Rays 8, Orioles 1 (Game #27) [15-12]

Andy Sonnanstine and the Tampa Bay Rays can only hope the remaining five months of the season are as memorable as the first one. Sonnanstine pitched eight innings of six-hit ball, Erik Hinske homered and the Rays completed the first winning April in franchise history by beating the Baltimore Orioles 8-1 Wednesday night. The victory was the seventh in eight games for the Rays, who went 14-12 in April (after going 1-0 in March). Now in its 11th year of existence, Tampa Bay has never been three games over .500 this late in the season. Sonnanstine (4-1) gave up one run, walked two and had a season-high five strikeouts in winning his third straight start. He became the first Tampa Bay pitcher to win four games in April and tied the team record for wins in any month. The right-hander surrendered a third-inning RBI single to Brian Roberts, then retired 12 straight batters before Aubrey Huff singled with one out in the seventh. The Rays have to make room for Scott Kazmir, who comes off the disabled list Sunday, and Sonnanstine (who entered with a 5.28 ERA) was one of three starters Maddon listed Tuesday as the potential odd-man out. At this point, however, it appears his job is safe. Hinske homered in the fourth inning after an infield hit by Evan Longoria to put the Rays up 3-1. He has six home runs, tied with Carlos Pena for the team lead. Tampa Bay pulled away with a five-run seventh. After B.J. Upton chased Bob McCrory with an RBI single, Pena and Dioner Navarro hit two-run singles off Dennis Sarfate. Pena had gone 14 games without an RBI since April 12th. Sarfate and Pena exchanged words in the eighth, and for a moment it seemed that both dugouts might empty. But the situation quickly cooled, and Pena bounced into an inning-ending double play. Baltimore starter Matt Albers (2-1) allowed three runs and four hits in six innings. The loss dropped the Orioles into a second-place tie with Tampa Bay in the AL East behind Boston, a 2-1 winner over Toronto. The Rays got a second-inning run on a sacrifice fly by Gabe Gross. After Roberts’ RBI single in the third, Sonnanstine avoided further damage by striking out Melvin Mora and Luke Scott with runners on the corners. Tampa Bay finished April with a 3.74 ERA, the best month in franchise history. Roberts went 2-for-3 with a walk in extending his hitting streak to ten games. He’s 13-for-37 (.351) in that span. Tampa Bay’s previous best April was 12-12 in 1999. McCrory allowed four runs, two hits and two walks in his major league debut. His ERA is 108.00. Baltimore dipped to 10-5 at home (Associated Press - Sports).

Orioles 7, Rays 4 (Game #26) [14-12]

One year later, Garrett Olson finally appears to have grasped the concept of what it takes to be successful in the major leagues. Olson took a shutout into the seventh inning, and the Baltimore Orioles ended the Tampa Bay Rays’ six-game winning streak with a 7-4 victory Tuesday night in a surprising duel for first place in the AL East. Recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before the game, Olson (1-0) gave up two runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out six. The left-hander was summoned after a rainout forced Baltimore to play four games in three days, leaving manager Dave Trembley short of rested starting pitchers. Olson proved to be the perfect stand-in. He retired the first seven batters and came within one out of blanking the Rays through seven innings in his finest performance in the big leagues. Olson made his debut last season and went 1-3 with a 7.79 ERA in seven starts. This time, however, he was outstanding. Olson will almost certainly get another shot at filling the void in the rotation left by the injury to Adam Loewen. Aubrey Huff homered and Melvin Mora had two RBIs for the Orioles, who broke a tie atop the division with Tampa Bay. Both teams usually reside in the lower tier of the standings, but each has gotten off to an unexpected solid start while Boston, the New York Yankees and Toronto have struggled. Baltimore led 7-0 before the Rays scored four runs in the seventh. A two-out RBI double by Akinori Iwamura chased Olson, and Carl Crawford followed with a run-scoring single off Randor Bierd before B.J. Upton hit his third homer. But it wasn’t enough to ruin a memorable performance by the 24-year-old Olson. George Sherrill, the fourth Baltimore reliever, got three outs for his 10th save. Tampa Bay’s Jason Hammel (2-2) allowed three runs, six hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings... the shortest of his 28 career starts in the big leagues. The right-hander had gone at least six innings in his previous three starts this season. After pulling off three-game sweeps of Toronto and Boston, the Rays couldn’t sustain the momentum. Hammel escaped damage after walking the bases loaded in the first inning, then allowed run-scoring singles to Mora and Nick Markakis in the second. Both were stranded when right fielder Eric Hinske made a diving grab of Kevin Millar’s opposite-field, two-out liner to right. Olson worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third by retiring Crawford on a fielder’s choice and striking out Upton. Ramon Hernandez hit an RBI double in the bottom half for a 3-0 lead, but Adam Jones fell rounding third base on the play and was an easy out at the plate. A run-scoring double by Brian Roberts, a sacrifice fly by Mora and a two-run homer by Huff made it 7-0 in the sixth. Tampa Bay needs a win Wednesday to earn the first winning April in franchise history. Hernandez went 2-for-2 against Hammel and is 7-for-14 lifetime against him. Huff set a career high with five homers in April. He had four through May 31st last season (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 3, Red Sox 0 (Game #25) [14-11]

Wow. James Shields pitched Tampa Bay into a rare position. The Rays are now the co-leaders in the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles. Shields threw a two-hitter for his first career shutout, Evan Longoria homered and the Rays beat Josh Beckett and Boston 3-0 Sunday to complete their first three-game sweep of the Red Sox. Coupled with the Orioles’ 6-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox, the Rays’ victory gave them a share of first place. It’s the latest in any season during the team’s 11-year history that Tampa Bay has held a share of the division lead. Tampa Bay has won six straight for its longest winning streak since a six-game run July 28th-Aug. 3rd, 2005. The Rays (14-11) are three games over .500 for the first time since starting the season 3-0 in 2002. It’s also the latest in the season the Rays have ever been three games above .500. Shields (3-1) struck out seven and walked one. Longoria made it 2-0 with a solo homer off Beckett in the seventh. Beckett (2-2) struck out a career-high 13 and walked one in seven innings for the Red Sox, who have lost five straight. He allowed two runs... one earned... and four hits. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz was out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game. With a day game after a night contest, Boston manager Terry Francona had left fielder Manny Ramirez DH for the second time this season. Ortiz said he probably will play on Tuesday when the Red Sox open a three-game series with Toronto. Jason Bartlett singled with one out in the third and scored on a pair of errors during a pickoff play. He reached third when Beckett made an errant throw on a pickoff attempt and scored when right fielder J.D. Drew made a bad throw toward the plate after picking up the ball in foul territory. Bartlett went 1-for-2 against Beckett, and has five hits in eight at-bats overall against him. He stayed in the game after getting hit in the helmet by a Manny Delcarmen pitch in the eighth and scored on Carl Crawford’s RBI double. Dustin Pedroia singled in the first and Julio Lugo reached on a base hit in the sixth for Boston. Beckett, who missed his last start with neck stiffness, said he felt fine. Shields retired 10 in a row before Ramirez walked to start the fifth. Ramirez swiped second for his 35th career stolen base and first since Apr. 10th, 2005. Shields worked out of trouble by retiring Kevin Youkilis on a grounder, and striking out Coco Crisp and Jason Varitek. Beckett struck out the first five batters he faced. Eric Hinske singled in the second, but Beckett struck out Dioner Navarro to end the inning. He added two more strikeouts in the third (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 2, Red Sox 1 (Game #24) [13-11]

Clay Buchholz made one mistake and Akinori Iwamura turned it into another Tampa Bay victory. Iwamura homered in the eighth inning and Tampa Bay beat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Saturday night for the Rays’ first five-game winning streak in more than two years. Iwamura’s two-out, two-run homer, his first since Sept. 3rd, came on a 1-1 pitch from Buchholz (1-2), who took a one-hit shutout into the inning. Iwamura said he looking for a curveball. Dioner Navarro got the Rays’ second hit, a pinch-hit single with one out in the eighth. After Jason Bartlett flew out, Iwamura’s shot helped Tampa Bay win its fifth straight for the first time since Aug. 16th-21st, 2005. Buchholz allowed two runs and three hits over eight innings in his first complete game of the season. He matched his career-high by striking out nine, and walked two. Boston has lost four in a row. Scott Dohmann (2-0) struck out Manny Ramirez, the only batter he faced in the eighth, to win for the second straight day. He got the victory Friday when he got David Ortiz to hit into an inning-ending double play in the 11th inning. Troy Percival pitched the ninth for his fifth save in five chances. Coco Crisp opened the fifth with a single, advanced two bases to third on Edwin Jackson’s wild pitch and scored on Jacoby Ellsbury’s infield hit that put Boston up 1-0. Jackson gave up one run and five hits in seven innings. He had four strikeouts and three walks. Boston’s Ortiz was scratched from the starting lineup due to a bruised right knee. He was hurt diving into first base attempting to beat out a double-play grounder in the final inning of Boston’s 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Rays on Friday night. Kevin Youkilis of the Red Sox established a new major league record for first basemen when he fielded his 1,701 consecutive chance without an error in the seventh, recording the out on Eric Hinske’s grounder to second. The old mark of 1,700 was set by Stuffy McInnis from May 31st, 1921 to June 2nd, 1922. Youkilis’ last error at first came on July 4th, 2006, a span of a major league-best 205 games. Red Sox DH J.D. Drew had an unique two-out infield single in the first. He broke his bat, with the barrel forcing first baseman Carlos Pena to take several steps toward second to avoid it. By the time Pena reached first, Drew was able to beat second baseman Iwamura’s throw to the base. Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia went 0-for-4, snapping his hitting streak at 14 games. Rays’ left-fielder Carl Crawford had a 12-game hitting streak end after going hitless in four at-bats (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 5, Red Sox 4 [11 innings] (Game #23) [12-11]

Given a green light to swing away, Nathan Haynes delivered for the Tampa Bay Rays. Haynes singled with none out in the 11th inning, driving in Carl Crawford from second base and giving the Rays a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. Manager Joe Maddon never gave serious thought to having Haynes bunt instead of go for the game-winner with two runners on. Haynes lined an 0-1 pitch from Mike Timlin (2-2) to right field after Crawford, who was 3-for-6 and scored three runs, began the rally with a single and stole second. Timlin walked B.J. Upton before giving up the winning hit. The Red Sox stranded the potential go-ahead run in scoring position in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings. Scott Dohmann (1-0) got David Ortiz—the only batter he faced—to ground into an inning-ending double play with men at first and third in the top of the 11th. Dan Wheeler worked out of a jam in the ninth, getting Ortiz to fly to center and striking out Manny Ramirez with runners at first and second. Kevin Youkilis and Jed Lowrie walked in the 10th before Julio Lugo grounded into a double play. The Rays rallied after falling behind knuckleballer Tim Wakefield 3-1, extending their season-best winning streak to four games. Their 12 wins overall match their most ever after 23 games. Right-hander Matt Garza made his first start since leaving Tampa Bay’s April 8 home opener with what the Rays described as radial nerve irritation in his pitching arm. He retired the Red Sox in order in the first, then nearly didn’t make it through a 40-pitch second in which he gave up a leadoff single to Ramirez before walking J.D. Drew and Sean Casey to load the bases with one out. Boston wound up scoring three runs in the inning with Lugo drawing a bases-loaded walk, Kevin Cash delivering a sacrifice fly and Jacoby Ellsbury following with a RBI single that made it 3-1. Casey was injured scoring on Ellsbury’s hit, limping across the plate with a right hip flexor strain that forced him out of the game. Wakefield was unbeaten at Tropicana Field until the Rays beat him here last Sept. 23. He’s 19-3 all-time against Tampa Bay, including 9-1 on the road, but struggled after the Red sox gave him the early lead. Crawford, who has a 12-game hitting streak, tripled and scored on Upton’s sacrifice fly in the first and Tampa Bay trimmed Boston’s lead to 3-2 on Evan Longoria’s RBI single in the third. Wakefield fell behind 4-3 in the fourth when Crawford tied it with an RBI triple and then scored on shortstop Lugo’s fielding error. The Red Sox countered with a run in the sixth, then turned the game over to their bullpen (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 5, Blue Jays 3 (Game #22) [11-11]

Disney World has turned into quite an alternative home for the Tampa Bay Rays. Four different players drove in runs to back the pitching of Andy Sonnanstine, and the Rays came from behind for the third straight night to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 for a sweep of a home-away-from-home series. The Rays improved to 6-0 in regular-season games they’ve played at Disney in an ongoing effort to bolster fan support in the Orlando area, which is about 90 miles east of the team’s domed stadium in St. Petersburg. Evan Longoria tripled and had a sacrifice fly for Tampa Bay, which got two RBIs from Eric Hinske and one each from Carl Crawford and Dioner Navarro to sweep a “home” series for the first time since beating Texas three straight in Kissimmee last May. This year’s series drew announced crowds of 8,269, 8,989 and 9,540 to the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves. And while two of the three fell short of the stadium’s capacity of 9,500, Rays president Matt Silverman said the team continues to make strides in its bid to become a regional franchise. The Rays rallied from a 2-0 deficit against Dustin McGowan (1-2), who allowed five runs on four hits and a career-high seven walks in four-plus innings. Hinske had an RBI single in the fourth and put Tampa Bay ahead 4-3 with an RBI fielder’s choice grounder in the fifth. Sonnanstine (3-1), coming off a three-hit, complete-game shutout of the Chicago White Sox, allowed three runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings. Closer Troy Percival worked out of a ninth-inning jam for his third save in as many nights, and fourth overall. Marco Scutaro had an RBI single for the Blue Jays, who have lost seven of nine games, including four straight. A wild pitch and Gregg Zaun’s heads-up baserunning produced the other runs off Sonnanstine. Toronto’s Alex Rios was ejected in the third inning after flipping his bat toward the Blue Jays’ dugout and slamming his batting helmet to the ground after striking out. Rios tried to check his swing, but first base umpire Tim McClelland ruled he went around and tossed the outfielder when Rios reacted. The Blue Jays scored twice in the third on Scutaro’s RBI single and Zaun’s alert play after advancing to third on David Eckstein’s sacrifice. Zaun raced home when Tampa Bay’s catcher, Navarro, left the plate uncovered after fielding the bunt. McGowan struck out five of seven batters he faced in the first two innings, but struggled with command the rest of the night. The right-hander walked the bases loaded in the fourth, then walked two more to load the bases with no outs in the fifth. Longoria’s sacrifice fly off reliever Brian Tallet tied the score 3-all before Hinske and Navarro drove in the last two runs charged to McGowan. The Blue Jays had the potential tying runs in scoring position in the ninth, but Percival struck out Scutaro and got Eckstein to fly to center to end the game (Associated Press - Sports).

Rays 5, Blue Jays 3 (Game #21) [10-11]

A four-run sixth inning proved to be the difference as the Rays clinched another series win against Toronto. Jason Hammel allowed four hits and three runs, struck out two and walked four in six innings and Evan Longoria drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single. Tampa Bay improved to 5-0 at Disney’s Champions Stadium in Orlando. Matt Stairs drove in the first three runs with a homer to deep right center in the second inning and a two-run home run in the sixth inning, scoring Vernon Wells. The Rays only had singles by Carlos Pena, Jonny Gomes and Akinori Iwamura before the sixth inning. Dioner Navarro doubled to left to start the sixth followed by a single to right by Jason Bartlett. After an Iwamura strikeout, Carl Crawford singled to center scoring Navarro for the Rays' first run. B.J. Upton was walked. Evan Longoria had the big hit of the night with a two-run single to right and Eric Hinske had the game-winning RBI with a single to right scoring Upton. Crawford, who has a ten-game hitting streak, tripled and scored on B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly in the eighth for the final insurance run in the eighth inning. Shockingly, the Blue Jays had men on base every inning except the ninth, but they were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Dan Wheeler handled the seventh and eighth innings, giving up two hits and closer Troy Percival pitched a perfect ninth for the second straight night, earning his third save in as many opportunities and his 327th career save, putting him alone in 11th place on the all-time list. Nathan Haynes and Justin Ruggiano stay, Dan Johnson goes. Are you kidding me? One day after joining the active roster, Johnson was designated for assignment Wednesday as the Rays made room for newly acquired outfielder Gabe Gross. The Rays would be “surprised” if Johnson wasn’t claimed, but executive vice president Andrew Friedman said that if he wasn’t it was “certainly conceivable” he’d end up at Triple-A Durham. Andy Sonnanstine will pitch tomorrow, coming off his three-hitter performance on Saturday in a 5-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. He will face Dustin McGowan (1-1, 3.38), who won his first decision on Saturday, when he held Detroit to two runs over seven innings in a 3-2 victory. McGowan is 2-0 with a 3.58 ERA in four career starts against Tampa Bay. A three-game sweep would be nice as the Rays attempt to get back to .500 for the first time since the beginning of the Chicago White Sox series.

Rays 6, Blue Jays 4 (Game #20) [9-11]

After a zany second inning that featured two walks and two errors which led to two unearned runs, the Rays bounced backed in the bottom of the second inning with two runs of their own, an Evan Longoria home run to deep center and a RBI single from Dioner Navarro, who returned from the 15-day disabled list tonight, scoring Eric Hinske. The Jays grabbed the lead in the fourth inning with a Marco Scutaro RBI single, scoring Shannon Stewart from second base. The lead was short-lived as Tampa Bay erupted in the bottom of the fourth inning with three runs by Hinske, Longoria and Navarro. Vernon Wells got one back in the sixth inning with a home run to deep left. But, again, the scoring was contagious as Hinske blasted a solo shot to deep right for the final run of the game. Hinske finished the game with a double, one dinger and a triple with two RBIs. Yes, he missed the single to complete the cycle. Hinske's batting .327 with five homers and 10 RBIs in 17 games so far. James Shields allowed four runs and six hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking two. Dan Wheeler and Troy Percival pitched the last two perfect innings, the latter getting the save, his second of the season in as many opportunities. It's Percival's 326th career save, tying Roberto Hernandez for 11th on the all-time list. Surprisingly, both B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena were 0 for 4. Pena ended the game with four strikeouts. The Rays improved to 4-0 in regular-season games played in Orlando at Disney’s Champion Stadium, the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves. They swept a three-game series from Texas last season. On the trade front, the Rays acquired outfielder Gabe Gross from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for minor league pitcher Josh Butler. Gross is currently hitting .179 this season. The Rays seem likely to part ways with Nathan Haynes or Justin Ruggiano to make room for Gross, who may report on Wednesday. I don't want to see either guy go, but if I had to make a choice, I would drop Ruggiano. Tomorrow, Tampa Bay is looking to win consecutive games for the third time this season. They haven’t won more than two straight all season. Jason Hammel takes the mound on Wednesday for the Rays, coming off his first win of the season. Hammel allowed three runs and six hits in six innings on Thursday in a 7-3 win over Minnesota. Hammel is 1-0 with a 5.14 ERA in three career starts against Toronto. Tampa Bay is 3-0 in those starts. Scott Kazmir makes a second minor league rehab start Wednesday for Class A Vero. As long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks, he will make another start for Triple-A Durham on Monday and then rejoin the Rays to start May 3rd in Boston. Hammel, whose job could be in jeopardy with the pending return of Kazmir, needs to pitch well against Toronto to bolster his position within the rotation. Good luck, Jason... I didn't think they would drop Jeff Niemann, but in a blink of an eye, he was gone. Hammel will tussle with Roy Halladay, who is 9-4 with a 3.66 ERA in 20 career starts and three relief appearances against the Rays. He’s won his last five decisions against them, and Toronto is 7-0 in those starts. God bless first baseman Dan Johnson for selecting No. 26 instead of 29. I've been worried about it. Time to get a Johnson jersey now! It's Halladay versus Hammel. Are you ready to rumble?

White Sox 6, Rays 0 (Game #19) [8-11]

I really thought Edwin Jackson would take a page out of Andy Sonnanstine's book, recovering from a previous poor start, but Jackson struggled again, giving up six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. After a 2-0 start with a 0.64 ERA, Jackson's went 0-2, 10.65 in his last two starts. On the other side of the diamond, John Danks (2-1) only allowed three singles for the White Sox with eight strikeouts. The left-hander has not given up a run in two straight starts, totaling 14 2/3 innings. The top four had hits, but that was the extent of the offense as Aki Iwamura, Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena failed to achieve anything else. Four singles in random innings doesn't amount to much. Crawford made it to third base in the fourth inning, but Evan Longoria fouled out to first to end the inning. After having a non-eventful game on Saturday, Jim Thome struck back with a vengeance with four hits and three RBIs, which included a home run to deep right in the first inning. Gary Glover, Trever Miller, Dan Wheeler and Troy Percival combined for four-plus innings of work with no runs, three hits and five strikeouts. I think the day off on Monday will be therapeutic as Joe Maddon will undoubtedly attempt to get his troops to regroup as they start a three-game series in Orlando against the Toronto Blue Jays. James Shields will face off against Jesse Litsch. In other news... a week after recording his first Major League victory, Jeff Niemann was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Sunday to make room on the 25-man roster for first baseman Dan Johnson. I'm concerned about Johnson's choice of number. For Oakland, he was No. 29 and we all know who wore No. 29 previously, Mr. Fred McGriff. Please pick another number, Dan. Several other moves are yet to be made. Catcher Dioner Navarro is expected to be activated from the disabled list prior to Tuesday's game, which means another player will need to return to Durham. Let's hope Mickey, Donald and Goofy have the magic necessary to help Tampa Bay win the series. The Rays against Jays, can't wait!

Rays 5, White Sox 0 (Game #18) [8-10]

Complete domination! Andy Sonnanstine was on fire tonight, registering his first career complete game, allowing only three hits (including a bunt hit) with four strikeouts and one walk for his first shutout in his 26th career start. Runners didn't get past second base and after two of the hits, Sonnanstine got inning-ending double play grounders. Sonnanstine threw 77 of 106 pitches for strikes. After struggling in his previous start Monday, allowing seven runs and nine hits over three-plus innings against the New York Yankees, Sonnanstine was utter brilliant in a game that took 2 hours, 2 minutes, which is the fastest ever at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay stopped a six-game losing skid against Chicago. Mark Buehrle gave up five runs and 12 hits in seven innings for the White Sox. The left-hander, who had five strikeouts and two walks, dropped to 6-2 overall against the Rays. With two outs in the second inning, after hitting Jonny Gomes with a pitch, he gave up four consecutive singles after Gomes stole second. A botched second-inning rundown cost the White Sox three runs. Gomes was caught leaning toward second on Buehrle’s pick-off throw to first, but Chicago failed to get him out and Gomes took second. By the way, it was the second straight game Chicago failed to execute a rundown. Eric Hinske singled to deep center, scoring Gomes. Shawn Riggans singled to left and Jason Bartlett singled to right, scoring Hinske. And Aki Iwamura had the last single (to deep right), scoring Riggans. Carl Crawford ended the inning with a strikeout. The Rays added a run in the fourth. Gomes tripled to deep center and then Riggans hit a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring him. And then finally in the seventh inning, Tampa Bay scored the final run with a B.J. Upton RBI double to deep left, scoring Crawford from first base. Who does that? Crawford, that's who. Upton, who was also smoking hot tonight, had three hits, which included two singles, increased his batting average to .343. He's also batting .457 with two home runs, two doubles and 10 RBIs in his last nine games. Upton is also batting .600 with four RBIs in eight career games against the White Sox. Sunday’s scheduled starter is Edwin Jackson. He will face John Danks (1-1, 4.32), who has only faced the Rays once, a 5-4 win at Tropicana Field last June 25th, when he gave up four runs in five innings. Chicago’s top two hitters, right fielder Jermaine Dye (.339) and catcher A.J. Pierzynski (.327), each rested on Saturday, but are expected to be back. I like the Rays' chances tomorrow afternoon and expect Jackson to rebound after coming off a poor outing, giving up five runs, four hits and four walks in five innings in a 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday. Go, Jackson, go! This worked last time I posted these words and I'll keep doing it if he continues to win. Superstitious? Nope. Well, maybe.

White Sox 9, Rays 2 (Game #17) [7-10]

Besides the two-run double in the sixth inning by Jonny Gomes, scoring Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton, as you can probably tell, this game was very one-sided. Gomes' RBIs ended Javier Vazquez’s stretch of scoreless innings at 15. Even though the box score and totals don't indicate this, but I thought Rays starting pitcher Jeff Niemann had a solid outing, but he was very erratic and the four walks killed him. In three-plus innings, the White Sox managed to score eight runs on five hits. Two of those hits were back-to-back home runs... a three-run shot to deep right by Jim Thome, his 511th homer of his career, and a solo home run by Paul Konerko, which wrapped up the four-run third inning. Now the highlights... Upton was the only Ray to have a multi-hit night, two singles in the third and sixth inning. He's currently hitting .317. Worth noting, Scott Dohmann pitched three scoreless innings to end the game with three strikeouts. Evan Longoria, who earlier in the day agreed to a $17.5 million, six-year contract that could be worth up to $44.5 million over nine seasons, went 1 for 3 with a double, increasing his batting average to .304 and his on-base percentage to .429. The Rays claimed first baseman Dan Johnson off waivers from Oakland on Friday. To make room for Johnson on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated Triple-A pitcher Calvin Medlock for assignment. Johnson hit .236 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs in first full major league season last year. I won't dwell on this too much, but this acquisition excites me. If you don't know why, well, I'll leave it at that. Struggling Andy Sonnanstine (1-1, 8.80) will be on the mound for the Rays tomorrow night against Mark Buehrle. Opponents are batting .328 and slugging .672 against Sonnanstine. Buehrle is 6-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 12 career appearances against the Rays, including seven starts. The majority of those victories have come in Tampa Bay, where he is 5-1 with a 4.45 ERA. Let's hope for a reversal of fortune tomorrow.

Rays 7, Twins 3 (Game #16) [7-9]

The Rays ended their three-game losing streak with a strong fifth inning which included key RBIs from Carl Crawford (1) and Nathan Haynes (2) as well as an impressive outing by Jason Hammel. Tampa Bay held the lead for the entire game starting with a B.J. Upton RBI single in the first inning, scoring Aki Iwamura from third base. Eric Hinske solidified the lead in the second inning with a solo homer to deep right, his fourth dinger of the season. The Twins got one back in the third inning with a Matt Tolbert RBI single. Evan Longoria added a two-run cushion with a RBI single to center scoring Upton. Justin Morneau flipped another digit with a run from second base after a Delmon Young RBI single to center. The Rays scored four runs in the fifth inning to extend their lead to five with runs scored by Jason Bartlett, Crawford, Iwamura and Upton. Again, Minnesota was able to get another run in the bottom of the fifth with a Joe Mauer RBI single to center scoring Tolbert. As I mentioned, Hammel had a remarkable six-inning performance, allowing just six hits and three runs while striking out five. In his previous two starts, the Rays only managed to score two runs. For the rest of the starting pitching staff, Tampa Bay has scored at least seven runs five times and at least five runs in 10 of 16 contests. Unlucky, I guess. J.P. Howell earned his first career save, allowing just two hits in three scoreless innings of relief with one strikeout. Carlos Pena left the game with right hamstring tightness and is listed as day-to-day. Mike DiFelice and Pena were the only two Rays to not have a hit in Thursday's lineup. The Rays return to Tampa for a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox which begins a nine-game homestand. Tomorrow's starter Jeff Niemann, the fourth overall selection in the 2004 amateur draft, allowed just one run and six hits in six innings of a 6-2 home win over Baltimore last week. He'll attempt to build on his extraordinary major league debut. On the other side of the card, Javier Vazquez will be on the mound for Chicago to face the Rays' effective offense. He's 4-2 with a 4.66 ERA in nine career starts against them, and has a 2-1 record and 5.16 ERA in five games at Tampa Bay. In 2007, the Sox were 6-1 against the Rays including a four-game sweep at Tropicana Field. I'm happy with the Rays' win against the Twins and I anticipate a thrilling series against Chicago. It's vital that the Rays win at least six of their next nine games to get beyond the .500 mark. Wouldn't it be nice for the Rays to enjoy their first day off of the season (besides the postponed Orioles game) with a three-game sweep of Chicago on April 21st? I think if the Rays continue to pitch well in the early and later innings and get the kind of consistent hitting they're enjoying at the moment, the wins will pile up at home. I'm a firm believer in this team. If Tampa Bay can eliminate the costly mistakes that have plagued them during their losses, the wins are inevitable. Luck plays a part, but I'm willing to bet the Rays desire to succeed will be enough to get them over the proverbial… you know.

Twins 6, Rays 5 (Game #15) [6-9]

Carl Crawford's mistake in the eighth inning is what ultimately helped the Twins beat the Rays tonight. Mike Lamb hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning that Crawford caught in foul territory, about four feet in. Outfielder Delmon Young scored the winning run. Arrgh! Young led off with a single and reached third on Brendan Harris' one-out bloop single. In a bizarre twist of fate, last year's (Devil) Rays players, Young and Harris, who were dealt in the transaction that brought Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza to Tampa Bay, played an immense part in tonight's loss. Beware of former Rays players! They'll getcha every time! Crawford and Eric Hinske both had solo home runs in the third and fourth innings. The Twins tied the game in the fourth inning with runs by Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel. Crawford scored another run after getting a double in the fifth inning and B.J. Upton singled to center for the RBI. Minnesota tied the game in the fifth inning with a Carlos Gomez run and took the lead after a throwing error by Bartlett allowing Justin Morneau and Mauer to score. Hinske's grounder in the sixth inning went through Harris’ legs and into right field. Shawn Riggans made the Twins pay for Harris' error by tying the game with a two-run homer to left center. In the bottom of the eighth inning, it was the straw that broke the manta ray's back. If only Crawford would have let the ball land foul… give Dan Wheeler a chance to get the final two outs. Crawford's explanation for catching the ball is ridiculous, “I still figured it was just one run. Hopefully we could come back and get two runs.” I love the dude, but… ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?! In other news, the Rays placed reliever Al Reyes on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder impingement and activated Kurt Birkins. Reyes was tasered with a stun gun and arrested last Friday after police say he fell against a ceramic pot in a bar, got up and picked a fight with a man he thought pushed him. Birkins was on the disabled list since March 21st with an elbow injury. Jason Hammel will get the starting nod tomorrow against Minnesota SP Boof Bonser (best name in baseball). He's 1-0 with a 3.06 ERA in three career starts against the Rays. Right-handed Hammel did not receive a decision in his lone career start against the Twins in 2006, allowing one run and three hits in six innings. Tampa Bay won the game, 4-2. It's time for the Rays to get on a roll… getting back to .500 will be difficult if Tampa Bay suffers another four-game losing streak. I'm sick of the players' frowns (including mine)… let's strive for happy faces. The SMILES are makin' a comeback!

Yankees 5, Rays 3 (Game #14) [6-8]

Another night, another disappointing result against the Yankees. Okay, so Edwin Jackson didn't have the exceptional start tonight I was expecting… I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong, but I still think he has the spirit and resilience to be the steadfast ace the Tampa Bay organization envisioned when they signed him. Lately, the Yankees have figured out how to eclipse the Rays in a subtle but successful way. They've outscored Tampa Bay, 22-11, during the last four meetings. As far as foes go, Hideki Matsui and Andy Pettitte have to be on top of the list. Despite some early trouble, Pettitte was able to regroup and finish up the game on a high note. Pettitte gave up nine hits (seven in the first three innings), three runs, struck out five and walked three in seven innings. He's 14-3 against Tampa Bay overall, including 8-1 in games at Tropicana Field. Matsui hit his third home run of the season to set the tone for the game in the second inning. He also had a RBI in the fourth inning, scoring Bobby Abreu, on a ground out to first. With runs by Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter in the fifth inning, the Rays managed to score only one run in the sixth inning… Jason Barlett's single to Jeter scored Jonny Gomes. J.P. Howell, Trever Miller and Gary Glover pitched four scoreless innings to give the Rays a chance to rally, but Bartlett's single in the ninth wasn't enough. Mike DiFelice, Gomes and Bartlett were the only Rays to have more than one hit. Catcher DiFelice is currently hitting .429. Mariano Rivera got the final three outs for the save, his fifth in five opportunities, including a strikeout (Elliot Johnson). The entire Rays team wore No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. Only Joe Girardi, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Rivera, whose regular number is 42, wore No. 42 for the Yankees. 61 years ago, Robinson made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. After two consecutive losses, the Rays travel to Minneapolis for a brief two-game series against the Minnesota Twins. James Shields will face Livan Hernandez tomorrow night. Hernandez is 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA. Shields, on the other hand, is 1-1 with 3.00 ERA. Hernandez now looks to win four straight decisions for the first time since playing for Washington. Against Tampa Bay, he's just 2-2 with a 5.77 ERA in six career starts. Since the Rays played against the Yankees 6 out of the first 14 games, it will be nice to see some new faces for the opposing team. I projected an up-and-down type of year… if the season is going to resemble a see-saw, we're bound for an upswing, right?

Yankees 8, Rays 7 (Game #13) [6-7]

What a heartbreaker! Being down 7-2 in the seventh inning, the Rays rallied back to tie, 7-7, only to lose the game, 8-7, after a Robinson Cano pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning. Al Reyes! Arrrgh! Andy Sonnanstine had three horrid innings, giving up seven runs (three solo home runs) and nine hits, but Scott Dohmann was the hero in my opinion, pitching a fine 3 2/3 innings, enabling the Rays to stage a comeback. One of the most exciting innings in Rays' history had to be the seventh. Jason Bartlett, who has been struggling lately, started the onslaught with a single, which set up Carl Crawford's two-run homer to deep right, his first extra-base hit of the season. Crawford finished the game with three RBIs. Next batter Carlos Pena was hit by a pitch and then B.J. Upton had a two-run line-drive home run to deep center. Third baseman Evan Longoria tied the game 7-7 with his first major league home run to deep left. Wow! Listening to the game on the internet, each home run had a distinctive cracking of the bat sound, which prompted me to speculate that it had enough zing to go over the wall before announcers Dave Wills and Andy Freed declared its trajectory. Amazing stuff. Ian Kennedy was in the catbird seat until he was hit by a line drive, right hip area, in the seventh inning by Bartlett, knocking him out of the game. Kennedy allowed three runs and eight hits in six-plus innings. Billy Traber and Brian Bruney mucked it up until Mariano Rivera got the last four outs for his fourth save in four opportunities. Worth noting, Alex Rodriguez hit his 521st home run to match Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Willie McCovey on the career list. It's a shame the Rays' bats were dormant for the final two innings, but I gotta give the team credit for fighting back. Edwin Jackson will attempt to make it three in a row. The 24-year-old right-hander held the Yankees to just one run in six innings, striking out four, for his first start. Jackson was even better in his next start, allowing just two singles and four walks in eight shutout innings, striking out six against Seattle last Thursday. Jackson will face Andy Pettitte again, who struggled against the Rays, allowing eight hits and three earned runs in five innings. Pettitte has won his last six career road decisions against Tampa Bay, where he’s 7-1 with a 3.23 ERA. He hasn’t lost to the Rays on the road since 1998. New York will be without Joba Chamberlain for the second straight game. He's on the bereavement list and left the team to visit his father who's in poor health. Since the Rays will travel to Minneapolis on Tuesday night to face the Twins for a short two-game series, getting the split against the Yankees is crucial. Tampa Bay will return home for a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox starting Friday. I'm praying that Jackson will have his third consecutive successful start tomorrow. Finally, I'll have the essential ammo to advise his cynics to keep their mouths SHUT! And even if that's not the case, I'll still preach the talent and flair that Mr. Jackson possesses. Love affair or not, the Dodgers are the ones who should be dismayed. Let's hope it's the Yankees first (again)!

Rays 6, Orioles 2 (Game #12) [6-6]

Hooray for performances by Jeff Niemann, B.J. Upton and Trever Miller! In his first major league start, the 6’9” right-hander Niemann was impressive, giving up only one run, six hits, one walk and had five strikeouts. Upton cleared the bases in the fifth inning with a three-run home run and Miller struck out Aubrey Huff swinging with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. The game was very quiet until the Rays had a run-filled fifth inning with six hits. To start, the first three batters (Evan Longoria, Jason Ruggiano and Mike DiFelice) loaded the bases with a walk and two singles. Aki Iwamura singled to left, scoring Longoria. Carl Crawford had the team's fourth consecutive single, scoring Ruggiano and DiFelice. Upton crushed the ball to deep left with Iwamura and Crawford on base, 6-0 Rays. Baltimore started a quiet rally with a home run by Nick Markakis to deep left in the sixth inning. With J.P. Howell coming in for Niemann in the seventh, he loaded the bases, allowing a walk and two singles. Dan Wheeler was summoned to clean up Howell’s mess. Wheeler was able to get Melvin Mora to pop out, but walked Markakis, scoring Guillermo Quiroz. Kevin Millar struck out looking and Miller replaced Wheeler to get the final out, striking out Huff. Al Reyes and Troy Percival pitched the final two innings… both were 1-2-3. Andy Sonnastine will start tomorrow to begin a two-game series with the Yankees. Ian Kennedy, who gave up eight runs against the Rays this year, will be on the mound for New York. It will be the same match-up, Sonnastine versus Kennedy, as the April 4th encounter. Rays won the game, 13-4. Here’s to a 6-6, .500 season so far. Cheers!

Orioles 3, Rays 2 (Game #11) [5-6]

Disappointing! I wanted Dennis Sarfate to eat his words after almost guaranteeing a victory tonight. Catcher Ramon Hernandez was the difference maker with two RBIs, a triple scoring Aubrey Huff in the second inning and a solo home run to deep right in the ninth inning. In the sixth inning, with the Orioles up 2-0, Evan Longoria got his first major league hit/RBI of his career with a single, scoring B.J. Upton. Carlos Pena, who's been a home run machine lately, belted one to deep left to tie the game in the eighth inning. Pena has three homers and seven RBIs in the first two games of the three-game series. With two outs in the ninth, Dan Wheeler gave up the solo shot to Hernandez and the Rays were unable to rally back with a scoreless ninth inning, George Sherrill getting his fifth save of the season. I thought Jason Hammel pitched well, giving up two runs and five hits in a career-best seven innings. Wheeler seemed like a great choice for the last out in the ninth inning, but I think I would have kept Trever Miller in to finish out the inning and maybe use a combination of Reyes and Wheeler in extra innings. Wheeler was hot with five innings of work, four strikeouts and no base runners this season, but this is the type of big hit that he's prone to surrendering. Jeff Niemann will make his major league debut tomorrow. Unfortunately, to make room for Niemann on the roster, the Rays optioned Jae Kuk Ryu to Triple-A Durham. I think we'll see Ryu again at some point during the season. Brian Burres (1-0, 1.29), who limited Texas to one run and seven hits in six innings this week, will get the start for Baltimore. He made a relief appearance against Tampa Bay in his season debut, giving up one hit in one inning on March 31st. Burres is 0-1 with an 11.37 ERA in nine games (one start) versus the Rays.