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From the very start, the Tampa Bay Rays sensed it was going to be Matt Garza’s night.
“It may sound strange, but I really do look forward to his first pitch of the game,” manager Joe Maddon said Thursday night, after the American League Championship Series MVP took a perfect game into the seventh inning of a 13-0 victory over Boston.
“It said 89 (mph) on the board, but it wasn’t,” Maddon added. “It was better than that.”
Garza, facing the Red Sox at Tropicana Field for the first time since beating them in Game 7 of last season’s ALCS, allowed his first baserunner on Jacoby Ellsbury’s infield single leading off the seventh inning.
Ellsbury fouled off an 0-2 pitch and took two balls before hitting a squibber past Garza over the mound. The speedy Boston center fielder, who stole home against the Yankees on Sunday, easily beat shortstop Jason Bartlett’s throw to first base.
“When it was first hit, it sounded like it was coming off hard,” Garza said. “Then I saw it float by. I dove and watched the ball just miss my glove by inches. I’m like: ‘Oh, Barty! He almost made a great play.”
The crowd of 20,341 gave the pitcher a standing ovation, and the right-hander got back on track by getting Dustin Pedroia to ground into a double play. David Ortiz walked with two outs, but was stranded when Jeff Bailey grounded out.
Garza struck out Jonathan Van Every and Jason Bay to begin the eighth. He received another round of cheers when Maddon replaced him with Grant Balfour, who finished the one-hitter.
Garza (2-2) threw 75 of his 108 pitches for strikes, walked one and struck out 10.
“He was phenomenal,” Maddon said. “If they did not get that hit, I would have let him go 125 or 130 pitches.”
The performance didn’t surprise Boston, which has a history of struggling against the 25-year-old Garza.
Including a pair of wins over Jon Lester in the ALCS, Garza is 7-1 lifetime against the Red Sox. He also beat them at Fenway Park this season, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings on April 9.
“He was about as good as you could get,” Boston manager Terry Francona said.
“We’ve got to try to find a way to figure him out,” added Pedroia.
Things got so bad for the Red Sox, who lost for just the second time in 14 games, that Van Every was brought in from right field to pitch after reliever Javier Lopez gave up consecutive two-run doubles that hiked Tampa Bay’s lead to 12-0 in the eighth.
Longoria had a three-run double off Josh Beckett (2-2) and hit his sixth homer of the season—a solo shot in the sixth inning—off Hunter Jones. Michel Hernandez also hit first career homer off Beckett, who allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings.
It was the second straight rough outing for Beckett, who gave up eight runs, 10 hits and four walks over five innings against the Yankees on April 25.
“It’s frustrating. It’s a lot of things,” Beckett said. “I didn’t do that in between my last two starts.”
The Red Sox rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat Cleveland 6-5 in 10 innings Wednesday night, but they had no answers for Garza, who flirted with a no-hitter last June 26 against Florida.
The Marlins’ Hanley Ramirez broke up that bid in Miami with a leadoff homer in the seventh inning, and Garza finished with a complete game one-hitter.
Until Thursday, Maddon felt that was the best he had seen Garza.
“I just thought tonight, every pitch against them—and they’re really hot right now—was a little bit firmer,” Maddon said. “Everything was really in synch for him. It was fun to watch.”
Xtra, xtra: Boston 3B Mike Lowell was 0 for 2 and saw his hitting streak end at 13 games. He and 1B Kevin Youkilis left for defensive replacements in the sixth inning. Longoria is 9-for-19 with three homers and nine RBIs against Boston this season. Barring a setback, Rays RHP Chad Bradford, who’s recovering from right elbow surgery, will throw a batting practice session on Sunday. Lopez remained in the game in the eighth, moving to right field when Van Every came in to pitch. Van Every gave up a RBI double to Hernandez, who finished with three RBIs (Associated Press - Sports).
Scott Kazmir can’t seem to find the plate and his Tampa Bay Rays are having a devil of a time locating the mojo that made last season so memorable.
Kazmir walked four and threw two wild pitches that allowed runs to score in an 8-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
“It’s just not going our way,” Kazmir said. “Small plays that turn into big innings, stuff like that.”
Kazmir (3-2) lasted just four innings, the second rough outing in his last three starts. The All-Star left-hander gave up eight runs—six earned—nine hits and struck out four. He was all over the place in a 34-pitch first inning.
Nick Blackburn (2-1) gave up two runs and eight hits and Justin Morneau had three hits, a walk and an RBI for the Twins, who took two of three from the defending AL champions.
The Rays (8-14) never lost more than two series in a row during last season’s magical run to the World Series. But they have dropped six straight series since taking two of three from Boston to open the season and are back in last place in the AL East.
“We’re not really pleased with what’s going on, there’s no question about that,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We should have been able to win more than one series to this point. But it’s early. It truly is early and I’m very optimistic that we can turn this around. I have a lot of faith in our guys, it’s just not working right now.”
The Twins took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, with two runs coming on a bloop single by Jason Kubel and an infield hit by Michael Cuddyer. Kazmir threw two wild pitches with runners on third, allowing Denard Span and Kubel to score.
It didn’t get much prettier from there for the Rays, who face the surging Red Sox twice in the next two weeks, with Baltimore and the Yankees sandwiched in between.
Shortstop Jason Bartlett left the game in the fifth inning with tightness in his left hamstring, but the game was already decided by that point.
“It would be big if we were able to win some games against the Red Sox, that’s for sure,” Kazmir said. “We just need a kick start. We just need to get going.”
The Twins hit Kazmir hard for the first time in the fourth inning, getting a triple from Span, a line-drive single from Brendan Harris and a double high off the baggie in right-center field from Morneau to jump ahead 7-1.
Second baseman Akinori Iwamura then was charged with two errors on one play when he bobbled a ball that allowed Kubel to reach first base, then threw the ball away to allow Morneau to score from second to make it 8-1.
Two starts ago against the White Sox, Kazmir gave up six runs and two homers in just four innings of an 8-3 loss.
Kazmir has had trouble locating his fastball, and the Twins took him deep into the count often.
“He wasn’t really throwing his fastballs for strikes,” said Harris, a former teammate of Kazmir’s who had three hits and an RBI. “That’s the most sliders I’ve ever seen him throw. That means he was really feeling for it a little bit and couldn’t put his fastball where he wanted to. With a guy with such a live arm like that, that’s going to be tough. That’s his money pitch.”
Pat Burrell had two hits for the Rays.
Span had three hits for the Twins, who have won two straight series and get All-Star catcher Joe Mauer in the lineup for the first time this season on Friday.
“I think we’re starting to play great baseball and it’s very exciting,” said Blackburn, who battled through a light-headed feeling for most of the game. “If this lineup heats up like it’s starting to, it’s going to be some good stuff.”
Xtra, xtra: Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said CF Carlos Gomez’s wife gave birth to a baby boy, Yendel, on Wednesday morning. Gomez is scheduled to return to the team from Florida on Friday. The Twins hosted the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, who won the NCAA Division II championship last season (Associated Press - Sports).
Justin Morneau had designated hitter duty, leaving him with little to do between at-bats during a three-hour game but ride a stationary bike behind the dugout.
Wise choice. His legs sure needed to be loose at the end.
Morneau hustled to beat out a potential double play and allow the winning run to score in the bottom of the ninth inning, leading the Minnesota Twins past the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 Tuesday night.
“I had confidence he was going to get me in, no matter what,” said Jose Morales, who raced home when Morneau hit a hard grounder to second baseman Akinori Iwamura. After an easy force, the relay throw was a hair late. First base coach Jerry White jubilantly jumped in the air, and Morneau coolly tossed his helmet toward the mound as his teammates rushed at him.
“I did everything I could do,” Iwamura said.
Ben Zobrist, whose pinch-hit homer tied the game in the top of the ninth against Twins closer Joe Nathan (1-0), was summoned from right field to serve as a fifth infielder with one out in the bottom half after reliever J.P. Howell (0-2) gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases.
Morneau was so focused on hitting a ball in the air for a sacrifice fly, he said he didn’t even notice the unusual formation.
“Didn’t work. He beat it out,” manager Ron Gardenhire said, when asked for his take on Rays manager Joe Maddon’s decision to stack the infield. “Speed kills.”
“My speed usually kills us,” Morneau quipped.
Jose Mijares struck out the side in the eighth after a leadoff walk, but Nathan’s first blown save in four attempts came quickly in the ninth. The Twins have been outscored this year 113-85, despite a 10-11 record.
Zobrist drove Nathan’s first pitch inches above the baggie in right field, evening the game at 3 and Francisco Liriano watched his first victory vanish.
Morneau handed Liriano the lead in the first inning with a two-run homer, snapping a string of six straight solo shots going back 11 days for Minnesota, which began the game with the third-fewest homers in the league.
Liriano, who lost his first four starts, gave up two runs in the sixth but was still in line for the win when Tampa Bay starter James Shields hit Brian Buscher—who played first for Morneau—with a two-out, bases-loaded pitch in the bottom of the inning to force in the go-ahead run.
Shields left after that, having allowed seven hits and four walks.
“I am pretty much putting that game on me,” he said. “You can’t get bases loaded and hit a guy to bring a run in. That’s doesn’t happen. I don’t think that’s every going to happen again with me.”
Liriano lasted 6 2-3 innings, surrendering seven hits and two walks. Only the second opening day pitcher in Twins history to lose his first four decisions (Frank Viola started 0-5 in 1989), the left-hander got a lot more groundballs by locating his two-seam fastball well and showing some fortitude in a few tight spots. Liriano lowered his ERA from 7.06 to 6.04.
“I know he’s been feeling a little rough and worried a little bit, but he can raise his head right there,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He did a super job against a very good baseball team.”
Maddon was confident the defending AL champions would start winning these close games.
“We just have to get beyond that. It will start balancing out,” he said.
Xtra, xtra: The Rays stole three more bases and lead the majors with 27. Without Joe Mauer, Minnesota catchers have thrown out only one runner this season. Gardenhire has been patient with Morales, a minor-league convert to the position who picked up bad throwing habits because of a bum ankle last year. Mauer was to play his final game with Class A Fort Myers Tuesday and rejoin the team Friday. Tampa Bay backup C Shawn Riggans, out with tendinitis in his shoulder, is throwing without pain to the bases and might start a minor league rehab assignment next week (Associated Press - Sports).
Rays manager Joe Maddon twice defied convention and sent pitching coach Jim Hickey to talk to starter Jeff Niemann during an at-bat.
The unusual mound visits couldn’t have worked out any better.
Niemann got out of both jams Monday night and kept the Minnesota Twins guessing into the sixth inning, and Carlos Pena hit his majors-leading ninth home run to lift Tampa Bay to a 7-1 victory.
“Both times I said, ‘Jimmy, go talk to him,”’ said Maddon of the rare mid-at-bat trip to the rubber. “You could see he was just on the verge of keeping it together or not. Big moments in the game, so I just thought it was the right time to go out there.”
Niemann (2-2) gave up just three hits and one run in 5 2-3 innings and the bullpen didn’t allow a run the rest of the way for the defending AL champions, who are off to an identically slow start as last season (8-12) before they went on a stunning run to the World Series.
He walked four but only ran into trouble twice, and Hickey must have said just the right things to settle him down. In the first inning, he walked Alexi Casilla and hit Justin Morneau and fell behind Jason Kubel 2-0. Hickey visited the mound, and Niemann got Kubel to fly out to center on the next pitch and Crede to pop out to right to end the inning.
In the fourth, Niemann walked Michael Cuddyer, gave up a single to Delmon Young and then fell behind 2-0 to Jose Morales. Again, Hickey came to the mound for the unconventional mid-at bat visit.
And again, on the very next pitch, Niemann got Morales to line into a double play to escape unscathed.
Hickey said he just reminded Niemann to stay true to his mechanics and trust his pitches.
“It’s not unusual, really, to do that,” Hickey said. “You try to kind of stay away from it, but both were at the prompting of Joe, although I was on the top step both times. Just a little bit of a reminder.”
The words clearly resonated.
“When things get heated out there, just to be able to make a pitch or two can really change the game,” Niemann said. “I was able to do that today and it was good.”
Pena also had a triple and three RBIs. Former Twin Jason Bartlett added two hits and a homer.
Joe Crede hit a solo home run in the sixth for the Twins, but that was all they could muster in their first look at the 6-foot-9 righty.
“He has a little funk to him, a little hitch in his giddy-up,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “The ball comes out of his hand pretty good.”
The Twins went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position after leading the majors in that category a year ago.
Scott Baker (0-3) gave up four runs and six hits with seven strikeouts in six innings of his third straight mediocre start, but Gardenhire said it “was a step in the right direction.”
It’s been a struggle for Baker all season. He missed his first start of the season with a sore shoulder and hasn’t been able to find the form that prompted the Twins to sign him to a four-year, $15.25 million contract in March.
“For the most part, it was right where I needed to be,” Baker said. “They were able to string a few hits together and score a couple runs in a couple different innings.”
Xtra, xtra: Rays CF B.J. Upton snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a single in the seventh, then got picked off first base by R.A. Dickey. It’s been a struggle for the catcher Morales defensively all season. He dropped a pitchout in the two-run fifth inning, one of two passed balls on the night. Gardenhire said OF Carlos Gomez will leave the team on Tuesday to fly to Florida where his wife will give birth to the couple’s first child. He will rejoin the team on Friday. Rays RHP Jason Isringhausen made another rehab start on Monday. He gave up one run on two hits and threw 29 pitches in one inning for Double-A Montgomery (Associated Press - Sports).
The Oakland Athletics are starting to show signs of breaking out of their offensive slump after scuffling for the first three weeks of the season.
Kurt Suzuki drove in three runs, Dana Eveland pitched into the sixth inning and every Oakland starter got at least one hit in the A’s 7-1 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.
“This is so early right now, a lot of things can happen,” said Orlando Cabrera, who had two hits and an RBI after being mired in a 3-for-37 streak. “It’s like playing poker. Fortunes can change so quickly, you know? The most important thing for us is just to keep it together and win ballgames.”
Oakland had 10 hits, one fewer than it had in its previous two games combined, and seven different players scored. The A’s won their second straight after a season-high five-game skid.
It was an encouraging game for a team that entered last in the American League in numerous offensive categories, including scoring, home runs, RBIs and batting average. Oakland’s offense still hasn’t opened up like management had hoped when it acquired veteran sluggers Jason Giambi, Matt Holliday and Nomar Garciaparra but the back-to-back wins over Tampa Bay could be a signal of change.
“We have a lot of quality hitters with proven track records and they’re going to hit,” manager Bob Geren said. “The last couple of (games) we strung some hits together. Top to bottom, they’re showing improvement.”
Suzuki played a significant role in Oakland’s two big innings against the Rays, hitting a two-run double in the second and drawing a bases-loaded walk off Andy Sonnanstine in the fifth to force in another run.
That was enough for Eveland (1-1) to earn his first win of the season. Eveland and Dallas Braden, who beat the Rays on Saturday, are the only Oakland starters to win games this season.
Eveland tinkered with his mechanics and tried to speed up his tempo after failing to make it out of the fourth inning in each of his previous two starts.
“It’s something I’ve done in the past and I know I’m at my best when I do it,” said the left-hander, who allowed one run and four hits in 5 2-3 innings. “It’s just tough when you’re struggling. The one thing that was different from my other outings is when I did miss I missed more off the plate rather than throwing the ball over the middle.”
Michael Wuertz, Santiago Casilla and Russ Springer combined to finish the four-hitter for Oakland, which won a home series against Tampa Bay for the first time since August 2006.
The A’s scored four in the second then batted around during their three-run fifth.
All of the damage came against Sonnanstine (0-3), who has gone 11 consecutive regular-season starts without a win. The right-hander gave up a career-high 10 hits and pitched with runners on base in every inning except the first.
“He did not have one of his better days, they hit him pretty hard,” manager Joe Maddon said.
Tampa Bay scored its lone run in the second on a squeeze bunt by Dioner Navarro.
The Rays have lost nine of 12 and have scored two runs or less in seven of those losses.
Xtra, xtra: Suzuki is batting .529 (9-for-17) over his last five games. Tampa Bay has not won a series since taking two of three from Boston to open the season. Rays CF B.J. Upton is hitless in his last 16 at-bats (Associated Press - Sports).
Jason Giambi wasn’t as concerned with hitting his first home run of the season as he was with getting his batting stroke back in order.
Oakland’s veteran slugger accomplished both against Tampa Bay, hitting a solo homer and scoring twice in the Athletics’ 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
“I just was more worried about taking good at-bats,” said Giambi, after the A’s ended their five-game losing streak. “We went on that road trip ... and I just got beat up a little bit. Then you start pressing and you start trying to swing harder to make up for it. Hopefully I can keep working and relax up there now.”
It was the 396th career home run for Giambi, who signed a $5.25 million, one-year contract to return to Oakland after spending the past seven seasons with the New York Yankees.
It was also just the seventh homer hit this season by Oakland, the fewest in the majors.
But with Travis Buck also hitting a home run and Nomar Garciaparra adding a three-run double, the A’s believe their offense is ready to break out of its early season slump.
“I’ve said it all spring, it’s nothing new to us that this thing is going to happen,” winning pitcher Dallas Braden said. “(Giambi) feels energized by it and I think we all kind of got an uplifting spirit just watching him do what he does as he’s creeping ever closer to that milestone.”
Braden allowed one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings for Oakland, which had dropped nine of 12 before beating Tampa Bay for its first win in a day game this season.
The A’s lefty, who is the only Oakland starting pitcher to win a game this season, left after walking Pat Burrell to load the bases in the sixth. Braden told manager Bob Geren he tweaked his groin an inning earlier but downplayed the injury afterward.
“It was just more of a precautionary thing,” Braden said. “No reason to try and battle. Heroes are made in September and October, not April.”
Brad Ziegler pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings for his fourth save in five opportunities.
Matt Garza gave up four runs in the loss. He struck out six in 52/3 innings but walked four, three of which scored.
“That one inning I tried to make the perfect pitch too many times and it cost me,” Garza said. “I was kind of being stubborn, saying to myself that my two-seam was better than my four. I gave up one hit that inning and it cost me three runs and it cost us the game.”
The homers by Giambi and Buck were shots in the arm for an Oakland team that went into the game last in the majors in numerous offensive categories, including scoring, home runs, hits, RBIs and batting average.
Garciaparra, another offseason acquisition, made his first start defensively since April 14. He hit a three-run double in the fourth after Garza walked the bases loaded, then later singled to raise his batting average from .188 to .222.
The Rays scored their runs on Akinori Iwamura’s RBI single in the fifth and Burrell’s run-scoring single in the eighth.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay RHP Jason Isringhausen threw a scoreless inning in his third rehab outing Friday. “(Isringhausen) felt good; his arm strength is building up and he’s starting to feel better about repeating his delivery,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s getting stronger and making progress.” Maddon said Isringhausen will make at least two more minor league appearances before the team decides what to do. Pena and 2B Akinori Iwamura will get a scheduled day off Sunday (Associated Press - Sports).
Even when Scott Kazmir is not at peak performance, he still manages to beat Oakland.
Carlos Pena hit a pair of home runs, Kazmir allowed two hits over six innings and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Athletics 8-2 on Friday night.
Gabe Gross also homered and Jason Bartlett recorded a season-high four hits as the Rays won a series opener on the road for the first time this season.
“I didn’t think it was his best evening,” A’s manager Bob Geren said of Kazmir. “He didn’t look as sharp as he has. He threw a lot of pitches for the number of innings but you have to give him credit because he got the job done.”
Kazmir (3-1) retired the final 11 batters he faced and did not allow a hit after Jack Cust led off the second with a single. He walked three and struck out two as he improved to 7-2 all-time against the A’s, matching his most wins against any team. His 2.48 ERA against them is the best among active starters behind Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ervin Santana.
“I was just throwing to my location,” Kazmir said. “I was getting early outs and that was getting me further into the game. After throwing 50 pitches in the first two innings I had to be economical somehow.”
Rays manager Joe Maddon liked the way Kazmir rebounded from a rocky start.
“Kaz righted himself and that’s still a big part of his game,” Maddon said. “He wasn’t really on at the start but the last few innings he became more consistent with his strike throwing.”
Jack Hannahan homered and Ryan Sweeney singled home a run in the eighth for Oakland, which lost its fifth straight, all to AL East teams. The A’s are off to their worst start in eight years.
“There’s not a lot of great things to talk about,” Geren said. “Any time you’re missing the zone and walking guys it’s not good. We emphasize throwing strikes and pounding the zone but we just didn’t get it done tonight.”
A’s starter Trevor Cahill (0-2) lasted 2 2-3 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
“I didn’t have my sinker,” Cahill said. “It’s a pitch I relied on my first three starts but I know it’s not there when I’m giving up a lot of fly balls. It just stays flat.”
Carl Crawford doubled home a run in the first and Gross led off the second with his first home run of the season.
The Rays took control with five runs in the third, three on Pena’s seventh home run. He took over the AL lead from White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin with a homer leading off the sixth.
“A win is a win,” Pena said. “I just try working hard at keeping things simple.”
Dioner Navarro and Akinori Iwamura also drove in runs in the fifth for the Rays.
“We’re so explosive at times,” Kazmir said. “We put up a seven-spot in the first few innings and that’s huge.”
Grant Balfour kept the A’s off the board with a perfect seventh, but Hannahan led off the eighth against Joe Nelson with his first home run. After Mark Ellis reached second base on a wild pitch following a strikeout and a balk, Sweeney singled him home.
Xtra, xtra: Rays RHP Jason Isringhausen pitched a scoreless inning for Double-A Montgomery in a 4-2 win over Mobile and will likely made his next appearance at Triple-A Durham. A’s 1B Jason Giambi sat the game out with a sore hamstring and is expected to play Saturday. The Rays have won 5 of their last 7 in Oakland. They are 15-37 overall, still their worst record in any opposing ballpark. Hannahan was recalled before the game as the A’s sent RHP Sean Gallagher to Triple-A Sacramento. Pena recorded his 14th multihomer game. The A’s have faced six consecutive left-handed starters. A’s RHP Dan Giese has allowed a home run in each of his three appearances (Associated Press - Sports).
Ichiro Suzuki hit seven of eight pitches for home runs in batting practice. The show was reminiscent of his prodigious pregame display at the All-Star Game two years ago.
So, can the singles machine really hit home runs just about any time he comes to the plate?
“No way!” Suzuki said with a chuckle through his interpreter.
Yet that was the way surprising Seattle won on Thursday. Sensing a pitcher’s duel, Suzuki lined James Shields’ second pitch of the game for a home run and ace Felix Hernandez saved his injury riddled team with a seven-inning gem in the Mariners’ 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday.
“Today was a special case,” said the Suzuki, an eight-time All-Star and perennial 200-hit man whose other home run this season tied the career hits record for a Japanese player. “Even before the game started, we could all tell the type of game it was likely to be. I kept thinking, ‘Do your best, Felix! Do your best, Felix!”’
It was the 22nd time a leadoff homer was the deciding run in a game, and it was just the second time it happened for the Mariners. Greg Briley’s shot provided the lone run June 19, 1992, against Minnesota.
The win was the second 1-0 victory of the season for the first-place Mariners, who lead the American League with a team ERA of 3.01. Seattle won only one 1-0 contest all last season, while losing 101 games.
The battered Mariners were coming off their ugliest loss of an otherwise surprising first month. They were starting a fourth-string first baseman, and they scored one run while making three errors. Yet Hernandez (3-0) did what aces are supposed to do.
He bulled through another twisting of his previously sprained right ankle to allow four hits and three walks. He struck out seven in his first scoreless outing since June 6 at Boston, 23 starts ago.
He trumped Shields (2-2), who allowed four hits and the lone run in 7 1-3 luckless innings.
The 23-year-old dubbed “King Felix” left to a fittingly royal exit: thankful teammates swarmed him for hugs and high-fives in the dugout.
“It was great. I knew it was going to be a tight game. Shields was dealing,” he said.
Clubhouse crackup Ken Griffey Jr. then walked by and teased, “Yeah, some guys get all the run support.”
The 39-year-old Griffey, batting .171 with two RBIs in 12 games in his return to Seattle, was the only healthy position player on the bench. He used what will be his customary day game off after a night game this season to have some fun with Ichiro.
Griffey watched as Suzuki put on a skinny black leather neck tie, circa the 1980s, for the bus ride to the airport to begin a road trip. The slugger vowed to remove that “Duran, Duran” tie from Suzuki’s retro chic wardrobe.
What Suzuki did not know: Griffey had at his locker a box of white ties with a blue likeness of new manager Don Wakamatsu splashed on the bottom.
“We’re all putting these on as soon as we get on the bus,” Griffey whispered.
David Aardsma pitched a perfect eighth with two strikeouts. Brandon Morrow walked Pat Burrell with one out in the ninth and sent pinch-runner Gabe Kapler to second with a wild pitch. But Morrow got Ben Zobrist to pop out and Dioner Navarro to fly out for his fifth save in five chances.
Shields walked one and struck out four. It was the second time in four starts he allowed four hits or fewer, yet the Rays lost for the seventh time in nine games.
“The first hitter of the game? The second pitch? I’ll take that all day. If that’s all I give up in a game, I’m doing my job,” Shields said.
With runners on first and third and one out in the second, Hernandez got Navarro to chase a full-count pitch low and away for a strikeout and Akinori Iwamura to fly out. With Carl Crawford on second base in the third because of Seattle’s ninth error in five games—by shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt— Hernandez struck out 2008 AL rookie of the year Evan Longoria.
And after walking two with one out in the fourth, Hernandez got Navarro to fly out and Iwamura to ground out.
“His slider … ,” Mariners catcher Rob Johnson said, shaking his head, “I mean, it was nasty.”
Xtra, xtra: Hernandez is 3-0 for the first time in his five-year career. Suzuki has 28 career leadoff home runs in the major leagues. This was his first to win a professional game, dating to his rookie season with Orix in Japan as a teen in 1992 (Associated Press - Sports).
No wonder Evan Longoria didn’t know he had just bagged another milestone. With all the reigning AL rookie of the year has accomplished in his first 12 months in the major leagues it’s easy to lose track.
Longoria had three hits and three RBIs and Carl Crawford added four hits to back the strong pitching of rookie Jeff Niemann, and the Tampa Bay Rays finally scored big without a home run in a 9-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners Wednesday night.
“I don’t think there’s a ceiling,” teammate Pat Burrell said of Longoria.
Longoria’s double in the fourth gave him 100 RBIs, in the 23-year-old’s 135th game. The only active players to get to 100 RBIs more quickly were Ryan Braun (118 games) and Albert Pujols (131).
“Oh, yeah? I had no idea,” Longoria said with a shrug. “Yeah, I guess that’s quite an accomplishment.”
Carlos Pena added two RBIs in a decisive first inning as last season’s worst-to-first AL champions won for only the second time in eight games. For those snickering at Tampa Bay’s slow start: The Rays (6-9) have the same record they had after 15 games in 2008.
The Rays’ nine runs came on 15 hits, none a home run. Tampa Bay entered Wednesday with 32 of its 64 runs coming from homers, the highest percentage in the major leagues.
“That’s more what we expected this year,” Longoria said. “We just need to settle in a little more. It’s early, but we don’t want to say, ‘Oh, there’s a lot of time left.’ We need to start winning some games in a row, to get back over .500.”
More outings like Niemann’s would help.
Relying on his fastball in his fifth career start, the 6-foot-9 Niemann (1-2) allowed just three hits and two earned runs before tiring noticeably and leaving with one out in the sixth. He didn’t allow a hit until giving up a homer to Jose Lopez with none out in the fifth.
The only rookie on Tampa Bay’s roster and fourth overall pick in the 2004 draft did not allow a baserunner until shortstop Jason Bartlett threw high to first base for an error on a chopper by Adrian Beltre leading off the fifth.
Niemann then walked Ronny Cedeno, and Lopez homered just into Seattle’s bullpen beyond left-center field. That trimmed Tampa Bay’s lead to 7-3.
“It’s good to feel you are here and you belong here. It’s a great feeling,” said Niemann, who overcame shoulder surgery following the 2005 season.
It didn’t take long for the Rays to make Mariners fill-in starter Chris Jakubauskas (1-2) look more like the former independent league nomad and women’s shoe salesman he was several years ago, and less like the 29-year-old who excelled in his first major league start last week against the Angels.
Crawford and Longoria singled. Pena doubled them home, and Burrell scored Pena with another single. It was 3-0 after five batters.
B.J. Upton, playing for the first time since injuring his leg on Sunday, led off the second with a double, advanced on the second of Crawford’s four singles and scored on a sacrifice fly by Longoria.
Tampa Bay went up 5-0 in the third on a single by Ben Zobrist and double by Akinori Iwamura.
In the fourth, Crawford hit a chopper single that fill-in second baseman Ronny Cedeno couldn’t handle. Pena doubled him home.
Jakubauskas, who spent 4 1/2 years in the independent leagues making as little as $700 a month until 2007, allowed 10 hits and six earned runs in 3 1-3 innings. He walked three, threw two wild pitches, struck out one and was left shaking his head on the bench.
“It just wasn’t there today,” he said.
The outing tied for Seattle’s shortest of the season with Ryan Rowland-Smith, whom Jakubauskas is replacing. Rowland-Smith will be on the disabled list for at least another week after he had fluid drained from his pitching elbow Wednesday.
Seattle had other pains. The Mariners were down to Plan C at first base, after Mike Sweeney left in the second inning with spasms in his upper back. Sweeney got hurt trying to stop his swing at an inside pitch. His knees buckled from the pain before he went into the clubhouse. The 35-year-old five-time All-Star will be re-evaluated Thursday, but said he thinks he’ll be back in a few days.
Cedeno finished the at-bat and flew out. Then Lopez moved from second base to first.
Regular first baseman Russell Branyan could be back Thursday. He’s been out since Saturday with low back spasms.
Xtra, xtra: DH Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk. The 39-year-old is batting .171 with two home runs and two RBIs in 12 games of his return season in Seattle. Seattle pitchers tied a team record with four wild pitches. The crowd of 16,476 on a cold night was the fourth-smallest at Safeco Field, which opened in 1999. Rain forced the roof closed for the first time this season, after a record eight consecutive open-roof games to begin a season (Associated Press - Sports).
Jarrod Washburn is having fun again.
Washburn tossed seven strong innings to continue his surprising start, catcher Rob Johnson had a two-run triple and the Seattle Mariners beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Washburn has won his first three decisions for the first time since he started his career 4-0 in 1998. He gave up two runs in the first, matching his season total for earned runs entering the game, then limited the Rays to just three hits the rest of his outing.
Washburn was 5-14 with a 4.69 ERA as the Mariners stumbled to 101 losses last season, so he’s really enjoying Seattle’s 9-5 start this year.
“It’s exciting, we’re looking forward to coming to the park,” he said. “Winning is fun. I’m out there yelling and screaming out there, I don’t even know what I’m doing, but I like it that way.”
Johnson’s triple was part of Seattle’s three-run fourth against Andy Sonnanstine as the Mariners spoiled Joe Maddon’s 500th game as manager of the Rays. Tampa Bay has lost six of seven.
Hardly considered a strikeout pitcher, Washburn finished with nine Ks—one short of his career high. He struck out Carlos Pena three times, helping end Pena’s 12-game hitting streak, and his final strikeout of the night sent Carl Crawford away with a runner on third in the seventh. Washburn hopped off the mound with a fist-pump knowing his work was done.
“(Washburn) reinvented himself. I saw a different pitcher,” said Maddon, who was the bench coach with the Angels when Washburn was there. “He is throwing entirely different than in the past. … He is a different cat right now.”
Evan Longoria hit an RBI double and Pat Burrell singled in a run in the first for Tampa Bay. But Washburn faced just one other jam in the fourth, squeezing out of a bases-loaded situation when Akinori Iwamura dribbled a grounder to third to end the inning.
Washburn (3-0) gave up five hits and walked three, but actually saw his ERA rise from 1.29 to 1.71. He improved to 12-3 against Tampa Bay.
“I’m not getting better. My ERA actually went up,” Washburn cracked.
David Aardsma worked the eighth and Brandon Morrow finished the six-hitter for his fourth save in four chances.
Seattle didn’t do much against Sonnanstine (0-2), but strung together just enough offense in the fourth. Mike Sweeney was hit by a pitch leading off and Jose Lopez followed with a hit-and-run single that finished with Sweeney belly flopping into third.
Gabe Kapler was playing noticeably shallow in center field with Johnson at the plate—by design Maddon said—and the young catcher made him pay. Johnson lined a 2-2 pitch over Kapler’s head and raced around to third as Sweeney and Lopez scored.
Two batters later, Yuniesky Betancourt burned Kapler again with a triple to left-center to score Johnson. The Mariners almost had another run but Kapler made a diving grab of Endy Chavezs drive to end the inning.
“We take a lot of chances,” Maddon said. “The thing is I want us to play an aggressive defense. We want to play aggressively on defense according to our information.”
Sweeney had an RBI single in the first, an inning helped along by Ken Griffey Jr.’s attempted bunt as Tampa Bay put on a significant shift. The bunt wasn’t very good but Chavez was safe at second on a bad throw by Sonnanstine and scored on Sweeney’s hit.
“You’ve got two Hall of Famers trying to bunt just to keep the train going,” Sweeney said about Griffey’s bunt and another later by Ichiro Suzuki. “It was a team effort.”
Xtra, xtra: Maddon passed Larry Rothschild for the most games managed in Tampa Bay history. Maddon said before Tuesday’s game he has no concerns about not having a contract for next season. “Zero concern. I have no concern at all about that,” he said. “I believe I’m going to be here for many years and I want to be here for many years.” The roof at Safeco Field has been open for the first seven home games this season for the first time in the 10-year history of the stadium (Associated Press - Sports).
Gavin Floyd could be developing into a top-notch starter.
Floyd took a shutout into the seventh inning, and Carlos Quentin and Jim Thome hit back-to-back homers as the Chicago White Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 12-2 on Sunday.
“He’s one of the top pitchers right now in the big leagues, and he continues to throw the ball well,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.
Floyd (2-1) allowed two runs, coming on Ben Zobrist’s homer in the seventh, and six hits in seven innings. Quentin hit his seventh homer of the season—a two-run shot—and Thome followed with his 544th career home run in the eighth inning off Dan Wheeler.
“I just wanted to attack the hitters with whatever I was throwing out there and try to execute pitches,” said Floyd, who struck out seven. “I found a rhythm and went after it.”
A.J. Pierzynski hit his 99th career homer, helping Chicago take three of four from Tampa Bay. The White Sox also won consecutive games on artificial turf for the first time since Sept. 21-22, 2007 at Minnesota.
“To beat these guys, you’ve got to be on the top of your game,” Guillen said.
Matt Garza (1-1) gave up seven runs and six hits over 5 2-3 innings for the Rays, who went 2-5 in their first homestand of the season. The defending AL champions had a major league-best 57-24 home record last season.
“I didn’t make my pitches when I needed to make them,” Garza said. “
Tampa Bay now goes on a nine-game, three-city road trip after a week filled with daily promotions celebrating its 2008 playoff run.
“It was a great week but it was also difficult,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “That’s been part of my concern is the consistant reminder of last year. I wanted to move this beyond last year. It was beautiful. It’s wonderful. Now it’s time to a create an even better 2009.”
Pierzynski put the White Sox up 2-0 with a two-run homer in the second. Thome made it 3-0 one inning later on an RBI grounder.
“It’s good to come in here and win because this is a tough place to play,” Pierzynski said. “To be honest with you, we felt like we should have won all four games. It was a great series to come in here and win three out of four.”
Paul Konerko hit a sacrifice fly and Chris Getz drove in two with a single during a four-run sixth that extended the White Sox lead to 7-0.
Konerko and Wilson Betemit had seventh-inning RBI singles. Konerko has nine RBIs over this last six games, including five in the past two games.
Quentin has homered in three straight games for the first time in his career. Thome, with his solo shot, is now four homers away from tying Mike Schmidt (548) for 13th place all-time.
Tampa Bay center fielder B.J. Upton left after the second due to right quadriceps tightness. Upton, who had a team-best seven homers and 16 RBIs during the 2008 postseason, missed the first six games of the season while recovering from offseason left shoulder surgery.
“I don’t anticipate it to be bad,” said Maddon, who thinks Upton could return in the next few days.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria went 0-for-4 as the DH. Maddon said the 2008 AL rookie of the year “tweaked his foot” fielding a slow roller in Saturday’s game. Longoria took grounders before the game. White Sox SS Alexei Ramirez, mired in an 1-for-18 slid, was out of the starting lineup. Garza struck out four and walked five. Thome walked twice, moving him within four of tying Harmon Killebrew for 14th place all-time. Maddon tied Larry Rothschild for the most games as Tampa Bay manager with 499. Tampa Bay 1B Carlos Pena singled in the seventh and has a 12-game hitting streak (Associated Press - Sports).
The White Sox used solid pitching and the long ball to overcome a shortage of hits with runners in scoring position.
Paul Konerko homered and drove in three runs, Mark Buehrle pitched effectively into the seventh inning and Chicago beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 on Saturday night.
Carlos Quentin also homered for Chicago, which has won five of seven. Konerko has seven RBIs over his last five games. He had an RBI double in the first inning and hit a two-run homer in the fifth.
“We hit homers. That’s us when we’re going good,” Konerko said. “We had a lot of people on base, but we’re not a team that manufactures runs like some others. We’ve got guys that can hit some home runs and you have to do that once in a while in the American League.”
The White Sox have won two of three over Tampa Bay despite going 8-for-36— including 3-of-14 Saturday—with runners in scoring position.
Buehrle (2-0) gave up eight hits, three walks and struck out five in 6 2-3 innings. The left-hander moved within two strikeouts of tying Gary Peters (1,098) for fifth place on the White Sox all-time list.
“He didn’t have the best stuff today, but he’s going to give you a chance everytime,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.
Tampa Bay left-hander Scott Kazmir (2-1) failed in his bid to open the season with three straight wins, giving up six runs and five hits in four-plus innings. He struck out five and walked six.
“My arm felt really good,” Kazmir said. “It felt like I had a little bit on it in the bullpen and I kind of got carried away once the game started. I should have stayed within myself like I did the previous two starts. It’s one of those outings that you just want to forget about and move on.”
The Rays got two RBIs from Carlos Pena, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a run-scoring single off Octavio Dotel in the seventh.
Tampa Bay, which went a major-league best 57-24 at home en route to the AL pennant last season, has lost four of six at Tropicana Field this year. Six of 10 walks issued by Rays’ pitchers Saturday later scored.
“It’s just early,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We don’t have everything going yet. We’re going to be just fine.”
Kazmir started the game by throwing 10 straight balls and eventually walked his first three batters. The White Sox took a 1-0 lead when Jermaine Dye hit into a double play.
After Konerko made it 2-0 on an RBI double, Kazmir ended the inning by striking out Wilson Betemit.
“I thought, ‘Oh, here we go again. We’re in Tampa,”’ Guillen said.
Chicago’s Corky Miller had a fourth-inning RBI double. Quentin hit a solo homer, and Konerko added his two-run drive to put the White Sox up 6-0 in the fifth.
Konerko went 3-for-3 against Kazmir, and has seven hits—including two homers—in 15-at-bats overall against the 2008 AL All-Star.
Tampa Bay pulled to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Pena had a run-scoring grounder and Pat Burrell drove in a run with a single.
Dye picked up his 1,000th career RBI on a sixth-inning sacrifice fly that extended Chicago’s lead to 7-2. Quentin had an RBI infield single in the eighth.
Xtra, xtra: Rays RHP Jason Isringhausen (right elbow surgery) threw two innings in an extended spring training game and is set to join Double-A Montgomery. With Kazmir starting, White Sox DH Jim Thome was out of the starting lineup. Thome is 0-for-13 with five strikeouts against the left-hander. Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria extended his career-high hitting streak to 10 games with a first-inning single. Quentin has homered in consecutive games. Betemit struck out in each of his first four at-bats before hitting a double during the ninth (Associated Press - Sports).
The Tampa Bay Rays insisted there was nothing wrong with their offense that some timely hitting wouldn’t solve.
Down three runs and facing the prospect of a four-game losing streak at home for the first time in more than a year, the AL champions rallied Friday night for a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
“If you walk in here on a daily basis, you wouldn’t know if we had won or lost the day before. That’s the way I like it,” manager Joe Maddon said after Ben Zobrist’s pinch-hit grand slam stopped a skid in which the Rays struggled at the plate in key situations.
“Our guys believe. We know that we can do this. We know that we’re going to hit better as the season is in progress,” Maddon added. “We know the bullpen’s going to be all right, we know the starting pitching is good.”
Carlos Pena homered for the fifth time in six days for the Rays, who were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position during a 3-2 loss to the White Sox on Thursday night. That loss gave them their first three-game losing streak at Tropicana Field in a year.
“Obviously it’s just the beginning of the season. But we have been struggling the last few games with the bats,” Zobrist said. “It was nice to come awake a little bit today.”
Right-hander James Shields (2-1) recovered after giving up sixth-inning home runs to Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye to win for the second time since an opening day loss. He allowed five runs and seven hits, struck out four and walked two in 7 1-3 innings.
Zobrist hit his slam off Matt Thornton (0-1) after the Rays loaded the bases with two outs against White Sox starter Bartolo Colon. The shot into the left-field stands wiped out a 5-2 lead that Chicago took when Quentin hit a solo homer and Dye followed with a two-run shot.
“He knows I have to come after him and throw strikes. I can’t afford to walk guys there,” Thornton said. “The situation right there, they’re fun to come into. But they’re the toughest ones you’re going to face.”
Pena led off the second inning with his sixth homer. The slugger has hit safely in 10 straight games since going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts at Boston on opening day, and he has five homers and 11 RBIs in his past six games.
Brian Shouse and Dan Wheeler finished a scoreless eighth for Tampa Bay. Closer Troy Percival worked through a ninth-inning jam for his second save.
“I made a few pitches early in the game that could have easily cost us. Guys did a great job of coming right back and changing the momentum,” Shields said. “Hats off to the offense for doing that.”
The White Sox took a 2-1 lead in the third, scoring on Chris Getz’s RBI double and Josh Fields’ grounder to shortstop. They threatened again in the fifth, but stranded two runners in scoring position when Fields hit a hard liner to Rays third baseman Evan Longoria.
Longoria rejoined the Rays after missing two games because of a death in the family, arriving in town around 5 a.m. on a redeye flight from California. The 2008 AL Rookie of the Year went 1-for-4 with a sixth-inning double that extended his hitting streak to nine games.
Colon allowed five runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings. He struck out four and departed after his only walk loaded the bases in the sixth. Zobrist hit his third career grand slam on a 1-1 pitch from Thornton, who had not allowed a run in five appearances this season.
“I went to the best lefty we have in the bullpen, and the best matchup,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.
“They pinch-hit. I expect that. But still you’ve got to come from the bench. He hit a good pitch and hit it pretty good.”
Zobrist was taking some cuts in the indoor batting cage when he was summoned to face Thornton. He said he wasn’t thinking home run when he headed to the plate.
“I really didn’t have time to think about it, which is probably a good thing. … I just ran down there, literally threw my batting gloves and helmet on and stepped up to the plate,” Zobrist said.
“I faced him before, so I know what he’s got. I was looking to be aggressive, looking for something hard because he throws everything pretty hard. I was fortunate to get the barrel to a cutter inside.”
Xtra, xtra: Pena’s homer gave him at least one RBI in six consecutive games. Dye also had a two-run homer Thursday night. He is one RBI shy of 1,000 for his career. Zobrist’s homer was the second pinch-hit grand slam in Rays history. Randy Winn hit the other against Detroit in 2002. Mayor Hirohisa Ishibashi and other representatives of Uwajima, Japan, presented the Rays with pearl broaches recognizing Tampa Bay’s AL championship. Uwajima is the hometown of 2B Akinori Iwamura (Associated Press - Sports).
Ozzie Guillen doesn’t know what it is about Tropicana Field. His Chicago White Sox just don’t seem to be able to score a lot of runs in the domed stadium.
Even on a night when they had 14 hits, including Jermaine Dye’s two-run homer that highlighted a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
“It’s hard to believe,” Guillen said Thursday night, noting the problems his team had here last season, including a pair of losses to the AL champions in the opening round of the playoffs.
“We come in here and get hits, and you only score three runs. … It’s kind of like: ‘There we go again.’ It’s something about this ballpark, I guess.”
John Danks (1-0) pitched six strong innings, limiting the Rays to two hits and had a shutout until Carlos Pena homered with one out in the sixth. Dioner Navarro had the other hit off the left-hander, a two-out single in the second inning.
Dye, who was 3-for-5, homered off Jeff Niemann (0-2) in the second. The White Sox wasted several opportunities to break the game open against the right-hander, including the sixth, when they loaded the bases with one out and failed to score.
Chicago went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and only one of the hits—Josh Field’s infield single in the ninth—produced a run for a 3-1 lead.
The Rays, who have lost three straight, struggled in key situations, too. They were 0-for-8 against Danks and relievers Octavio Dotel and Matt Thornton, who escaped jams in the seventh and eighth with the tying run on second base.
“Every run is important in this ballpark. That team led the league in comeback wins last year, and you can see why,” Guillen said. “They get guys on bases. They steal bases. They make a lot of things happen.”
Though not lately.
Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the ninth against closer Bobby Jenks on a single, an error and a walk. Carl Crawford grounded into a force play, driving in a run before Jenks got his third save when Gabe Gross grounded to first.
“We’re just not on top of our game offensively,” said Rays manager Joe Maddon, who has watched his team struggle since having 17 hits in consecutive games and scoring 26 runs in victories Sunday and Monday over Baltimore and the New York Yankees.
Danks walked four and struck out eight and improved to 4-1 against the Rays, with all four of the victories coming at Tropicana Field. Pena’s homer, the slugger’s fourth in five days, is the only run Danks has allowed in 12 innings this season.
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was ejected during the sixth inning for arguing an umpire’s decision.
Maddon contended that Dye hit a grounder fair to third base rather than fouled the ball off his foot.
The player hopped and limped out of the batter’s box as if the ball hit his foot before rolling up the third base line, where Willy Aybar fielded it and threw to first for the apparent out.
Dye complained, asking plate umpire Brian Gorman to look at his left shoe. The umpire crew huddled briefly, then inspected the ball and ruled it a foul.
Maddon thought he had a good argument.
“You can’t use the mark on the ball as a review because some players use black bats. Furthermore, the guy was wearing gray shoes. So it was pretty difficult to get a black mark on the ball from a gray shoe,” the manager said.
“And the last point I made is, none of them saw it. None of them called foul ball.”
Television replays appeared to confirm the ball struck Dye’s shoe.
Niemann struggled in his first start of the season last week, allowing five first-inning runs, including Melvin Mora’s grand slam, in a 6-0 loss at Baltimore.
He got off to a better start Thursday night, fanning two in a one-two-three first. But he walked Jim Thome leading off the second and then gave up the 301st home run of Dye’s career. A.J. Pierzynski and Alexei Ramirez singled with one out, then advanced on a wild pitch before the Sox stranded them scoring position.
Niemann also worked out of tight spots in the fourth and fifth innings to keep Tampa Bay in the game.
“Overall, it was a decent start, other than the one pitch,” Niemann said. “But that one pitch was enough to beat us.”
Xtra, xtra: White Sox 2B Chris Getz was back in the lineup after missing three games with a bruised right triceps. Rays 3B Evan Longoria missed his second straight game because of a death in the family. He’s expected to rejoin the team on Friday. Injured Rays RHP Jason Isringhausen is scheduled to pitch two innings in extended spring training Saturday, then head to Double-A Montgomery on Monday. The plan is for him to pitch a couple of times there, then head to Triple-A Durham. Dye’s homer was his 140th since joining the White Sox in 2005 and moved him into a tie with Ron Kittle for ninth on Chicago’s career list. Pena has four homers and nine RBIs in his last five games. Attendance was 13,803. The Rays drew 99,117 for a three-game series against the Yankees that ended Wednesday (Associated Press - Sports).
The road-weary New York Yankees headed to their new home feeling pretty good about themselves.
That’s what winning five of seven following an ugly start to a nine-game road trip can do to spirits.
“I told you our season wasn’t over after two games,” captain Derek Jeter said, smiling after singling in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning of Thursday’s 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. “We’re just playing pretty good now.”
The Yankees took two straight from the defending AL champions after losing the series opener 15-5.
The trip began with consecutive losses in Baltimore, but manager Joe Girardi likes what’s happened since then.
“We knew starting out, nine in a row (on the road) was tough,” Girardi said. “We knew three in a row here was tough. We understand what a good team the Rays are. To start out 0-2 and go 5-4, I’m very pleased.”
Now, it’s home to New York for Thursday’s debut of the $1.5 billion new Yankee Stadium, across 161st Street from the house that Ruth built. CC Sabathia makes his first home start against his former team, the Cleveland Indians.
“It’s been a long trip. … We look forward to breaking in a new ballpark,” pitcher Andy Pettitte said. “It’s going to be an exciting day for us.”
Pettitte pitched into the eighth inning, Robinson Cano hit a two-run homer and Jeter went 2-for-4 a day after hitting a three-run, ninth-inning homer to help the Yankees win the middle game of the series 7-2.
Jeter also doubled in the eighth and scored the tying run on Johnny Damon’s double off J.P. Howell. He delivered the tiebreaking run against Troy Percival (0-1) following a one-out double to Cody Ransom.
“It’s going to be like this all year in this division—a lot of close games,” said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, whose bullpen was unable to shut down the Yankees in the late innings for the second straight day.
Pettitte, who allowed three runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings, pitched the final game in the old Yankee Stadium last year but it wasn’t his turn to pitch the opener in the new one.
He has been tough on Tampa Bay, going 15-4 in 25 career starts. At one point he won 12 consecutive decisions, though the Rays have fared better against him lately.
Brian Bruney (1-0) struck out the only two batters he faced to get the win. Mariano Rivera worked a perfect ninth for his second save in as many opportunities.
“It all starts with pitching,” Jeter said. “We just want to get rolling and play, that’s the bottom line. With the pitching staff we have, we feel as though we’re capable of winning every day, regardless of what team we’re playing. … It’s a good start for us. But we’ve got a long way to go.”
B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford delivered RBI doubles for Tampa Bay in the third. After Cano’s two-run homer off Andy Sonnanstine made it 2-all in the fourth, Carlos Pena led off the bottom half of the inning with his fourth homer of the season to put the Rays ahead again, 3-2.
Sonnanstine, who struggled with his command during a loss at Baltimore last week, allowed two runs and four hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked one before he was replaced by Joe Nelson.
The Yankees had little success against the Rays’ bullpen until the eighth, when Jeter lined a double over Upton’s head in deep center field. Howell replaced Grant Balfour and gave up Damon’s tying double down the right field line.
Howell steadied to keep New York from taking the lead. The lefty struck out Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher, then walked Jorge Posada intentionally before getting Cano to ground into an inning-ending force play.
Although Tampa Bay’s bullpen has struggled after being one of baseball’s best in 2008, Maddon said he’s not concerned.
“As long as they’re healthy, I know they’re going to be fine,” Maddon said. “Nobody’s going to be perfect.”
Percival, who had back surgery during the offseason, agreed.
“There’s no panic involved. We didn’t execute some pitches out of the bullpen today,” the closer said. “That’s what’s going to happen when you’re facing teams like Boston and New York. You face good teams, you’ve got to execute.”
Xtra, xtra: Yankees RF Xavier Nady is headed for the disabled list with a right elbow injury and could be sidelined for a while. He felt a sharp pain while making a throw in the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s 7-2 win over the Rays. Pena has three homers and nine RBIs in his last four games. The start of the game was delayed 10 minutes because of an interruption of power that knocked out a bank of lights at Tropicana Field. Rays 3B Evan Longoria missed the game because of a death in the family. He will also miss Thursday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox. He’s expected to rejoin the team on Friday. Girardi said it’s possible that 3B Alex Rodriguez, who had right hip surgery just over five weeks ago, could begin taking batting practice by this weekend. Yankees RHP Chien-Ming Wang, 0-2 with a 29.38 ERA in two starts this season, is working on slowing down his left leg during his delivery. He threw a 21-pitch batting-practice session before the game (Associated Press - Sports).
Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees needed a lift from A.J. Burnett.
The free-agent catch gave them that—and more—Tuesday night, flirting with a no-hitter before settling for a 7-2 victory over the AL champions that kept him unbeaten since signing an $82.5 million, five-year deal.
“I had good movement on everything. I was putting the ball where I wanted,” Burnett said after taking his no-hit bid into the seventh inning. “It definitely could have happened. But it wasn’t meant to be.”
Mark Teixeira, another of the Yankees’ high-priced offseason acquisitions, drove in the go-ahead run with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly off J.P. Howell (0-1) after missing New York’s previous three games with tendinitis in left wrist.
Derek Jeter added a three-run homer in the ninth for the Yankees, who were humbled 15-5 on Monday night.
Burnett (2-0) allowed one baserunner until the seventh, when Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford fouled off three 0-2 pitches before lining a single to left and later scoring on Carlos Pena’s RBI single.
The Rays added a second run in the inning on Pat Burrell’s sacrifice fly to make it 2-all heading into the eighth, when the Yankees broke the tie with a double, single and Teixeira’s sacrifice fly.
“Sac flys aren’t sexy, but they get the job done,” Teixeira said.
Burnett allowed two runs and three hits, walked one and struck out nine in eight innings—taming a torrid offense that had 17 hits in each of its previous two games, scoring 26 runs in victories over Baltimore and the Yankees.
“You’re not going to score 10-plus runs every night,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We made a charge toward the end … but couldn’t get it done.”
Jorge Posada had a bases-loaded sacrifice fly off Matt Garza in the first inning. Swisher, obtained from the Chicago White Sox in an offseason trade, added a solo homer in the fourth before Garza settled down to keep the Rays in the game.
The Yankees broke it open in the ninth, scoring on Brett Gardner’s RBI double and Jeter’s shot off Dan Wheeler.
Jeter finished 3-for-5, and his 208th career homer tied him with Alex Rodriguez for 11th on the Yankees’ list. Right fielder Xavier Nady left after the seventh inning with a sore right elbow and will have an MRI exam Wednesday.
A night after raising the first division and league title banners in franchise history, the Rays received 14-carat white gold AL championship rings featuring 48 diamonds during a pregame ceremony.
But unlike Monday night, when they got off to a fast start with four runs in the first inning and five more in the second, the Rays only managed to get three balls out of the infield before Crawford lined his opposite-field single leading off the seventh.
“He did a good job of not giving us anything over the plate to hit,” said Evan Longoria, who followed with a single. “He was throwing 95 (mph) on the corners. That makes it difficult.”
Burnett threw a no-hitter for the Florida Marlins on May 12, 2001, at San Diego but maintains he’s still somewhat embarrassed by the accomplishment because he walked nine that day—most ever in a no-hitter.
“That was a long time ago. I didn’t know where the ball was going then. Plus, I only threw one pitch pretty much,” the right-hander said. “I’ve always had a goal to throw another one so I can wipe that one away.”
Burnett started thinking about the possibility in the third inning. His teammates thought he had a good chance, too.
“He was awesome,” Teixeira said. “In the back of my mind, I’m saying `I know he’s done it before, and he can do it again.’ Guys just didn’t look comfortable against him tonight. He had great stuff.”
Xtra, xtra: Garza, who beat Boston and Jon Lester in his first start of the season, struck out nine and walked two while allowing two runs and five hits in seven innings. Rodriguez, rehabbing from hip surgery, worked out again at the club’s complex in Tampa. He expects to begin taking batting practice soon. Rays SS Jason Bartlett homered Sunday and Monday, doubling his total from last season when he hit one in 454 at-bats. Including the postseason, the Rays have sold out 12 consecutive games at Tropicana Field. It’s the first time they’ve sold out the first two games of a season. New York finishes its nine-game, season-opening road trip Wednesday, and the new Yankee Stadium opens Thursday. Longtime public-address announcer Bob Sheppard will not work the home opener while he continues to recover from a bronchial infection. Sheppard, who missed last season because of his illness, became the voice of the old Yankee Stadium in 1951 (Associated Press - Sports).
From the very start, the Tampa Bay Rays sensed it was going to be Matt Garza’s night.
