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The Tampa Bay Rays completed their best-ever month in the team’s most memorable season by far.
James Shields allowed one run over seven innings and Jason Bartlett hit his first homer in more than a year to help the AL East-leading Rays complete a three-game sweep with a 10-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Tampa Bay went 21-8 in August, setting a team record for wins in a month. The Rays, who will have their first winning season and possibly a playoff trip this year, are a club-best 33 games over .500 at 84-51.
“This series was really good to go into September,” Shields said. “Our hitters are really on right now and our pitchers are pitching as good as ever. We’re really putting it together right now.”
Shields (12-8) gave up six hits to match his career high for wins set last season. He has won seven of his last nine starts at home.
Bartlett had four hits and drove in two runs, including a solo shot during a two-run seventh that made it 10-1. It was his first homer since Aug. 27, 2007.
Tampa Bay, which has the majors’ best home mark at 52-19, lead second-place Boston by 5 1/2 games after the Red Sox lost 4-2 to the Chicago White Sox.
“We can’t take anything for granted because the moment we do that everything blows up,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “I think if you take care of the seconds, the minutes and hours will take care of themselves.”
The Rays had 34 runs, 40 hits and walked 25 times in the series. They were also hit by six pitches and twice drew four walks in a row.
Baltimore manager Dave Trembley and pitching coach Rick Kranitz will meet with the Orioles pitching staff before Monday’s game at Boston.
“In an understatement, not very pretty,” Trembley said. “Not real pleased, you’ve got to sit there and watch 180 pitches everyday. I’d rather have the fastball thrown over the plate and have people hit it instead of giving runs away like that. It will be addressed.”
Luke Scott had a two-run double during a three-run eighth for the Orioles (63-73), who have lost 10 of 12 to drop a season-worst 10 games under .500.
“We got flat-out beat,” Baltimore first baseman Kevin Millar said.
Willy Aybar put the Rays ahead 2-0 on a two-out, two-run double off Brian Burres (7-9) in the first. Tampa Bay went up 3-0 on a second-inning RBI double by Shawn Riggans.
Ben Zobrist hit a sacrifice fly and Bartlett had a run-scoring single as Tampa Bay took a 5-0 lead in the third.
Burres gave up seven runs and nine hits in five-plus innings. The Orioles have lost the last 10 times in which the left-hander has pitched against the Rays, including four starts. Baltimore also fell to 3-19 on Sundays this season.
The Rays extended their lead to 8-1 in the sixth thanks to the wildness of reliever Alberto Castillo, who hit two batters in a row and then walked the next two before being pulled. B.J. Upton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded before consecutive walks to Carlos Pena and Rocco Baldelli.
Upton, hit on the ankle, was replaced defensively in the seventh. Upton said the ankle is fine and will play when Tampa Bay opens a three-game series Tuesday with the New York Yankees.
Upton picked up his 40th stolen base of the season when he swiped second in the fifth. He joins Carl Crawford—who has done it five times—as the only Tampa Bay players to have 40 steals in a season.
Xtra, xtra: Bartlett was hit by a pitch in the eighth. Maddon said he thought the pitch by reliever was intentional. The Rays are 11-3 against Baltimore this season. Tampa Bay C Dioner Navarro (hamstrings) was out of the lineup for the fourth time in the last five games. Maddon said Navarro, who started Saturday, was “a little bit sore.” Rays closer Troy Percival (knee) is expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday (Associated Press - Sports).
Rocco Baldelli’s career nearly came to an end during spring training. Five months later, he’s delivering key hits to spark Tampa Bay’s surprising playoff drive.
Baldelli hit a game-winning RBI double in the ninth inning and the AL East-leading Rays came back from a four-run deficit to beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-9 on Saturday.
Baldelli missed most of the season due to a mitochondrial disorder, a condition that slows muscle recovery and causes fatigue. His return was uncertain, and after missing much of the last few seasons because of hamstring injuries, his career was very much in question.
“I didn’t think in spring training that I’d be part of anything like that,” said Baldelli, who was mobbed by teammates after his first career walk-off hit. “I wanted to, but I didn’t think it was a possibility. Sometimes you get things that you don’t expect. So it was nice.”
Baldelli started the season on the disabled list and was activated on Aug. 10. In part-time duty, he is hitting .294 with two homers and six RBIs in 12 games.
“I know that the guys were pulling for him,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “I know that everybody feels especially happy for him. He looks really comfortable out there and I like that.”
Carlos Pena drew a one-out walk in the ninth off Rocky Cherry (0-2) and scored on Baldelli’s double down the third-base line.
Nick Markakis hit a game-tying solo homer with two outs in the ninth off Rays reliever Dan Wheeler (3-5), who blew his third save in 13 opportunities.
The Rays, a major league-best 51-19 at home, have won the first two games of the three-game set and improved to 12-0-1 in series play since the All-Star break.
“Our guys are really aware of what’s going on,” Maddon said. “You can tell by the intensity.”
Tampa Bay went up 9-8 in the seventh when Orioles reliever Alberto Castillo hit Baldelli with a pitch with the bases loaded.
Jay Payton and Aubrey Huff homered for Baltimore, which has lost nine of 11. Huff’s homer was his 30th, making him the first Orioles’ player to have 30 homers in a season since Miguel Tejada (34) in 2004.
After Huff’s homer gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead in the third, Ramon Hernandez increased the lead to 7-3 in the fifth with an RBI single. But the Rays came right back, pulling within two on Dioner Navarro’s RBI double and a run-scoring grounder by Gabe Gross in the bottom of the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, Pena tied it at 7 with a two-run double off Dennis Sarfate, and the Rays then took an 8-7 lead on a double-play grounder by Willy Aybar.
Baltimore pulled even at 8-all on a seventh-inning sacrifice fly by Hernandez.
Andy Sonnanstine, who failed in his bid to tie Rolando Arrojo’s team single-season win total of 14 set in 1998, allowed six runs and seven hits in 3 1-3 innings.
Orioles rookie starter Chris Waters, who resides about 50 miles away from Tropicana Field in Lakeland, Fla., started off poorly, walking four straight batters in the first. He gave up five runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings.
“Little bit of nervousness in my first game in my hometown,” Waters said. “Thirty people here to see me and I just let it overwhelm me.”
Baltimore pitchers have walked 18 and allowed 24 runs over the past two games.
“I think we’re making it a whole lot more difficult than we should,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said.
Xtra, xtra: Rays All-Star 3B Evan Longoria (right wrist) is not expected to be ready to play in a three-game series with the New York Yankees that begins Tuesday. Rays closer Troy Percival (knee) could be activated from the disabled list in time for the Yankees’ series. Tampa Bay signed a two-year player development contract with Class-A Bowling Green of the South Atlantic League (Associated Press - Sports).
The Tampa Bay Rays cleared another hurdle in the effort to distance themselves from their woeful past.
Ben Zobrist hit a grand slam, Cliff Floyd drove in five runs and the AL East-leading Rays guaranteed their first-ever winning season with a 14-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
“Going into spring training I knew we were better,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We just didn’t know how much better. Eighty-two wins is a big moment, and I want this to be the standard of what we do, to get that number on an annual basis.
“You’ve got to break through the barrier eventually. We’ve done it, now let’s move on down the road.”
Floyd had a two-run double, Zobrist hit his slam and Gabe Gross added a solo shot during a seven-run fourth that made it 10-0.
“It was contagious,” Zobrist said.
Scott Kazmir (10-6) allowed three hits and three walks over 5 1-3 scoreless innings. The left-hander has won 10 games or more in four straight seasons. Tampa Bay joined the 1968 Oakland Athletics as the only teams to have five pitchers 26 years old or younger with 20 starts and 10 wins in the same season.
“It’s been a great season and we’re showing no signs of letting up,” Kazmir said.
Tampa Bay (82-51) is 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Boston, which beat the Chicago White Sox 8-0. The Rays, an AL-best 50-19 at home, had never won more than 70 games in a season before this year.
“They’re on a roll right now. They’re playing very well at home,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said.
Carlos Pena and Floyd drew bases-load walks—the last two of four consecutive two-out walks by Jeremy Guthrie—to give the Rays a 3-0 lead in the second.
Floyd had put Tampa Bay ahead 1-0 on a first-inning RBI double, and added a sacrifice fly during a three-run sixth that extended the Rays advantage to 13-0. He had a homer and two RBIs in the Rays’ 3-2 win over Toronto on Thursday.
Guthrie (10-11) lost his third consecutive start, giving up seven runs, seven hits and six walks in three-plus innings. It was shortest start of his career.
“I didn’t feel great physically,” Guthrie said. “At the same time it doesn’t mean I can’t pitch well.”
Tampa Bay also got a solo homer from Shawn Riggans in the eighth.
Juan Castro and Aubrey Huff had RBI doubles for Baltimore, which has lost eight of 10.
Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora left the game in the third with a strained left hamstring. He was hurt trying to beat out a ground ball with two and two out in the third.
Mora is hitting .393 with 12 homers and 49 RBIs since the All-Star break. He’s not expected to play in the final two games of the series Saturday and Sunday.
Baltimore catcher Ramon Hernandez was ejected by plate umpire Sam Holbrook in the fourth. After the Rays had gone up 10-0, Hernandez argued with Holbrook after a check-swing by Tampa Bay’s Akinori Iwamura was called a ball.
Orioles reliever Fernando Cabrera, who allowed the homers to Zobrist and Gross, drew the ire of Trembley for flipping the ball into air when he left the mound.
Cabrera apologized after the game for his action.
“He was frustrated that he gave up the home runs,” Trembley said. “I’ll deal with it. When I say I’ll deal with, it won’t mean that I’ll ignore it. I’ll deal with, which means I’ll do something about it.”
Xtra, xtra: Kazmir threw 102 pitches. Rays 3B Evan Longoria (right wrist) made around 70 throws, but hasn’t started hitting. Tampa Bay C Dioner Navarro (hamstrings) could start Saturday after being out of the lineup three consecutive games. The Rays released LHP Kurt Birkins, who was pitching for Triple-A Durham (Associated Press - Sports).
The Tampa Bay Rays reached another milestone in their unexpected run toward the playoffs.
Edwin Jackson took a shutout into the eighth inning, Cliff Floyd and Willy Aybar each homered, and the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Thursday night to guarantee they will finish no worse than .500 for the first time in franchise history.
“Hopefully getting past these barriers, mentally and numbers-wise, we can put that in the past and become the organization we’re envisioned on becoming,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said.
Tampa Bay, 81-51 and an AL-best 49-19 at home, took two of three from Toronto and is 11-0-1 in series play since the All-Star break. The Rays extended their lead in the AL East over Boston to 4 1/2 games. The Red Sox lost 3-2 to the New York Yankees.
“It’s just another day at the office,” Floyd said. “Everyday, someone’s doing something to win a ballgame.”
Jackson (11-8) gave up one run and six hits over seven-plus innings in winning for the sixth time in his last seven starts. He departed after allowing Alex Rios’ double to start the eighth.
“Every game we take now is a big one,” Jackson said.
Rios scored on Adam Lind’s infield single and Rod Barajas added a two-out RBI double later in the eighth, cutting the Toronto deficit to 3-2. Jose Bautista, mired in an 0-for-24 slide, struck out to end the inning.
Dan Wheeler pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 12 opportunities.
“I think you have to give those guys some credit over there,” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said. “They’ve got a pretty good pitching staff that will shut you down.”
Floyd put Tampa Bay up 2-0 with a first-inning sacrifice fly and a solo homer in the third.
Tampa Bay extended the lead when Aybar homered off Jesse Litsch (9-8) in the sixth. Aybar, who entered in an 1-for-16 slide, had three hits in four at-bats.
Litsch allowed three runs and 10 hits in 6 2-3 innings. He had a 13-inning scoreless streak end in the first.
“I made a couple of mistake pitches and they hit them over the fence,” said Litsch, who was a Rays’ bat boy in 2002-03.
Toronto had at least one baserunner in each of the first six innings, but failed to score.
Thursday’s announced attendance was 14,039, making it the sixth consecutive Rays’ home game with a turnout under 20,000. Wednesday’s crowd was 12,678.
“I’m really proud of the fact that we’ve really raised the level of our intensity despite only having 12,000 people in the stands,” Maddon said before the game. “They’ve been very professional about this. That’s the part I really appreciate about it also. You’d like to see 36,000 every night, but for right now, the way our guys are going about our business, I’m very proud of them.”
Xtra, xtra: Rays closer Troy Percival (right knee) threw 39 pitches in batting practice and could be activated from the 15-day disabled list by early next week. Tampa Bay C Dioner Navarro (hamstrings) was out of the lineup for the second straight game and might return Saturday. Rays 3B Evan Longoria (right wrist) has started a throwing program and hopes to return next week (Associated Press - Sports).
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon thinks the Rays’ latest victory came in a “really classic kind of a game.”
Matt Garza and two relievers combined on a six-hitter and Carlos Pena homered to lead AL East-leading Tampa Bay past Toronto 1-0 Wednesday night.
“This team finds a way to win,” Garza said. “It’s amazing.”
Garza (11-7) allowed six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 7 2-3 innings for the Rays. Grant Balfour got the final out in the eighth before Dan Wheeler pitched the ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances.
Pena provided the scoring with a solo homer in the fourth, his 27th of the season and sixth over his past 13 games.
Justin Ruggiano, who moved from right to left field to start the ninth, ended the game with a leaping catch to take away an extra-base hit from Rod Barajas.
“It was a very exciting finish,” Maddon said.
Tampa Bay, an AL-best 48-19 at home, remains 3 1/2 games ahead of Boston, which beat the New York Yankees 11-3.
“We don’t quit,” Garza said. “Everybody is out there for one reason, that’s to try to get to October.”
Blue Jays rookie David Purcey gave up five hits and struck out a career-high 11 in eight innings for his first career complete game. The left-hander was coming off a start Aug. 20 against the New York Yankees in which he allowed five earned runs and seven hits in four innings.
“Two great pitchers tonight,” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said. “They pitched a great ballgame.”
Purcey struck out 10 and allowed just three hits—two by Pena, including the homer—in the first five innings. His previous high for strikeouts was eight.
“I’ve been trying to pound the zone,” Purcey said. “I just tried to keep us in the game. That’s all I can do.”
Purcey tied the Blue Jays’ rookie mark for strikeouts. He is the fourth pitcher to do it, and the first since Dave Bush had 11 on Oct. 1, 2004, against the Yankees.
The Blue Jays got one hit, including a third-inning double by Joe Inglett, in each of the first four innings, but failed to score.
Garza retired nine in a row after Lyle Overbay’s single with two outs in the fourth. Matt Stairs ended the stretch with a two-out single in the seventh. After a single by Barajas put runners on first and second, John McDonald popped out.
“He’s got a great fastball,” Gaston said. “He can reach back and get a couple extra miles an hour on it. Curveball and changeup is good as well. It makes him really unhittable sometimes.”
Alex Rios and Vernon Wells drew two-out walks in the eighth to end Garza’s night. Balfour entered and struck out Adam Lind on three pitches.
The announced attendance was just 12,678, the fifth straight Rays’ home game with a crowd under 20,000.
Xtra, xtra: This was the seventh 1-0 game in the history of Tropicana Field, and the first this season. Rays C Dioner Navarro (tight hamstring) didn’t start but was available off the bench. He might sit Thursday, too. Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria (right wrist) swung a wiffle bat and is expected to take batting practice later this week. He hopes to return early next week. Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Ripken Baseball and the Rays announced the purchase of the Class A Florida State League team in Vero Beach, Fla., and plan to relocate the franchise to Charlotte County, Fla., next year (Associated Press - Sports).
No team has ever beat Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay four times in one season. Vernon Wells helped make sure the Tampa Bay Rays didn’t.
Halladay beat Tampa Bay for the first time this season, and Wells homered and had three RBIs as Toronto beat the AL East-leading Rays 6-2 on Tuesday night.
“It’s a team that can get you at any point, so you’ve got to kind of be on your toes,” Halladay said. “You can never get too comfortable. You’ve got to go out and still be aggressive. You can’t change your game plan too much, but I think there’s a point with teams like this that they’re never out of it. It’s a tough team to pitch again.”
Halladay (16-9) gave up two runs and six hits in six innings. The right-hander posted a 5.32 ERA in losing his previous three starts against Tampa Bay this year.
“I honestly don’t know how we beat him three times,” Rays left fielder Eric Hinske said. “He’s probably the best pitcher in baseball. Tonight he had a good night.”
Halladay, who struck out seven, is 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA over his last five starts.
Wells had two run-scoring singles and added a solo homer in the ninth that made it 6-2. He his hitting .643 with four homers and nine RBIs over his last three games.
“When Doc is on the mound, you’ve just got to scratch out a few (runs) and you’ve got a chance to win,” Wells said.
Rod Barajas hit a solo homer for the Blue Jays, who have won 10 of their last 13 road games.
Hinske drove in two runs for Tampa Bay, which has lost consecutive games for just the second time since the All-Star break. Tampa Bay is an AL-best 47-19 at home this season.
The Rays’ lead over second-place Boston dropped to 3 1/2 games. The Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 7-3 on Tuesday.
Toronto took a 3-0 lead in the third on Lyle Overbay’s two-run, two-out double. He has 11 RBIs over his last 10 games.
Wells had put the Blue Jays ahead 1-0 with an RBI single in the first. He hit a run-scoring single in the seventh that put Toronto up 4-2.
Hinske pulled the Rays within 3-2 with a two-run single in the sixth.
Rays starter James Shields (11-8) went 6 2-3 innings, allowing four runs and nine hits. He had won six of his seven previous starts at home.
“Definitely the margin is slim,” Shields said about pitching against Halladay. “He’s one of the premier pitchers in the league. I thought I pitched pretty well tonight, but when you’re facing Halladay, you’ve got to be in your ‘A’ game.”
When asked what level his performance was at, Shields said “‘B’ game I guess.”
“It definitely wasn’t my ‘A’ game or else I would have won the game,” he added. “You can’t make too many errors when you’re facing a guy like that.”
Tampa Bay had runners on second and third with two outs in the second, but Halladay struck out Gabe Gross on a 3-2 pitch.
Rays catcher Dioner Navarro left in the sixth with cramping in both hamstrings. He might miss Wednesday’s game.
Xtra, xtra: Halladay is 10-7 all-time against Tampa Bay. Rays rookie All-Star 3B Evan Longoria (right wrist) will resume hitting this week and hopes to return around Sept. 1. Tampa Bay closer Troy Percival (right knee) had his first bullpen session since getting hurt. Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is a big fan of playing indoor baseball. “I don’t mind domes myself,” he said. “Actually, I think all teams should have domes. Wouldn’t have the rainouts. That’s what I believe.” Tampa Bay’s first-round pick in this year’s amateur draft, SS Tim Beckman, is joining Class-A Hudson Valley after starting his pro career with rookie-level Princeton. The attendance was 13,478 (Associated Press - Sports).
A.J. Pierzynski found himself in the middle of another strange play, and once again the umpire involved was Doug Eddings.
This time, the chaos followed a rundown between second and third, not a third strike.
“It’s just a funny coincidence, I guess,” said Pierzynski, whose bizarre trip around the bases in the 10th inning Sunday capped a 6-5 victory for the Chicago White Sox over the Tampa Bay Rays. “Him and I will be linked forever because of that one play, and now there’s two plays.”
Eddings and Pierzynski were at the center of a disputed call in the 2005 AL championship series between Chicago and the Los Angeles Angels. The latest ruckus came before Alexei Ramirez singled home the winning run Sunday, allowing the White Sox to avoid a three-game sweep.
Chicago also moved back into first place in the AL Central, a half-game ahead of Minnesota.
Jim Thome hit his 534th homer, Carlos Quentin also connected and Chicago tied it at 5 in the ninth on pinch-hitter Paul Konerko’s two-out single off fill-in closer Dan Wheeler.
Ken Griffey Jr. started the rally with a one-out double.
Rocco Baldelli hit his second homer in three days and Carlos Pena gave Tampa Bay a 5-4 lead with an RBI double in the seventh.
Pierzynski led off the 10th with a single against Jason Hammel (4-4), then tagged up and went to second when center fielder B.J. Upton casually flipped the ball in after catching Quentin’s fly. Jermaine Dye sent a grounder toward shortstop, Pierzynski got caught in a rundown and the strange play unfolded.
Pierzynski, who always seems to be at the center of controversy, appeared to get tagged out after falling—but Eddings signaled safe instead.
The second base ump called interference on Rays third baseman Willy Aybar, ruling that he bumped the runner after a throw toward second. Replays showed that Pierzynski initiated the contact, hitting Aybar with his left elbow before falling to the ground.
“As a runner, you’re allowed to do that,” third-base umpire Ted Barrett said. “What Doug ruled at second base was, even though A.J. did kind of stick his arm out to make contact, Aybar was still in his way. So A.J., if he would have turned, he wouldn’t have been able to continue on to third. So after making the throw, Aybar is no longer in the act of fielding and he can’t obstruct the runner, which is what Doug ruled happened. And in a rundown, even though A.J. was going back to second, the rule of obstruction during a rundown is he gets his next advanced base and that’s why he was rewarded third base.
“If Aybar’s got the ball, there’s no obstruction,” Barrett said. “You protect the fielder when he’s in the act of fielding. Once that ball’s released and out of his hand, he has to vacate.”
Tampa Bay infielders and manager Joe Maddon argued vehemently to no avail, and Pierzynski was awarded third. Hammel intentionally walked Thome before Ramirez singled to right.
That made a winner of Bobby Jenks (3-0), who pitched two scoreless innings.
Aybar said through a translator that Eddings told him he initiated the contact and that “he wasn’t going to talk to him anymore, that he was going to talk to Joe.”
And Maddon said: “(Eddings) thought he bumped him, that Willy interfered or obstructed with the runner and he gave him the extra base. I disagree.”
Eddings was behind the plate in the 2005 ALCS when he called strike three on Pierzynski—but not the third out—in the ninth inning of Game 2. In a weird scene, Eddings ruled the two-out pitch had bounced in the dirt, and Pierzynski hustled safely to first as the Angels ran off the field. Moments later, the White Sox rallied to win.
In this one, the AL East-leading Rays seemed to be on their way to their 12th win in 15 games before Konerko’s single to left on a 2-2 pitch from Wheeler, subbing for injured closer Troy Percival.
The throw home from Ben Zobrist arrived in plenty of time but bounced off catcher Shawn Riggans, allowing pinch-runner Brian Anderson to score the tying run.
The blown save was Wheeler’s second in 10 chances and denied Andy Sonnanstine his 14th win, which would have tied the club record set by Rolando Arrojo in 1998.
Thome and Quentin hit two-run homers in the fourth to give the White Sox a 4-3 lead. Thome’s shot tied Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx for 15th on the career list. Quentin leads the majors with 36 this season.
Chicago’s bullpen blew late leads in the first two games of the series. This time, poor defense was the problem.
Baldelli, who missed the first 116 games of the season with a muscular disorder, hit a two-run shot in the first after first baseman Nick Swisher booted Pena’s grounder for an error, the first of several gaffes.
Pierzynski’s passed ball with two outs in the second allowed Jason Bartlett to reach on a strikeout, putting runners on first and third before Akinori Iwamura’s run-scoring single.
The Rays tied it 4-all in the sixth when shortstop Orlando Cabrera booted Aybar’s grounder for an error, allowing Pena to score.
Chicago’s Mark Buehrle allowed five runs—two earned—in 6 2-3 innings.
Xtra, xtra: Percival, on the 15-day disabled list with cartilage damage in his right knee, is scheduled to play catch Monday (Associated Press - Sports).
Faced with key injuries or late deficits, the Tampa Bay Rays refuse to flinch. And their lead in the AL East is increasing.
Carlos Pena’s two-run single capped a four-run eighth inning, and the surging Rays rallied for a 5-3 victory Saturday over the Chicago White Sox.
“The phrase that we have is just keep coming,” Pena said. “Keep coming, keep coming, keep coming. At-bat after at-bat, at-bat after at-bat.”
Pena’s bases-loaded single off Matt Thornton broke a 3-all tie and sent Tampa Bay to its 11th win in 14 games. The surprising Rays, who keep winning despite injuries to Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and Troy Percival, moved 5 1/2 games ahead of second-place Boston.
Tampa Bay pulled this one out even though Chicago’s Jermaine Dye hit two solo homers and Javier Vazquez retired his first 17 batters. The White Sox, who began the day a half-game behind first-place Minnesota in the AL Central, took a 3-1 lead into the eighth before unraveling.
Vazquez (10-11) left to loud cheers after allowing a single to Dioner Navarro, a walk to Gabe Gross and another single by Jason Bartlett that loaded the bases with none out.
Thornton came in and walked Akinori Iwamura on a 3-2 count after he fouled off seven pitches, making it a one-run game. B.J. Upton then drove a hard one-hopper off shortstop Orlando Cabrera for an infield single that tied it, and Pena followed with a single to right.
After Thornton left to boos, D.J. Carrasco escaped further damage.
Although he delivered the go-ahead hit, Pena was more impressed with Iwamura.
“That’s not easy,” Pena said. “You’ve got to be cold-blooded to be in that situation and actually only focus on seeing the ball and staying in your zone.”
That’s exactly what Iwamura did.
“I knew he was a great pitcher with a great fastball,” he said through a translator. “He throws real hard but I knew the situation. With the bases loaded, I was trying to get the runs in at the time.”
Grant Balfour (4-2) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win. Chad Bradford retired the side in the eighth and Dan Wheeler tossed a perfect ninth for his eighth save.
The late rally spoiled another strong outing by Vazquez, who took the loss even though he outlasted Scott Kazmir.
“That was one of the toughest games for me in my career, one of the toughest that I’ve lost,” Vazquez said. “Just being ahead like that and, boom, we lost. It was just a tough game to swallow.”
Vazquez did not allow a base runner until Bartlett doubled with two outs in the sixth. Iwamura followed with a single, pulling the Rays to 2-1.
“That was an unbelievable game Vazquez pitched today,” Pena said. “Amazing. Great job. To be able to get to him in that inning and get to the bullpen, it says a lot about how much our guys battled at-bat for at-bat.”
But another shaky effort by a reliever cost the White Sox.
This time, it was Thornton, who allowed a run and two hits besides that bases-loaded walk. On Friday, it was Octavio Dotel and Horacio Ramirez, who each allowed three runs in a 9-4 loss.
Kazmir was almost as good as Vazquez early but came up short in his bid to become the fifth Tampa Bay starter with at least 10 wins. He allowed three runs and four hits in six innings, striking out seven and walking two.
The lefty did not allow a hit until Dye leaned in and pulled a low-and-away pitch into the left-field seats with one out in the fourth. Dye made it 3-1 in the sixth with another shot to left, giving him 31 homers.
“Both those pitches that he hit out, I really liked them,” Kazmir said.
Xtra, xtra: Rays manager Joe Maddon set a franchise record with his 206th win, moving ahead of Larry Rothschild. The Rays held Rocco Baldelli out of the starting lineup after he hit his first homer in more than a year Friday. Baldelli, who returned from the DL less than two weeks ago after missing the first 116 games with a muscular disorder, entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth (Associated Press - Sports).
With one big swing, Rocco Baldelli gave a big indication that he is finally feeling better.
He hit his first homer in more than a year, Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist also went deep and the Tampa Bay Rays opened a weekend showdown against the Chicago White Sox with a 9-4 victory on Friday.
“I just want to get back into the swing of things where I feel comfortable and it’s not a big deal when I go through a game and do something well,” said Baldelli, sidelined most of the past two seasons with injuries and ailments. “I just want to contribute to what’s going on here. It’s awesome.”
Chicago’s Nick Swisher homered in his fourth straight game, giving the White Sox a 2-0 lead with a two-run shot in the fourth, but the Rays came back.
Pena tied it at 2 with a leadoff homer in the sixth, and Jason Bartlett doubled in the go-ahead run off John Danks in the seventh, sending Tampa Bay to its 10th win in 13 games.
The Rays maintained a 4 1/2 -game lead over Boston in the AL East, and they continued to win even though Troy Percival, Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford are on the disabled list.
They began the day tied with Los Angeles for the AL’s best record and, after taking two of three from the Angels, kept the momentum going against one of baseball’s hottest teams. The White Sox had won eight of nine and had a 46-9 scoring edge over the previous four games while pounding out 14 homers—but they were victimized by the long ball this time.
One of the big blows came from Baldelli, who returned from the DL less than two weeks ago.
Sidelined for the first 116 games with a muscular disorder after missing much of last season with hamstring injuries, Baldelli looked just fine against Octavio Dotel in the eighth. He drove an 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall for his first homer since May 3, 2007, against Minnesota.
“Taking some time off isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but I feel like I’m able to do it OK and not lose my swing by taking days off,” said Baldelli, who did not play in the Los Angeles series. “It did feel pretty good tonight.”
After Willy Aybar doubled, Zobrist chased Dotel when he drove a 3-2 pitch out to right to make it 6-2.
Chicago’s Alexei Ramirez hit a two-run homer off J.P. Howell in the bottom half, his fourth homer in five games, but the Rays added three more runs in the ninth.
The White Sox had the leadoff man on in seven innings but got little to show for it. They stranded eight and were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
“One thing I talked about before the game is we can’t do two things, walk people and commit errors because of their propensity to hit home runs,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We got away with it tonight, but you can’t expect to do that all the time. We were fortunate.”
Edwin Jackson (10-8) became the Rays’ fourth 10-game winner despite six shaky innings. He allowed seven hits and two runs, struck out five and walked five while improving to 5-1 in his last six starts.
Danks (10-6) lasted 6 1-3 innings, allowing five hits and three runs. But from the start, he knew this wasn’t his night.
“In the second or third inning, I told the guys tonight was the epitome of being effectively wild,” he said. “I was getting away with some stuff. I was missing my spots.”
Pena had two hits and scored two runs while driving in two. Baldelli and Dioner Navarro added two hits and two runs apiece.
Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-4 with a run after hitting his first homer with the White Sox against Seattle on Wednesday. The 13-time All-Star had just nine hits in his first 43 at-bats after the trade from Cincinnati.
The last time these teams met, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen unleashed a rant that seemed aimed at general manager Kenny Williams and hitting coach Greg Walker. He called for roster changes while saying his job and Walker’s were in jeopardy after watching his team go 5-for-39 with runners in scoring position while dropping three of four May 29-June 1.
There were no firings and no major roster moves, although they did acquire Griffey at the trade deadline.
This time, Guillen’s tone was different.
“That’s kind of a weird feeling about the situation here in Chicago,” he said. “We lose a game and all the sudden we are down the tank. I don’t know if it’s people waiting for us to fail or people don’t just believe in the White Sox.”
Xtra, xtra: Rays manager Joe Maddon won his 205th game, tying Larry Rothschild’s club record (Associated Press - Sports).
Given one more chance to extend his hitting streak to 23 games, Garret Anderson made sure he got his bat off his shoulder.
“I told myself as I was walking to the plate that if it’s out over the plate, I’m going to swing at it, and that’s what it was,” he said Wednesday night after his ninth-inning infield single gave the Los Angeles Angels a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
“Sometimes I have to do that because I’ll get too picky up there and not swing and not be myself.”
Anderson struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh—taking three called strikes as the Angels wasted an opportunity to break open a one-run game — but wouldn’t repeat the mistake against submariner Chad Bradford after the Rays tied it 4-all on Carlos Pena’s eighth-inning RBI double off Jose Arredondo (5-1).
Vladimir Guerrero was walked intentionally to load the bases with one out in the ninth. After Torii Hunter grounded into a force play at the plate, Anderson hit a sharp grounder that second baseman Akinori Iwamura was unable to backhand cleanly moving to his right.
The play initially was ruled an error. It was changed to a hit, keeping Anderson’s streak alive, after the Angels asked the official scorer to review it.
“That’s not a routine play because he did a good job to get in front of it and knock it down. That would have been a terrific play if he could have made it,” Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s got to dive and knock a ball down and get an out all at the same time.”
The run was charged to Grant Balfour (3-2), who walked Chone Figgins to begin the inning before giving up a one-out single to Mark Teixeira on a routine fly ball that fell in front of left fielder Justin Ruggiano.
Ruggiano, who had just entered the game as a defensive replacement, said he pulled up short of the ball, not wanting to take a chance on it getting past him.
“That was definitely a break to move that inning along,” Scioscia said. “A timely break.”
Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for the Angels for his major league-leading and club- record 48th save. He broke his own team mark of 47 (2006) and is on pace for 62 saves, which would shatter the major league mark of 57, set by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox in 1990.
Angels starter Jered Weaver settled down after allowing three runs in the second, limiting the Rays to five hits and matching a career high with nine strikeouts in six innings before entrusting a 4-3 lead to the bullpen.
Los Angeles squandered a couple of chances to break the game open, leaving the bases loaded in the sixth against right-hander Matt Garza and the seventh when left-hander Trever Miller fanned Anderson.
Erick Aybar had a two-run triple and Chone Figgins and Mark Teixeira also drove in runs off Rays Garza for the Angels, who won for the first time in six tries at Tropicana Field this season.
Despite the loss, Tampa Bay retained its 4 1/2 -game lead over second-place Boston in the AL East.
“You’re going to lose some tough ones, but what really matters is what you do after that,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “They beat us tonight, but we had our opportunities to win the game, too. Again, it just indicates we are making progress.”
The victory cooled the Rays, who have won nine of 12, and enabled Los Angeles to nudge back ahead of Tampa Bay for the best record in the American League at 77-48.
The Rays scored three runs with two outs in the second after Angels third baseman Figgins was unable to get to Gabe Gross’ foul ball that didn’t quite reach the stands up the left-field line.
Gross singled to right two pitches later, driving in Eric Hinske, who drew a throw to the plate that allowed Gross to move up to second base. Shawn Riggans followed with a RBI single, then Jason Bartlett tripled to left-center to make it 3-0.
The Angels countered with a four-run third against Garza, who was coming off a two-hit shutout over the Texas Rangers.
Figgins doubled to drive in the first run, Aybar followed with his two-run triple and Teixeira put Los Angeles ahead 4-3 with a RBI grounder that scored Aybar.
Xtra, xtra: Rays LF Carl Crawford, on the 15-day disabled list after undergoing surgery to correct a tendon problem in his right middle finger, returned to St. Petersburg from his home in Phoenix and will see a therapist on Thursday. He hopes to return before the end of the regular season. He said he’s not surprised the team has continued to win with him, 3B Evan Longoria and RHP Troy Percival on the DL. “We’ve been winning like that all year long without certain guys in the lineup,” Crawford said. “The team is not built for one person to make it win. It’s a team effort.” (Associated Press - Sports).
One night the Tampa Bay Rays play long ball. The next they rarely get the ball out of the infield and still beat the Los Angeles Angels.
The surging Rays won for the ninth time in 11 games Tuesday night, using Willy Aybar’s two-run single to break an eighth-inning tie in a 4-2 win over the Angels that gave Tampa Bay the best record in the American League.
The AL East leader overcame a strong pitching performance by Los Angeles’ Ervin Santana, who took a no-hit bid into the sixth and left with a 2-1 lead after allowing one run and four hits in seven innings.
“It just means we’re starting to do things in the right way,” manager Joe Maddon said after Tampa Bay improved to 77-48 and held on to its 4 1/2 -game lead over second-place Boston in the division.
“We’re making less mistakes. We’re starting to believe in what we’re doing. It just validates the work that we’ve done,” Maddon added. “It’s good. But still, there’s a long ways to go. It’s just nice to be there right now.”
Los Angeles let the game slip away in the eighth when the Rays loaded the bases with no outs against Scot Shields (5-4) on two walks and an error. Carlos Pena drew a one-out walk from Darren Oliver, forcing in the tying run before Aybar singled.
James Shields (11-7) allowed two runs and nine hits in eight innings, and Dan Wheeler pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save in eight chances as Tampa Bay improved to 6-2 against the AL West-leading Angels, including 5-0 at home.
The Rays won the series opener 6-4, getting two-run homers from Eric Hinske and Cliff Floyd. They got their first run Tuesday night on B.J. Upton’s infield RBI single, then scored three unearned runs in the eighth, with Aybar’s hit the only ball getting to the outfield.
“I don’t think we’ve played particularly bad in any of these games, but tonight was one bad inning,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
“We set the table for them and cracked it open further with an error and those guys capped it off with a hit. We just didn’t get it done late. We’ve been doing a terrific job of that, but not tonight.”
Vladimir Guerrero hit his 23rd home run for Los Angeles, a solo shot in the second. Garret Anderson made it 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI double that extended his hitting streak to 22 games.
Maddon was ejected in the sixth for arguing with first base umpire Jerry Meals after Upton beat out his RBI infield single to trim the Angels’ lead to 2-1. Upton was called out when Meals ruled he turned toward second and was tagged out by second baseman Howie Kendrick.
Replays showed Upton, who hit a high chopper to first baseman Mark Teixeira, contorted his body to avoid a potential tag by Santana, who was covering first. However, it did not appear Upton, in the spotlight lately for a lack of hustle, turned toward second before being tagged by Kendrick, who was backing up the play.
Maddon bolted from the dugout and had an animated discussion with Meals before being ejected. The manager also had an exchange with second base umpire and crew chief Gary Darling before leaving the field.
Maddon said the call was flat-out wrong, going as far as to describe it as “fabricated.”
Upton apologized before the game for a “mental lapse” on the bases Monday night when he was thrown out at second base on what should have been a routine double, saying he didn’t want to become a distraction for the Rays.
He was just happy to get some support Tuesday night from his manager, who in the past two weeks has benched the 23-year-old for two games and part of a third for not hustling.
“Things haven’t really been the best lately … and he went out there and he had my back,” Upton said. “You’ve got to love it, and I’m glad he did. It shows me a lot.”
Santana retired 11 straight before walking Pena with two outs in the fourth. Jason Bartlett doubled down the line in left for the first hit with one out in the sixth.
“We’ve been pitching well, it’s just, at the end, we cracked the door for them and let them win,” Scioscia said. “It’s frustrating because we didn’t play well enough, certainly in the eighth inning. There’s not much more you can say about it.”
Xtra, xtra: Guerrero is 10-for-23 with two homers lifetime against James Shields. The Rays are two games into a stretch in which they play 28 of 31 against teams in playoff contention, including six against the Red Sox (Associated Press - Sports).
B.J. Upton slipped away from Tropicana Field without speaking to reporters, leaving others to answer questions about another baserunning gaffe that overshadowed a big Tampa Bay victory.
The first-place Rays beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-4 Monday night, but the postgame buzz was more about Upton getting caught jogging on the bases again instead of the AL East leaders improving to 5-2 against the team with the top record in the majors.
“I’ll tell you one thing about tonight, he’s hurting,” said designated hitter Cliff Floyd, who hit a two-run homer to help right-hander Andy Sonnanstine get his team-leading 13th win. “He’s hurting bad.”
The speedy center fielder, who has been benched three times in the last two weeks for not hustling, was thrown out at second base on what should have been a routine double in the fourth inning.
But unlike last Friday at Texas, Upton wasn’t removed from the game by manager Joe Maddon.
“That’s a mental mistake he made right there. It’s not a lack of effort,” Maddon said, explaining why he didn’t take action.
“It’s one of those situations where he assumed. We’ve talked about assumptions. That’s an assumption on his part. That’s part of his game we’ve got to get rid of.”
Floyd, whose locker is three cubicles away from Upton’s in the clubhouse, said that will be done.
“I think everybody in here will do everything possible to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s not in Joe’s hands any more. It’s in nobody’s hands but ours,” the 14-year veteran said.
“It bothers me. You get choked up a little bit because it’s like, ‘Man, we’ve got something real special here.’ We don’t need to be talking about this stuff.”
Eric Hinske also hit a two-run homer and Sonnanstine (13-6) allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings to pull within one victory of the Rays’ single-season record. Rolando Arrojo won 14 in 1998, and Sonnanstine’s total matches the 13 Scott Kazmir won a year ago.
Dan Wheeler, the sixth Tampa Bay pitcher, worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save in seven opportunities, enabling the Rays to maintain their 4 1/2 -game lead over Boston in the division.
Hinske hit his 19th homer in the second and Floyd added his ninth in the third, both coming off right-hander Jon Garland (11-8), who allowed five runs and 10 hits in six innings.
The Rays made it 5-1 in the third when Willy Aybar scored from first after Hinske singled and the ball rolled between Vladimir Guerrero’s legs in right field for a two-base error.
Back at Tropicana Field after going 7-3 on a season-high 10-game trip in which they thrived despite the benching of Upton and losing Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria and Troy Percival to injuries, the Rays improved the best home record in the majors to 46-17.
The Angels have the best road mark in baseball (39-24) but are 0-4 in the Rays’ ballpark this season.
Juan Rivera homered and Garret Anderson extended his hitting streak to a season-best 21 games with a sixth-inning RBI double for Los Angeles. Guerrero added an RBI single off Grant Balfour in the seventh, cutting Tampa Bay’s lead to 5-4.
“What’s hurt us here is what’s happened in the batter’s box. We just haven’t swung the bats well in what’s invariably a hitter’s park,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
Upton drew a mixed reaction from fans in his first plate appearance after hitting a fourth-inning drive to left off Garland and breaking into a trot out of the batter’s box, apparently thinking it would be a home run.
Instead, the ball hit the fence on a hop.
Upton casually rounded first and jogged toward second with Angels first baseman Mark Teixeira following up the line to meet left fielder Rivera’s throw to an uncovered base. Teixeira fielded the ball on a bounce and made the tag just before a surprised Upton touched the bag.
With the inning over, Upton dropped his head and bent over at second base for a few moments before taking his position on defense.
Upton was benched for one game on Aug. 6, the day after he failed to run hard on a grounder back to the mound against Cleveland. Maddon removed him in the middle of an inning at Texas for not hustling on a double-play grounder Friday, then left him out of the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Rangers.
“He’s going to get it right, trust me,” Floyd said. “He’s going to be, in my mind, one of the best players to play the game. You don’t want anybody looking at you like you really don’t want it.”
The game drew an announced crowd of 15,896, despite the approach of Tropical Storm Fay, which is expected to make landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast—south of the Tampa Bay area—on Tuesday.
Tuesday night’s game between the division leaders is still scheduled, however Rays president Matt Silverman said that could change if the storm deviates from its projected path. If there’s a postponement, it likely will be rescheduled as part of a Wednesday doubleheader.
Xtra, xtra: Hinske has three homers in his last seven games. Percival, Tampa Bay’s closer, opted not to have surgery on his injured right knee and hopes to resume throwing off a mound in four or five days (Associated Press - Sports).
B.J. Upton responded to a benching exactly the way Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon hoped he would.
Upton homered and drove in three runs, Scott Kazmir allowed two runs in six innings and the Rays added a game to their AL East lead with a 7-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday night.
Maddon pulled Upton during Friday night’s game against the Rangers for failing to run hard on a double-play grounder. Maddon kept Upton in the dugout for all of Saturday night’s 3-0 loss to Texas before deciding to return his center fielder to the lineup.
“I thought he was pretty darned good,” Maddon said. “He was swinging the bat well. I saw him raise the level of his play. He was getting the bat head out in front of the ball. Before the game I was saying what a catalyst he can be for us.”
Upton had three hits and Carlos Pena homered for the Rays, who took two of three from the Rangers and have won seven of nine overall.
Upton said he didn’t change anything about his preparation for the game.
“I used the same approach as every day,” Upton said. “I just happened to swing the bat a little better.”
Texas challenged in the ninth, but Maddon employed an unusual bit of strategy with his closer Troy Percival sidelined.
After Brandon Boggs’ RBI groundout off Grant Balfour in the ninth made it 7-3, Michael Young walked to reload the bases. With Josh Hamilton coming to bat as the potential tying run, Maddon had the major league RBI leader walked to force in a run.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done that, even in the minors,” Maddon said. “But I told (pitching coach) Jimmy (Hickey), if we walk Young to load the bases, we’re going to walk Hamilton. I just thought that was prudent. With the kind of year (Hamilton) has been having—I wouldn’t say it’s spectacular, it’s beyond that—he very easily could have hit a grand slam there.”
Maddon brought in Dan Wheeler, subbing for Percival. Wheeler struck out Marlon Byrd swinging for his fifth save in six chances.
“That just shows the respect (Maddon) has for Hamilton,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “I was hoping that Hamilton would get the chance to swing the bat but Joe didn’t let that happen. I still felt good with Marlon up there. He had a couple pitches that he could have done something with, he just didn’t do it.”
The victory coupled with Toronto’s 15-4 win over Boston gave the Rays a 4 1/2 game pad over the second-place Red Sox.
Kazmir (9-6) earned his first win since July 21, giving up four hits with seven strikeouts and four walks to help the Rays improve to 20-9 since the All-Star break.
Kazmir won six straight starts in May and June, but has scuffled lately. Entering Sunday, he had lost three of four decisions and failed to pitch into the sixth inning in any of his previous four outings.
“I felt a whole lot better,” Kazmir said. “Being able to go out in that sixth inning was huge. I was relaxed, my slider was working. I got a lot of called strikes and a couple of swinging strikes with it.”
Travis Metcalf homered for the Rangers, who’ve lost nine of 11.
Tampa Bay scored four runs in the third inning against Texas starter Dustin Nippert (1-3), highlighted by Upton’s RBI double and Pena’s three-run homer, his 25th.
The Rays stretched their lead to 7-1 in the fourth on Jason Bartlett’s run-scoring double and Upton’s two-run homer, his eighth.
Vicente Padilla, who’s won a team-high 12 games, was originally scheduled to start Sunday night, but Padilla’s ongoing neck problems forced the Rangers to bring Nippert out of the bullpen for his first start of the season and sixth of his career.
Nippert allowed seven runs and eight hits in four innings.
“I left some pitches up and they capitalized,” Nippert said.
Xtra, xtra: Percival, on the DL with cartilage damage in his right knee, played catch on Sunday. “I felt good. There was nothing debilitating,” he said. Percival will visit the Rays’ team doctor at home on Monday, with arthroscopic surgery an option (Associated Press - Sports).
The Texas Rangers were looking from a good outing from anyone in its rotation.
Rookie Matt Harrison provided a huge boost to the Rangers’ staff by throwing eight shutout innings, sending Texas past the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 Saturday night.
The Rangers, who came in with baseball’s worst team ERA at 5.45, had allowed 69 runs over the past seven games. Texas’ starters were even worse in that span with a 15.36 ERA in 25 innings.
“It’s always important to get a well-pitched job from your starter,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “We’ve been searching to get one and Matt Harrison stepped up. He showed what his upside can be.”
Harrison (5-2) dominated the AL East-leading Rays in his eighth career start. The lefty gave up just three singles, struck out eight without a walk, and retired the final 18 batters.
Harrison entered the game with a 7.07 ERA and a total of seven strikeouts in 35 2-3 innings. He was pulled after 109 pitches.
All-Star Josh Hamilton preserved the shutout in the sixth with a leaping catch at the wall to take away a home run from Ben Zobrist. Zobrist played in place of B.J. Upton, who was benched for the second time in less than two weeks for failing to hustle.
“To go out and shut them down was an awesome feeling,” Harrison said. “Josh making that spectacular catch at the wall, that could have been the turning point of the game.”
Ian Kinsler homered on the first pitch he saw from Rays starter Edwin Jackson (9-8), who lost for the first time in five starts.
The Rangers had been shut out their last two games. Kinsler quickly ended that scoring slump when he lined Jackson’s first-pitch fastball over the left-field wall for his fourth home run in six games.
That was the only run Jackson allowed in six innings. He struck out the last batter he saw, Chris Davis, on a 97 mph fastball
“It’s hard to say it was a mistake,” Jackson said. “It was the first pitch of the game. He jumped on a good pitch and took advantage.”
The Rays had won three in row. Texas stopped its four-game losing streak.
Eddie Guardado pitched the ninth for his fourth save in four chances. It was Texas’ sixth shutout of the season.
“Sometimes when we pitch well, we don’t score runs and vice versa,” Hamilton said. “We need to find more consistency as a team. Tampa Bay is in first place and it’s nice to take a win out of their category.”
The Rangers, who had lost eight of nine, added two runs in the seventh off reliever J.P. Howell. Michael Young hit an RBI single and Brandon Boggs drew a bases-loaded walk.
Harrison had hardly been a strikeout pitcher in his seven starts as a major leaguer this season. But he had a run where he recorded six in a 10-batter span against the first-place Rays.
The hardest hit ball Harrison allowed was Zobrist’s drive in the second that ended up in Hamilton’s glove.
“The ball started carrying, and I got excited,” Zobrist said. “He quickly took that away. He made it look so easy.”
After Jason Bartlett singled in the third, Tampa Bay did not have a baserunner until Akinori Iwamura walked leading off the ninth. The Rays were blanked for the fifth time this season.
Xtra, xtra: Rays manager Joe Maddon also benched Upton Aug. 6 for not hustling. Tampa Bay is 19-9 since the All-Star break. Rays 1B Carlos Pena, who had homered in three straight games, was 0-of-4 with two strikeouts (Associated Press - Sports).
Matt Garza slammed the rosin bag to the ground and kicked the dirt on the mound.
The Tampa Bay right-hander was angry at himself—not the scorekeeper— after Garza’s bid for the first no-hitter in Rays history ended on a debatable call after his two-strike pitch with two outs in the sixth inning of a 7-0 victory over the slumping Texas Rangers.
“I was upset I hung that slider,” Garza said. “It’s a hit.”
Ian Kinsler knocked a looping flyball into short center that ricocheted off the glove of charging outfielder Justin Ruggiano. The play was almost immediately ruled a hit.
“I just thought it was an inappropriate call. I called upstairs and I never do,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
But any questions about that costing Garza (10-7) a no-hitter were erased when Josh Hamilton led off the seventh with a solid single up the middle.
Still, it was a dominating performance by the 24-year-old Garza, who threw a two-hitter for his second career shutout—both in the last four games. It was also his third complete game.
“It was fun. I had a blast,” Garza said. “I kept attacking, kept going after people.”
A Tampa Bay lineup missing injured stars Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford hit four home runs in 4 2-3 innings to build a 5-0 lead against Kevin Millwood (6-7), who was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list to start.
Garza struck out nine and walked two while throwing 78 of 119 pitches for strikes. None of the Rangers’ four base runners got past first.
“You can have the best offense in the league, which we do, but when a guy is throwing like that you’re not going to hit the ball,” right fielder Marlon Byrd said. “It’s as simple as that.”
In his two previous starts since a five-hitter to shut out Toronto on July 29, Garza had allowed nine runs in 10 2-3 innings.
But after Hamilton walked with two outs in the first, Garza retired 15 straight batters before Kinsler’s hit.
“That was pretty dominant. Facing that lineup, their numbers are particularly outstanding at home. They’re good, real good, not just OK,” Maddon said. “He was throwing his fastball down at that velocity, plus command of the breaking ball and the changeup, pounding the strike zone.”
Ruggiano, who had replaced B.J. Upton in the field to start the sixth, ran a long way and got his glove on Kinsler’s ball but couldn’t hold on to it. Maddon made the change after Upton failed to run hard on his double-play grounder that ended the top of the inning.
“He wanted to make a move,” said Upton, who had been pulled from a previous game for the same reason. “I guess I’m the only one not running ‘em out.”
The Rays (74-47) have a 3 1/2 -game division lead over Boston, which was rained out at home against Toronto on Friday night.
Texas (61-62) was shut out for the second game in a row and the fourth time in eight games—after being held scoreless only once the first 115 games. The Rangers dropped below .500 for the first time since June 20.
The Rangers lost 10-0 Thursday night at Boston, ending a three-game sweep by the Red Sox, who had 10-run and nine-run innings the first two games.
“Tonight, everyone was just dead. We just didn’t do our jobs,” Kinsler said. “We’re definitely not playing good right now.”
Willy Aybar homered on the first pitch of the fourth, his ball into the right-field corner barely clearing the wall.
Carlos Pena made it 2-0 in the fifth when he hit his 24th homer, and Millwood was gone after Eric Hinske and Gabe Gross hit back-to-back shots. Hinske hit a two-run shot before Gross hit a ball that skimmed the top of the left-center wall.
Millwood, the Rangers’ No. 1 pitcher coming off his second DL stint because of a strained right groin, allowed five runs and 10 hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in 4 2-3 innings.
“It seemed like every time I missed, they hit the ball hard,” Millwood said.
Xtra, xtra: Garza joined Andy Sonnanstine and James Shields as 10-game winners for Tampa Bay (Associated Press - Sports).
Tampa Bay ended Oakland reliever Brad Ziegler’s record scoreless streak. Then the Rays ended the Athletics’ hopes of winning their first series in more than a month.
Ziegler’s shutout streak was stopped by B.J. Upton in the ninth inning, and Carlos Pena homered leading off the 12th to give Tampa Bay a 7-6 win over Oakland on Thursday.
Ziegler started his career by not allowing a run in 39 consecutive shutout innings—including the eighth Thursday—to tie a 59-year-old major league record for relievers. Upton hit an RBI double that scored Akinori Iwamura, who walked, to give the Rays a 5-4 lead in the ninth.
“I didn’t think about the streak until I started walking back on the mound,” Ziegler said. “The first thought that popped in my head was, ‘I can’t believe that just happened with a runner on first,’ but I guess the good thing it wasn’t a cheap one. A whole bunch of things fell at once and so that way there’s no pressure from this point on.”
Ziegler, Oakland’s rookie reliever who began the season in the minors, has been one of the few highlights for Oakland in the second half, setting numerous records including the most shutout innings by any pitcher to start a career. The right-hander extended that mark to tie the major league single-season record for consecutive scoreless innings by a reliever set by Cleveland’s Al Benton in 1949.
“It’s almost been like a no-hitter type streak or something,” A’s manager Bob Geren said. “Unbelievable what he’s done, but I’ll get him right back out and try to start another one. He’s been tremendous.”
Pena hit his 23rd homer of the season off Santiago Casilla (2-1) and Dioner Navarro added an RBI single as Tampa Bay moved to 26 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history.
“There were many, many moments where momentum shifted and we were able to stay focused, stay poised and come out of some tough situations,” Pena said. “Eventually we were able to put some runs on the board, but the key was being able to stay in the present and not letting that shift of momentum affect our approach at the plate and on the mound. It’s a great win for us because it was quite difficult.”
Jason Hammel (4-3) pitched 2 2-3 innings to earn the win for Tampa Bay, which lost closer Troy Percival to a sprained right knee in the ninth. Percival hurt himself while fielding a sacrifice by Mark Ellis and had to leave the game after limping back to the mound.
Hammel allowed an unearned run in the 12th before giving way to Trever Miller. Miller the eighth Tampa Bay pitcher, hit Daric Barton before getting pinch-hitter Rob Bowen to hit a grounder to third to earn his first save in two tries this season.
Cliff Floyd walked four times and scored four runs for the Rays, who won two of three from Oakland and haven’t lost a series since the All-Star break.
“This type of win is what’s been happening since early in the season when we started win a lot of games late,” Floyd said. “We’ve got our confidence up and we believe as long as we go on that field we’ve got a chance to win.”
Tampa Bay missed a chance to win in the 11th inning of the 4-hour, 24-minute game when Rocco Baldelli was tagged out at home plate by Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki after Casilla’s pitch skipped under Suzuki. The ball bounced off the backstop right back to Suzuki, who raced to the plate to get Baldelli.
Pena then hit the first pitch he saw from Casilla in the 12th over the wall in right field to put the Rays ahead for good.
“I can’t ask for anything more,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s exactly what we’re looking for. Beyond everything else is the continuous maximum effort. It was tremendous. I loved it.”
Oakland, which hasn’t won a series since taking three of four from Seattle in early July, rallied to tie the game on Frank Thomas’ RBI single in the bottom of the ninth but couldn’t do much else against Tampa Bay’s bullpen.
Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run homer for the A’s, who lost their ninth consecutive series for the first time since 1979. Oakland is 4-21 since the All-Star break, the worst mark in baseball.
Justin Ruggiano tied it at 4 in the fifth with a pinch-hit single to drive in Floyd.
Tampa Bay right-hander James Shields gave up all four Oakland runs and had a season-high five walks in five innings.
A’s starter Sean Gallagher had another rough outing, lasting only four innings while giving up three earned runs and walking four (Associated Press - Sports).
Andy Sonnanstine learned a few things from his previous outings against Oakland. The most important lesson was trusting himself.
Eric Hinske had three hits, including a home run, and Ben Zobrist doubled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Athletics 3-2 on Wednesday night.
Sonnanstine (12-6) beat an AL West team for the first time in five decisions, and won his second straight following a three-game losing streak as the Rays have spent all but two days in first place in the AL East since June 28.
“I didn’t feel sharp the last time I pitched here,” said Sonnanstine, who lost his two previous starts against the A’s. “I wanted to be aggressive and stay aggressive. That really worked out. I feel like if I stick to my game plan it sets me up for success.”
Sonnanstine lasted six innings, allowing two runs and six hits with a walk and six strikeouts, one shy of his season high. He’s given up five runs in his last 19 1-3 innings (2.33 ERA) after allowing 14 in his previous 19 innings.
“Sony had really good stuff,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “His last two outings are as good as I’ve seen him in a long time. He’s always been a winner.”
Sonnanstine became the quickest pitcher to 12 wins (119th game) in Rays history.
Carlos Pena hit a home run for the Rays, who maintained their three-game lead over the Boston Red Sox. The Rays have won four of five and 10 of 14.
“We just keep on playing,” Pena said. “It’s important to focus on the present. This is a young team but we’ve behaved maturely and it happened naturally. We’re able to handle things.”
Eric Patterson, who was recalled from Sacramento earlier Wednesday, drove in two runs for the A’s, who fell to 7-22 since trading Rich Harden to the Chicago Cubs. Patterson was part of the trade.
Mark Ellis and Bobby Crosby both had two hits for the A’s, who were seven games over .500 and 3 1/2 behind the Red Sox in the wild card race when Harden was moved.
“We had first and third, nobody out, and don’t score,” A’s manager Bob Geren said. “That’s a big blow. We tried to force some contact there and push a run across and that’s about it. It’s difficult to win when you’re not getting enough runs.”
Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler both pitched a scoreless inning and Troy Percival worked the ninth for his 27th save in 30 chances. It was his 34th career save against the A’s, his most against any team.
Justin Duchscherer (10-8) lost his third straight decision and remains winless in his last six starts. He gave up three runs and six hits with a walk and a career-high eight strikeouts over 6 1-3 innings.
“Sometimes you make pitches and they just beat you,” Duchscherer said. “Two solo home runs I didn’t feel like it was going to beat me. I battled through it got into the seventh and had a little bit of an unfortunate bounce on the last hitter and that ended up costing us the game.”
Duchscherer gave up two home runs in a game for the third time, and allowed only his 10th and 11th of the season. He allowed more than two earned runs in consecutive games for the first time.
Xtra, xtra: The Rays are 32-0 when Percival enters a game in a save situation. Roland Arrojo recorded his 12th win in the Rays’ 135th game in 1998 (Associated Press - Sports).
The Tampa Bay Rays completed their best-ever month in the team’s most memorable season by far.
