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!
