up some stuff late,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “We’ve had a little bit of a hiccup.”
Avila hit a two-run shot and Polanco added an RBI single in the seventh to tie it 6-all.
Bobby Seay (5-2) got two outs for the win and Brandon Lyon worked the ninth for his second save. Rays reliever Grant Balfour (5-4) took the loss.
Longoria had a three-run homer during a four-run first off Armando Galarraga as the Rays took a 4-1 lead.
Carlos Pena became the first Tampa Bay player to have 100 RBIs or more in three seasons with a run-scoring single in a two-run third that made it 6-3. Pena has 23 RBIs over his last 15 games.
Polanco hit a first-inning solo homer before Carlos Guillen pulled Detroit to 4-3 on a two-run triple in the third.
Galarraga, recalled from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day to pitch in place of injured Jarrod Washburn, allowed six runs, four hits and three walks in 2 1-3 innings. Washburn, slowed by a sore left knee, is scheduled to start Thursday at Kansas City.
Leyland expressed concerns about Galarraga’s arm slot and planned to talk with pitching coach Rick Knapp about it.
Tigers right-hander Jeremy Bonderman (blood clot), who last pitched in the majors on June 8, gave up one hit, one walk and had two strikeouts in 1 2-3 scoreless innings.
“It just feels good to get out there,” Bonderman said. “It’s good to be part of it. Get in there and pitch in a little bit and do whatever I can to help these guys get to the playoffs.”
James Shields allowed six runs and eight hits over 6 1-3 innings. The Rays’ opening-day starter is winless—including five losses—over his last 10 starts at home, dating to June 4.
With a postgame concert featuring The Beach Boys, the announced crowd was a sellout of 36,973. In comparison, the Rays’ three-game series Tuesday through Thursday against Boston averaged 19,221.
Xtra, xtra: Leyland visited close friend and Rays senior adviser Don Zimmer, who is recovering after successful surgery for decompression of a nerve in his lower back on Wednesday. Zimmer could be released from the hospital in the next few days. Rays CF B.J. Upton (sprained left ankle) might start one game of Monday’s doubleheader at the New York Yankees. Tigers closer Fernando Rodney, who allowed two runs and threw 35 pitches in the ninth inning of Friday’s 4-3 win over the Rays, was rested and might get Sunday off, too. Detroit LHP Dontrelle Willis (anxiety disorder) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings for Toledo against Columbus (Associated Press - Sports).

Tigers 4, Rays 3 (Game #134) [72-62]

2009-09-04T12:41:00.000-04:00

Justin Verlander got his 16th win of the season— barely.
Verlander tied New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia for the AL lead in victories, Adam Everett hit a tiebreaking RBI single during a three-run ninth and the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Friday night.
Verlander (16-7) allowed one run and four hits over eight innings. He has won three consecutive starts.
“I’m not worried about 16, I’m worried about one, and that’s today,” Verlander said. “And even if I didn’t get the win today, if we came away with the ‘W’ I’d be more than happy.”
The Tigers expanded their lead to six games over Minnesota, which lost 5-2 to Cleveland.
Detroit closer Fernando Rodney allowed two runs in the bottom half of the ninth before nailing down his 32nd save.
Carlos Pena hit an RBI single with one out and Evan Longoria drove in another run with a double before pinch-hitter Willy Aybar grounded out with runners on second and third.
During the postgame celebration on the field, Rodney threw the game ball toward the stands and it ended up in the press box. No one was hit by the ball, which Rodney said he was throwing to the fans.
“Feeling the moment,” Rodney said. “A little celebration.”
Detroit manager Jim Leyland said he didn’t see the throw, but planned to check into it. Rodney, after making 35 pitches, will not pitch on Saturday.
“I think he was a little more sluggish than normal,” Leyland said. “I’m going to give him a day off for sure. He deserves it.”
Tampa Bay rookie Jeff Niemann, who has a team-best 12 wins, gave up one run and six hits in 7 2-3 innings. The Rays, six games behind Boston in the AL Wild-card race, have lost six of nine.
“Verlander and Niemann were the key,” Leyland said. “They were both brilliant.”
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon feels Niemann should be the AL rookie of the league.
“I don’t know who is better right now,” Maddon said. “He’s been fantastic.”
Pinch hitter Ryan Raburn opened the ninth by drawing a walk from J.P. Howell (7-5) and went to second one out later when pinch hitter Marcus Thames walked. Everett then gave the Tigers a 2-1 advantage when he lined a single to left on the first pitch.
Curtis Granderson had a run-scoring single off Randy Choate and Placido Polanco hit a sacrifice fly against Russ Springer later in the ninth to make it 4-1.
“You want to quit and scream, but there’s tomorrow, too,” said Howell, who is 1-3 with a 6.42 ERA in his last 14 outings. “There’s another opportunity tomorrow for you to improve.”
Longoria put the Rays ahead 1-0 on an RBI double in the second.
Niemann retired 10 in a row before Miguel Cabrera tied it at 1 with a towering solo homer to left.
Tigers catcher Gerald Laird helped keep the speedy Rays in check, throwing out two runners attempting to steal second. Tampa Bay leads the majors with 169 stolen bases this season.
“He’s got to be the best thrower in the league right now,” Leyland said.
Xtra, xtra: Detroit has decided to have Verlander stay on his normal schedule and start Wednesday’s game at Kansas City. With an off day Monday, there was an option to give him an extra day of rest. Rays CF B.J. Upton (sprained left ankle) could return early next week. Leyland plans to have RHP Jeremy Bonderman (blood clot) make his first appearance in a low-leverage situation. Jackson, traded by Tampa Bay to Detroit during the offseason, is scheduled to start Sunday’s game against the Rays (Associated Press - Sports).

Red Sox 6, Rays 3 (Game #133) [72-61]

2009-09-03T12:35:00.000-04:00

Boston had rare road success in Florida at the perfect time.
Clay Buchholz pitched six effective innings, Jason Bay drove in two runs and the Red Sox hurt Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes with a 6-3 win over the Rays on Thursday night.
The Red Sox took 2 of 3 from the Rays—Boston’s first series win at Tropicana Field since Sept. 21-23, 2007—to extend their AL wild-card advantage over Tampa Bay to six games. Texas trails Boston by three games.
“This is a tough, tough place,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “I know we’ve had a run lately that hasn’t been very good, and I think part of that is they’re good. For us to win here, you have to play good games. Now you come down here and you’ve got to play clean baseball or you lose.”
Buchholz (4-3) allowed three runs and six hits. Bay, with 21 RBIs in his last 22 games, hit a two-run double that put the Red Sox ahead 2-0 in the first.
Evan Longoria had a run-scoring double for the Rays. The AL All-Star has 27 RBIs against the Red Sox this season. Since 1954, the most runs driven in against Boston during one season is 29, by Detroit Hall of Famer Al Kaline in 1959.
“Obviously you don’t want to lose any series, let alone one like this, but truth be told it’s one game,” Longoria said. “Disappointing, yeah, but we’re fortunate enough to be able to play tomorrow and still be in a race for the playoffs. The focus is come to the ballpark tomorrow and win that day.”
The announced crowd was 20,823, several thousand under the Rays’ home average of 23,992 starting the day. The three-games series drew just 57,663.
Boston took a 4-3 lead in the sixth when Mike Lowell hit a sacrifice fly. A run-scoring single by Victor Martinez and an RBI grounder from Kevin Youkilis made it 6-3 during the seventh.
Tampa Bay left-hander David Price (7-7), who had a win and save out of the bullpen when the Rays beat Boston in last year’s AL championship series, gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings.
“I just wasn’t very good. Period,” Price said. “Didn’t have command. Didn’t have my stuff. I wasn’t out there really mentally. When you’re going out there like that, you’re going to lose.”
Ben Zobrist hit an RBI single and Longoria drove in a run with double to tie it at 2 in the first.
Rocco Baldelli, a member of the 2008 Rays, put Boston up 3-2 on a second-inning solo homer. Tampa Bay pulled even at 3-all on Gregg Zaun’s RBI double in the fourth.
“The Rays play really well in this building, so to be able to come in here at any point and win a series is very big,” Baldelli said.
Billy Wagner and Daniel Bard each worked a scoreless inning before Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 34th save.
“I had those guys come in behind me that just slammed the door,” Buchholz said. “That’s a good feeling.”
Tampa Bay center fielder B.J. Upton left in the fifth with a sprained left ankle. He and left fielder Carl Crawford made contact on the warning track while going after Dustin Pedroia’s fly ball. Crawford caught the ball as Upton went down after taking an awkward step with his left ankle.
X-rays were negative, and Upton might miss just two or three games.
“I just rolled it,” Upton said. “When I’m able to play, I’m back out there. We’ll see how it goes the next couple day.”
Xtra, xtra: Boston CF Jacoby Ellsbury stole two bases and leads the majors with 58. Red Sox RHP Tim Wakefield (back) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session and might start Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. Francona said the plan is to have INF Jed Lowrie (left wrist) stay with Triple-A Pawtucket until the minor league season ends (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 8, Red Sox 5 (Game #132) [72-60]

2009-09-02T12:28:00.000-04:00

The Tampa Bay Rays keep finding ways to hang in the AL playoff race.
“You’re not always going to win. It’s not always going to be an oil painting,” manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday night after his team rebounded from a sloppy performance the previous day to beat Boston 8-5 and avoid falling farther behind the wild-card leading Red Sox.
“It’s about effort and intent,” Maddon added, “and I saw that the last two nights.”
Pat Burrell snapped an eighth-inning tie with a RBI single and Evan Longoria followed with a two-run homer, enabling the defending AL champions nudge back within five games of Boston in the wild-card standings.
J.P. Howell (7-4) pitched one inning to earn the victory, despite allowing the Red Sox to tie it 5-all in the eighth on a wild pitch with the bases loaded. Dan Wheeler got the final two outs for his second save.
Carlos Pena led off the bottom of the eighth with a double off Ramon Ramirez (7-4), then scored on Burrell’s single to right-center. Longoria hit his 26th homer—eighth against Boston this season—on reliever Manny Delcarmen’s first pitch.
“Every time we play the Red Sox, it’s kind of like this. … They’re playing for something, we’re playing for something. I love it. Our guys love it,” Maddon said.
“We’re in the mix of things,” Pena said. “It’s really exciting to think about the upcoming games that we have. We’re very optimistic.”
Burrell and Carl Crawford hit solo homers off Red Sox ace Josh Beckett, who gave up five runs and seven hits while striking out nine in six innings. The Rays led 5-1 before the Red Sox scored twice in the fourth and once in the seventh to get back in the game.
Jason Bay, David Ortiz, J.D. Drew and Victor Martinez drove in runs off Rays starter Matt Garza, who allowed four runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings but was unable to get his first win since July 24—a stretch of seven starts.
Boston pulled even in the eighth, loading the bases on three walks before scoring on Howell’s wild pitch. The Red Sox were unable to get the others home, though, and finished 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
“We got it tied,” Boston manager Terry Francona said, “and it got away.”
Tampa Bay, which dropped a season-high six games behind the Red Sox on Tuesday night, leads the season series between the teams 9-5, including a 6-2 advantage at Tropicana Field. The Rays also trail Texas by 2 1-2 games in the wild-card race.
“They play us tough. I think selfishly when we won (Tuesday night) it was kind of a safety net knowing the worst we could do is give up one game,” Bay said.
“That’s a good team and they always play us tough, so I think it’s a just a little reminder that it ain’t over yet. Ultimately, we still like the spot we’re in.”
Although he settled after a rocky first three innings, Beckett has not pitched well the past month, allowing 14 homers over his last five starts after giving up 10 in his first 22 starts of the season.
During that stretch, the right-hander’s yielded 27 runs in 31 1-3 innings.
“We lost. There’s not a lot of positives out of it,” Beckett said. “Obviously the big inning was the second inning. I thought I made some adjustments after that.”
Crawford homered in the first and Burrell went deep in the second, when Tampa Bay also scored on Akinori Iwamura’s RBI single and B.J. Upton’s sacrifice bunt, which first baseman Victor Martinez fielded and threw to the plate too late to keep Gregg Zaun from scoring from third.
Zaun’s RBI double made it 5-1 in the third.
Boston scored on Bay’s RBI triple in the second, then added two more in the fourth on Drew’s run-scoring single and Ortiz’s RBI grounder. The Red Sox trimmed their deficit to 5-4 when Martinez singled with two outs in the seventh to finish Garza.
“For some reason the last two starts, I just haven’t had that late life,” Garza said. “I have to figure out how to get it back. That’s all there is to it.”
Xtra, xtra: Ortiz has 100 career RBI’s against the Rays. The Rays promoted RHP Wade Davis from Triple-A Durham to make his major league debut against Detroit on Sunday. Rays senior advisor Don Zimmer had successful surgery for decompression of a nerve in his lower back. He is expected to be released from the hospital later this week and Dr. Tom Tolli expects a full recovery in six to eight weeks (Associated Press - Sports).

Red Sox 8, Rays 4 (Game #131) [71-60]

2009-09-01T10:03:00.000-04:00

The Boston Red Sox didn’t take any chances.
With a seemingly comfortable lead slipping away in the eighth inning Tuesday night, manager Terry Francona asked Jonathan Papelbon to work overtime to finish off an 8-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
“The way the inning was unfolding, it looked like the game was going to be won or lost in the eighth,” Francona said after his closer bailed the AL wild-card leaders out of a jam and then pitched a perfect ninth for his 33rd save.
“He got out of it with no runs, which is kind of hard to do. He felt good enough to go back out and have a crisp ninth. So, it worked out about as well as it could.”
Papelbon entered with two runs in and the bases loaded with no outs and shut down the AL champions with help from a diving catch by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who snared Jason Bartlett’s sinking liner before scrambling to his feet to keep a runner from tagging up at third.
“That,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said, “is a do-or-die play.”
Papelbon, who struck out B.J. Upton for the first out, got Carl Crawford to foul out to end the inning. The save was his fifth of more than one inning.
“Those are pressure situations. The guy that’s the coolest will come out on top,” Papelbon said. “You get into situations like that, it boils down to focus. It’s a focus thing.”
The victory was the 11th in 14 games for Boston, which got a rare win at Tropicana Field to drop Tampa Bay a season-high six games behind the wild-card leaders.
Just as discouraging for the Rays, who also trail Texas in the wild-card standings, was the announced crowd of 17,692—less than half the capacity at Tropicana Field and 11,755 less than the teams averaged for six previous meetings in the domed stadium this season.
The Red Sox, who lost to the Rays in a seven-game AL championship series last year, remained 6 1/2 games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East.
The Rays vowed to battle back.
“I’m not frustrated at all,” Maddon said, adding that he could not fault his team’s effort.
“They beat us. We made some mistakes. It happens,” he said. “What’s that game time—7:08 tomorrow night? We’ll show up. I promise you.”
Jon Lester (11-7) allowed two runs and seven hits, walked one and struck out nine in six innings. He gave up an RBI single and solo homer to Carlos Pena, who hit his AL-leading 39th leading off the fourth.
Francona said Lester left with tightness in his groin, but the manager didn’t think it was serious.
Bay hit his 30th homer, a solo shot in the fourth off Andy Sonnanstine (6-8), who returned from a two-month stint in the minor leagues to—at least for the moment—fill the opening in Tampa Bay’s rotation created by the trade that sent Scott Kazmir to the Los Angeles Angels.
Drew hit a two-run homer off the Rays starter in the fourth. Youkilis had a sacrifice fly off Sonnanstine and hit his 23rd homer off Dan Wheeler to increase Boston’s lead to 7-2 in the eighth.
Billy Wagner pitched a perfect seventh in his second appearance for the Red Sox since being acquired from the New York Mets last week, but the Rays made it interesting in the eighth against Hideki Okajima.
All five batters Okajima faced reached base, with Pat Burrell and Dioner Navarro delivering RBI singles to trim Tampa Bay’s deficit to 7-4. Francona then turned to Papelbon an inning earlier than usual.
Boston won for just the second time in seven games at Tropicana Field this year. The Red Sox are 3-13 in the Rays’ ballpark over the past two regular seasons.
Sonnanstine made his first big league start since beating Philadelphia on June 25. He had the highest ERA (6.61) in the majors when he was demoted to the minors two days later, and was 1-7 with an 8.22 ERA in nine road starts.
The right-hander had been much sharper at home (5-0, 4.54 ERA) before Tuesday night, although a pair of fielding errors—one by second baseman Akinori Iwamura, and the other by first baseman Pena—set up a pair of Boston runs.
“It’s a tough game. Errors are going to happen,” Sonnanstine said. “I need to do a little bit better job of stopping the floodgates from opening.”
Xtra, xtra: Ellsbury’s RBI triple in the ninth made it 8-4. Lester struck out the side in the second, hiking his season total to 191—a record for a Red Sox left-hander. He finished with 196. Bruce Hurst fanned 190 for Boston in 1987. Bay reached 30 homers for the fourth time. Pena has four homers in 26 career at-bats against Lester (Associated Press - Sports.)

Rays 11, Tigers 7 (Game #130) [71-59]

2009-08-31T09:58:00.000-04:00

Carlos Pena and the Tampa Bay Rays headed into September on a high note.
Next up, a key series against the Boston Red Sox.
Pena hit his AL-best 38th homer and drove in four runs to help the Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 11-7 on Monday for a split of their four-game series.
Tampa Bay scored six times in the first inning against the AL Central leaders, capped by Pena’s two-run drive. James Shields remained unbeaten against Detroit, and Jason Bartlett added a solo homer as the Rays moved within five games of idle Boston in the wild-card race.
Tampa Bay hosts the Red Sox on Tuesday night, the start of a three-game set.
“I don’t know if it gets any bigger,” Evan Longoria said. “Today is a great way to head home. It should be fun.”
Tampa Bay is 4-1 against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field this season and has won seven of the first 11 meetings.
Carlos Guillen had four hits for Detroit, including a pair of two-run homers.
Tigers starter Jarrod Washburn (9-8) allowed his first six batters to reach base. The last was Pena, who hit a shot down the right-field line. Pat Burrell had a two-run double earlier in the inning.
“It was great,” said Pena, who finished August with 12 homers and had his seventh game this season with four or more RBIs. “That first inning really put momentum on our side.”
Pena added an RBI double in the fifth and Bartlett homered in the sixth off Washburn, who lost for the second time since joining the Tigers in a July 31 trade with Seattle. He left the mound to a chorus of boos after allowing eight runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings.
“He certainly didn’t have very good success today,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. “Some of it by his own doing and some of it was that’s just the way it is sometimes.
“Sometimes it just isn’t your day.”
Pena singled in the first of three Tampa Bay runs off reliever Ryan Perry in the seventh and finished a seven-game road trip with four homers and 12 RBIs.
“Carlos is looking extremely sharp,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
Shields (9-10) allowed both two-run homers by Guillen, one in the first and another in the seventh, but had little trouble in between. The right-hander yielded four earned runs in seven innings and struck out six to win his second consecutive outing and improve to 3-0 in five career starts against the Tigers.
Guillen had his sixth career multihomer game. Detroit got its last two runs in the ninth off reliever Brian Shouse.
“It feels good,” Guillen said. “I hit the ball good. I was just trying to stay short and make good contact.”
Xtra, xtra: Pena missed his own club record for homers in a month by one. He hit 13 in September 2007. The Rays’ 43 August homers set a club mark. Longoria scored three times. Guillen also had his eighth career four-hit game. Tigers RHP Jeremy Bonderman (shoulder) will be activated from an injury rehab assignment Tuesday but will not be used as a starter, Leyland said. With rosters expanding to 40, the club also will promote pitchers Eddie Bonine and Casey Fien, C Dusty Ryan, OF Wilkin Ramirez and SS Brent Dlugach from Triple-A Toledo. Tampa Bay RHP Andy Sonnanstine will be recalled Tuesday from Triple-A Durham to start against Boston. The Rays also will call up C Shawn Riggans, OF Fernando Perez and RHP Jeff Bennett (Associated Press - Sports).

Tigers 4, Rays 3 (Game #129) [70-59]

2009-08-30T09:52:00.000-04:00

Justin Verlander is starting to sense the Detroit Tigers have the intangibles that helped them reach the World Series a few years ago.
Placido Polanco hit a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting Detroit to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
Third baseman Brandon Inge sealed the victory, leaping to snag B.J. Upton’s high hopper down the line with a runner on first and throwing across the diamond for the final out.
The AL Central-leading Tigers improved to 42-21 at home and have a relatively comfortable cushion over the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox.
“This is a different ballclub than 2006, but there’s a lot of good karma and good guys just like we had,” said Verlander (15-7), a rookie for the AL champions when they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. “It’s a very similar-type feeling and obviously, that was a fun year.”
The Rays, meanwhile, are not enjoying their season after winning the AL pennant.
“We let it get away,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We’ve done that too many times, and that’s why our record is where it is.”
Tampa Bay fell to 28-38 on the road and 11 games over .500 overall, heading home for a possibly pivotal series against the wild card-leading Boston Red Sox.
“We can’t afford to lose games like the one we lost today,” Rays outfielder Carl Crawford said. “We’re getting close to the line where we are going to be eliminated.
Verlander gave up three runs, six hits and four walks over eight innings and struck out four, matching a season low. Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 29th save in 30 chances.
Grant Balfour (5-3) spoiled Jeff Niemann’s strong start.
Niemann was replaced in the eighth with a 3-1 lead after Clete Thomas hit a leadoff double. After Balfour retired the first two batters he faced, Curtis Granderson walked and Polanco hit his eighth home run of the season, snapping an 0-for-13 slump.
“I had challenged the first two guys and I felt great, but when I pitched around Granderson, it put me on the defensive,” Balfour said. “Polanco squared up a fastball, which is going to happen, but it happened at the worst possible time.”
Evan Longoria hit a two-run homer in the fourth—his 25th—and Akinori Iwamura’s first home run later in the inning gave the Rays a 3-1 lead.
Niemann retired the Tigers in order in the first two innings and four of the first six.
“He should have three more wins than we’ve given him,” Maddon lamented.
Detroit catcher Gerald Laird threw out Upton in the seventh and Jason Bartlett in the first, extending his major league-leading total to 30 this season.
“That gets lost in this whole game,” Leyland said. “That was huge for us. Laird was a big part of this win.”
Xtra, xtra: Verlander has lasted at least eight innings eight times this season, setting a career high. Longoria ended an 18-game stretch without a homer. Sunday marked the 104th anniversary of Ty Cobb’s first game in the majors. In his first at-bat on Aug. 30, 1905, Cobb doubled off New York Highlanders’ ace Jack Chesbro at Detroit’s Bennett Park. Thomas matched a season high with three hits. Crawford stole his 55th base, moving into a tie with Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury for the most in the majors, and is five away from setting a career high. The Tigers drew 36,067 fans, putting them over the 2 million mark (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 3, Tigers 1 (Game #128) [70-58]

2009-08-29T16:13:00.000-04:00

David Price was stung hard when Tampa Bay traded his best friend on the team Scott Kazmir.
The left-hander responded with the longest outing of his young career to help the Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Saturday. He lasted 7 1-3 innings and allowed a run and five hits. Price (7-6) struck out four and walked one.
“We needed it. It was big because emotions could have been running high,” said Price of his performance after Friday night’s deal that sent Kazmir to the Anahaim Angels for two prospects and a player to be named later.
He also broke a personal skid with his first road win of the season.
“It was good to get David rolling in the right direction,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “We needed to get a win on the road.”
The key was Price’s fastball command.
“That’s where it starts for me. That’s my best pitch,” he said. “And when I can control that, I get positive results.”
Detroit catcher Gerald Laird agreed.
“You can see he’s got an electric fastball,” he said. “But today it seemed like he just kept us off balance, and he located well.”
J.P. Howell pitched the ninth for his 16th save in 23 chances.
Price worked out of a jam in the third inning, striking out Curtis Granderson and getting Placido Polanco to pop out with runners on second and third.
“We hit a few balls on the nose, but we didn’t do anything,” said Detroit manager Jim Leyland.
Price also struck out Miguel Cabrera with a runner on second to end the sixth.
“It seemed like he was dominating the strike zone and being super aggressive,” said Rays’ first baseman Carlos Pena.
Nate Robertson (1-1) took the loss as he was making his first appearance after coming off the disabled list Friday. He had been sidelined after having left elbow surgery. Robertson allowed two runs and four hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out four in his first start of the season.
“He gave us a shot to win the game,” said Leyland.
Magglio Ordonez’s two-out RBI single in the eighth off Dan Wheeler produced Detroit’s run.
Gabe Gross’ leaping catch at the wall on Granderson’s drive with a runner on first and none out in the eighth prevented the Tigers’ from tying the game. Gross had pinch hit for starting right fielder Gabe Kapler in the top of the eighth.
Third baseman Evan Longoria made two outstanding plays, including a diving effort to his left on Marcus Thames’ grounder in the seventh and shortstop Jason Bartlett also victimized Thames in second with a diving play to his right.
Tampa Bay scored twice runs in the third on Ben Zobrist’s RBI groundout and Pena’s two-out run-scoring single.
Pena was allowed to bat after the inning was extended when Robertson struck out Pat Burrell with a runner on second and two out, but catcher Gerald Laird couldn’t handle the pitch. It allowed Burrell to reach first and Jason Bartlett to go to third. Pena followed with his single.
Carl Crawford added a sacrifice fly in the ninth for the Rays.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay activated 2B Akinori Iwamura from the 60-day disabled list and he was 1-for 2, with two runs scored and a walk. Iwamura missed 81 games while recovering from left knee surgery. He suffered the injury on May 24. Robertson had four masses removed from the elbow area of his arm. Detroit SS Adam Everett made two errors to match a career high (Associated Press - Sports).

Tigers 6, Rays 2 (Game #127) [69-58]

2009-08-28T16:08:00.000-04:00

Brandon Inge spends a good deal of time visiting with sick children in hospitals, and he’s often asked to hit an inspiring home run.
Occasionally he comes through.
Friday night was one of those times. Inge homered in his first at-bat, helping the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, who traded hard-throwing Scott Kazmir to the Angels after the game.
“There’s a kid named Noah that I’ve visited a couple times in the hospital, and he’s at home right now, and I spent a couple hours with him today,” Inge said. “He asked me the dreaded question—could I hit a home run for him in the game, and I told him I’d do the best I could.”
Inge homered to left off Matt Garza in the second inning to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
“When that ball went over the fence—that’s just an awesome feeling,” he said. “I see a lot of the kids at Mott Children’s Hospital, and they always ask for a homer, and it’s worked out twice now.”
For the Rays, the loss was overshadowed by the postgame news they had traded Kazmir, a two-time All-Star, to the Los Angeles Angels for two minor leaguers, left-hander Alex Torres and infielder Matt Sweeney, and a player to be named.
“This is a surprise—I had heard rumors before, but it’s hard to believe that it is now official,” Kazmir said. “It’s a disappointment because of all the relationships I’ve built in the organization and the city, but you can’t control the business side of the game.”
Rookie Rick Porcello (11-8) won for the first time since Aug. 6, allowing one run on four hits and two walks in 5 2-3 innings.
“That’s pretty impressive for a young kid,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland
The 20-year-old has allowed one or two earned runs in five of his six August starts.
“This has been a lot of fun, pitching while we are in a pennant race like this,” Porcello said. “I love pitching in Comerica Park—it’s a great pitcher’s park and the fans have been great.”
Four Detroit relievers combined to finish the six-hitter, which dropped the Rays 4 1/2 games back in the wild-card race.
“That’s still a tremendous team,” Leyland said. “They are as good as they were last year, but the Yankees did what the Yankees can do—they went out and got two top-notch pitchers in (CC) Sabathia and (A.J.) Burnett and one of the best players in the American League in Teixeira.”
Garza (7-9) took the loss, giving up six runs on five hits and three walks in five innings.
After Inge hit his 25th homer in the second, Detroit took control with five runs in the fourth. With one out, Aubrey Huff and Carlos Guillen walked before Inge’s single loaded the bases.
Gerald Laird and Adam Everett hit back-to-back two-run doubles, and Curtis Granderson made it 6-0 with a third straight double.
“The two walks are what cost me the game,” Garza said. “I walk those two guys, Inge singles, Laird hits a bloop and Everett rolls one down the line. That happens, but the walks are what really killed me.”
Gregg Zaun got Tampa Bay on the board with a sixth-inning RBI single that ended Porcello’s night.
Former Tiger Gabe Kapler ended the scoring with a solo homer off Bobby Seay in the ninth.
“I thought we hit the ball hard in a few key situations, but right at people,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “Their kid did a great job, and we just had the one bad inning.”
Garza didn’t think the Kazmir trade, which had been rumored before the game, hurt the Rays.
“You can’t let something like that distract you, or what will happen when you have a sick kid,” he said after hugging Kazmir. “We’ll miss him, but you only think about it for a few minutes, and then you’ve got to play.”
Xtra, xtra: Rays INF-OF Ben Zobrist missed the game due to a death in the family, but was expected to be back for Saturday afternoon’s game. Rain delayed the postgame fireworks for an hour, but several hundred fans stayed to see the show. The Tigers and Rays played for the first time this season, the first of seven games between the teams in 10 days. Detroit activated LHP pitcher Nate Robertson from the disabled list Friday, and he is expected to make his first start of the season Saturday against Tampa Bay. Robertson has been out since June 27 after having a mass removed from his left elbow (Associated Press - Sports).

Blue Jays 3, Rays 2 (Game #126) [69-57]

2009-08-26T16:03:00.000-04:00

A wild pitch brought a fitting end to a wild game.
Marco Scutaro scored the winning run on a wild pitch after Rays closer J.P. Howell loaded the bases with three walks, and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat Tampa Bay on Wednesday night in a game in which two umpires were injured.
Rod Barajas hit a tying pinch-hit homer off Howell (6-4) with one out in the ninth. After walking three and with rookie Randy Ruiz up, Howell uncorked a curveball that bounced high off the shinguard of catcher Gregg Zaun, allowing Scutaro to score without a play.
“This is as bad as a gets as a relief pitcher,” Howell said. “Everyone does so much work to get there and you just want to get out of there, man.”
The blown save was Howell’s seventh.
“It’s just unfortunate because J.P. has been so great for us all year,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
The Rays are four games behind Boston for the AL wild card.
“You try to move on right then and there,” Howell said. “You try not to even carry it one more step with you as you cross the chalk. That’s what I try to do but obviously it’s a little more difficult in that situation, especially with what’s going on right now.”
Brandon League (2-5) worked one inning for the win.
It was a tough night to be a home plate umpire. Crew chief Jerry Crawford left after two innings because of back spasms and his replacement, Tom Hallion, was struck in the chest by a pitch from Rays lefty Scott Kazmir in the sixth.
Hallion was knocked backward when Travis Snider swung and missed at a two-strike pitch that seemed to cross up Rays catcher Zaun, slamming straight into Hallion’s ribs.
Kazmir was left shaken by the incident, which started when he tried to throw a fastball away that tailed inside.
“It hit him flush, you know, right there in the midsection,” Kazmir said. “I heard the sound when it hit him and the way he fell down, I knew it wasn’t good. You never want to see anything like that.”
Trainers and medical staff rushed to Hallion’s side and waved a cart onto the field. Hallion eventually stood up and walked off without assistance.
After a 21-minute delay, the game resumed with Hallion at third base. First base umpire Brian O’Nora moved behind the plate and Scott Barry moved from third to first.
“It was recommended by the doctor that (Hallion) not continue behind the plate,” said Crawford, the crew chief. “There was some doubt that he would not be able to continue. If he was having any difficulties breathing or something like that, we wouldn’t have let him go back out there. I would have gone back out there. We would have worked three men, I would have gone back out.”
Crawford said both he and Hallion are expected to be fine in time for the crew’s next assignment, Friday night in St. Louis.
Toronto’s comeback cost Kazmir his fifth win in six starts. The lefty allowed one run and four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out a season-high 10. It’s the 17th time in his career Kazmir has fanned at least 10.
“When I got two strikes I had both my slider and my changeup to kind of lean on,” Kazmir said. “I got a couple of strikeouts with my slider early in the game but late in the game it was mainly my changeup. I was keeping it low and kind of throwing it off my fastball.”
Rays reliever Russ Springer pitched the seventh and Grant Balfour started the eighth but was replaced by Howell with two outs and runners at first and third. Howell got out of it by striking out Snider.
Seeking to win consecutive starts for the first time this season, Blue Jays rookie left-hander Rzepczynski didn’t allow a hit until Pat Burrell’s two-out single in the sixth. Already struggling with a high pitch count, the rookie’s shutout bid ended on the very next batter when Gabe Kapler homered into the left field bullpen, his fifth.
Rzepczynski allowed two runs and three hits in six innings. He walked a season-high five and struck out seven.
Toronto cut the deficit in half in the bottom half on an RBI double by Jose Bautista.
Making a rare start at third base, Toronto’s John McDonald turned in the defensive play of the night in the second, leaping to his left to knock down a liner by Burrell, then throwing to first from his knees for the out.
Xtra, xtra: Maddon said OF Carl Crawford (sore lower back) is feeling better, adding there is “a solid chance” the speedy outfielder will play at Detroit on Friday. The Rays are off Thursday. Rays Double-A LHP Darin Downs was released from hospital Wednesday and is returning home, where he will continue to be under a doctor’s care. Downs sustained a fractured skull when he was hit by a line drive Aug. 17 (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 7, Blue Jays 3 (Game #125) [69-56]

2009-08-25T16:25:00.000-04:00

Carlos Pena may be a long way from 500 home runs but the Tampa Bay Rays slugger he feels like he’s already there.
Pena hit two two-run homers, giving him 200 for his career, James Shields pitched 6 2-3 innings for the win and the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 on Tuesday night.
“That was fun when I heard that,” Pena said of reaching the milestone. “I was like ‘What? Two hundred home runs in the major leagues?’ It would take me a few minutes to count to 200. That’s all I know. That’s not one, two, three, four, five. It’ll take me a couple of minutes to get there. I’m very happy, I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to be able to actually do anything like that.
“Maybe it’s not 500 but to me it’s 500,” Pena added. “Maybe to the rest of the world it’s not 500 but to me, it feels just like it.”
The AL home run leader, Pena went 2 for 5 with four RBIs in his fourth multihomer game of the season. He has more home runs (37) than singles (35).
Pena has hit six homers in five games and 11 in 17. He’s batting .455 (10 for 22) over his current seven-game hitting streak.
“He looks like he’s going to hit the ball hard every time he swings the bat right now,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
The Rays, who remained three games behind Boston for the AL wild card, have won eight of 10.
Aaron Hill and Travis Snider hit solo homers for Toronto (57-67), which has lost 10 of 13 and is a season-low 10 games below .500.
Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett went 3 for 5, raising his average to .346. Bartlett is third in the AL in hitting behind Minnesota’s Joe Mauer and Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki.
Shields (8-10), who had lost four of five starts, allowed three runs and eight hits. He walked two and struck out five.
“I didn’t have my good stuff tonight,” Shields said. “I don’t know what it was. I just didn’t feel right out there. I battled through it. It’s one of those days where you don’t really have anything but, with the team giving me some runs early, it kind of gave me the confidence just to throw strikes and get hitters our early.”
Randy Choate pitched 2-3 of an inning, Chad Bradford and Brian Shouse each got one out and Dan Wheeler worked the ninth for the Rays, who are 11-3 against the Blue Jays.
Toronto took the lead in the first when Marco Scutaro singled, stole second and scored when Adam Lind singled through a drawn-in infield.
Pena put the Rays in front in the second with a two-run drive into the second deck in right off rookie left-hander Brett Cecil (5-3).
The Rays added four more off Cecil in the third. Pat Burrell hit a two-run single and, after a visit to the mound by Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston, Pena hit a second smash even deeper into the second deck in right.
“He’s seeing the ball amazing,” Shields said of Pena. “Those two balls he hit were no-doubters. I’m really happy for him right now.”
Cecil lost his second straight start, the first time this season he has dropped consecutive outings. He allowed six runs, five earned, and six hits in 3 1-3 innings, walked three and struck out three.
“Up in the strike zone, he stayed up most of the time,” Gaston said of Cecil. “When he’s down he pitches pretty good, his fastball sinks and runs a little bit and his changeup is good down. It looks like he’s getting his body out in front of his arm and he’s dragging his arm through.”
Hill hit his 30th homer in the third but Rays outfielder Gabe Gross made it 7-2 with an RBI single off Josh Roenicke in the fifth.
Snider cut it to 7-3 with a homer off the center field restaurant on Shields’ first pitch of the seventh, his second homer in three games.
Snider also had the defensive highlight, crashing into the right field wall after making a running catch of Gabe Kapler’s liner in the second.
Xtra, xtra: Rays OF Carl Crawford (sore lower back) was held out of the lineup and is unlikely to play Wednesday, Maddon said. Crawford left Monday’s game after three innings. The Rays are off Thursday and open a four-game series at Detroit on Friday. Tampa Bay is 23-23 when facing left-handed starters. Rays Double-A LHP Darin Downs, who suffered a fractured skull when he was hit by a line drive Aug. 17, remains in the hospital but is improving, a team spokesman said. Downs’ status will be reevaluated Wednesday. Blue Jays pitchers have allowed 10 or more hits in nine of the past 10 games. Toronto is 16-34 against AL East opponents (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 12, Blue Jays 7 (Game #124) [68-56]

2009-08-24T16:56:00.000-04:00

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was smiling after their win and it wasn’t because his Rays roughed up Roy Halladay.
Nope, he was impressed with rookie starter Jeff Niemann.
Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist each homered and the Rays handed Halladay his worst outing in more than two years, beating the slumping Blue Jays 12-7 on Monday night.
“I can’t be more pleased,” Maddon said. “It was just a really gritty, good effort when we needed to do it. It was awesome.”
Staked to an early 3-0 lead, Niemann buckled by giving up a second-inning grand slam to Toronto’s Rod Barajas. But the rookie righty never broke, allowing the Rays to come back.
“He easily could have caved in at that point, easily could have just called it in from that moment on and said ‘Forget about it,’ but he didn’t,” Maddon said. “You watch his composure and you watch how well he brought us into the seventh inning. For me, that may have been his best start of the year just based on that alone.”
Niemann (12-5) allowed six runs—five earned—and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings. He walked three and struck out three to move past Toronto’s Ricky Romero for the lead among AL rookies in victories.
“After the game, I went up to him and said ‘We won this game because of you. You kept it together,”’ Pena said. “That’s extremely impressive coming from a young pitcher like that. He showed a lot of poise.”
Halladay allowed eight runs—seven earned—in six innings to lose for the third time in five starts against the Rays this season.
“He’s arguably the best pitcher in the game,” Pena said. “His stuff is nasty. It’s very hard to just make contact. It does feel good to be able to come out on top because we know we’re going up against the best.”
Zobrist finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs and Jason Bartlett had three hits with an RBI, raising his average to .343, as the Rays won for the seventh time in nine games.
The Rays, who trail Boston by three games in the AL wild-card race, snapped a four-game road losing streak.
Toronto has lost nine of 12 and fell to 3-10 against Tampa Bay this season.
Halladay (13-7), who gave up 12 hits, walked one and struck out eight, has lost four of his past six decisions overall. It was his second straight loss, the second time this season he has dropped two straight. The righty was tagged for four runs and eight hits in five innings against Boston last Wednesday.
Halladay, who sat huddled at his locker with pitching coach Brad Arnsberg as the clubhouse emptied, denied feeling fatigued by a long season and persistent trade rumors leading up to the July 31 deadline.
“It just gets back to making pitches, it really does,” he said tersely. “It’s that simple. When you don’t, they cost you. That’s really all I can say.”
The seven earned runs are the most Halladay has allowed since he gave up seven to Tampa Bay on June 5, 2007, a game Toronto won 12-11 thanks to a six-run ninth.
Monday’s win “basically eradicates that old, bad memory,” Maddon joked.
The Rays jumped on Halladay for three in the first. Zobrist hit an RBI single, Pena followed with a sacrifice fly and Pat Burrell singled home a run.
“That first inning kind of set the stage for a wacky game,” Niemann said.
Toronto reclaimed the lead in the second, sending 10 men to the plate. Barajas hit a grand slam off Niemann, his 12th homer and second career slam, and Marco Scutaro drove in a run with a fielder’s choice.
The Blue Jays made it 6-3 in the third when Randy Ruiz scored on Bartlett’s fielding error, but the lead was short-lived.
Tampa Bay tied it in the fourth on Bartlett’s RBI single, with a second run scoring on Travis Snider’s throwing error. Willy Aybar capped the inning with a run-scoring grounder.
The Rays took the lead for good in the fifth when Zobrist led off with a walk and Pena followed with a homer to right, his 35th.
Zobrist greeted reliever Brandon League with a leadoff homer to left in the seventh, his 23rd.
Rays outfielder Carl Crawford left the game after three innings with a sore back and was replaced by Aybar.
“We don’t believe it’s anything serious but we definitely had to get him out of the game,” Maddon said. “We’ll see what happens but I’m not anticipating that he’ll be able to play (Tuesday).”
Xtra, xtra: Pena has as many singles (35) as home runs. Toronto activated LHP Scott Downs off the 15-day DL and placed 3B Edwin Encarnacion (strained left hamstring) on the 15-day DL. Halladay will get an extra day of rest before his next scheduled start, Sunday at Boston (Associated Press - Sports).

Rangers 4, Rays 0 (Game #123) [67-56]

2009-08-23T16:49:00.000-04:00

Scott Feldman earned high praise from Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon.
The right-hander won his fifth consecutive road start, Michael Young and Ivan Rodriguez each drove in two runs and the Texas Rangers avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Rays 4-0 on Sunday.
Feldman (13-4) is the first Texas pitcher with victories in five straight starts away from home since Rick Helling accomplished the feat in 1998. Feldman, 9-1 this season on the road, allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings.
Maddon said Feldman’s stuff actually “was better” than Mark Buehrle’s when the Chicago White Sox left-hander threw a perfect game against Tampa Bay on July 23.
“He was pretty much a complete package today,” Maddon said.
Young extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a two-run single in the third that put Texas ahead 2-0.
Rodriguez made it 3-0 with a fourth-inning RBI double and hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth. He has driven in 62 runs in 77 career games against the Rays.
Tampa Bay’s David Price (6-6) gave up three runs and three hits in seven innings. The left-hander had won five starts in a row at home.
“It’s good on paper, but it’s not good enough,” Price said. “Feldman threw well. He kept us off balance for seven innings.”
Feldman struck out a career-high 11 and walked two. Texas pitchers finished with 15 strikeouts.
“We needed a well-pitched game, and we shut out a pretty good team,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “I just think it showed the character and the resiliency in that clubhouse.”
Feldman worked out of jams in the second and seventh innings when the Rays had two on with one out.
“We mixed it up really good,” Feldman said. “Pudge (Rodriguez) is probably the best catcher of all-time and he’s got a really good idea about what he’s doing back there. He showed a lot of confidence in me and my off-speed pitches. That made a big difference facing those guys.”
Feldman’s 11 strikeouts were the most by a Texas pitcher since Matt Perisho had 12 on Oct. 3, 1999, against the Los Angeles Angels.
“He threw all his pitches for strikes when he needed to,” Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria said. “He was tough.”
Darren O’Day struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth before closer Frank Francisco pitched the ninth in a non-save situation.
The Rays completed a nine-game homestand with a 6-3 record. They won two of three from Texas despite going 1 for 25 with runners in scoring position.
“That’s incredible,” Maddon said. “Their pitching is that good.”
Tampa Bay is 42-21 at home this season.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay, 25-35 on the road, starts a seven-game road trip Monday at Toronto. The Rays will face Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay (13-6), who they have defeated five times over the past two seasons. The Rangers are off Monday before opening a three-game series Tuesday at the AL East-leading New York Yankees. Texas signed 3B Travis Metcalf to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Tampa Bay special adviser Fred McGriff, dressed in full gear, was the umpire for a pregame softball contest between the wives and girlfriends of the Rays and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McGriff hit 493 homers during a 19-year big league career. The Rays are hitting .069 (4 for 58) against the Rangers bullpen this year (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 5, Rangers 4 [10 innings] (Game #122) [67-55]

2009-08-22T15:37:00.000-04:00

Carlos Pena had more to play for than a Tampa Bay victory.
Pena homered twice and drove in the winning run with an RBI single in the 10th inning, giving the Rays a 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.
The Rays’ first baseman learned early Saturday that his close friend and college teammate, Greg Montalbano, had died of cancer Friday night. Montalbano pitched in the minors for the Boston Red Sox.
“I was crushed,” Pena said. “He was my right hand in college. He’s been battling cancer for 10 years. He was always smiling. The only thing that comforts me is I know he’s in a better place, but we’re going to miss him greatly.”
Evan Longoria was hit by a pitch from Jason Grilli (1-2), just off the disabled list, to start the bottom of the 10th and went to second when Ben Zobrist walked. Pena then hit a liner to center to score Longoria.
Afterward, the slugger was still thinking about Montalbano.
“I dedicated this game to his memory and his family,” Pena said.
Pena finished with four RBIs for the Rays, who remain three games behind AL wild-card leading Boston. The Rangers fell two games back of the Red Sox, who beat the New York Yankees 14-1.
“Carlos swung at strikes and didn’t miss them,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said.
Pena has three of his 16 career multihomer games this season, and has eight homers over his last 14 games.
Grant Balfour (5-2) struck out two during a scoreless 10th for the win.
Marlon Byrd pulled the Rangers even at 4 on a two-out, ninth-inning solo homer off Tampa Bay closer J.P. Howell, who had converted his previous 13 save opportunities.
“We came back and won it. You know what, it really eliminates what happened,” Howell said.
Pat Burrell hit a go-ahead RBI double in the eighth as the Rays took a 4-3 lead. His drive off the left-field wall scored Pena, who drew a two-out walk from C.J. Wilson.
Michael Young homered and had his third straight three-hit game. He has 18 three-hit games this season and 144 in his career, which is three behind teammate Ivan Rodriguez’s club record.
“It was a well-played game,” Young said. “Those kind of games, you love being the home team.”
Pena hit a solo homer in the second and put the Rays up 3-2 on a two-run shot in the fourth.
Texas went ahead 2-1 in the third when Taylor Teagarden drove in a run with a double and Young had an RBI triple. Young tied it at 3 on a sixth-inning solo homer.
Tampa Bay’s Matt Garza allowed three runs and six hits over seven innings. He has just one win in his last nine starts.
Rangers right-hander Tommy Hunter gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings.
Young singled in the first to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. He has 19 career double-digit hitting streaks, which ties the Rangers mark held by Rodriguez.
The game was delayed for a couple of minutes in the ninth when Byrd was hit by peanuts thrown from the left-field seats. Additional security was sent to the area.
“We played a good game. They just played better than us,” Byrd said.
Xtra, xtra: The AL East-leading Yankees had a group of scouts at the game between playoff contenders. Longoria hit into his AL-leading 23rd double play this season in the third. Byrd has 13 RBIs over his last 13 games. The Rangers activated Grilli (right elbow) from the 15-day disabled list before the game and optioned RHP Willie Eyre to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Texas RHP Brandon McCarthy (right shoulder) made his fourth minor league rehab start for Oklahoma City (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 5, Rangers 3 (Game #121) [66-55]

2009-08-21T08:48:00.000-04:00

Scott Kazmir picked a great time for his best start of the season.
Kazmir took a shutout into the eighth inning, and Ben Zobrist and Carlos Pena homered on consecutive pitches as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Texas Rangers 5-3 on Friday night.
“That’s as good as he’s been all year in my mind,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “It was really fun to watch. I was really impressed.”
Kazmir (8-7) didn’t allow a run until Taylor Teagarden opened the eighth with a homer. The left-hander, who has won four straight starts at home, wound up allowing three runs and five hits over 7 1-3 innings.
“If he can keep that going, there’s no telling what can happen,” Rays center fielder B.J. Upton said.
Tampa Bay moved within three games of AL wild-card leader Boston. Texas remains one game behind the Red Sox, who lost 20-11 to the New York Yankees.
“We played all around good baseball,” Kazmir said. “To get that first one (a win in the initial game of the series) is huge and gives us a little momentum.”
It was just the second time this year Kazmir has gone seven or more innings.
Zobrist hit a two-run shot and Pena followed with his 32nd homer to put Tampa Bay ahead 5-0 in the fifth. Zobrist has homered in three straight games and has 22 this season, breaking a tie with Jose Cruz Jr. (2004) for the most by a Rays switch-hitter.
Dustin Nippert (4-2) gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings for the Rangers, who are 20-14 since the All-Star break.
“I don’t know if it’s like I lost my focus or what, but those two pitches were not where I wanted to throw them,” Nippert said. “That was the deciding factor of the game.”
Michael Young had three hits for Texas.
After Teagarden’s homer, Marlon Byrd had an RBI single and Andruw Jones hit a run-scoring grounder off Grant Balfour, cutting Texas’ deficit to 5-3. The eighth inning ended when pinch-runner Julio Borbon was thrown out trying to steal second with Josh Hamilton batting.
Texas had a no steal situation in place for Hamilton’s at-bat.
“Am I going to call a steal from the dugout with Hamilton at the plate?” Texas manager Ron Washington asked. “You just don’t force things. There’s certain situations in the ballgame that say that the best thing to do is let the guy at the plate do his damage if he’s going to do his damage. He learned from it. We’ll move on.”
“I just got a little mixed up on the sign there,” Borbon said. “It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, going on that pitch.”
Kazmir worked out of a second-and-third, one-out jam in the sixth by striking out Byrd and Jones.
J.P. Howell pitched the ninth for his 15th save. The Rays improved to 41-20 at home.
Carl Crawford put the Rays ahead 1-0 when he drove in Jason Bartlett with a grounder in the first. Bartlett made it 2-0 during the second with a sacrifice bunt-fielder’s choice.
Xtra, xtra: The Rays are 9-17 against the AL West this season. Pena has two homers in four at-bats against Nippert. Teagarden has homered in four of his last 10 games. Byrd has driven in 12 runs over his last 12 games. Texas RHP Jason Grilli (right elbow) rejoined the team after a minor league rehab stint and is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day DL this weekend. Rangers C Kevin Richardson, designated for assignment earlier this week, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City (Associated Press - Sports).

Orioles 8, Rays 7 (Game #120) [65-55]

2009-08-20T00:55:00.000-04:00

Brian Roberts knows the Orioles are concentrating on more than wins as the 2009 season winds down.
Roberts hit his fourth career grand slam and rookie Nolan Reimold added a three-run shot, leading Baltimore past the Tampa Bay Rays 8-7 on Thursday night.
“This may sound bad, but we’re not too focused on wins and losses,” Roberts said. “They are what they are right now. Certainly you don’t want to lose, but what I’m saying is we’re playing good games and you want to win.”
Baltimore (49-72) is heading for its 12th straight losing season and looking toward the future. The Orioles have had rookie pitchers start 69 games this year.
Roberts’ 12th homer of the season came on a 3-2 pitch from reliever Lance Cormier with two outs in the sixth and made it 5-1. Roberts was the first batter Cormier faced—he replaced starter James Shields. It was Roberts’ first grand slam since June 20, 2004, against Colorado.
“I fell behind him, so the pitches I went to were fastballs,” Cormier said. “He’s probably sitting 3-2 fastball. I just went with a two-seamer that didn’t get the outside part of the plate. In my mind, I’m not going to walk this guy. Make him put it in play, trust percentages and I gave him too good of a pitch to hit.”
Reimold extended Baltimore’s advantage to 8-4 with his homer in the seventh. The Orioles stopped a five-game losing streak and are 9-24 since the All-Star break.
“The home run ball usually plays against us, but it was really for us tonight” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said.
Ben Zobrist homered and had four RBIs for the Rays, who entered with a four-game winning streak. Carlos Pena drove in two runs with a single during a three-run eighth as Tampa Bay cut its deficit to 8-7.
“It’s a tough loss,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We just have to put it aside and come back tomorrow night.
The Rays are four games behind AL wild-card leader Boston. Texas, trailing the Red Sox by a game, opens a three-game at Tampa Bay on Friday night.
Jim Johnson pitched the final 1 1-3 innings for his fifth save. The Baltimore closer, who rejoined the team after missing the previous two games for the birth of his daughter, struck out Evan Longoria a runner on third and two outs in the ninth.
“I loved the fight,” Maddon said. “We were there to the very end.”
Shields (7-10) allowed four runs and seven hits over 5 2-3 innings. All three runs charged to him in the sixth were unearned because leadoff hitter Reimold reached second on third baseman Longoria’s throwing error. The Rays’ opening day starter is 1-5 over his last 11 starts.
Zobrist put the Rays up 1-0 with a first-inning RBI double, and then got Tampa Bay to 5-4 on a three-run homer off Brian Matusz (2-2) in the sixth.
Matusz, making his fourth major league start, gave up four runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings.
“I feel like it was the first time this year I was really able to settle down and get into a great groove,” Matusz said.
Baltimore tied it at 1 when Cesar Izturis hit a run-scoring grounder in the fifth.
Xtra, xtra: Shields (3.81) is the only AL pitcher with 10 defeats and an ERA under 4.00. Roberts has a 10-game hitting streak. Tampa Bay 2B Akinori Iwamura (left knee surgery) was the DH for Triple-A Durham two days after leaving a minor league rehab start with leg muscle fatigue. The Orioles claimed RHP Chris Lambert off waivers from Detroit and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. Injured Baltimore INF Luis Montanez (right thumb) will play in the Puerto Rico winter league. Baltimore has set up a throwing program for RHP Koji Uehara (right elbow), who is rehabbing at the team’s minor league complex in Sarasota, Fla (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 3, Orioles 1 (Game #119) [65-54]

2009-08-19T13:14:00.001-04:00

Jeff Niemann started the season as Tampa Bay’s fifth starter. The rookie is pitching like the ace of the staff.
Niemann allowed one run over 7 1-3 innings for his 11th win of the season, and Pat Burrell, Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton hit solo homers as the Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 on Wednesday night.
“He’s just in control,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “Very solid all the way through. His work has been excellent, both physically and mentally.”
Niemann (11-5) lost his shutout bid when the last batter he faced, Brian Roberts, hit a solo homer with one out in the eighth. The right-hander, who has won seven of his last eight decisions, gave up seven hits and one walk, striking out five.
“I’m just trying to get out there each time, keep us in the game as a team and let the rest fall into place,” Niemann said.
J.P. Howell pitched the ninth for his 14th save. Tampa Bay has won four straight after a five-game losing streak.
Chris Tillman (1-1) allowed the three homers among seven hits over six-plus innings for the Orioles, who are 8-24 since the All-Star break and dropped to a season-high 24 games under .500 (48-72).
Niemann worked out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the fifth. Shortstop Jason Bartlett dived to knock down a liner by Cesar Izturis and threw home for a forceout. Roberts then grounded into a double play.
“Everybody talks about the three homers, the game shifts on that moment,” Maddon said.
Bartlett didn’t check third, where Orioles catcher Matt Wieters was on base, before making his throw.
“I was thinking home when I was going to get the ball,” Bartlett said. “Something in my mind clicked that he’s not too far off the bag.”
Orioles manager Dave Trembley called it the play of the game.
“Niemann should take Bartlett out to dinner,” Trembley said. “I’m not shaking my head over it. I’m tipping my cap to the great play Bartlett made.”
Roberts has hit into just four double plays in 475 at-bats this season.
“Brian Roberts is a guy who hits into a double play about once every blue moon,” Trembley said.
Burrell put the Rays ahead 1-0 with his 12th homer in the fourth. He had a solo shot in Tuesday’s 5-4 win over the Orioles.
Zobrist made it 2-0 with his 20th home run in the sixth. Three of the homers have come since the All-Star break.
Upton homered for the second straight game, putting the Rays up 3-0 with a leadoff shot in the seventh.
All three Tampa Bay homers came on a first pitch from Tillman.
“I can’t really knock myself because I’m being aggressive, but I have to make better pitches,” Tillman said. “I guess I’m giving them too good of a first strike, obviously.”
Baltimore has gone 3 of 18 with runners in scoring position, including 1 of 6 Wednesday, over the past two games. The Orioles are 4-32 in their last 36 road games against AL East opponents.
Tampa Bay loaded the bases with two outs in the first, but failed to score when Burrell lined out to left.
Baltimore’s Nick Markakis went 0 for 4 and had his stretch of reaching base in 38 consecutive games end. His 11-game hitting streak also ended.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay LF Carl Crawford is 11 for 20 with seven doubles over his last five games. Orioles closer Jim Johnson is scheduled to return Thursday after missing two games for the birth of his daughter. Maddon has been named one of four 2009 Lafayette Maroon Club Hall of Fame selections. Maddon played three years of baseball at the college. Trembley said 6-foot-9 rookie RHP Kam Mickolio has the potential to be a closer in the future (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 5, Orioles 4 (Game #118) [64-54]

2009-08-18T12:11:00.000-04:00

It must be the hair.
On a night Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon arrived at the ballpark with his silver hair dyed black, Gabe Gross hit a two-run homer, and Pat Burrell and B.J. Upton added solo shots to lead the Rays past the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 on Tuesday.
Maddon’s color change was in preparation for next week’s Johnny Cash-theme road trip, and was an attempt to keep his team loose. The Rays started Tuesday four games behind AL wild-card leader Texas.
“I felt we were way too uptight around here,” Maddon said. “More than anything, we have not been really relishing in victory and I think we’ve been like too painful in defeat. We’ve just got to go out there and play. Understand it’s a game. We got to the World Series last year by being kind of free-spirited about the whole thing. The black hair is symbolic of all those different items.”
Gross gave Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead with his fourth-inning drive. Burrell and Upton homered in the sixth to make it 5-2.
Gross homered for the first time since July 22, and has two homers in his last 33 games. Upton’s last homer came on June 30, and the center fielder has eight RBIs over his past 38 games.
The up-and-down Rays have won three straight after a five-game losing streak.
“I think we should just forget everything that’s happened up to this point,” Upton said. “Hopefully that means we can get going down the stretch.”
Baltimore got a two-run homer from Matt Wieters. The Orioles are 8-23 since the All-Star break and dropped to a season-high 23 games under .500 (48-71).
Rays left-hander David Price (6-5) threw 102 pitches in five innings, allowing two runs and seven hits. J.P. Howell, who agreed with Maddon’s assessment, pitched the ninth for his 13th save.
“It gets dry,” Howell said. “We’re grinding it out, but sometimes you need a little boost. I think we’re all in.”
Baltimore starter Jason Berken (2-11) gave up five runs and 11 hits in 5 2-3 innings.
“The ball started fading over the plate and against good power hitters high balls are no good,” Berken said.
The Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the third on run-scoring singles by Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold. Wieters’ fourth homer of the season, and first since July 5, pulled Baltimore within 5-4 in the eighth.
Wieters struck out with runners on first and second and two outs in the ninth.
“We left too many guys on base and didn’t get the big hit when needed,” Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said.
The Orioles left 13 on base, and went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
Upton put the Rays ahead 1-0 with an infield RBI single in the second.
Baltimore’s Nick Markakis reached base for the 38th consecutive game, the longest active streak in the majors, when he singled in the second. It gave him an 11-game hitting streak.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay 2B Akinori Iwamura (left knee surgery) left in the third inning of a minor league rehab game with Triple-A Durhman with muscle fatigue. The Rays expect Iwamura to play Thursday. The Rays and Major League Baseball celebrated the 40th anniversary of Woodstock by showing music legend Jimi Hendrix’s performance of the national anthem on the stadium video screen. Jones snapped an 0-for-12 slide with his third-inning hit. Tampa Bay RHP Chad Bradford (lower back tightness) threw a 20-pitch simulated game and was reinstated from the DL after the game. INF Reid Brignac was optioned to Durham. Rays SS Jason Bartlett was rested, while Burrell returned after missing two games with neck stiffness. Baltimore closer Jim Johnson returned home for the birth of his child (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 5, Blue Jays 2 (Game #117) [63-54]

2009-08-16T11:53:00.000-04:00

Gregg Zaun’s new teammates were well aware of his knack for hitting grand slams. After all, he had a game-winner against the Rays last season.
He gave them another one to talk about Sunday.
Pinch hitting with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Zaun connected off Brandon League to help give Tampa Bay a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
It was Zaun’s fifth career grand slam and first since Sept. 6 while with Toronto. The homer came against the Rays, a game-winning drive off Troy Percival in the 13th inning.
“The funny thing is we were talking about it,” Zaun said. “I don’t know who said it, but somebody said ‘Do that stuff for us.’ I said, ‘All right, I’ll do my best.’ Sure enough, today.”
Ben Zobrist had a one-out single off League (1-5) and went to third on Carlos Pena’s double. After Willy Aybar was intentionally walked to load the bases and pinch-hitter Gabe Gross struck out during a 10-pitch at-bat, Zaun sent a 3-2 pitch into the right field seats.
Tampa Bay obtained Zaun in a trade with Baltimore on Aug. 7.
“I just kind of went with my gut feeling, which was a heater with Zaun,” League said. “I just left it in the middle of the zone and he did what he did with it.”
League hit the next batter, B.J. Upton, on the first pitch, which prompted plate umpire Jim Joyce to warn both benches. After talking with Joyce, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston replaced League with Casey Janssen.
Rays manager Joe Maddon said Upton was not hit on purpose.
“Jimmy (Joyce) had to do it because a grand slam had just been hit. Based on that, and the way baseball world works today,” Maddon said. “By no means was that intentional.”
Dan Wheeler (4-3) pitched a perfect 1 1-3 innings for the win.
Blue Jays rookie left-hander Marc Rzepczynski gave up one run and six hits over six innings. Toronto, which has lost nine of 12 games this season against Tampa Bay, got a ninth-inning solo homer from Marco Scutaro.
“He gave us a chance to win, but we didn’t take advantage of the opportunity,” Gaston said of Rzepczynski. “Just a base hit or a flyball and it’s a different ballgame. It’s too bad.”
Carl Crawford put the Rays ahead 1-0 on an RBI double during the third. The AL All-Star went 7 of 12 with five doubles in the three-game series with the Blue Jays.
Toronto tied it at 1 when Vernon Wells hit a fifth-inning run-scoring single.
Rays starter Matt Garza struggled, but wound up allowing just one run on eight hits and two walks in five innings. The Blue Jays went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine against the right-hander.
Garza worked out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the third. He retired Adam Lind on a flyball, struck out Lyle Overbay and got a grounder from Vernon Wells.
“He did the Houdini act today,” Maddon said. “He had good stuff, but they kept getting runners on. He battled through it.”
Toronto had two on with no outs in the fourth, but again failed to score.
Tampa Bay was hitless in 11 at-bats with a runner in scoring position before Zaun’s homer. The Rays have won seven straight home series against the Blue Jays.
Xtra, xtra: Zaun has two career pinch-hit grand slams. The other came on June 27, 2002, while with Houston in a game against Arizona. Blue Jays rookie LHP Brett Cecil (left knee) is set to rejoin the rotation Thursday. He took part in fielding drills and threw off a bullpen mound. Tampa Bay DH Pat Burrell (neck stiffness) was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game. He did hit in the batting cage and could start on Tuesday. Toronto LHP Scott Downs (toe) will stay in Florida for a minor league rehab assignment. He practiced defense and threw off a mound. Scutaro started the game by hitting a grounder to short on the 13th pitch of the at-bat (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 8, Blue Jays 3 (Game #116) [62-54]

2009-08-15T11:18:00.000-04:00

Carl Crawford made sure the Rays got a much-needed win.
Crawford hit a two-run double during a four-run third inning, and Scott Kazmir pitched well enough to help Tampa Bay end a five-game skid with an 8-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night.
“I’m just happy that the losing streak is over,” Crawford said. “I’m glad we were able to get the win because we needed it. Everybody came and did their job. Usually when we’re all clicking like this we’re a pretty tough team to beat.”
Jason Bartlett hit an RBI single, Crawford drove in two with his double and Evan Longoria had a run-scoring double off Brian Tallet (5-7) as Tampa Bay took a 4-2 lead in the third.
Crawford has six hits in eight at-bats, and has scored four times in the past two games. He also stole his major league-leading 54th base Saturday night.
“I’m really impressed with him right now,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s locked in. It’s fun to watch.”
Kazmir (7-7) gave up three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings. The left-hander was coming off a start last Sunday in which he gave up seven runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings of an 11-2 loss at Seattle.
“It’s always big to end a losing streak, especially at this part of the season,” Kazmir said. “If we can string a couple more games together like this, I think that we can feel a lot more confident.”
Kazmir has won his last three home starts, allowing seven earned runs in 19 1-3 innings.
“It’s not like the last time we’ve seen him here,” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said. “It looked like he was his old self as far as throwing the ball. He had good stuff.”
Aaron Hill hit his 28th homer of the season for the Blue Jays, a two-run shot in the third. Toronto has homered in nine straight games, and has 36 homers over the last 21 games.
Longoria made it 5-2 on an RBI single in the fifth. Willy Aybar and pinch hitter Gabe Gross had run-scoring singles in a three-run seventh that extended the Rays’ lead to 8-3.
Toronto loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, but scored just once to get within 5-3 on Raul Chavez’s RBI grounder.
Tallet replaced rookie left-hander Brett Cecil, who is out with a left knee injury. He gave up five runs and 10 hits over 5 2-3 innings in his first start since July 25.
“The big thing was just in the third inning,” Tallet said. “I’ve got to find a way to keep them to one or two runs, but I left some pitches up in that inning and it seemed to prove costly.”
Cecil, 5-1 with a 4.35 ERA in 13 games, will participate in his first defensive workout Sunday and could be back in the rotation within the next week.
Vernon Wells (1,321) singled in the eighth to move past Lloyd Moseby into third place on the Blue Jays’ career hits list with 1,321.
Xtra, xtra: Tallet is 1-4 with a 7.24 ERA in his last 11 starts. Rays DH Pat Burrell (stiff neck) didn’t play. He could return to the lineup Tuesday. … The Blue Jays signed RHP Chad Jenkins, who taken 20th overall in this year’s amateur draft. Tampa Bay recalled INF Reid Brignac from Triple-A Durham. Toronto LHP Scott Downs (toe) is throwing and will take part in defensive drills Sunday (Associated Press - Sports).

Blue Jays 5, Rays 2 (Game #115) [61-54]

2009-08-14T11:05:00.000-04:00

Roy Halladay got the run support he needed to earn his first win of the season against Tampa Bay.
Halladay gave up two runs over eight innings for his 13th win and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Rays 5-2 on Friday night.
“You’re always determined to beat teams, but I think you always are conscious of controlling what you can control,” Halladay said. “They pitched well against us early on and it has made it tough.”
Halladay (13-5) was 0-2 in three previous starts against Tampa Bay this season. The right-hander allowed eight hits and struck out six in pitching at least eight innings for the fifth time in his last six starts.
“My goals are to keep things simple and keep your approach simple as you pitch, and I think that allows you to get deep in the game,” Halladay said.
The Rays still have won six of the last nine games when Halladay started against them. Halladay is 12-9 overall in 32 games, including 29 starts, overall against Tampa Bay.
The Blue Jays got homers from Lyle Overbay and Adam Lind. Jason Frasor pitched the ninth to record his sixth save.
Carl Crawford had four hits, including two doubles, for the Rays, who have lost five consecutive games. James Shields (7-9) gave up five runs and eight hits in eight innings.
“This is when we have to stick together,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “And stay with it.”
Overbay put the Blue Jays up 2-0 in the first with a two-run homer. In nine games since being moved into the fourth spot of the lineup, Overbay has three homers and seven RBIs.
Toronto went ahead 4-0 in the second on an RBI double by Joe Inglett and Marco Scutaro’s sacrifice fly. Lind hit a third-inning solo shot that made it 5-0.
“I think the first three innings was actually garbage from my point,” Shields said. “I feel like I let the team down early, especially against a guy like Halladay.”
Crawford doubled and later scored on Evan Longoria’s sacrifice fly in the sixth. Gregg Zaun hit a solo homer during the eighth.
Tampa Bay had two runners on in both the third and fourth, but failed to score. Halladay got a double-play grounder from Jason Bartlett to end the third, and retired three in a row—including strikeouts by Carlos Pena and Pat Burrell — with runners on first and third in the fourth.
“When he has those kind of situations, I don’t think he worries so much about it,” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said. “This guy is certainly a Hall of Fame type pitcher and that’s what Hall of Fame pitchers do. They step up when they need to and get some outs for you.”
Vernon Wells singled in the third to tie Lloyd Moseby (1,319) for third on the Blue Jays’ all-time hit list. After that hit, Shields retired his next 16 batters before Overbay had a two-out single in the eighth.
“We were down 5-0, so I didn’t want it to be 9-0,” Shields said. “I wanted to give my team at least a chance. I did that and I’m happy about that, but we lost the game and I’m not too happy about that.”
Xtra, xtra: Burrell left after striking out in the fourth with neck stiffness. … Tampa Bay held a players only meeting before batting practice. The Rays were coming off a 1-5 road trip. Toronto recalled RHP Casey Janssen from Triple-A Las Vegas. He will work out of the bullpen. Rays 2B Akinori Iwamura (left knee surgery) started a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham. Blue Jays DH Randy Ruiz, who had his contract purchased Tuesday from Las Vegas, is working out in the outfield and will get some defensive playing time. The Rays optioned RHP Jeff Bennett to Triple-A Durham after the game (Associated Press - Sports).

Angels 10, Rays 5 (Game #114) [61-53]

2009-08-12T16:41:00.000-04:00

Gary Matthews Jr. and Howie Kendrick both hit three-run homers in the Angels’ latest comeback win. By next week, both might be back on Los Angeles’ bench.
Such is the prodigious offensive depth of the AL West leaders, who keep finding big hits in the most improbable places.
Matthews put the Angels ahead in the sixth, Kendrick added another homer in the seventh, and Los Angeles finished a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays with a 10-5 victory Wednesday.
“The depth on this team has always been the key,” Matthews said. “You’re going to have injuries, but the biggest difference with us is that we can plug in guys who can play for a week or two weeks.”
Matthews’ playing time seems likely to decrease if injured outfielder Torii Hunter returns to the Angels as planned this weekend, but the veteran outfielder is batting .327 over the last 16 games. Kendrick has filled in capably at second base, raising his batting average 42 points in 5 1/2 weeks since his midseason demotion to the minors.
And they’re both comfortable essentially being spare parts in the Angels’ offense, which scored 24 runs against the Rays to remain neck-and-neck with the Yankees for the majors’ scoring lead.
“We have guys who have been All-Stars who aren’t starting here,” Matthews said. “When you’re trying to win a championship, you need players like that.”
Chone Figgins had three hits and scored the first run in a five-run seventh for the Angels, who improved to a season-best 24 games over .500 while knocking off the defending AL champion Rays, who have won just six times in their last 40 games at Angel Stadium.
Carlos Pena hit two homers for the Rays, who lost five times on their six-game West Coast trip. Pat Burrell added an eighth-inning shot as Tampa Bay was swept for the third time this season.
The Rays are 18 games above .500 at Tropicana Field and 10 games below .500 away from the Bay.
“We have to play better on the road,” said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, whose club opens a nine-game homestand Friday against Toronto. “We go home and we get ourselves well, then we go away and we get sick again. We’ve got to figure that out.”
Matthews’ homer off reliever Grant Balfour (4-2) turned a deficit into a one-run lead, and the Angels piled on the next inning.
After Kendry Morales and Tampa Bay reliever Randy Choate faced off in a 12-pitch at-bat with the bases loaded, Morales finally drove in a run with a grounder to shortstop, where Jason Bartlett’s errant throw allowed a second run to score.
“It was a terrible play,” Bartlett said. “I think it was just a matter of me trying to make too perfect of a throw trying to get him.”
One batter later, Kendrick’s first homer of the month landed in the Angels’ bullpen.
Jason Bulger (5-1) earned the win by escaping a sixth-inning jam.
Trevor Bell gave up nine hits and four runs over 5 1-3 innings in his major league debut for the Angels, and fellow rookie starter Jeff Niemann gave up seven hits and four runs in his shortest start since July 4.
After Pena’s 30th homer drove in the Rays’ first two runs in the fourth, Los Angeles tied it when Carl Crawford and Bartlett both lost Mike Napoli’s popup in the sun, allowing Morales to score from first base when it dropped.
Pena put a solo shot deep into the center field stands leading off the sixth, but after Niemann gave up two singles in the inning, Matthews connected for his third homer of the season.
“I didn’t think it was that bad of a pitch, but I definitely didn’t bury it where I needed to,” Balfour said. “It was a tough series and a tough road trip for us, but we’ve got to keep on playing. We’ve still got another 40-something games to play, and we’ve got to play them all hard.”
Bell, a North Hollywood native and the Angels’ first-round pick in 2005, came up from Triple-A Salt Lake to fill injured Joe Saunders’ rotation spot.
“I’ve heard you make small mistakes (in the big leagues) and they capitalize on them, and they definitely did that,” Bell said. “But just talking to the veteran guys, they said the game is no different up here. Just more people and better speakers.”
Xtra, xtra: Angels OF Bobby Abreu, the AL player of the month for July, went 0 for 5 to wrap up a 2-for-22 homestand. Bell is the fifth rookie pitcher to start for the Angels this season. Pena had the 15th multihomer game of his career. Balfour had given up only two homers in his first 52 2-3 innings this season (Associated Press - Sports).

Angels 6, Rays 0 (Game #113) [61-52]

2009-08-11T16:41:00.000-04:00

If there’s one pitcher the Los Angeles Angels would love to add to their rotation for the pennant race, it’s last season’s version of Ervin Santana.
Luckily for the Angels, Santana is looking more and more like his old All-Star self these days.
Santana pitched a sterling three-hitter for his first home win of the season, and Jeff Mathis hit a three-run double off the left-field wall in the Angels’ 6-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.
Reggie Willits’ two-run single in the fifth broke open a scoreless game for the Angels, who boosted their AL West lead over Texas to five games with their 18th win in 25 outings since the All-Star break. With his third career shutout on just 97 pitches, Santana (5-6) made it quick and surprisingly easy.
“We could see it coming within Ervin,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “A lot of areas on our team needed a performance like that. He had a lot of pitches working. He couldn’t really have pitched a better game. … He’s a much better pitcher (now) than we saw all year.”
A dominant start by Santana was a welcome development for the Angels, who declined to make a risky trade-deadline move to bolster a rotation that’s been awfully shaky beyond ace John Lackey and Jered Weaver.
Santana has missed 52 games during two stints on the disabled list this season, rarely resembling last season’s 16 game-winner even when healthy. When asked if he knew such a start was coming, Santana grinned and acknowledged he did, citing improved work in the bullpen and a delivery adjustment.
“It was very impressive,” Santana said. “I was hitting my spots, throwing off-speed for a strike. … I just forget about (previous losses) and keep pitching, because I’m a winning pitcher, not a losing pitcher.”
Santana was outstanding from the start against the defending AL champions, retiring 12 of the Rays’ first 13 batters. He had given up at least four runs in each of his last four starts, but he allowed just one Tampa Bay runner to reach second base.
Newcomer Gregg Zaun had two hits for the Rays, who have lost four of five on their West Coast road trip. Exactly two months after the Rays battered Santana for eight hits and six runs in Tampa Bay, they were baffled by the right-hander.
“He was just throwing his breaking stuff pretty good and keeping guys off-balance,” Tampa Bay outfielder Carl Crawford said. “It didn’t look unhittable at the plate, but obviously we weren’t hitting it, so he was doing something right.”
David Price (5-5) pitched four hitless innings for Tampa Bay before the Angels broke through with a pair of two-out, multi-run hits from the bottom two batters in their order.
“We’ve been playing pretty good ball, so these two games don’t make me feel any worse or negative in that regard,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “I fully expect to be back here playing them in October.”
Juan Rivera’s leadoff single in the fifth was the Angels’ first hit. Willits, Los Angeles’ seldom-used outfielder, cracked a two-out single to score Kendry Morales and Mathis.
“It just came down to me not being able to make a big pitch for us,” Price said. “It’s what I’ve done my entire life, but I couldn’t do it tonight. … Any time I give up a run on (an) 0-2 (count), I’m embarrassed. I mean, the guy’s hitting .210. But that’s a big league baseball team.”
All-Star Chone Figgins then drove home Willits with just his second hit in 23 at-bats.
Los Angeles hit three singles and loaded the bases in the sixth before Mathis cleared them with a drive off the wall. Crawford appeared to be slow to read Mathis’ sinking liner, retreating too late to make the catch.
Price retired the Angels’ first 10 batters before hitting Maicer Izturis with a pitch in the fourth. Izturis grimaced when team doctors examined his right arm, and Erick Aybar replaced him before the fifth.
Izturis, a .301 hitter who plays shortstop and second base, has a bruised elbow.
A day after hitting his 400th homer, Vladimir Guerrero extended his hitting streak to 13 games with two singles for the Angels.
Xtra, xtra: Los Angeles released RHP Justin Speier. The veteran reliever gave up three homers in one inning last week. Angels C Mike Napoli didn’t play on his bobblehead night. Los Angeles OF Torii Hunter started a rehab assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday night, going 0 for 2 with a walk. He has missed 29 games with a strained groin muscle (Associated Press - Sports).

Angels 8, Rays 7 (Game #112) [61-51]

2009-08-10T09:38:00.000-04:00

Vladimir Guerrero showed impeccable timing in reaching a milestone.
He homered twice, including the 400th of his career that put the Angels ahead in the seventh inning, and Kendry Morales also hit two homers in an 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
“It came at a moment when the team really needed it,” Guerrero said through a translator.
Guerrero extended his hitting streak to a season-high 12 games a week after coming off the disabled list for the second time this season. He is one of seven active major leaguers with 400 homers and 2,000 hits.
“It’s a Hall of Fame career,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
Guerrero’s 400th homer hit high off the right field foul pole and landed in the seats. He pumped his right arm as he rounded first base to raucous cheers.
The milestone had been discussed at Guerrero’s house over the weekend, with his family speculating on when and how it would happen.
“My mom kept telling me there’s two more. My brother Wilton had bad math and said it was one more,” he said. “It’s good it came here in front of the family.”
The Angels rallied four times before putting away the Rays, who fell to 8-15 overall against the AL West and 3-10 on the road.
Tampa Bay got homers from Jason Bartlett, who fell a single short of hitting for the cycle, and Carlos Pena in losing its second straight.
“They’re swinging the bats very well right now up and down the lineup,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “They’ve got a lot going on offensively. They’re a different team. They’re taking their pitches and working better counts.”
Kevin Jepsen (4-3) earned the victory, giving up one hit in two innings with two strikeouts and one walk.
“We had some big home runs from Vlad and Kendry. In between we did a good job of situational hitting,” Scioscia said. “We needed every one of those runs. At some point you have to pitch and make plays. We started off a little rocky but then we settled down.”
Brian Fuentes pitched the ninth for his 32nd save in 36 chances. Ben Zobrist nearly tied the game with two outs, but Juan Rivera took his bid for a home run away with a catch in front of the short wall in the left field corner.
“That’s a tough wall. It’s a low wall, but if you’re running toward it hard, it’s kind of firm and it can mess up an outfielder,” Maddon said. “I’ve seen guys kind of back off that wall.”
Russ Springer (0-2) took the loss, allowing one run and two hits while facing two batters. Starter Matt Garza lasted 3 1-3 innings, giving up six runs and six hits while striking out three and walking four.
“He’s made a career out of hitting pitchers’ pitches and balls off the plate and he does damage with them,” Springer said. “I’ve never faced a guy that covers as much of an area that he does. He hits balls down, he hits balls up and he hits balls outside. So when he’s locked in, he has a big area that he can make contact with.”
The Angels retook the lead in the fifth on Morales’ homer that made it 7-6. The Rays answered in the sixth on Bartlett’s triple that tied the game for the fourth time.
“I’ve never seen him like this,” Maddon said about Morales. “The last couple of years, there were a bunch of different ways you could get him out. Now he’s starting to cover his holes and he’s playing with a lot of confidence.”
The Rays rallied with three runs to tie the game at 6 in the fifth. Carl Crawford had an RBI double, Zobrist added a sacrifice fly and Pena homered with two outs to chase Angels starter Sean O’Sullivan.
Los Angeles went ahead for the second time in the bottom of the third on Morales’ two-run homer with two outs that made it 5-3. The Angels added a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Maicer Izturis.
Bartlett tied the game at 3 with his 11th homer in third.
The Angels took their first lead with three runs in the second. Guerrero led off with his 399th career homer, seventh of the season, and Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins followed with RBI singles for a 3-2 lead. Figgins’ hit snapped an 0-for-17 slide.
The Rays led 2-0 in the first on an RBI double by Evan Longoria and an RBI single by Zobrist.
Xtra, xtra: The Rays have homered in a club-record 15 consecutive games. They had three steals to give them a major league-leading 155. It was the 37th multi-homer game of Guerrero’s career. Angels OF Torii Hunter will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at Class A Rancho Cucamonga. Manager Mike Scioscia said it’s possible Hunter would rejoin the team in Baltimore on Aug. 14. He has been on the DL since July 8 with a strained right groin. Angels RHP Trevor Bell has been called up from Triple-A Salt Lake and will start Wednesday’s series finale against the Rays (Associated Press - Sports).

Mariners 11, Rays 2 (Game #111) [61-50]

2009-08-09T10:54:00.000-04:00

No wonder Russell Branyan couldn’t remember the last time he’d hit a grand slam.
It had been nine major league teams, four minor league stops, five trades and five free-agent contracts ago.
Whew!
“Was I with the Reds?” Branyan guessed correctly with a smile Sunday, after he broke out of a slump with his first slam in six years to help starter Ryan Rowland-Smith rebound from a shaky beginning, and the Seattle Mariners rolled over the Tampa Bay Rays 11-2 on Sunday.
Branyan hit the first-pitch from Jeff Bennett in the sixth inning over the Rays’ bullpen and off a back fence well beyond left field. It was the 33-year-old’s first slam since July 21, 2003, when he was with Cincinnati.
“Yeah, I remember that,” he said unconvincingly, rolling his eyes.
Mariners rookie manager Don Wakamatsu moved Branyan from second to sixth in the batting order Sunday. The slugger with a sore back that is limiting his pregame batting practice was hitless in 11 at-bats before he capped Seattle’s comeback from an early 2-1 deficit.
His 26th homer extended his career high. It was the first home run to left field in two years from the left-handed pull hitter.
Franklin Gutierrez’s second consecutive three-hit game included a go-ahead home run in the second off Scott Kazmir.
Kazmir (6-7) said he failed to mix his pitches. He continued to look like anything but Tampa Bay’s pitching star of 2008, keeping the Rays from reaching a season-high 13 games over .500.
“Kazmir just had a tough time today,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He was throwing the ball in bad spots … and they pretty much beat us up.”
Rowland-Smith (2-1) allowed two early runs but nothing else. He struck out a season-high six in 6 2-3 innings, as Seattle took two of three games from last season’s AL champions to stay on the fringes of the wild-card race.
The Mariners, who lost 101 games last season, are now 4 1/2 games behind wild-card co-leaders Boston and Texas.
“You’re always looking at the scoreboard to see what other teams are doing. Yeah, it’s talked about in here,” Rowland-Smith said inside a clubhouse that has gone from dysfunctional to dreaming in less than a year.
“But, obviously, it’s only August. Hopefully we can still be right there in September,” he added.
Rowland-Smith broke about a half dozen bats and struck out Rays on big, looping curves and floating changeups in his fourth start of the season. He spent 3 1/2 months and the disabled list with elbow pain and then on an inconsistent rehabilitation assignment in the minor leagues.
He said he simply decided “to pitch to contact.” The switch was well-timed, one day after starter Ian Snell walked six and got just four outs in his Mariners home debut.
“Rowland-Smith picked us up big time,” Wakamatsu said.
The left-hander’s only mistake was a two-run home run by Dioner Navarro that gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead in the second, on an 0-2 pitch. That extended the Rays’ team-record of a home run in 14 straight games.
Ichiro Suzuki singled in the tying run in the second before Gutierrez hit a chest-high fastball from Kazmir for his career-high 14th home run to turn Seattle’s 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead.
Suzuki, who was 0 for 4 Saturday, has not gone hitless in consecutive games since Aug. 13-15, 2008. That span of 144 games is the longest such streak in the majors since 1954.
The longest AL streak of not going hitless in consecutive games is 164 by Earl Sheely of the 1923-24 Chicago White Sox.
Kazmir hasn’t won on the road since May 9 at Boston. The 2008 All-Star and starting pitcher in Game 1 of last fall’s World Series lasted just 4 1-3 innings, his shortest outing since he returned in late May from missing a month with a strained quadriceps. He allowed nine hits and seven runs, increasing his ERA to 6.50.
“It was frustrating,” he said.
Xtra, xtra: Rays 1B Carlos Pena, tied for the AL lead with 28 home runs entering Sunday, sat because he was 0 for 5 with four strikeouts against Rowland-Smith. Willy Aybar played 1B and singled, walked and was hit by a pitch. Wakamatsu said 25-year-old RHP Doug Fister will make his first major league start Tuesday against the White Sox, to replace the demoted Jason Vargas (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 10, Mariners 4 (Game #110) [61-49]

2009-08-08T10:47:00.000-04:00

The sting from an 11th-inning loss a night earlier didn’t become a two-day hangover for Tampa Bay.
Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena and the Rays’ bats made sure of that.
Longoria broke a 3-all tie with his 24th homer of the season and Pena added a two-run shot moments later in Tampa Bay’s 10-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night, the Rays’ sixth victory in eight games.
After seeing Ryan Langerhans celebrate following a two-out homer on Friday night that gave Seattle a 7-6 win, the Rays quickly bounced back and gained another game on the slumping Red Sox in the AL wild-card chase.
“It was a big blow. We got knocked out late,” Pena said. “But for us to come back fresh again and put that behind us and play like nothing happened that’s great.”
Longoria’s homer came in the fifth inning and gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead. Two batters later, Pena went deep off Seattle reliever Chris Jakubauskas for his 28th homer of the season. Tampa Bay then cushioned its lead with four runs in the eighth, highlighted by Jason Barlett’s two-run single.
But for all the offense the Rays got, it was two key outs from reliever Randy Choate that proved critical.
Choate took over for starter James Shields with one out in the sixth, runners on second and third and the Rays holding a 6-4 lead. The sidewinding lefty forced Ichiro Suzuki to reach for an outside fastball and induced a slow roller to third for the second out. Choate then got out of the jam when Russell Branyan tapped back to the mound.
That sequence ensured Shields (7-8) would get his first win since June 20.
“It’s big. Tonight was a total team effort. I felt I had some pretty good stuff tonight, I just didn’t go as long as I wanted to go,” Shields said.
Shields wasn’t near as sharp as his last outing when he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He was knocked out in the sixth after Michael Saunders’ third hit, a double into the right-field corner, scored Franklin Gutierrez, advanced Rob Johnson to third and ended Shields’ night.
But Choate ended the chance and the Rays trio of Choate, Grant Balfour and Brian Shouse set down the final 11 Seattle batters. Tampa Bay moved within 1 1/2 games of Boston in the AL wild-card chase, while Seattle remained 5 1/2 back.
“It’s nice to be one of the top bullpens in baseball. We’ve done pretty well so far,” Choate said. “When you do cough it up a little bit like last night, to be able to come back and get an out in an important spot and be able to get the win it’s nice to have a comeback like that.”
Longoria’s homer came after Seattle rallied from an early 3-0 deficit and a meltdown by starter Ian Snell, who lasted just 1 1-3 innings and walked six batters. It was his fifth homer in the last 10 games.
After Ben Zobrist walked, Pena jumped on a 3-2 fastball from Jakubauskas (5-7) to give the Rays a 6-3 lead.
Snell was making his debut at Safeco Field following a strong first start with the Mariners after being traded along with Jack Wilson to Seattle on July 30. It certainly wasn’t the first impression Snell was hoping to make on the home crowd.
“To be honest I was a little nervous, a littler jittery, probably a little too excited and the adrenaline was rushing to much. That caused me to keep the ball up in the zone,” Snell said. “I dug us a hole that we couldn’t get out of.”
Snell gave up four walks in the first inning—including a walk of Pat Burrell with the bases loaded—along with an RBI single to Zobrist. The second inning wasn’t any better as Snell walked Bartlett for a second time, allowed a double to Carl Crawford and saw Barlett score on Longoria’s infielder grounder. Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu saw enough when Snell issued his sixth walk on a 3-2 pitch to Zobrist. It matched the shortest start of Snell’s career.
Jakubauskas got out of the second inning jam with a double play and pitched 4 2-3 strong innings of relief, his only hiccup being the two homers allowed.
Gutierrez hit a two-run homer in the second off Shields, his 13th of the season, and scored on scored on Saunders’ double in the sixth. Gutierrez
Xtra, xtra: Seattle pitchers allowed a season-high 10 walks. Six of the 10 scored. Snell lasted just 1 1-3 innings on May 14, 2006, against Florida while with Pittsburgh. Seattle RHP Doug Fister made his major league debut in the ninth. Newly acquired C Gregg Zaun made his debut with the Rays. Zaun went 1-for-5 (Associated Press - Sports).

Mariners 7, Rays 6 [11 innings] (Game #109) [60-49]

2009-08-07T10:40:00.000-04:00

Never has coming off the bench felt—or tasted—so good for Ryan Langerhans.
Seattle’s reserve pinch-ran in the seventh inning after sitting for two-plus hours, then stayed in the game. In the 11th, Langerhans hit a 2-2 pitch from closer J.P. Howell into the right-field bleachers for a game-ending, two-run home run and the Mariners twice rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-6 on Friday night—one of the wildest wins of their surprising season.
Langerhans, acquired on June 28 from Washington as third baseman Adrian Beltre went out for shoulder surgery, bent his knees and golfed a fifth consecutive curveball from Howell (6-3) for his first career game-ending homer.
It was also the first home run Howell had allowed to a left-handed batter in 70 plate appearances this season. It erased a homer in the top of the 11th by Jason Bartlett off Shawn Kelley (4-1), and ended Tampa Bay’s three-game winning streak.
Langerhans took off his batting helmet before reaching home plate, where his new teammates mobbed him inside an impromptu mosh pit.
“I’ve heard people say when you get your helmet on, it hurts more when they hit you in the head,” he said.
Mike Sweeney, the man for whom Langerhans pinch-ran in the seventh, shoved an ice cream pie into his new teammate’s face in the raucous dugout.
“At least it didn’t burn my eyes,” Langerhans said, recalling Seattle’s usual celebrations of shaving-cream dishes in a hero’s mug. “And it tasted good.”
Seattle, which lost 101 games last season, pulled to within 5 1/2 games of Boston for the lead in the AL wild-card standings.
The defending AL-champion Rays stayed 2 1/2 games back of the Red Sox in the same standings.
Bartlett hit a 3-1 fastball from Kelley well over the manual scoreboard on the left-field wall for his 10th home run.
But Howell walked Franklin Gutierrez, who had struck out in his first four at-bats, leading off the bottom of the 11th. New Mariner Jack Wilson sacrificed him to second and Rob Johnson flied out before Langerhans shocked Howell with his sixth blown save in 18 chances.
Howell, who was trying to get a five-out save for the first time in 11 months, bent at the knees and stared dejectedly into the turf near the mound as chaos reigned around him.
“I tried to make my pitch and I didn’t,” Howell said in a matter-of-fact tone. “It’s tough to swallow, but that’s what we’re good at—swallow and move on.
“That is when you love to play every day. When you do something like this, you can’t wait to get back out there.”
Seattle’s earlier thrills came when the first 20,000 of the 44,378 in attendance got Ken Griffey Jr. bobblehead dolls on their way in, when Russell Branyan hit his career-high 25th home run in the first—and when Griffey sent the dolls nodding with approval by hitting starter Jeff Niemann’s first pitch of the seventh for his 623rd career home run. That sparked a four-run rally.
The 39-year-old Griffey has 12 home runs in 83 games this season, and is 37 homers behind Willie Mays for fourth place on baseball’s all-time list.
Niemann left after allowing singles to Beltre and Wilson following Griffey’s homer. He allowed four runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings. Grant Balfour then allowed an RBI single to Rob Johnson, which Wilson nimbly jumped over between first and second to avoid a second out. That made it 5-3.
Balfour walked pinch-hitter Sweeney to load the bases, bringing Langerhans into the game to run. Rays manager Joe Maddon summoned reliever Brian Shouse, and Ichiro Suzuki greeted him with a two-run single grounded under his legs.
The Rays scored three runs, two unearned, off ace Felix Hernandez in the second. Tampa Bay added two more when Pat Burrell whacked a fastball from Hernandez off a sign honoring Jackie Robinson in the second deck beyond left field leading off the fifth. It was Burrell’s second home run in as many days, and ninth of the season.
Burrell added an RBI groundout in the seventh to make it 5-1.
Xtra, xtra: SS Wilson, acquired last week from Pittsburgh, wowed in his first home game for Seattle. He went into short left field to field a hard grounder by Burrell with the bases loaded in the first and made a strong throw for an inning-ending force out. In the eighth, he sprawled into the outfield grass, got up and threw on two hops to retire speedy B.J. Upton. That earned Wilson a standing ovation. Hernandez allowed five runs—three earned—and a career-high tying six walks in six-plus innings. The other time Hernandez walked six was on July 28, 2006, in a 1-0 loss at Cleveland. The Rays designated C Michel Hernandez for assignment after the game, to clear roster space for Gregg Zaun. They acquired the veteran catcher from Baltimore earlier in the day for cash or a player to be named later (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 6, Red Sox 4 (Game #108) [60-48]

2009-08-05T16:46:00.000-04:00

Rookie David Price is one of the reasons the Tampa Bay Rays like their chances of getting back to the playoffs.
The 23-year-old left-hander extended Boston’s woes at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night, pitching six strong innings in a 6-4 victory that finished a two-game sweep of the Red Sox and tightened the AL wild-card race.
“We never felt out of it,” Price said. “A lot of people counted us out, but nobody in here did.”
Facing the Red Sox for the first time since getting the last four outs of last season’s AL championship series, Price (5-4) allowed two runs and six hits to improve to 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA at home compared to 0-3 with an 8.20 ERA on the road.
Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Pat Burrell and Jason Bartlett homered for the Rays, who have won 13 of 15 regular-season meetings between the teams at Tropicana Field since the start of 2008.
Pena hit a two-run homer off Brad Penny (7-6) in the second inning. Crawford, celebrating his 28th birthday, went deep with a man on in the third. Burrell added a solo shot off Penny for a 5-2 lead in the sixth.
Bartlett hit a solo shot off Manny Delcarmen in the seventh.
“They’re a good team. I don’t think it’s this place,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “It’s who we’re playing. They play us very tough.”
Jason Bay and Victor Martinez hit solo homers off Price for Boston, which fell 2 1/2 games behind AL East-leading New York heading into a four-game series that begins Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.
Price struck out five and walked none.
“David’s got a good head on his shoulders. He doesn’t get overwhelmed. He just takes care of his business quietly,” Boston’s Rocco Baldelli said.
“More than anything we came in today thinking, if he gets behind (in the count), we can do some damage against him. We couldn’t because he threw strikes and he was in the zone the whole night.”
With the sweep, the third-place Rays (5 1/2 behind the Yankees) continued to close on the Red Sox in the division. Three games separate the teams in the standings, and Tampa Bay leads the season series 8-4, including five of six at Tropicana Field.
J.P. Howell pitched the ninth for his 12th save. After issuing a leadoff walk, he struck out Jason Varitek and Jed Lowrie and got Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out to end the game.
Since posting season highs Sunday with 18 runs and 23 hits to complete a weekend sweep at Baltimore, the Red Sox have fizzled offensively. They were limited to homers by Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Rays in 13 innings, and struggled again in key situations against Price.
Boston threatened in the third, fourth and fifth against the left-hander, but went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position—unable to cut into Tampa Bay’s lead until Martinez led off the sixth with his 16th homer to trim the deficit to 4-2.
The Red Sox finished 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Lowrie grounded out to drive in an unearned run in the seventh, and Youkilis’ grounder drove in Boston’s final run after Pedroia walked and Martinez doubled in the eighth.
Penny, who’s lost four of five decisions over his last eight starts, allowed five runs and six hits in six innings.
Xtra, xtra: The Red Sox agreed to terms on a minor league contract with RHP Paul Byrd. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz had the night off. He said before the game that he’s still waiting for additional information regarding a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. One of Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon’s first orders of business was making sure no equipment bags were left on the ground in the team’s bullpen in right field. The Rays cost themselves the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s marathon when Red Sox RHP Daniel Bard threw wildly past first after fielding a bunt and the ball rolled under a bag and was ruled dead. The umpires “interpreted it right,” Maddon said. “It’s one of those things if we win, it’s OK. If you don’t, it’s not OK.” Injured Boston RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (right shoulder strain) played long toss and threw at 60 feet on flat ground. He’s scheduled for his first bullpen session next week and remains hopeful of pitching again this season (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 4, Red Sox 2 [13 innings] (Game #107) [59-48]

2009-08-04T16:51:00.000-04:00

Boston could only keep Evan Longoria’s bat silent for so long.
Tampa Bay’s All-Star slugger struck out four times, yet continued his torrid hitting against the Red Sox with two homers Tuesday night, including a two-run shot off Takashi Saito with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Rays a 4-2 victory.
“I really was just trying to extend the inning, get a base hit and get somebody into scoring position,” Longoria said. “I’ve faced Saito before so I kind of knew what he was featuring. He left the ball up in the zone.”
Longoria, who has seven homers and 24 RBIs in 11 games against the Red Sox this season, homered in the eighth, tying the score 2-all.
“We’ve seen him at his best,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “We seem to bring out a lot in him.”
The Red Sox bullpen worked out of jams in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings, but couldn’t do it again in the 13th. Boston also squandered an opportunity of its own to take the lead when Dustin Pedroia grounded into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the 10th.
Michel Hernandez walked to start the 13th. After a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, Longoria hit his 23rd homer of the season off Saito (2-3) to end the 4 hour, 57-minute game.
Lance Cormier (2-1) gave up one hit in one inning for the win.
“The game was totally exasperating. To have so many opportunities and not get it done was frustrating. … To not have won this game under those circumstances would have been very difficult,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
The third-place Rays remained 5 1/2 games behind first-place New York in the AL East. The second-place Red Sox had their four-game winning streak stopped and fell 1 1/2 games off the pace.
“It was a fun game to be part of,” Francona said. “I wish it ended differently.”
The Red Sox wasted a strong performance by Jon Lester, who allowed one run and three hits and struck out 10 in six-plus innings, holding the AL champions scoreless until the seventh. The left-hander hit Carlos Pena with his final pitch of the night, then watched the Rays trim a 2-0 deficit to one run with two singles off the bullpen.
Jason Bartlett drove in Tampa Bay’s first run with an infield single off Bard. Longoria made it 2-2, homering off the reliever on the first pitch of the eighth. The Red Sox then needed a break to get out of the inning without falling behind.
Bard, who hadn’t given up an earned over 14 innings of his last 12 outings, walked Ben Zobrist and compounded Boston’s trouble when he fielded Willy Aybar’s bunt and threw wildly past first base into the right-field corner for an error.
Zobrist and Aybar both circled the bases to score on the play, but were sent back to second and third because the ball rolled under an equipment bag in the Rays’ bullpen. Pena walked to load the bases with no outs, but Boston escaped when Bard struck out B.J. Upton and Manny Delcarmen retired pinch-hitters Gabe Gross and Pat Burrell.
Kevin Youkilis hit his 20th homer in the second inning and Pedroia connected for his seventh in the sixth for the Red Sox, who conclude a two-game series here Wednesday night before heading to New York for four games against the Yankees.
Both of Boston’s homers came off Matt Garza, who limited the Red Sox to three hits while walking two and striking out six in seven innings.
Xtra, xtra: Boston LF Jason Bay (mildly strained right hamstring) was out of the lineup for the second straight game since leaving Saturday’s win over Baltimore because of a cramp in the hamstring. He expects to play Wednesday. Crawford swiped second and third in the first inning, hiking his major league-leading total to 51. It’s the fifth 50-steal season of his career, most among active players. Rays manager Joe Maddon tweaked his batting order, using Bartlett as the leadoff man after the shortstop had three hits, walked once and drove in two runs in Monday’s win over Kansas City. Customary leadoff batter Upton was dropped to seventh. The move paid off, with Bartlett going 2 for 4 with two walks (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 10, Royals 4 (Game #106) [58-48]

2009-08-03T09:32:00.000-04:00

Zack Greinke could appreciate the game Carl Crawford had against him.
Crawford had three hits, three RBIs and stole his 49th base of the season, leading the Tampa Bay Rays past the Kansas City Royals 10-4 on Monday.
The Rays’ All-Star left fielder went 3 for 3 against Greinke (10-7) after having just one hit in 16 previous at-bats against him.
“He hit a fastball away, a slow curve and changeup down,” Greinke said. “He helped make it look worse than it could have been.”
Willy Aybar hit solo homers from both sides of the plate for the Rays, who won nine of 10 games in the season series with Kansas City. Aybar homered left-handed off Greinke in the fifth and went deep from the right side against Ron Mahay two innings later.
“I’ve had a lot of good luck,” Aybar, who is 4 of 6 against Greinke, said through a translator.
Greinke allowed six runs and 10 hits over five innings, and is 0-4 in six starts since his last win on June 28 at Pittsburgh. He is 0-3 in five career games, including four starts, at Tropicana Field.
“Today, it was just mainly bad pitching to start the game off,” Greinke said. “It really wasn’t them the first couple innings. It was more getting myself in trouble.”
Tampa Bay left-hander Scott Kazmir (6-6) gave up three runs and six hits in six-plus innings. The left-hander was coming off a 6-2 win over CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees last Tuesday.
Royals bench coach John Gibbons filled in for manager Trey Hillman, who left the team after Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Rays to tend to a family matter. Hillman might return on Tuesday.
Aybar’s second homer came in a four-run seventh that put Tampa Bay up 10-3. Jason Bartlett, hitting in the leadoff spot because B.J. Upton was rested, knocked in two runs on his third hit, a triple to right-center.
Rays manager Joe Maddon said he might tweak his regular lineup, which could include keeping Bartlett, who is hitting .337, at the top of the lineup. Aybar might get more at-bats at designated hitter with starter Pat Burrell struggling.
“I wouldn’t mind it,” Bartlett said. “We had a huge game. I had a good game. If that’s what he wants to do, I’m more than happy to do that.”
Carlos Pena’s two-run single in the first put the Rays ahead 2-0.
Crawford extended the Rays’ lead to 4-1 with a two-run double in the second. He also had an RBI single in the fourth.
Kansas City got within 2-1 on a second-inning RBI single by Miguel Olivo. John Buck had an RBI double in the sixth, and Billy Butler hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly one inning later.
The Royals loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but failed to score when Willie Bloomquist flew out to center on a 3-2 pitch.
Greinke struck out nine and walked three during his 105-pitch outing. Yunieksy Betancourt hit his first homer since May 16, a solo shot in the ninth.
Xtra, xtra: Greinke said playing baseball indoors is different. “It doesn’t feel as much like a baseball game when you’re inside,” he said. Royals 3B Alex Gordon, hitless in 11 at-bats in the first three games of the series, was out of the starting lineup. Gordon is 0 for 34 overall at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay RHP Chad Bradford (lower back) is throwing off a bullpen mound. Royals RHP Gil Meche (lower back strain) was scheduled to make a rehab start Monday night with Triple-A Omaha. Tampa Bay released RHP Wade Townsend, who was taken eighth overall in the 2005 amateur draft. He has battled shoulder and elbow injuries throughout his pro career. Kansas City OF Josh Anderson, acquired from Detroit last Thursday, could join the team Wednesday. Anderson has been with his wife awaiting the birth of their first child (Associated Press - Sports).

Royals 4, Rays 1 (Game #105) [57-48]

2009-08-02T11:40:00.000-04:00

Kansas City’s late offensive outburst cost James Shields more than a victory.
John Buck ended Shields’ bid for a no-hitter with a leadoff single in the eighth inning, Mitch Maier drove in three runs and the Royals beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Sunday.
Shields dominated the Royals before Buck’s hit started a two-run inning. Pinch-runner Ryan Freel advanced all the way to third when catcher Dioner Navarro made an errant throw to second on Alex Gordon’s fielder’s choice, and Maier drove him in with an infield single.
Gordon stole home later in the eighth when Maier got involved in a rundown, and suddenly Shields found himself in a 2-0 hole.
“He was very good,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “The crack was more defensive letdown than it was the fact that we were knocking him around the ballpark. I was glad John broke that up and then, obviously, we caught a couple of breaks.”
Hillman left the team after his postgame media session to tend to a personal matter.
Brian Bannister (7-7) gave up five hits and struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, giving the Royals their first win in nine games against Tampa Bay this season. Joakim Soria, who allowed a homer to Ben Zobrist in the ninth, pitched the final two innings for his 18th save.
“If a guy takes a no-hitter into the eighth and you still beat him that day, then it’s a good team effort,” Bannister said. “We haven’t beaten this team at all this year, and so to win it that way was extra special.”
Maier kept the game scoreless by throwing out B.J. Upton trying to score on Evan Longoria’s single to center in the sixth. He tacked on a two-run single in the ninth.
“I know he can run and Longoria hit one right at me,” Maier said. “He hits it anywhere else, I have no chance at him.”
Shields (6-8) wound up allowing two runs and two hits in 7 1-3 innings, dropping to 0-3 in eight starts since beating New York Mets ace Johan Santana on June 20. Shields struck out six and walked four.
“What are you going to do?” Shields said. “I went out there and pitched my best game and came up short. You move forward, that’s all I can do. I pitched well enough to win and Bannister pitched better.”
There has never been a no-hitter in 940 regular-season games at Tropicana Field. The Rays have not thrown a no-hitter in their 1,884 regular-season games overall.
“I wasn’t really thinking about the no-hitter,” said Shields, who is 5-1 against the Royals. “I wasn’t. All I wanted to do is shut them out, give this team a chance to win and I didn’t get the job done. It would have been nice, but we lost the game.”
Shields allowed just one baserunner—a two-out walk to Yuniesky Betancourt with two out in the third—through five innings.
The Rays put runners on second and third with one out in the second but Bannister struck out Navarro and got Jason Bartlett to pop up to end the inning.
“I knew he had a no-hitter,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “But it’s 0-0, let’s go. Let’s get some points on the board. We made too many mistakes to win that game.”
Xtra, xtra: Gordon is the first Royals player to steal home since Mendy Lopez on May 31, 2003. Kansas City designated RHP Sidney Ponson for assignment and plan to bring up RHP Kyle Davies from Triple-A Omaha to start Wednesday’s game against Seattle. Royals RHP Gil Meche, out since July 12 with a lower back strain, had his rehab start for Class-A Wilmington rained out. Tampa Bay OF Fernandez Perez (left wrist surgery) is getting close to starting a rehab assignment. Royals OF Mark Teahen (lower back tightness) was held out of the starting lineup. He popped out as a pinch hitter in the eighth (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 7, Royals 1 (Game #104) [57-47]

2009-08-01T11:35:00.000-04:00

Jeff Niemann is not pitching like a typical rookie.
Niemann worked eight dominant innings for his 10th win, Carl Crawford hit a two-run homer and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 7-1 on Saturday.
“Good look about him, again,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s at the point he’s gaining confidence. He looks like he expects to win when he goes out there. The way he’s pitching is surpassing my expectations.”
Niemann (10-5) gave up four hits and struck out seven in his second career start against the Royals. He threw a two-hitter in beating Kansas City 9-0 on June 3.
The 6-foot-9 right-hander has reached the point where he feels like he can win every start.
“Absoultely,” Niemann said. “You’re going to have good days and bad days. I’m going to go out there every single time and attack the opposing team, and I have confidence to be able to really believe that now.”
Tampa Bay (57-47) matched its season-high at 10 games over .500.
Crawford hit a two-run homer during a four-run eighth that extended the Rays’ lead to 7-1.
David DeJesus homered off Niemann for the Royals, who have lost 15 of 18. Kansas City is 0-8 against Tampa Bay this season.
Royals starter Bruce Chen (0-6) gave up three runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. The left-hander, who had elbow ligament-replacement surgery in 2007, last won in the majors on Oct. 2, 2005, at Tampa Bay with Baltimore.
“I’ve been dying to get a win. I really am,” Chen said. “I’ve been working really hard. I think I’m making progress. I felt like today I could have won, but I just got beat. Niemann did a great job of keeping us off balance.”
Chen has appeared in 53 games, including 20 starts, since his last victory. His record is 0-13 over the stretch.
Jason Bartlett drove in two runs with a triple and then scored to make it 3-0 in the second when Royals second baseman Alberto Callaspo was charged with an error for a poor relay throw to third.
The Royals have allowed an AL-leading 56 unearned runs this season.
Kansas City threatened in the fifth, but left fielder Crawford threw out Brayan Pena attempting to score from third on Alex Gordon’s flyball.
DeJesus got the Royals to 3-1 during the sixth on his eighth homer of the season, and first since July 9.
The Royals have been outscored 33-7 in losing five times in Florida to the Rays this year.
Kansas City right fielder Mark Teahen left the game because of muscle tightness in his lower back. He is day to day.
“They’ve beaten us in a bunch of different fashions,” Teahen said. “We haven’t been able to figure them out to this point.”
Xtra, xtra: Kansas City RHP Gil Meche, out since July 12 with a lower back strain, is scheduled to make a rehab start Sunday with Class-A Wilmington. Tampa Bay signed free agent RHP Jeff Bennett and optioned RHP Joe Nelson to Triple-A Durham. Royals RHP Kyle Farnsworth (right groin strain) could throw off a bullpen mound in the next couple days. Rays 1B Carlos Pena was out of the starting lineup, but entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth. Callaspo was hitless in three at-bats, which stopped his 13-game hitting streak (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 8, Royals 2 (Game #103) [56-47]

2009-07-31T11:28:00.000-04:00

David Price doesn’t have an answer why most of his success during his rookie season has come at Tropicana Field
Price allowed one run over seven innings and Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to an 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.
Price (4-4) gave up five hits and improved to 4-1 at home this year.
“I feel good where ever it is,” Price said.
The left-hander has 2.67 ERA in 33 2-3 innings at home, compared to a road ERA of 8.20 over 26 1-3 innings.
“When it comes to a young guy, some guys it’s just a comfort level at home,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We are so young among our pitchers that you’re going to run into that once in a while. If it is some kind of a concern for David right now, he’s going to grow out of it rather quicky.”
Pena’s homer was his 26th this season, but just the third in July.
Alberto Callaspo extended his hitting streak to 13 games for Kansas City, which has lost 14 of 17. The Royals are 0-7 against Tampa Bay this season.
Pena put the Rays up 3-0 on an opposite-field shot off the left-field pole in the first.
“That’s a first,” Pena said. “I don’t remember (hitting the left-field pole) even in little league. Going the other way with strength and power is always a good sign, I think, for any hitter.”
Pena’s two-out homer came off Sidney Ponson (1-7), who allowed seven runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings.
“I put us in a hole right away,” Ponson said. “I didn’t pitch well.”
Callaspo singled during the second and later scored on Alex Gordon’s grounder to get the Royals within 3-1.
Jason Bartlett made it 4-1 on a fourth-inning RBI double. The Rays extended their advantage to 7-1 in the fifth when Ben Zobrist drove in a run with a triple, and Pat Burrell and Gabe Gross had RBI singles.
Tampa Bay’s Dioner Navarro added a solo homer in the eighth. Brayan Pena hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth for the Royals.
Zobrist hit into a strange double play to end the third. With runners on first and third, Zobrist hit a liner that struck Ponson on the left arm and shoulder and was caught for an out by second baseman Callaspo, who then made a throw that first baseman Billy Butler couldn’t handle that allowed Evan Longoria to return safely to first. Butler later threw to Gordon at third, who easily beat Carl Crawford to third base for the second out.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said.
“How strange is that?” Maddon added.
Plate umpire Charlie Reliford left with a tear in his right calf and is expected to be out four to six weeks. The game was completed with a three-man umpiring crew.
Xtra, xtra: Maddon had no problem with the defending AL champions not making a trade before the non-waiver deadline and said the Rays have the players to compete for a playoff spot. Royals RHP Kyle Farnsworth, sidelined since June 25 due to a strained right groin, will be re-evaluated this weekend after experiencing renewed tightness. Pena is 6-for-14 with two homers against Ponson. Kansas City OF Jose Guillen (right knee) will have his scheduled second opinion in the next few days. Guillen is getting treatment only for the injury at the current time (Associated Press - Sports).

Yankees 6, Rays 2 (Game #102) [55-47]

2009-07-29T02:55:00.000-04:00

George Steinbrenner’s presence placed a lot more heat on Joba Chamberlain than the Tampa Bay Rays.
With the Boss making the short trip from his Florida home to watch from his private suite at Tropicana Field, Chamberlain pitched eight scoreless inning Wednesday night as New York beat the Rays 6-2 to continue a strong second-half start.
“It’s great he came here. It’s definitely good to get a win when he’s in the house,” Chamberlain said. “I heard stories about when he was here. It was a little nerve-racking. I got a little nervous knowing he was in the house.”
Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano homered and drove in two runs apiece for the Yankees, who won for the 11th time in 13 games since the All-Star break.
They increased their AL East lead over second-place Boston to 3 1/2 games and dropped the defending division champion Rays a season-high 7 1/2 games off the pace in third place.
Steinbrenner, who lives in Tampa, visited the Yankees clubhouse before the game, spending about a half-hour in manager Joe Girardi’s office.
“It’s always good to see him. He doesn’t come around as much as he used to. He’s real proud,” New York captain Derek Jeter said. “We talked about a few things. His attitude never changes.”
Chamberlain (7-2) limited the sputtering Rays to three singles—two by Jason Bartlett—while allowing only one runner to reach second base. The right-hander struck out five and walked two, with both of the free passes coming in the fifth inning.
Teixeira and Melky Cabrera hit solo homers in the ninth. Teixeira and Jorge Posada also had RBI singles for the Yankees, who have won 24 of their last 31 games to move to the top of the division.
Cano grounded out to drive in a run in the fourth inning, then hit his 16th homer of the year in the sixth for a 3-0 lead against Matt Garza (7-8).
Chamberlain is 4-0 over his last seven starts and improved to 5-0 in nine starts on the road this season. He retired eight in a row before Bartlett singled with two outs in the third and gave up an infield hit to Carl Crawford on a comebacker that he slowed down but couldn’t field in the sixth.
“In my eyes,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said of Chamberlain, “that’s probably the best I’ve seen him.”
Bartlett added his second hit with two outs in the eighth.
“Joba seems to get better and better every time out,” Jeter said. “Today, in my opinion, was the best he’s been all year because he was working quick, he’s throwing strikes. It’s easy to play behind him.”
Although Chamberlain departed with a 6-0 lead, the Yankees still had to call on Mariano Rivera finish the game in a non-save situation after Brian Bruney gave up a triple to Crawford and Evan Longoria’s 21st homer with no outs in the ninth.
Rivera, who entered with one out after Carlos Pena doubled off Bruney, struck out Pat Burrell. After walking Gabe Gross, the New York closer fanned Michel Hernandez to end the game.
The Yankees built a 2-0 lead on Teixeira’s run-scoring single in the first and a single, double and Cano’s RBI grounder in the fourth, however they wasted several opportunities to put Garza in a deep hole by stranding runners at third in the second and third innings.
Garza struck out Alex Rodriguez to get out of another jam with a runner in scoring position after walking Johnny Damon and hitting Teixeira with a pitch with two outs in the fifth.
Teixeira was plunked after one of Chamberlain’s pitches sailed over the head of Longoria, who was hit by a pitch by Yankees reliever Jonathan Albaladejo. Garza said he was standing up for the Rays’ All-Star third baseman.
“They can take whatever they want from it, but I just kind of got tired of people brushing him back. It’s about time someone made a statement,” Garza said.
“I hate to be that guy, but someone had to take a stand and say we’re tired of it. You go after our best guy. Well, we’ll make some noise, too, and that’s what happened.”
Xtra, xtra: Garza, coming off an impressive nine-inning performance in which he outpitched Roy Halladay in a 10-inning win over Toronto, allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings. A night after going 2 for 3 with a RBI triple against CC Sabathia, Crawford joined the Yankees ace in hosting “Catching Up With Carl Crawford,” an event held to stimulate interest in baseball among young African-Americans. The players shared stories about how they got involved in the game as youngsters. Yankees RHP Chien-Ming Wang had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his injured right shoulder in Birmingham, Ala. Rays C Shawn Riggans (right shoulder tendinitis) finished a minor league rehab assignment and was optioned to Triple-A Durham (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 6, Yankees 2 (Game #101) [55-46]

2009-07-28T02:49:00.000-04:00

Scott Kazmir pitched like an All-Star again, shrugging off trade rumors and helping the Tampa Bay Rays slow down the streaking New York Yankees.
Kazmir outpitched CC Sabathia to win for the first time in more than two months, and the defending AL champions backed the young left-hander with timely hitting and superb defense in a 6-2 victory Tuesday night.
“People have been wanting more out of him, but he’s been putting himself back together slowly. What you saw tonight was some really good work,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said after Kazmir allowed one run and five hits in a season-high seven-plus innings.
“That’s as good a game as I’ve seen out of him,” Maddon added, “in about a year.”
An All-Star in 2008, Kazmir struggled late in the year and again early this season before spending five weeks on the disabled list recovering from a right quad strain and working on his pitching mechanics.
His winless streak covered seven starts, five since being reinstated from the DL on June 27.
“I feel like after the (All-Star) break, me thinking about my mechanics— that kind of mental side—was completely out the window,” Kazmir said. “I was just concentrating on throwing the ball where I wanted to.”
Evan Longoria hit a solo homer and Carl Crawford had an RBI triple off Sabathia (10-7), and the Yankees lost for just the second time in 12 games since the All-Star break.
The AL East leaders got more bad news when they learned right-hander Chien-Ming Wang will undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his injured pitching shoulder.
“It’s a tough loss for us,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I feel for him. He’s been through a lot the last 14, 15 months. Hopefully this is will be the end of the surgeries for him and he’ll have the rest of his career be real healthy. We’ll be there for him and we’ll help him get through this. We’ll get him back pitching as soon as we can.”
A subject of speculation with the non-waiver trade deadline approaching on Friday, Kazmir (5-6) responded with his strongest performance of the season to notch his first win since May 9, against Boston.
The 25-year-old left-hander took a four-hitter into the eighth inning and retired 10 of 12 batters he faced after giving up a RBI single to Hideki Matsui with one out in the fourth. He left the game after allowing a leadoff single to Nick Swisher in the eighth, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd of 32,304.
“It was a little emotional,” Kazmir said, adding that it did cross his mind that he might have been making his final start for Tampa Bay. “To get the ovation that I got was special. I’ll remember that a long time.”
Sabathia, 7-1 lifetime against Tampa Bay before Tuesday, allowed six runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings.
Longoria’s homer put Tampa Bay up 4-1 in the fifth. The Rays chased the Yankees ace with two more runs in the sixth on Jason Bartlett’s RBI infield single and B.J. Upton’s bloop double that drove in Bartlett from first.
“This is horrible. We’re too good of a team for me to not even give us a chance. It’s definitely frustrating,” Sabathia said. “We have been playing well, but you want to continue to keep playing well. These are games in our division that we need to win.”
The victory enabled the third-place Rays to move back within 6 1/2 games of the Yankees in the division. New York’s 11-4 win in the series opener on Monday night had dropped Tampa Bay a season-high 7 1/2 off the pace.
Kazmir, the losing pitcher last Thursday when the Rays were the victim of Mark Buehrle’s perfect game in Chicago, walked one and struck out four in a season-high seven-plus innings. Grant Balfour, Randy Choate and J.P. Howell finished, with Choate allowing a run-scoring double to Matsui in the ninth.
Xtra, xtra: Sabathia fanned Crawford in the fifth inning for his 1,500th career strikeout. Rays 2B Akinori Iwamura, who had surgery last month to repair a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, fielded ground balls for the first time since being injured in late May. There’s still no timetable for him to begin a rehab assignment. Yankees LF Johnny Damon retrieved the ball he hit for his 200th career homer Monday night after a fan tossed it back onto the field from the right-field stands. He plans to put it on display at his home, along with the balls he hit for his first and 100th homers. Yankees LHP Damaso Marte (left shoulder inflammation) allowed three homers and three hits in 1 2-3 innings of a rehab outing at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Associated Press - Sports).

Yankees 11, Rays 4 (Game #100) [54-46]

2009-07-27T02:42:00.000-04:00

There’s no letup in the New York Yankees.
Starting a nine-game, 10-day road trip that could set the tone for the remainder of the season, the AL East leaders continued their strong second-half start with an 11-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
“We left home after a good homestand and we’re in a good spot right now,” right-hander A.J. Burnett said after the Yankees homered four times to improve to 10-1 since the All-Star break.
“But you can tell from these guys that we’re not content. We want to keep going and keep winning and see how far we can go.”
Burnett allowed two hits in seven innings and switch-hitter Nick Swisher homered from both sides of the plate for the Yankees, who maintained a 2 1/2 -game lead in the division over second-place Boston.
New York also extended its lead to 7 1/2 over the third-place Rays.
“We worry about winning series. We don’t worry about sending messages,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “For us, we wanted to get this road trip, it’s a long road trip, off on the right start and we did.”
Swisher homered from the left and right sides of the plate for the ninth time in his career, second this year. Robinson Cano and Johnny Damon also went deep, while Derek Jeter had three hits and Alex Rodriguez contributed a two-run double on his 34th birthday.
Cano had an RBI triple in the second inning, then led off the sixth with his 15th homer off Rays starter James Shields (6-7). Swisher hit his 15th off the right-hander two pitches later and added No. 16 off lefty Brian Shouse with a solo shot in the ninth.
Damon finished New York’s 15-hit night with his 200th career homer, a three-run blast that made it 11-3.
“We wanted to make sure we took the first one,” Swisher said. “After the break, I think the one thing we stressed was come out of the gate good, and that’s what we’re doing. We feel confident, and I’ll tell you what, if we keep playing like this, it’s going to be a really, really, fun season.”
Burnett (10-4) limited the Rays to B.J. Upton’s third-inning single until allowing an unearned run in the sixth, when Upton reached base after striking out on an inside pitch that skipped off Jorge Posada’s glove for a passed ball.
Upton moved to third on Carl Crawford’s single, then scored when Evan Longoria grounded into a double play.
Beginning a stretch in which they’ll play 19 of 26 on the road, the Yankees showed no signs of a letdown following the club’s best homestand (9-1) since June 2004. They’ve won 23 of their last 29, climbing a season-best 23 games over .500.
Tampa Bay’s 7 1/2 -game deficit matches its biggest of the season. The Rays never trailed by more than five games en route to winning the AL East and making an improbable run to the World Series last year.
“We can’t bury ourselves any further than we are right now,” Longoria said. “It becomes a lot tougher to win games late in the year, especially with the teams in our division.”
Burnett walked two and struck out five before departing with a 7-1 lead. The Rays scored twice off Jonathan Albaladejo in the eighth before the third New York pitcher, David Robertson, struck out Carlos Pena to escape a jam with two runners on.
Shields hasn’t won since beating the New York Mets on June 20, going 0-2 with five no decisions in seven starts since then. He fell to 1-7 lifetime against the Yankees, who have beaten him more than any team.
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon concedes his team faces an uphill battle to repeat as division champions and return to the playoffs, however he stressed the race is far from over.
“I hate to be disappointing. It’s just another game, and we have to come back tomorrow and play tomorrow,” Maddon said. “I don’t really apply the same amount of weight that other people do. I really believe in the one-day-at-a-time concept.”
Xtra, xtra: Rodriguez was back in the Yankees lineup after resting Sunday. He went 1 for 4 with a walk and exchanged words with plate umpire Brian Knight after taking a called third strike in the fifth inning. With OF Brett Gardner on the 15-day disabled list after breaking his left thumb, the Yankees only had three position players available off the bench—Cody Ransom, Jose Molina and Eric Hinske. The Rays activated Shouse (left elbow strain) from the DL and optioned RHP Dale Thayer to Triple-A Durham (Associated Press - Sports).

Blue Jays 5, Rays 1 (Game #99) [54-45]

2009-07-26T14:47:00.000-04:00

After losing the finale of a long and eventful road trip, the Tampa Bay Rays are finally heading home.
There won’t be much time to rest. A nine-game homestand opens Monday with three against the AL East-leading New York Yankees. After four games against Kansas City, the Rays play two against the Boston Red Sox, who lead the AL wildcard race.
“This is a crucial homestand,” Rays slugger Pat Burrell said. “I think it will dictate a lot, especially with the (July 31 trade) deadline coming up. If we have a real good homestand, I mean real good, we’re going to be in a good place.”
Scott Rolen hit a three-run home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Tampa Bay 5-1 on Sunday, handing Rays rookie Jeff Niemann his first loss in his last six decisions.
The Rays finished 6-4 on a road trip that began after the All-Star break and included both a perfect-game defeat to Chicago’s Mark Buehrle and the biggest comeback in team history, overturning an eight-run deficit in Saturday’s 10-9, 12-inning win.
“A lot of stuff happened in 10 days,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We’ve got to keep pushing it, there’s no two ways about it.”
Blue Jays rookie left-hander Brett Cecil got the win Sunday, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. Cecil (4-1) walked three and struck out seven. Brandon League pitched the eighth and Jason Frasor finished in the ninth as the Blue Jays won for just the second time in nine games against the Rays.
“(Cecil) is pitching well,” Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. “He set the tone. I’m proud of the way they came back and played because (Saturday) was a tough day for all of us.”
Outfielder B.J. Upton said Cecil denied the Rays one of their biggest weapons.
“He kept us off the basepaths and when you do that to us, it’s tough,” Upton said. “We’re a team that revolves around speed and letting the middle of our order knock us in.”
One day after matching its biggest blown lead ever, Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak. The Blue Jays have lost seven of their past eight series and are 8-17 in that stretch.
Niemann (9-5) allowed five runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings to lose for the first time since May 28 at Cleveland. He walked one and struck out six.
“I thought Jeff threw the ball great,” Maddon said. “He’s starting to really look like a major league pitcher.”
Niemann kept Toronto hitless through three innings before Aaron Hill and Adam Lind opened the fourth with back-to-back singles. Rolen followed with a homer to center, his eighth.
“It was a slider that just didn’t slide,” Niemann said. “It stayed out there and he capitalized.”
Rolen refused to speak to the media following the game.
Carl Crawford cut the deficit to 3-1 with his 10th homer of the season in the sixth inning. It snapped Cecil’s 18-inning scoreless streak.
Evan Longoria followed with a double and Ben Zobrist drew a four-pitch walk but Cecil struck out Burrell looking to end the inning.
Toronto answered in the bottom half when Lind doubled, went to third on Rolen’s single and scored when Vernon Wells grounded into a double play. The Blue Jays chased Niemann in the seventh. Lyle Overbay led off with a double, took third one out later on Joe Inglett’s single and scored on a base hit by Marco Scutaro.
Rays slugger Carlos Pena batted sixth for the second straight day and went 0 for 3 with a walk.
Xtra, xtra: Blue Jays scout Steve Springer attended the Class-A Clearwater Phillies game Sunday. Philadelphia is rumored to be the leading candidate to acquire Toronto RHP Roy Halladay. Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is considering using a six-man starting rotation over the final two months of the season, an effort to limit the innings of rookies Cecil, Scott Richmond and Marc Rzepczynski. Rays LHP Brian Shouse (elbow) is expected to come off the 15-day DL before Monday’s game against the Yankees. Toronto’s seventh annual Dog Day promotion attracted 324 dogs and their owners (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 10, Blue Jays 9 [12 innings] (Game #98) [54-44]

2009-07-25T14:42:00.000-04:00

The Tampa Bay Rays refused to quit.
Jason Bartlett hit an RBI double in the 12th inning, capping the biggest comeback in Tampa Bay history, and the Rays erased an eight-run deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 on Saturday.
“That was a great game for us,” Rays slugger Carlos Pena said. “It’s an incredible boost to our confidence.”
Down 8-0 after four, Tampa Bay cut it to 9-7 heading into the ninth against closer Scott Downs. The defending AL champions tied it on solo homers by Pena and Willy Aybar, handing Downs his third blown save.
Downs took the loss in Friday’s series opener when he allowed two runs in the 10th.
“For me, it’s embarrassing,” Downs said. “Bottom line, it’s not executing. Yesterday I beat myself and today it was just bad location.”
It’s the first time in their 12-year history that the Rays have overcome an eight-run deficit. It matched the largest lead the Blue Jays have squandered, done three times previously.
Dropped to sixth in the order for the first time this season, Pena went 2 for 6 with four RBIs.
“I guess it worked today,” he said with a chuckle.
Facing right-hander Shawn Camp (0-5), Ben Zobrist singled to begin the 12th. After a two-out walk to Gabe Gross, Bartlett hit a double that landed on the left-field line, driving home the tiebreaking run.
“It had a lot of hook on it and I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We’ve hit several balls recently just foul or somebody’s catching it over the wall. It was nice to have one hit a line.”
J.P. Howell (6-2) pitched two innings for the win and Joe Nelson, Tampa Bay’s eighth pitcher, finished for his third save.
Toronto used three walks to load the bases with one out in the 12th but Nelson struck out Aaron Hill looking and got Adam Lind on a grounder.
“We’re exhausted, but it’s better to be exhausted and win than the other way around,” Pena said. “We’re very happy we were able to come out with that victory.”
With no relievers left, Maddon sent starter James Shields down to the bullpen in the 11th.
“I think I would have had to walk 30 to get him in the game,” Nelson joked.
Hill hit two home runs for Toronto, while Alex Rios and Jose Bautista also went deep. Still, the Blue Jays lost for the seventh time in eight games against the Rays.
Hill, who leads Toronto with 24 homers, had his second multihomer game of the season.
Tampa Bay loaded the bases with two outs in the 11th but Camp struck out Evan Longoria to end the threat.
With the Rays in a deep hole early, Nelson didn’t expect a comeback.
“It’s easy to throw ABs away when you’re down 8-0 after four innings and just say, ‘Let’s get out of here early and go get dinner,”’ Nelson said. “I was waiting for Joe to start pulling guys to give them some rest.”
That never happened. Instead, Pena chased Brian Tallet in the seventh with a bases-loaded triple that caromed off the base of the right-field wall. Brandon League came on and gave up an RBI grounder to Aybar.
“When we made it 9-5 it was like, ‘Hey, we’re within striking distance. We’re definitely not quitting,”’ Zobrist said.
Tampa Bay cut it to 9-7 in the eighth when Pat Burrell hit a two-run single off Jeremy Accardo, but the inning ended when Burrell was thrown out trying for a double.
It was all Toronto early, as Rays rookie left-hander David Price matched a season high by allowing six runs and nine hits in three innings.
“I just wasn’t any good at all,” Price said.
Toronto jumped on Price for two in the first. Lind hit an RBI double and Scott Rolen singled up the middle, with the ball grazing the middle finger on Price’s pitching hand and bringing a visit from Maddon and the trainer.
After three warmup pitches, Price declared himself fit to continue and gave up an RBI grounder to Kevin Millar.
Bautista hit a one-out drive in the second, his third. One out later, Hill also homered to left.
Rios hit a two-run drive to center in the third, his 12th, and Hill added a two-run shot off Lance Cormier in the fourth, his fourth in four games.
Pitching for the first time since July 8, Tallet allowed five runs in six-plus innings.
Xtra, xtra: Pena came in batting .133 (8 for 60) with one homer and four RBIs in July. Maddon said Pena will bat fifth or sixth for the time being. “I think he’s pressing a little too hard and I want him to back off,” Maddon said. Bautista had two outfield assists and leads the Blue Jays with seven (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 4, Blue Jays 2 (Game #97) [53-44]

2009-07-24T14:36:00.000-04:00

The way Roy Halladay sees it, he expects he will still be pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays when the trade deadline passes.
“If there was an urgency to be somewhere else and an urgency from the team to have me somewhere else, I think it would be different,” Halladay, the most sought-after player on the trade market, said. “I just don’t get that feeling. At this point I feel like I’m going to be here.”
If Friday night’s game was his last with Toronto he gave the crowd of 24,151 one more solid effort, going nine innings before Tampa Bay scored twice in 10th for a 4-2 victory.
Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline is July 31 but Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi has set a loose deadline of July 28 to work out a deal. Halladay’s next scheduled start is July 29 at Seattle.
With trade rumors swirling, both Ricciardi and interim CEO Paul Beeston declined comment when approached before the game.
“No more talk,” Beeston said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot to say, but I’m not going to say it.”
Beeston wanted to keep a lid on things after Ricciardi said Thursday that Halladay’s desire to test free agency was the team’s primary reason for seeking a trade. Halladay, who has a full no-trade clause, can become a free agent after the 2010 season.
Halladay, however, said he simply wants to see whether Toronto can compete next year before he decides to try the open market. Now 32 and still awaiting his first trip to the postseason, Halladay acknowledged the need to be “a little bit selfish” when free agency arrives.
“Knowing that window is getting shorter to have a chance to win, I want to make that decision knowing everything that’s out there and not having to predict the future,” he said.
With one out in the 10th, B.J. Upton of the Rays reached on a fielder’s choice and went to second when Carl Crawford walked. Longoria followed with a double off Scott Downs (1-2) that dropped just in front of left fielder Joe Inglett.
“He threw a good pitch,” Longoria said. “I just put the hit in the right spot.”
Matt Garza (7-7) won for the first time in four starts by allowing two runs and five hits in nine innings, his longest outing this season. The righty, who walked none and struck out nine, is 3-2 with a 1.16 ERA in five starts at Rogers Centre.
“I was just trying to match (Halladay) pitch for pitch and keep my pitch count in the same area as his,” Garza said. “That’s what happened. Not walking anybody really helped too.”
J.P. Howell closed it out for his 11th save in 16 chances.
Halladay allowed two runs, one earned, and four hits. He walked three and struck out 10, the eighth 10-strikeout game of his career. He’s 0-2 in three starts against the Rays this season.
Halladay got his first standing ovation of the night before the game started, with fans rising to applaud as he walked in from the bullpen.
“It was electric, it was a great atmosphere,” Halladay said. “It was fun to be in.”
After being on the receiving end of Chicago’s Mark Buehrle’s perfect game Thursday, Crawford made sure the Rays would not go without a baserunner for the second straight day by singling up the middle in the first.
“It’s a tough two games in a row, Buehrle and Roy,” Longoria said. “Once we got the first hit out of the way today it was kind of like ‘All right, we can get back to playing our game now.”’
Consecutive sacrifice flies by Crawford and Longoria gave the Rays a 2-0 lead in the third but Toronto answered with a two-out rally in the bottom half. Marco Scutaro singled home Alex Rios and scored on Aaron’s Hill’s double to center.
Xtra, xtra: Fans in center field hung a banner that read “Thx 4 memories Doc,” while others held signs urging the team to keep Halladay and trade Ricciardi. Toronto returned RHP Casey Janssen (shoulder) from his rehab assignment and optioned him to Triple-A Las Vegas. Rays LHP Brian Shouse (elbow) pitched at Class-A Charlotte for the second straight night and could come off the 15-day DL Monday. The roof opened during the top of the fourth (Associated Press - Sports).

White Sox 5, Rays 0 (Game #96) [52-44]

2009-07-23T14:31:00.000-04:00

The 105th pitch of Mark Buehrle’s day broke in toward Gabe Kapler, who turned on it and connected. Buehrle looked up and knew—his perfect game was in jeopardy.
Just in as a defensive replacement, Chicago White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise sprinted toward the fence in left-center, a dozen strides. What happened next would be either a moment of baseball magic or the ninth-inning end of Buehrle’s bid for perfection against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Wise jumped and extended his right arm above the top of the 8-foot wall. The ball landed in his glove’s webbing but then popped out for a split second as he was caroming off the wall and stumbling on the warning track. Wise grabbed it with his bare left hand, fell to the ground and rolled. He bounced up, proudly displaying the ball for the crowd.
Magic. A home run turned into an out.
His biggest threat behind him, Buehrle coolly closed out the 18th perfect game in major league history, a 5-0 victory Thursday.
“I was hoping it was staying in there, give him enough room to catch it. I know the guys were doing everything they could to save the no-hitter, the perfect game, whatever it might be,” said Buehrle, who has now thrown two no-hitters in his career.
Wise knew the stakes.
“I was with the Braves in ’04 and I was there when Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks pitched a perfect game. So I’ve been on both sides of it,” he said. “It was probably the best catch I’ve ever made because of the circumstances.
“It was kind of crazy, man, because when I jumped, the ball hit my glove at the same time I was hitting the wall. So I didn’t realize I had caught it until I fell down and the ball was coming out of my glove, so I reached out and grabbed it.”
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was happy he made the switch to Wise, who came in at center while Scott Podsednik shifted to left and Carlos Quentin was pulled out.
“I guess that’s our job,” Guillen said.
Buehrle fell behind 3-1 in the count to Michel Hernandez, the second batter in the ninth, who took a called strike and then swung and missed at strike three.
With fans chanting Buehrle’s name, Jason Bartlett got ahead 2-1, then grounded to shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who threw to first baseman Josh Fields. Buehrle put both hands on his head and was mobbed by teammates between the mound and first base.
“Never thought I’d throw a no-hitter, never thought I’d throw a perfect game, never thought I’d hit a home run,” said Buehrle, who has done all three. “Never say never in this game because crazy stuff can happen.”
The pitcher received a congratulatory telephone call from President Barack Obama—a White Sox fan—following the 16th perfect game since the modern era began in 1900 and the first since Johnson’s on May 18, 2004.
“We joked around, a 30-second phone call, and I’m like ‘What? That’s all he’s got for me?”’ Buehrle said.
Obama, a lefty like Buehrle, wore a White Sox jacket when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at last week’s All-Star game in St. Louis.
“I told him how surprised I was that he actually did it,” Buehrle said. “He said, ‘Congratulations, and it’s an honor. A lot of people are going to remember this forever.”’
Obama had spoken with Buehrle—a St. Charles, Mo., native—in the AL clubhouse last week.
“As a fan, it’s extraordinary,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs quoted Obama as saying. “When you’re a White Sox fan and know the guy who did it, it makes it even more fun.”
Backed by Fields’ second-inning grand slam, Buehrle (11-3) threw 76 of 116 pitches for strikes and fanned six in his second no-hitter, helping Chicago move within a percentage point of AL Central-leading Detroit.
Kapler understood his role.
“That moment was magical for both Wise and Buehrle,” Kapler said, “and most guys earn those moments.”
In a 6-0 win over Texas on April 18, 2007, Buehrle also faced the minimum 27 batters. He walked Sammy Sosa in the fifth inning of that game, then picked him off two pitches later.
“I bought everyone watches after the last one. That was an expensive no-hitter,” Buehrle said. “This one will probably be more expensive.”
Buehrle and Johnson are the only two active pitchers with a pair of no-hitters, according to STATS LLC. In addition to his perfect game in 2004, The Big Unit tossed a no-hitter for Seattle on June 2, 1990, against Detroit.
Before the ninth, Buehrle needed no great plays behind him. In the fourth, Evan Longoria hit a line drive right at Ramirez. In the eighth, third baseman Gordon Beckham didn’t have to move to catch Pat Burrell’s liner.
“I’ve been involved in no-hitters before and you just have to move along,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s just a loss, but it does impact the team that gets the win, I believe.”
Buehrle went to three-ball counts on five batters, including 3-0 to Bartlett in the sixth. Bartlett took the next two pitches for strikes, fouled one off and then hit a routine grounder to Ramirez. As the shortstop threw to first, those in the crowd of 28,036, sensing history, cheered loudly.
With one out in the eighth, Ben Zobrist hit a weak grounder that just rolled foul and later popped out on a 3-2 pitch. The next batter, Burrell, lined one just foul to left, with third-base umpire Laz Diaz making an emphatic “foul” call. Burrell then lined out to third moments later.
The 30-year-old Buehrle became only the second pitcher to throw two no-hitters for the White Sox: Frank Smith did it against Detroit in 1905 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908. The only previous perfect game for the White Sox was by Charles Robertson at Detroit on April 30, 1922.
It was the second no-hitter against the Rays. Derek Lowe accomplished the feat for Boston on April 27, 2002.
Scott Kazmir (4-6) allowed five runs and five hits in sixth innings. In addition to Fields’ grand slam, Ramirez hit an RBI double in the fifth.
Toward the end, Buehrle’s wife Jamie was a wreck as she watched from the seats near home plate with 4-month-old daughter Brooklyn.
“I’m so proud of my husband, it’s unbelievable,” she said. “He just never ceases to amaze me. He keeps accomplishing more and more in his career.”
Xtra, xtra: The Rays placed RHP Chad Bradford on the 15-day DL with low back tightness and recalled RHP Dale Thayer from Triple-A Durham. After failing on their previous four attempts to go five games over .500, the White Sox succeeded. Chicago activated RHP Bartolo Colon from the 15-day DL and optioned RHP Carlos Torres to Triple-A Charlotte (Associated Press - Sports).

White Sox 4, Rays 3 (Game #95) [52-43]

2009-07-22T14:25:00.000-04:00

Alexei Ramirez and Jermaine Dye remained focused after an unusual long wait before their critical at-bats in the seventh inning
Ramirez hit a two-run triple and Dye added a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning as the Chicago White Sox came back to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Ramirez had to wait around as two pitchers warmed up before he stepped plate in the box.
“My concentration is really good at the moment. I really focused and it is something I have been working on over the past year, focusing on big moments like that,” said Ramirez through a translator.
Scott Podsednik homered for the White Sox, who pulled within one game of the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.
The Rays went through five pitchers in an unusual seventh inning caused by an injury to Chad Bradford during warm-up tosses on the mound.
Leading 3-1, the trouble began when Rays starter James Shields walked Gordon Beckham with two outs.
Rays manager Joe Maddon replaced Shields with left-hander Randy Choate to face Scott Podsednik. Podsednik hit a bouncer to shortstop Jason Bartlett, who made a bad throw that allowed Beckham and Podsednik to move to second and third.
Maddon then brought in Bradford, who after several warm-up pitches, had to leave the game with lower back stiffness.
Dan Wheeler (3-3) came in to face Ramirez, who hit a ball to center, that looked to be a routine fly out, but B.J. Upton misjudged the ball and it went over his head allowing two runs to score. Dye followed with a RBI single to make it 4-3.
“(I) just tried to stay focus and relax and just try to continue to have a gameplan,” said Dye. “A guy (Bradford) gets hurt on their staff and they bring in another pitcher and you have to try to think what he is going try to do to you.”
Upton didn’t get a good read on Ramirez’s ball from the start.
“He kind of took an inside out swing. Off the bat I really didn’t think he hit it that well. It kind of came out over Dan’s shoulder and kind over the umpire, so I really didn’t get a good look at it. I took a step in, but I still thought I had time to recover and I kind of spun out,” Upton said.
White Sox reliever D.J. Carrasco (3-0) pitched a perfect seventh inning and Matt Thornton pitched two scoreless innings for his first save of the season.
Bradford didn’t feel any pain during his warm-ups in the bullpen.
“Kind of out of nowhere. I felt fine in the bullpen, but I guess fourth or fifth warm-up pitch I felt a little something grab. I tried another one and it really got where I couldn’t move a whole lot,” said Bradford.
Gabe Gross hit a two-run homer and Pat Burrell added a solo shot for the Rays.
Shields, who has not won since June 20, allowed two runs on four hits in 6 2-3 innings.
White Sox starter Carlos Torres made his major league debut in place of left-hander John Danks, who missed the start with a blister on his left index finger.
Burrell tagged Torres for a solo shot in the fourth inning on a 1-0 pitch. It was his sixth of the season.
In the sixth inning, Ben Zobrist extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a leadoff single. One out later Gross hit his fifth homer of the season to make it 3-0.
Torres allowed three runs and six hits over six innings. The 26-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked three.
“The only person you got to prove for the most part is yourself, mistakes are obviously going to happen but I felt like I proved something,” said Torres.
Xtra, xtra: Before the game, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen defended closer Bobby Jenks and made it clear the closer job is still his. Jenks, suffered the loss and his third blown save of the season on Tuesday in a 3-2 loss to the Rays. “(He) blew one game, it’s not two, it’s one obviously that broke our heart but there is nobody in this room that feels worst than him. All of sudden, people treat him like he was a piece of garbage. The way they treat him is not fair,” said Guillen. Danks is scheduled to throw a side session on Saturday. If all goes well, he will make his next scheduled start against the Twins on Monday (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 3, White Sox 2 (Game #94) [52-42]

2009-07-21T14:19:00.000-04:00

Another late rally, another dramatic win for the Tampa Bay Rays, and when it was over, Jason Bartlett let out a big sigh of relief.
“It’s stressful, man,” he said.
It’s a little easier when they have an ending like Tuesday night.
Carlos Pena’s sacrifice fly off Bobby Jenks capped a two-run ninth, and the Rays beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2.
Late rallies are becoming the norm for the Rays, who swept Kansas City with three come-from-behind wins before falling short in Monday’s 4-3 loss to Chicago. They loaded the bases in the ninth inning of that game but did not score against Jenks.
This time, trailing 2-1, they came through.
They had the bases loaded with no outs against Jenks (2-3) when Pat Burrell walked to force in Bartlett with the tying run. Pena drove in Evan Longoria with a sacrifice fly to right, making it 3-2 and sending the Rays to their fourth win in five games.
J.P. Howell allowed a leadoff single to A.J. Pierzynski in the bottom half, but he struck out Carlos Quentin and Jayson Nix before retiring Gordon Beckham on a comebacker for his 10th save in 15 chances.
The late rally made a winner of Jeff Niemann (9-4) and spoiled an outstanding start by Chicago’s Clayton Richard, who allowed four hits over a career-high eight innings.
Niemann, coming off a seven-hit shutout of Oakland, scattered eight hits over eight innings, striking out seven without walking a batter. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, striking out Scott Podsednik and Alexei Ramirez, but was looking like a tough-luck loser until the Rays got to Jenks.
“For me right there, that was the game,” Niemann said. “I had to keep them right there at that point.”
In a similar spot, Jenks couldn’t get the job done. He declined to speak to reporters afterward, instead telling a team spokesman, “I’m going through a rough patch. I’ll figure it out.”
Bartlett, who struck out to end Monday’s game, led off the ninth with a single and Jenks simply unraveled from there, blowing his third save in 25 opportunities. He hit Longoria and Ben Zobrist singled to load the bases before Burrell walked to tie it.
Burrell was doubled off first on Pena’s sacrifice fly. Pinch-hitter Carl Crawford walked before Gabe Gross grounded out to end the inning.
Until that rally, the White Sox appeared to be on their way to their 14th win in 20 games. They scored two in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead on an RBI double by Beckham—one of his three hits—and grounder by Podsednik, and that looked like it might be enough.
Richard delivered his best outing after going 1-2 with a 10.80 ERA in his previous five starts and putting his spot in the rotation—if not on the roster — in jeopardy.
“It’s just common sense,” Richard said. “At this level, when you struggle for so long, things have to get better. I realized that I would have a better outing. It’s just unfortunate it didn’t come out on our side.”
With John Danks missing Wednesday’s start because of a blister on his left index finger, the White Sox said they will purchase Carlos Torres’ contract from Triple-A Charlotte and have him start. To make room for Torres, they optioned Aaron Poreda to the minor league club.
So Richard appears safe for now. A longer layoff because of the All-Star break seemed to help.
“I got a few more bullpen sessions, which was really nice,” Richard said. “I got to address some of the issues that I had, and iron them out for the most part.”
Xtra, xtra: Rays manager Joe Maddon said LHP Scott Kazmir’s throwing session on Tuesday went well, and he is expected to start Thursday. Kazmir left Saturday’s game against Kansas City with a cramp in his left forearm. Maddon said he was planning to go with lefties against Danks, so his lineup won’t change because of the White Sox’s switch (Associated Press - Sports).

White Sox 4, Rays 3 (Game #93) [51-42]

2009-07-20T09:32:00.000-04:00

Paul Konerko realizes the heavy hitters on the schedule are lined up and ready to rip at the Chicago White Sox. On Monday night, he landed the big blow.
Konerko hit a three-run homer to back a solid start by Gavin Floyd and Chicago started a tough stretch by hanging on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3.
The game was the first of 18 straight against teams with winning records, a stretch that could knock the White Sox out of the race or solidify them as contenders in the American League. No wonder Konerko didn’t want to think about it.
“It’s too overwhelming,” he said.
The White Sox maintained their cool even though the Rays were at it again in the late innings after rallying to win each of their previous three games. This time, however, Tampa Bay came up short.
The Rays threatened in the eighth but did not score and loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth against Bobby Jenks before Jason Bartlett struck out to end the game.
Chicago’s Carlos Quentin went 1 for 4 after missing nearly two months with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Scott Podsednik had three hits and scored twice, but Konerko’s 18th homer was the difference as the White Sox won for the 13th time in 19 games. His three-run drive in the third gave the White Sox a 4-1 lead, and that was just enough for Floyd (8-6), who went seven innings to improve to 6-2 in his last 11 starts.
Floyd gave up three hits—all solo homers. Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria went deep and Carl Crawford had an inside-the-park homer.
The Rays had a chance to tie it in the eighth when Bartlett singled with one out against Scott Linebrink and B.J. Upton walked. Matt Thornton came in and Bartlett was caught stealing third. Crawford then singled, putting runners on first and second, but Longoria struck out.
Jenks escaped a tense ninth for his 22nd save in 24 chances. He walked Pat Burrell after striking out the first two batters and Willy Aybar singled, putting runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Gabe Gross, whose bases-loaded walk forced in the go-ahead run against Kansas City on Sunday, walked.
The tension mounted when Bartlett worked the count to 3-2 before fouling off a pitch. The crowd chanted “Bobby! Bobby!” as Jenks got him on a slider to end it.
“What a really intense baseball game,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “That was great for this time of the year. Both sides playing to win that thing and they came out on top in the end. Of course we wanted to win it, but I liked our intensity, I liked the way we went after things. I can’t ask for anything more from our group.”
The White Sox bounced back after a sluggish 10-2 loss to Baltimore on Sunday. They got Quentin back at the start of this rough stretch in which they also play Detroit, Minnesota, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels following this four-game set with the Rays.
“We do have a tough stretch in front of us, but it’ll be a good measuring stick for us to find out how good we really are,” Podsednik said.
They didn’t look bad against David Price (3-4), who allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings for Tampa Bay.
Crawford cut the Rays’ deficit to 4-2 in the fourth. He led off with a drive to center and Podsednik decided to go for a highlight-reel catch rather than play the carom off the wall.
Bad move.
Crawford sprinted around the bases with the third inside-the-park homer at U.S. Cellular Field and his first since April 13, 2007. He also hit one against Toronto on April 6, 2005.
“I thought it was out at first and then it just kind of died,” Crawford said. “So, you know, I had to run. I had to get out there a little bit.”
Xtra, xtra: Crawford’s inside-the-park homer was the first at U.S. Cellular Field since Chris Singleton hit one for Chicago against Kansas City on Sept. 29, 2000. Seattle’s Marc Newfield hit one on June 25, 1995. Chicago optioned OF Brian Anderson to Triple-A Charlotte to make room for Quentin (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 4, Royals 3 (Game #92) [51-41]

2009-07-19T09:25:00.000-04:00

Comeback wins were the norm last year for the Tampa Bay Rays on their way to an AL pennant.
They’ve been doing it again since the All-Star break, rallying for three straight victories over Kansas City.
Gabe Gross drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the tiebreaking run with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Rays rallied against a struggling Royals bullpen for a 4-3 victory Sunday.
“We found a way offensively to scratch and come out with a win,” Gross said. “It seemed like we did that about 94, 95 times last year. That seemed like our recipe. To come out and start the second half that way is encouraging. It’s something we haven’t had happen a lot this year. If we get a second half full of those, we could be really dangerous.”
After losing 14 of their first 22 games, the Rays are 42-27, the best record in the American League since April 30. The Rays (51-41) are 23-9 since June 10 and are 10 games above .500 for the first time this year.
“In April we didn’t have our mental act together,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “Coming off the World Series, that first month is a very dangerous month. You really have to avoid the pitfalls and we fell a little bit, but we’ve rebounded nicely.
“We came from behind in all three. That’s really a good way for your team to think that if you keep it close that you can win it late. It’s great to be able to think those thoughts.”
The Royals, who have lost six straight and eight of nine, blew a 3-0 lead. It was the third straight game the bullpen failed to hold a lead. The Rays scored seven runs in the eighth innings in sweeping the three-game series.
“It is weird,” said J.P. Howell, who saved all three games. “It shows you’ve got to be patient. If you can’t get to the starters, then get him out of there and try to get to the bullpen. If plan A doesn’t work, go to plan B.
“We did a lot of that last year. It’s just another part of our game. It’s a certain way to win. You buy time, wait until late in the game and get some runs.”
The Royals (37-54) dropped to a season-worst 17 games below .500.
With the Rays trailing 3-2, Carl Crawford reached on an infield single in the eighth and went to third on an errant pickoff throw by Jamey Wright (0-3).
After Evan Longoria was intentionally walked, Carlos Pena singled home Crawford before Ben Zobrist drew a walk from John Bale to load the bases. Roman Colon then walked Gross after having him down in the count 0-2.
Grant Balfour (4-1), the third of five Rays pitchers, got out of an inherited jam in the seventh when Yuniesky Betancourt rolled into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Howell, who has converted his past seven save opportunities, earned his ninth save in 13 chances.
Royals starter Luke Hochevar struck out a career-high nine and did not walk a hitter for the first time this season, but had to settle for a no-decision. He left with a 3-2 lead, giving up seven hits in 6 1-3 innings.
“I got to two strikes a lot and I tried to put them away,” Hochevar said.
Alberto Callaspo had three hits and drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single with two outs in the Kansas City fifth.
Rays starter Matt Garza left after five innings and 101 pitches, allowing three runs on six hits and five walks, which matched his career high. He walked David DeJesus with the bases loaded in the second.
“The walks kill you,” Garza said. “It cost me three runs. It extended my innings. It cost me more innings. I could have been out there for the sixth or seventh.”
Jason Bartlett led off the Tampa Bay sixth with a single, stopped at third on B.J. Upton’s double and scored on Longoria’s groundout.
The Rays chased Hochevar in the seventh with Gross’ RBI double.
The Royals stranded 13 and went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
“The damage was done in the eighth,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “Five walks out of the bullpen, 0 for 4 in situational hitting and 13 men left on base. It all adds up. We need more production out of the bullpen, that’s a no-brainer. We certainly had our opportunities to relieve some of the pressure offensively, and we didn’t do that. When you leave 13 men on base, you should definitely get more than three runs.”
Xtra, xtra: 1B Billy Butler had four of Kansas City’s 11 hits, matching his career high. Royals RHP Sidney Ponson, who has been on the disabled list with a right elbow strain, will make his first start since May 6 on Monday when he faces the Angels. Zobrist extended his hitting streak to nine, matching his career high (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 4, Royals 2 (Game #91) [50-41]

2009-07-18T09:18:00.000-04:00

With a few more decisions like this, Joe Maddon will be clearing space on his mantle for another manager of the year award.
Thinking he needed to get at-bats for some of Tampa Bay’s reserves, Maddon opted to give Willy Aybar his second start since June 30 and put him at second base. All Aybar did was go 3-for-3 against Zack Greinke and then add an RBI double off Juan Cruz for the go-ahead run in the eighth Saturday night in a 4-2 victory over Kansas City.
It was the second consecutive collapse of the Kansas City bullpen and wasted a good effort by Greinke, who departed after seven innings with a 2-1 lead.
“Man, Joe’s a genius, isn’t he?” said Pat Burrell, who also had a key hit in Tampa’s second straight come-from-behind win.
Actually, Maddon confessed, he’s not.
“It’s just one of those things. I cannot take credit for that,” he said. “This is something we do back at the office and we really crunch numbers and just so many different things, and Willy came out on top vs. Greinke. So we had to throw him out there.”
Aybar also atoned for a tough error that led to Kansas City’s taking a 2-1 lead.
“I think this is the first time I faced (Greinke),” he said through an interpreter.
John Bale walked Carlos Pena leading off the eighth and then with one out, Burrell’s RBI double off Cruz (3-4) tied it 2-2. Then Aybar doubled into the right-field corner for a 3-2 lead. B.J. Upton’s RBI single off Roman Colon, his third hit, made it 4-2 in the eighth.
Cruz, who gave up Evan Longoria’s booming two-run homer in the eighth inning Friday night, blew a save for the second straight game. The veteran right-hander has lost four in a row after winning 11 consecutive decisions over a span of almost two seasons, which had been the longest active streak in the majors.
“Obviously, things get streaky in this game,” said Maddon. “The guy’s got a great arm. I said it before the game, I like the way our players are right now. I think they know it’s time.”
Chad Bradford (1-0), the fourth of Tampa’s six pitchers, threw two pitches in the seventh and got the win and J. P. Howell pitched the ninth for his eighth save in 13 opportunities.
Each team scored a run in the second. Jason Bartlett had an RBI single off Greinke and Alberto Callaspo’s double off Scott Kazmir drove in Alex Gordon.
Greinke, who had lost his last two starts when the Royals scored a total of one run, went seven innings, giving up nine hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
Royals manager Trey Hillman, drawing increasing fire from fans for the way he uses pitchers, elected for the second night in a row to keep Cruz in the game in the eighth and refused to bring former All-Star closer Joakim Soria into the game before the ninth.
“I want Soria in the game, too. But I’m not going to sell my soul to the devil for a guy (Soria) that’s already had two major injuries,” he said. “I’m not going run the risk of injuring Soria when the rest of the bullpen on any given day quite frankly has been shaky.”
Kazmir, who missed 33 days with a strain of the right quadriceps muscle and had not won since May 9, left after the sixth with mild cramping in his left forearm. He held the Royals to one run and four hits, with four walks and three strikeouts.
“We already put fluids in me and it feels great, Kazmir said. “Everything is fine now. Everything is good.”’
After Grant Balfour walked Alberto Callaspo with one out in the seventh, Yuniesky Betancourt hit a grounder to Aybar at second. He let the ball go through his legs and was given an error for allowing Callaspo to reach third.
Randy Choate then relieved Balfour and Callaspo scored the go-ahead run when David DeJesus beat the throw to first on what could have been an inning-ending double play.
“I told him, `Listen, man that’s a bad hop,”’ said Maddon. “Forget about it and let’s move on.’ And he did.”
Xtra, xtra: The Royals have lost seven of eight. Upton singled leading off the Tampa third but was picked off by Greinke. Boosted by stadium renovations costing more than $250 million, the Royals have had 15 crowds of 30,000 or more, seven more than the entire 2008 season. The Rays are 5-0 against KC this year (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 8, Royals 7 (Game #90) [49-41]

2009-07-17T19:57:00.000-04:00

As sweet as it was, hitting a go-ahead home run against Kansas City hardly erases Evan Longoria’s disappointment over missing the All-Star game with a sore finger.
“It’s a good feeling, obviously,” Longoria said after helping Tampa Bay rally past the Royals 8-7 Friday night. “But if you get an opportunity to start in the All-Star game, it’s a pretty big disappointment to miss it.”
Tampa Bay’s third baseman was voted to start for the American League in St. Louis on Tuesday night but decided his aching right ring finger would just not let him perform at his best.
But three days later, the finger feels fine and he’s right back to All-Star form.
“It was really disappointing not to play in the All-Star game,” he said. “The guys I talked to who were on the team expressed their emotions for me, and that was a good feeling to know they were behind me. I told them, ‘I would love to play in the game but I wouldn’t be able to help with this bum finger.”’
Now it’s the Royals who are feeling bummed. After a five-run third inning off James Shields, they held a 6-2 lead.
But Pat Burrell’s two-run homer off Jamey Wright shaved the lead to 7-6 in the seventh and Longoria hit Juan Cruz’s 3-2 offering for another two-run shot in the eighth. Burrell and Longoria also had RBI singles as the Rays put together a nice start to their 10-game road trip.
“We made it easier on them with the two unearned runs and leaving balls right down Broadway with dangerous hitters up,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “Obviously, you can’t do that. There were six runs on their side that shouldn’t have been on the board.”
Longoria said he was just trying to hit a line drive up the middle against the hard-throwing Cruz (3-3).
“I got to 3-2 and I was just looking fastball and he so happens to leave a changeup in the middle of the plate,” he said.
Joe Nelson (3-0) pitched one inning for the win and J.P. Howell worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save in 12 opportunities.
Mike Jacobs and Mark Teahen drove in three runs apiece for the Royals. Teahen hit a two-run single off Shields in the third before Jacobs connected for a three-run shot.
Yuniesky Betancourt, acquired in a trade with Seattle last Friday, had two hits in his debut as the Royals’ shortstop. David DeJesus went 3 for 5 and scored twice.
It was not a good night defensively for Betancourt and third baseman Alex Gordon, the new left side of the infield for the Royals. Gordon, making his first start since undergoing hip surgery in April, dropped Dioner Navarro’s popup in the fourth. Navarro eventually came around to score when Longoria grounded a ball through Betancourt on what was ruled an RBI single because his view of the ball may have been obscured by the runner.
Carl Crawford, who was the MVP of the All-Star game, then scored on a passed ball for Tampa Bay’s second unearned run of the inning, cutting it to 6-4.
“I really believe our guys are motivated to get this thing done and to come back like that was really a pretty big moment,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It is a great way to start the second half.”
Crawford also had an RBI single in the third, stole his major league-leading 45th base and scored on Burrell’s single.
“I know they have some really good people in their bullpen,” Maddon said. “But we had good at-bats.”
Kansas City slugger Jose Guillen, late getting back from the Dominican Republic because of his son’s illness, pinch hit in the ninth and struck out to end the game.
Brian Bannister gave up four runs, two earned, and seven hits in five innings for Kansas City.
Shields allowed seven runs and 11 hits in 5 1-3 innings.
Xtra, xtra: The Rays reinstated RHP Grant Balfour from the bereavement list and optioned C John Jaso to Triple-A Durham. Maddon received his 2008 AL manager of the year award from the Negro Leagues Museum and toured the facility on Friday. The Royals are 19-41 since starting the season 18-11 (Associated Press - Sports).

Athletics 7, Rays 3 (Game #89) [48-41]

2009-07-12T19:09:00.003-04:00

The Oakland Athletics didn’t play like a team entering the All-Star break with a losing record for the first time in a decade.
Orlando Cabrera hit a tiebreaking RBI single in Oakland’s four-run seventh, leading the Athletics to a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
Kurt Suzuki and pinch-hitter Jack Cust each singled in a run and Mark Ellis drove in Landon Powell with a groundout to set up Cabrera’s hit off Chad Bradford.
“Playing a great team like Tampa Bay and taking two out of three at their place where they play awesome baseball is a nice confidence boost,” Suzuki said.
Oakland (37-49) last went into the break with a sub .500 record during the 1999 season (43-44).
Suzuki and Ryan Sweeney tacked on RBI singles in the eighth and Ellis connected in the ninth to make it 7-3.
“To take games from this team is no easy job,” Ellis said. “Especially to come from behind, which is not something we’ve done a lot of this year.”
Oakland starter Brett Anderson left after four scoreless innings due to lower back stiffness. The left-hander, coming off a two-hitter in a 6-0 win over Boston Monday, gave up three hits.
“We were just monitoring it because his velocity was down a bit,” manager Bob Geren said. “It got to the point that I thought for numerous reasons he should exit the game. It stiffened up and it could have been a potential injury.”
Michael Wuertz (5-1) got the win despite allowing a run and three hits in 1 1-3 innings and Andrew Bailey got six outs for his 10th save.
Rays right-hander James Shields took a shutout into the seventh, but wound up allowing three runs and six hits over 6 1-3 innings.
“It was strange,” Shields said. “I was cruising. That’s just kind of how the game goes sometimes.”
Tampa Bay has lost two in a row at home after winning nine straight at Tropicana Field.
“They were tough losses,” manager Joe Maddon said. “All of a sudden they bit us. I thought we had a nice thing going on there.”
Tampa Bay took a 3-0 lead in the sixth on a two-run double by Pat Burrell and Jason Bartlett’s RBI single off Wuertz.
“It was very disappointing,” Rays right fielder Ben Zobrist said. “It was a tight game up to when we scored those three runs. It was a tough day for our bullpen. They have been pitching so well.”
The Rays have allowed just 26 runs in the seventh this season, but were touched for four during the inning in each of the past two games.
Dan Wheeler (3-2), who followed Shields, was charged with one run while recording one out and took the loss.
Oakland threatened in the first, but Cabrera was thrown out by Zobrist when he tried to score on Matt Holliday’s fly ball.
Rajai Davis started in right field one day after Sweeney was benched for not running out a batted ball. Geren said putting Davis, who hit a two-run homer in Saturday’s 7-2 win over the Rays, in the lineup was a baseball decision.
Sweeney entered in the seventh after Cust hit for Davis.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay All-Star LF Carl Crawford rested. He struck out as pinch hitter in the ninth. Cabrera has a hit in 21 of his last 23 games. Geren said his post All-Star break rotation will be LHP Dallas Braden, RHP Trevor Cahill, RHP Vin Mazzaro, Anderson and LHP Gio Gonzalez. Athletics 1B Jason Giambi (bruised right elbow) was sore, but was available off the bench. Suzuki has a career-high 10-game hitting streak. Burrell has 10 RBIs in 26 games since returning from a strained neck on June 12 (Associated Press - Sports).

Athletics 7, Rays 2 (Game #88) [48-40]

2009-07-11T19:02:00.000-04:00

Rajai Davis and Adam Kennedy gave a tired Dallas Braden some offensive support.
Davis and Kennedy each hit two-run homers in the seventh inning, and Braden gave up two runs over six innings to help the Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-2 on Saturday night.
Braden (7-7), reinstated from the bereavement list before the game to pitch for the first time since July 1, allowed five hits, two walks and struck out six. The left-hander, who had spent most of the past week with his ailing grandmother, is just 3-2 despite allowing two earned runs or less in each of his last eight starts.
“He looked a little fatigued at the beginning,” A’s manager Bob Geren said. “He had a long week and he came out and the game was his.”
Braden acknowledged he “felt bad” early on.
“We won. That’s the most important part,” Braden said. “Was I happy with tonight? Not really, but I got through it.”
Braden arrived in Florida around 11 p.m. Friday.
“When you don’t sleep for four days and don’t eat anything, it’ll be brutal,” Braden said. “I didn’t pick up a ball until two days ago.”
Davis hit his two-run homer off Matt Garza (6-7) before Kennedy added another two-run shot on the only pitch Randy Choate threw to put Oakland ahead 4-2.
Garza allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings as Tampa Bay’s nine-game home winning streak ended.
“I made one mistake and paid for it,” Garza said.
Mark Ellis had a sacrifice fly and Orlando Cabrera drove in two with a double in the eighth that extended the Athletics’ advantage to 7-2. Oakland won for just fifth time in 16 games.
Gabe Kapler gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead on an RBI single in the second. Ben Zobrist made it 2-0 with a sixth-inning run-scoring single.
“It just got away from us,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “It shouldn’t, but it did.”
Davis replaced right fielder Ryan Sweeney in third.
“He popped a ball up and I didn’t like the way he ran down the line,” Geren said of Sweeney. “Sometimes players take their frustrations out different ways. He didn’t run down the line. He’s never made that mistake before and I’m sure after today we won’t again.”
Oakland loaded the bases with two outs in the first, but failed to score when Garza retired Kurt Suzuki for his third strikeout of the inning. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one.
Athletics first baseman Jason Giambi left in the fifth with a bruised right elbow, and is day to day. He was hit on the elbow by a pitch during the second.
Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro departed in the seventh after he was hit on the side the mask on Jack Cust’s foul tip. He needed assistance to walk off the field.
Navarro was scheduled to undergo tests at a hospital to see if he has a concussion.
“He was woozy and not feeling well,” Maddon said.
Maddon was ejected in the ninth by plate umpire Jeff Nelson for arguing what was called an error on Michel Hernandez, who had tried to pick a ball up with his mask after stopping a low pitch.
Hernandez was first charged with a catcher’s balk, but that ruling was changed by the official scorer to an error after the game.
Maddon, after watching a replay, said Nelson’s call that let a baserunner advance one base on the play was correct.
Xtra, xtra: Maddon said his post-All-Star game rotation will be: RHP James Shields, LHP Scott Kazmir, Garza, LHP David Price and RHP Jeff Niemann. Oakland manager Bob Geren said Nomar Garciaparra will start playing around one game a series at first base. The move will allow Giambi to get additional time off. Tampa Bay C Shawn Riggans (right shoulder) could play in a minor league in the next few days. To make room on the roster for Braden, RHP Jeff Gray was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 6, Athletics 0 (Game #87) [48-39]

2009-07-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

Jeff Niemann didn’t win his spot in Tampa Bay’s rotation until the end of spring training. It’s turning out that late decision was a good one.
Niemann pitched a seven-hitter and the Rays got home runs from Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria in a 6-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
“He’s probably pitching his best professional baseball right now, including all of his minor league stuff,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s just gaining confidence. He was in total command.”
Niemann (8-4), the Rays’ No. 5 starter, has two shutouts this season. The 6-foot-9 right-hander, who is 6-1 over his last 10 starts, allowed two hits in a 2-0 win over Kansas City on June 3.
“It’s good, but it’s only halfway through,” Niemann said. “We have another three months left, so you can’t get too happy or contented.”
An official scoring change after the game gave Oakland’s Ryan Sweeney a two-out single in the ninth inning instead of a fielder’s choice, which added a hit to Niemann’s original line.
“I knew when he was warming up in the ‘pen his arm angle was pretty good,” Rays catcher Dioner Navarro said. “He needs to get on top of that ball and that’s the way he pitched. He was throwing the ball downhill and he was getting ahead.”
Niemann struck out six and walked three.
“A tall guy like that with good stuff, they don’t see it every day,” Maddon said.
Oakland third baseman Adam Kennedy agreed.
“He’s a big guy and his fastball gets on you fast,” Kennedy said. “He kind of works wild in the zone. It’s not really on the middle of the plate.”
Pena hit his 24th homer of the season and Longoria added a solo shot for Tampa Bay, which has won nine in a row at home. The Rays are 19-8 overall since June 10.
Oakland right-hander Vin Mazzaro (2-5) allowed three runs and seven hits over five innings in losing his fifth straight decision. The Athletics (35-49) have lost 11 of 15 to drop a season-high 14 games under .500.
Struggling Oakland first baseman Jason Giambi, dropped to seventh in the lineup, struck out twice and went 0 for 3 with a walk. He is hitting .193.
The Rays took advantage of two Oakland defensive lapses to take a 1-0 lead in the first. One pitch after Giambi and Mazzaro failed to catch a foul ball, B.J. Upton doubled. Upton went to third when shortstop Orlando Cabrera was charged with an error for missing Mazzaro’s pickoff attempt, and later scored on Carl Crawford’s grounder.
“I couldn’t see that ball up there,” Oakland manager Bob Geren said about Upton’s foul. “It’s crazy. It’s a white dome with stuff going all across.”
Pena made it 2-0 with a solo home run in the fourth. It was his first homer since June 27.
Ben Zobrist walked with the bases loaded to put the Rays up 3-0 in the fifth. Tampa Bay took a 4-0 lead one inning later when Dioner Navarro was hit by pitch and later scored on a wild pitch by Santiago Casilla.
Longoria snapped an 18-game homerless stretch with his 17th this season, and Pat Burrell hit an RBI double in the seventh.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay principal owner Stuart Sternberg, on a conference call, said he doesn’t anticipate cutting the Rays’ payroll if the team stays in the playoff hunt this season. The Rays started Friday with the majors’ fifth-lowest average home attendance at 22,699, which is considerably lower than the defending AL champions had projected. Friday’s attendance was 20,358. Athletics LHP Dallas Braden is scheduled to return from the bereavement list and start Saturday’s game. Oakland RHP Justin Duchscherer (right elbow) could be ready to pitch in a minor league game by late this month. Tampa Bay LHP Brian Shouse (left elbow) threw 32 pitches in a simulated game and will pitch in another one Monday (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 3, Blue Jays 2 (Game #86) [47-39]

2009-07-09T10:24:00.000-04:00

The Tampa Bay Rays offer a simple explanation for their success against Roy Halladay.
Some pretty good pitching of their own.
“In order to beat Roy Halladay, you have to pitch well, period,” manager Joe Maddon said Thursday after the AL champions beat the Toronto ace 3-2, their second victory over the five-time All-Star in 11 days.
“There’s no secret. You don’t beat him up, you don’t hit a bunch of homers, you don’t get a lot of hits. There’s not a lot of things you can do against him,” Maddon added. “He only permits so much to happen.”
Rookie left-hander David Price pitched six strong innings, and Carlos Pena snapped a fifth-inning tie with a two-run double to help Tampa Bay complete a three-game sweep.
Probably because of Price and Halladay, no home runs were hit at Tropicana Field for the first time this season. It had been the only park in the majors with a homer in each game.
Price (3-3), rebounding from the shortest start of his career, allowed one run and six hits in six innings. The 23-year-old was rocked for six runs in 1 1-3 innings of a loss at Texas last weekend.
The No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft called his outing against the Rangers embarrassing. To get back on track, Maddon urged Price to follow his instincts against the Blue Jays.
“We always talk about pitching to your strength first and not to the hitter’s weakness,” the manager said. “I just want David to go out there and pitch. Just work his game plan.”
Like every team, the Rays compile lots of data on opposing batters and share it with pitchers before games.
Maddon asked pitching coach Jim Hickey to not go over the reports with Price.
“We have so much information, and it’s good. It’s good to utilize it and we do utilize it,” he said. “But there are certain moments when you really want to walk away from it and just permit your instincts” to take over.
Halladay (10-3) pitched for the first time since Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said he’s willing to listen to trade offers for the five-time All-Star. He allowed three runs and nine hits in seven innings.
The right-hander responded earlier this week to Ricciardi’s comments by saying he wants to keep pitching in Toronto but is willing to consider accepting a trade. He said the situation was not a distraction against the Rays.
“I addressed that once, and that’s all I’m going to do until I have to,” Halladay said. “It’s nothing that I can control, and I’m not going to worry about it.”
The game was delayed for 20 minutes in the middle of the seventh when lightning struck a power substation near the ballpark and dimmed lighting inside the stadium, which has a permanent roof.
Toronto’s Scott Rolen, who has a career-best 25-game hitting streak, did not play. The Blue Jays normally rest him when they play a day game following a night game.
Grant Balfour bailed the Rays out of a tight spot in the seventh, retiring Kevin Millar and Vernon Wells with the bases loaded to hold on to the 3-2 lead. Dan Wheeler worked the ninth for his first save.
The Rays, who entered the series on a four-game losing streak after being swept at Texas, have won eight straight at home.
“It’s good to come home and look and play like ourselves again,” Maddon said.
Halladay has won more games than any pitcher in the major leagues since 2002. The Rays have had his number lately, though, going 5-3 against the two-time 20-game winner over the last two-plus seasons. The only other AL team with a winning record against Halladay during that stretch is Boston (5-4).
“You can only see a guy so many times before you pick up tendencies,” Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton said. “That really helped us tonight.”
Evan Longoria had a RBI single for Tampa Bay in the first, and Pena’s double down the left-field line with the bases loaded broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth. The Blue Jays scored on John McDonald’s RBI double off Price in fifth and Adam Lind’s bases-loaded single off Randy Choate in the seventh.
Halladay walked none and struck out eight in his third start since returning from a stint on the disabled list with a groin strain. He lost 4-1 to the Rays on June 29 and worked seven innings but was not involved in the decision in Toronto’s loss to the New York Yankees on July 4.
Xtra, xtra: Toronto manager Cito Gaston will miss at least the first two games of the team’s weekend series in Baltimore to attend funeral services for his sister. Bench coach Brian Butterfield will fill in while Gaston is away. Pena’s RBIs were his first since June 27, when he homered against Florida. The nine-game drought was his longest of the season (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 10, Blue Jays 9 (Game #85) [46-39]

2009-07-08T02:31:00.000-04:00

Ben Zobrist keeps proving his worth to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The first-time All-star, one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season, drove in four runs with a homer and tie-breaking ninth-inning single that gave the AL champions a 10-9 victory over slumping Toronto on Wednesday night.
The Rays dropped their division rival in dramatic fashion for the second straight night. Pat Burrell homered in the 11th inning in the series opener to beat the Blue Jays, who have lost nine of 11.
“The last two games have been great for us. They’re big because they’re games we’re going to need to win the AL East,” Zobrist said. “That’s our goal, and we’re going to keep pushing for that.”
Zobrist, a utility player who started at six positions before settling in as the regular second baseman in place of the injured Akinori Iwamura, is batting .289 with 17 homers and 50 RBIs.
He homered off Blue Jays starter Brian Tallet in the fourth inning. His winning hit off Scott Downs with two outs drove in Carl Crawford, who singled off Jason Frasor (5-2) before stealing second and third.
“We scored some runs,” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said. “We just didn’t hold them.”
B.J. Upton stole home in the first inning and had an RBI single in the second for the Rays, who built two three-run leads that Scott Kazmir and Tampa Bay’s bullpen couldn’t hold. Toronto wiped out deficits of 5-2 and 9-6 before wasting an opportunity to go ahead when it stranded two runners in the eighth.
J.P. Howell (5-2) pitched the ninth to get the victory.
Scott Rolen had three hits and drove in a run, extending his career-best hitting streak to 25 games for Toronto, which fell to .500 (43-43) for the first time this year.
Kazmir, still looking for his first win in two months, allowed seven runs and nine hits in 6 1-3 innings. The Blue Jays scored two runs charged to reliever Grant Balfour to make it 9-9 in the seventh.
“It felt like I pitched way better than that,” said Kazmir, who hasn’t won since beating Boston on May 9. “It seems like I haven’t gotten one break the whole year. I’m due.”
In his third start since ending a five-week stay on the disabled list with a right quad strain, Kazmir allowed solo homers to Adam Lind and Vernon Wells before giving up three runs in the fourth to blow a 5-2 lead.
Rolen doubled, Wells reached on an infield single and Kevin Millar walked to load the bases with no outs in the Toronto fourth.
Alex Rios drove in a run on a forceout at second, and the Blue Jays made it 5-all when Marco Scutaro singled off first baseman Carlos Pena’s glove to drive in two more runs.
Toronto’s momentum was short-lived. Three batters later, Tallet gave up Zobrist’s 17th homer and departed after yielding eight runs and 11 hits in three-plus innings, his shortest start of the year.
“I don’t know who was pitching worse. Him or the kid across the way,” Gaston said of Tallet and Kazmir. “It was kind of a race, who’s going to get run out of there first.”
Trailing 9-6 entering the seventh, Aaron Hill doubled for the final hit off Kazmir, then scored on Rolen’s single off Balfour. After Millar doubled to drive in the second run of the inning, Rios singled to make it 9-9.
Xtra, xtra: Upton stole home when Tallet tried to pick off Carl Crawford, the major league steals leader, at first base. It was his third career steal of home. Wells’ homer moved him ahead of George Bell into sole possession of fourth place on Toronto’s career hit list with 1,295. Rays LHP Brian Shouse (elbow strain) is scheduled to throw a simulated game Friday at Tropicana Field and could be ready to begin a minor league rehab assignment some time after the All-Star break (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 3, Blue Jays 1 [11 innings] (Game #84) [45-39]

2009-07-07T13:27:00.001-04:00

A struggling Pat Burrell hopes he’s on the verge of turning his season around.
Mired in a 4-for-34 slump, the Tampa Bay slugger hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning Tuesday night, giving the Rays a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and ending a four-game losing streak.
Burrell also thinks the walk-off shot into the left-centerfield stands may be exactly what was needed to set up a productive second half of the season.
“We got a long way to go, and I haven’t been performing. It’s that simple,” said Burrell, who signed a $16 million, two-year contract with Tampa Bay in January after spending nine years with the Philadelphia Phillies.
“As you go along in the season, you try to build on things,” added Burrell, who missed 29 games in May and June with a neck strain and is hitting .222 with four homers and 25 RBIs. “I’m hoping this is one of those times.”
The AL champions stopped a skid that included three losses to rookie pitchers, but hardly pulled out of an offensive funk—managing just two hits in six innings against Marc Rzepczynski in the 23-year-old lefty’s major league debut.
The Rays finished with four hits overall, two after the fourth inning, when Rzepczynski walked three, including Gabe Kapler with the bases loaded, to fall behind 1-0.
“He pitched a lot better I think than all of us felt he was going to pitch,” Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. “He will certainly get another chance.”
Toronto’s Scott Rolen tied it in the eighth with a run-scoring single that extended his career-best hitting streak to 24 games.
Burrell, who is 10-for-64 in 21 games since coming off the disabled list on June 11, hit his fourth homer of the season, connecting off Brandon League (1-4) with two outs. Dan Wheeler (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win for the Rays, who were outscored 25-7 during their losing streak.
Rzepczynski, 9-5 with a 2.69 ERA in 16 starts for Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Las Vegas, walked four and struck out seven in six innings. Shawn Camp was sharp in relief, too, working three scoreless innings before being replaced by League.
“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t pull it out,” Rzepczynski said.
The Rays loaded the bases in the fourth on Ben Zobrist’s single and two walks. Kapler fell behind Rzepcznski in the count 0-2 before drawing four straight balls to force in the first run of the game.
After allowing four hits over the first three innings, Tampa Bay starter James Shields seemed to get stronger as the night progressed.
The Rays right-hander set the Blue Jays down in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth and had retired 11 in a row when Vernon Wells singled off the back of his leg in the seventh for his second infield hit of the night.
Shields, who gave up one run and seven hits in seven-plus innings, worked out of jams with runners in scoring position in the second, third and seventh innings before Toronto finally broke through in the eighth.
Marco Scutaro and Aaron Hill singled to end Shields’ night. Rolen’s single off Chad Bradford tied the game, and the Blue Jays threatened to take the lead when Wells singled to center off Howell with two outs.
But B.J. Upton’s throw to the plate cut down Hill trying to score from second base to end the inning.
“Perfect throw,” Hill said. “What can you do? You tip your hat.”
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford went 0-for-5, ending a 13-game hitting streak. Rays All-Star 3B Evan Longoria, who hasn’t homered in his past 16 games, was also hitless and is in a 2-for-31 slump. Toronto closer Scott Downs (left big toe) threw off a bullpen mound and will have his status re-evaluated Wednesday. Blue Jays RHP Shaun Marcum (right elbow) could be ready to return in early August. He threw three scoreless innings for Single-A Dunedin Monday night (Associated Press - Sports).

Rangers 5, Rays 2 (Game #83) [44-39]

2009-07-05T00:02:00.002-04:00

These days, the Texas Rangers don’t have to pound home runs to be successful. They’re pitching well, playing sound defense, and have shown the ability to manufacture runs with a small-ball approach.
Scott Feldman allowed three hits in six innings, David Murphy had three hits and an RBI, and the Rangers completed a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays with a 5-2 victory Sunday night.
The Rangers, still No. 2 in the AL with 120 homers, had three sacrifice flies and only two extra base hits against Tampa Bay. They got some good news after the game as outfielder Josh Hamilton will be reinstated from the 15-day disabled list Monday, in time to return to Texas’ lineup for the team’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.
“Our goal all along has been to be a versatile offense and score runs in different ways; do what the other team allows us to do,” Rangers All-Star third baseman Michael Young said. “It’s tough … to have to go out there and bang your way to big innings, so for us to manufacture a few runs and find a way to push across some runs was a good sign.”
In the first two games of the series, Texas got strong pitching performances from rookies Tommy Hunter and Derek Holland, both of whom registered their first major league victories.
Feldman (7-2) followed suit, striking out two and walking four to help the Rangers win their fifth straight and finish a 6-3 homestand.
Tampa Bay had six baserunners in the first four innings, but Feldman allowed only the two runs and worked out of trouble.
“I kind of realized that I wasn’t getting hit around, that I was just trying to be too fine early in the game and missing with my pitches just off the plate,” Feldman said. “I gave up two runs there, but I was able to limit the damage.”
Frank Francisco got three outs for his 14th save in 16 chances.
The Rangers remained tied with the Angels for the AL West lead, while Tampa Bay dropped its fourth in a row and fell six games behind first-place Boston in the AL East.
The Rays’ big three run producers—Longoria, Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist— were a combined 1 for 30 in the three-game series.
Tampa Bay had been on a roll, winning seven straight before dropping a game to Toronto, and then got swept in Texas.
“We were in a nice little groove and piled up some wins in a row,” Pena said. “Now we’ve dropped a few in a row. Is there anything different? I don’t think you can come up with the answer. I would say no. That’s how the game goes. (The Rangers) played great ball. They were extremely aggressive, they played unbelievable defense and their pitching was right on. They flat-out beat us.”
Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza (6-6) gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Garza had allowed two runs and 10 hits over 15 innings in consecutive victories, but struggled against the Rangers.
“He was just off,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “His fastball command wasn’t what it normally is.”
Texas took a 1-0 lead in the first when Marlon Byrd’s infield single drove in Ian Kinsler from third. The Rangers made it 2-0 in the second on Elvis Andrus’ sacrifice fly.
The Rays scored twice on a strange play in third. Tampa Bay had runners on second and third with nobody out when Evan Longoria hit a sacrifice fly that drove in B.J. Upton from third. Carl Crawford went from second to third on the play, then sped home when Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia threw wildly past third base for an error in an attempt to retire Crawford.
Texas grabbed a 3-2 advantage in the third on Nelson Cruz’s RBI groundout, then took a 5-2 edge in the fourth on consecutive sacrifice flies from Murphy and Byrd.
Xtra, xtra: To make room for Hamilton, the Rangers will send struggling first baseman Chris Davis to Triple-A Oklahoma City to get his swing untracked. Davis is batting .202 and leads the majors with 114 strikeouts. … Rangers GM Jon Daniels said RHP Vicente Padilla’s scheduled start Tuesday night against the Angels will be pushed back, probably to Wednesday night. Daniels said the Rangers will promote RHP Dustin Nippert from the 60-day DL to make Tuesday night’s start. Padilla, skipped from a scheduled start Saturday night, experienced right shoulder soreness during a bullpen session Sunday. Crawford extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a fifth-inning single (Associated Press - Sports).

Rangers 12, Rays 4 (Game #82) [44-38]

2009-07-04T23:56:00.000-04:00

Even during a long slump when they struggled to scratch out runs, the Texas Rangers never wavered in their mindset at the plate.
That steady approach is beginning to pay dividends.
Andruw Jones homered and drove in four runs, Michael Young added a three-run double and the Rangers roughed up David Price to win their fourth in a row, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 12-4 Saturday night.
“We weren’t swinging the way we’re capable of,” Young said. “But the best thing we can do is stay confident, stay the course, and keep working hard.”
Texas was next to last in the American League with 99 runs scored in June.
The Rangers appear to have broken out of their offensive doldrums, scoring 33 runs in their winning streak.
Texas, which came into the day tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the American League West lead, is 5-3 on a home stand that ends Sunday. The Rangers then visit the Angels for a three-game series starting Monday.
“It was a matter of time,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said after his squad scored its most runs since beating Oakland 14-1 on May 30. “Will this continue? I hope, but I know it won’t. But we’ll do enough to continue to win and that’s all that matters.”
Nelson Cruz, who had three hits, connected for his 20th home run of the season in support of Derek Holland (2-5), who won for the first time as a starter. The rookie left-hander allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.
Jones’ three-run shot in the first and Young’s bases-loaded double gave the Rangers a 6-1 lead against an erratic Price (2-3), who gave up a career-high six runs in 1 1-3 innings.
The 2007 top overall pick walked five in the shortest of his nine career starts. Price has walked 30 in 38 innings this season.
The Rays have lost three in a row, all to rookie pitchers. Toronto’s Ricky Romero shut down Tampa Bay on Wednesday and Tommy Hunter earned his first career victory for the Rangers on Friday.
“I’m embarrassed,” Price said. “I can’t really put any words on it. I needed to stop the bleeding and I let us down.”
Tampa Bay’s Jason Bartlett hit a solo homer in the second and Dioner Navarro added a three-run shot in the fifth.
After Navarro’s homer, Holland retired six of the final seven batters he faced to pick up his first victory since winning in relief May 12.
Holland made it a point to try to use some more of his pitches against the Rays.
“I have to have more than just a fastball,” Holland said. “When you fall behind, you need your off-speed pitch as well.”
Price walked Young and Marlon Byrd with one out in the bottom of the first.
Jones drove an 0-1 pitch into the Tampa Bay bullpen in left for his 10th home run of the season. He also had and RBI double in the sixth.
The Rangers loaded the bases in the second on Taylor Teagarden’s double, and walks to Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler. Young doubled over B.J. Upton’s head in right-center to drive home three.
After walking Byrd, Tampa Bay took Price out of the game for reliever Lance Cormier.
“He just really struggled with his fastball command,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He could not throw the fastball where he wanted. That’s the key to unlocking all his potential.”
Cruz homered in the fifth, and Teagarden added an RBI single to make it 9-4.
Xtra, xtra: Rays and American League manager Maddon submitted his All-Star selections to the league office Saturday. “You’re not going to please everybody,” Maddon said. “There were so many close calls. But you have to make those calls.” On the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s luckiest man speech, former Rangers first baseman Pete O’Brien recited an abbreviated version of Yankee great’s words before the game. Tampa Bay LF Carl Crawford extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a double in the first (Associated Press - Sports).

Rangers 3, Rays 1 (Game #81) [44-37]

2009-07-03T17:58:00.000-04:00

Tommy Hunter gave the ailing Texas Rangers rotation a much-needed lift Friday night.
The rookie also got a cool birthday gift in the process.
Hunter earned his first career victory on his 23rd birthday, Hank Blalock homered and the Texas Rangers won their third in a row, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1.
“He has great poise,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said of his young starter. “He’s not afraid to lose any of his pitches in any count. He attacked the strike zone. The most important thing is they didn’t know what he was going to throw.”
Hunter (1-1) was making his sixth career start and third this season. The right-hander allowed three hits and struck out five in 5 1-3 innings to help slow down baseball’s top-scoring offense.
With starters Brandon McCarthy and Matt Harrison sidelined, Hunter was called up from the minors Sunday and yielded two runs in 6 1-3 innings in a loss to San Diego.
Hunter went 0-2 with a 16.36 ERA in three starts last season. In the minors, he developed a changeup and a cut fastball.
Along with his first victory, Hunter’s sister had a baby Friday to make him an uncle for the first time.
“It’s fun to be able to use four pitches for strikes,” Hunter said. “It keeps them off-balance. They had a lot of broken bats tonight. It went my way.”
Jason Jennings, C.J. Wilson and Frank Francisco pitched 3 2-3 innings of scoreless relief to complete the three-hitter, which equals the fewest hits Tampa Bay has had this season. Francisco pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save.
“We did not have a good game,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We made some mistakes and didn’t come up with the clutch hit.”
Blalock, who hit a two-run homer in the ninth to beat the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night, had a two-run shot in the fourth.
B.J. Upton had an RBI single in the fifth, and the Rays were threatening to score more with runners on second and third in the inning.
Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler saved at least one run, and probably two, when he made a diving catch to his left on Carl Crawford’s liner to end the fifth.
“They’ve got my back,” Hunter said. “It’s fun to play for a team like that.”
Scott Kazmir (4-5) made his second start for Tampa Bay, which has won eight of 11, since coming off the disabled list June 27. The left-hander gave up three runs—one earned—and struck out six in five innings.
In the bottom of the fourth, Andruw Jones reached on a throwing error from Tampa Bay shortstop Jason Bartlett.
Blalock was 0 for 7 lifetime with three strikeouts against Kazmir before he drove a 2-2 pitch into the seats in right to put the Rangers up 2-0.
“He made me pay,” Kazmir said. “You don’t throw a hanging slider to Blalock.”
Texas scored its second unearned run in the fifth.
Kinsler reached on a fielder’s choice and took second when Ben Zobrist made a wild throw on a double-play attempt.
Marlon Byrd brought Kinsler home with an RBI double that made it 3-1.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay has moved RHP Jeff Niemann, who was Sunday’s scheduled starter, into the bullpen for the weekend series. Matt Garza will start Sunday against the Rangers. Maddon said Niemann will likely be back in the rotation next week. Washington said RHP Vicente Padilla (sore shoulder) is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Angels. Padilla was originally slated to pitch Saturday, but was pushed back. There was no delay when a bank of lights along the third-base line went out in the eighth inning. All lights were working again a few minutes later. On June 13, the Rangers game against the Dodgers was delayed nearly two hours when a light standard went dark (Associated Press - Sports).

Blue Jays 5, Rays 0 (Game #80) [44-36]

2009-07-01T09:27:00.000-04:00

Ricky Romero spent the past two winters tinkering with his changeup.
All that extra work is starting to pay off.
Romero pitched four-hit ball over eight innings, Rod Barajas, Adam Lind and Scott Rolen each homered and the Toronto Blue Jays ended the Tampa Bay Rays’ seven-game winning streak with a 5-0 victory Wednesday.
“(Romero) throws a decent fastball but he has an above average changeup,” Tampa Bay slugger Pat Burrell said. “He was mixing it up and locating it fairly well. We just weren’t able to make the adjustment.”
Barajas said Romero’s off-speed pitch has few equals.
“I’ve caught some good changeups and he’s right up there with the best I’ve caught,” Barajas said.
A first-round draft pick in 2005, Romero didn’t reach Triple-A until last season after scuffling in the low minors. Finally harnessing his changeup helped him land him a rotation spot with Toronto this spring.
“That was one of my pitches the past two offseasons,” Romero said. “Just working on that pitch, trying to throw the hell out of it when I played catch. It’s becoming better and it’s just getting better every time.”
Romero (6-3), who took a no-hitter into the seventh in his last start, matched the longest outing of his career in winning his third straight start. He walked four, struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 2.85. The rookie left-hander allowed just two hits through the first six innings.
“I’ll ride this little thing I’ve got going for as long as I can,” Romero said.
Romero is 5-1 in his past six starts and has not allowed a run in his past 20 innings.
“He’s good,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s going to be very good for a long time if he stays healthy.”
Jason Frasor pitched the ninth to complete the four-hitter, the Blue Jays’ sixth shutout.
Toronto snapped a four game losing streak thanks to a trio of solo home runs off James Shields (6-6).
Barajas connected with one out in the seventh. Lind and Rolen hit consecutive shots in the eighth, the third time this season the Blue Jays have gone back-to-back.
Toronto’s defense helped Romero get out of a jam in the seventh, when the Rays loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. Romero escaped by getting Burrell to ground into a double play.
“That was the key to the game, the last two innings,” Romero said. “Bases loaded, one out, you’ve got a good hitter up in Burrell. I just made a good pitch that got in on him and we were able to get a double play.”
A walk and an error by shortstop Marco Scutaro gave the Rays runners at first and second with none out in the eighth. Scutaro redeemed himself by catching a line drive from pinch-hitter Willy Aybar, then flipping to second to get Jason Bartlett for the double play.
Romero walked B.J. Upton but the Rays came up empty when Carl Crawford flied out to the warning track in right.
“We had chances, we just didn’t get it done,” Burrell said. “We got close a couple of times.”
James Shields allowed five runs—four earned—and seven hits in 7 1-3 innings. He walked one and struck out eight.
“I felt great, I thought I batted today,” said a frustrated Shields, who dropped to 1-4 on the road.
Shields retired the first eight Toronto batters before Jose Bautista hit an infield single in the third. Scutaro followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, his first hit in 18 at-bats.
Rolen extended his hitting streak to a career-high 19 games with a single in the sixth and Overbay snapped an 0-for-16 skid with a single in the eighth.
Xtra, xtra: Toronto OF Vernon Wells, stuck in a 2-for-19 slump, was held out of the starting lineup and was booed when he came on as a defensive replacement in the ninth. With Wells out, Lind batted third for just the second time this season while Overbay hit fifth. The Blue Jays celebrated Canada Day with red caps and jerseys. Canadian-born Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins threw out the first pitch and a group of fans in right field hung maple leaf signs instead of Ks to mark strikeouts. This was the first of five straight day games for Toronto, who begin a four-game series at Yankee Stadium on Friday (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 4, Blue Jays 1 (Game #79) [44-35]

2009-06-30T09:09:00.000-04:00

Right from the first pitch, the Tampa Bay Rays had their power stroke going.
B.J. Upton homered to leadoff the game, Carl Crawford and Willy Aybar added solo shots and the Rays won their seventh straight game Tuesday night, 4-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We really lived by the long ball,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We didn’t have to do the speed game today.”
The Rays finished June with a team-record 41 homers and are the only squad in the major leagues with more than 100 homers (105) and 100 steals (121).
Matt Garza (6-5) allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings, walked three and struck out three to win consecutive starts for the first time since April 30 and May 5.
“Garza struggled a little bit with command,” Maddon said. “But overall, his stuff is so good he was able to fight through some moments.” Garza is 4-2 with a 0.60 ERA in his past six starts against the Blue Jays. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 0.91 ERA in four career starts in Toronto but was at a loss to explain his dominance against Toronto.
“I’d love to be this stingy in any ballpark also,” Garza said. “There’s no answer.”
J.P. Howell worked the ninth for his sixth save.
Upton hit his second career leadoff homer off, drilling the first pitch from Scott Richmond over the wall in left-center for his seventh homer.
“I was just looking for a pitch to hit, ready to hit right from the first pitch,” Upton said. “I got a pitch I liked and hit it out of the ballpark.”
The Blue Jays tied it in the second when Scott Rolen singled to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 18 games and scored when Lyle Overbay grounded into a double play.
Crawford put the Rays in front to stay in the third with a one-out homer, his eighth of the year.
“It was a slider down and in,” Crawford said. “He struck me out with it in the first inning and I was able to stay on it for the home run.”
Aybar made it 3-1 with a leadoff shot in the sixth, his seventh.
Richmond allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked five and struck out seven.
Ben Zobrist capped Tampa Bay’s scoring with a sacrifice fly in the eighth off reliever Jesse Carlson.
Toronto has scored just six runs in its past four games, all losses, the first time this season they’ve lost four straight at home. The Blue Jays are .138 (4 for 29) with runners in scoring position in that stretch, leaving manager Cito Gaston pondering changes to his batting order.
“Some of the guys are hitting but the guys that we need to drive in runs are not swinging the bats at all,” Gaston said. “We’ll think about doing something (Wednesday), trying to get guys in the right spots.”
The Blue Jays never mounted much of a threat in this one. Rolen grounded into a fielder’s choice with runners at first and second to end the third and Vernon Wells flied out to end the fifth, stranding runners at second and third.
Garza left after Aaron Hill’s leadoff walk in the seventh and Wells followed with a single against Chad Bradford. Hill took third on Rolen’s fly out before Randy Choate came on and struck out Adam Lind, then got Overbay to fly to left. Overbay is hitless in 13 at-bats and Wells is stuck in a 2 for 19 slump.
Xtra, xtra: Rays 3B Evan Longoria, who missed time with a tight left hamstring earlier this month, was held out of the starting lineup but pinch-hit in the eighth and flied out. Blue Jays closer Scott Downs, out since June 18 with a sore toe, threw off the bullpen mound and will try fielding drills in the coming days, Gaston said. Downs is eligible to come off the DL Friday when the Blue Jays open a three-game series at New York. Toronto rookie LHP Brett Cecil made his first career relief appearance in the ninth (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 4, Blue Jays 1 (Game #78) [43-35]

2009-06-29T09:40:00.000-04:00

In his first game back from the disabled list, Toronto ace Roy Halladay was outpitched by a rookie.
Carl Crawford and Pat Burrell homered, Jeff Niemann pitched 7 1-3 strong innings and the Tampa Bays Rays ruined Halladay’s return with their sixth straight victory, 4-1 over the Blue Jays on Monday night.
“You’ve got to pitch well to beat Doc,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “That’s what we did and that’s why we came out on top.”
Halladay (10-2) came in having won his past seven decisions, the longest streak in the majors, but lost for the first time since April 21, against Texas. The Blue Jays have lost three straight.
He was starting for the first time since June 12, against Florida, when he left two pitches into the fourth inning with a sore groin that landed him on the disabled list. Halladay allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. The right-hander, who walked two and struck out seven, failed to pitch at least seven innings for only the second time in 15 starts.
“Thank God he’s been out for two weeks because they’d have left him in longer,” Maddon said. “He would have probably finished that thing off.”
Niemann (7-4) won his third straight decision and is unbeaten in five starts in June. He allowed one run and four hits, walked two and struck out one.
“He had a lot of late life on his pitches,” Maddon said. “I saw a lot of late life on the fastball and some really good depth on the curveball.”
Randy Choate got the last out for his fourth save in as many chances.
The long layoff seemed to affect Halladay’s control and limited him to 88 pitches, 57 strikes.
“It wasn’t too bad,” Halladay said. “Location there in the second and third inning was kind of hit and miss a little bit. For the most part I felt pretty good with everything.”
Crawford didn’t notice too much of a drop off with Halladay.
“He didn’t look bad,” Crawford said. “He still looked kind of sharp, he was hitting his spots. He didn’t look terrible. It wasn’t like you saw a big difference. He probably wasn’t at his best but it wasn’t a big difference.”
The Rays touched Halladay for two runs in the third. B.J. Upton drew a leadoff walk, stole second and went to third when catcher Rod Barajas’ throw sailed into center field. On the next pitch, Crawford drilled a curveball into the second deck in right, his seventh homer.
“We’re on a good roll right now,” Crawford said. “Hopefully we can keep it up. We’re still climbing back up the standings. We’re just trying to get into a groove and stay there.”
Crawford’s homer helped the 26-year-old Niemann breathe a little easier.
“Against a guy like Halladay, to get the early run kind of takes the pressure of you that much more,” the right-hander said. “You just go out there and pitch and not really try to be so fine with things.”
Halladay responded to Crawford’s homer by retiring 11 of the final 12 batters he faced. The only one who reached was Gabe Gross, who was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double in the fourth.
Tampa Bay tacked on two runs in the seventh against right-hander Jeremy Accardo. Burrell led off with a homer to left, his third, and Upton hit a sacrifice fly.
The Rays have hit 38 homers this month, matching a team record set twice previously. They also hit 38 in Aug. 2005 and Aug. 2008.
The Blue Jays chased Niemann in the eighth when Jose Bautista led off with a walk, took second on a groundout and scored on a double by Barajas.
Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games with a leadoff double in the second.
The Rays stole three bases, boosting their major league-leading total to 121, but were caught stealing twice.
Xtra, xtra: Toronto OF Alex Rios, who is 2 for 21 in his past six games, got the day off. Barajas played for the first time since leaving in the second inning of Friday’s game with a strained right hamstring. His throwing error in the third was Toronto’s first in 11 games. Tampa Bay RF/2B Ben Zobrist, who is in a 6-for-40 slump, was held out of the starting lineup but came on as a defensive replacement in the ninth (Associated Press - Sports).