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Brendan Harris homered, Nick Blackburn pitched well, Denard Span made a highlight-reel defensive play, and reliever Jose Mijares made a difficult catch before falling face-first on the mound.
The Minnesota Twins needed all of that—and more—to get a rare road victory Sunday, with Justin Morneau and Carlos Gomez also prividing timely hitting to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Sunday.
“A much-needed win for our baseball team,” manager Ron Gardenhire said after the Twins avoided a weekend sweep and improved to just 6-16 away from the Metrodome. “A few good things happened there.”
Blackburn (5-2) pitched six strong innings, allowing two runs and seven hits, and the Twins scored all their runs off Matt Garza (4-4) to beat their former teammate and end a three-game losing streak.
Span, who began the game in left field, climbed the wall in right to rob Tampa Bay’s Gabe Gross of an extra-base hit with the Rays threatening to break the game open after taking a 2-0 lead in the fifth.
Mijares helped the Twins through a jam in the eighth by keeping track of Carlos Pena’s pop fly that deflected off one of the catwalks supporting the roof at Tropicana Field before the portly six-foot, 231-pound pitcher caught the ball and wound up on his stomach.
“The way things have been going for us on the road, it might have been fitting if that ball hit right on the rubber and bounced back somewhere,” Gardenhire mused. “But Mijares, the athletic ability that he has, made a super play.”
Pena hit his AL-leading 17th homer for the Rays. Matt Joyce also homered off Blackburn, however Garza—facing his former team for the first time—was unable to hold a 2-1 lead after limiting the Twins to two hits over the first five innings.
Mijares escaped the eighth with the tying run on third base when pinch hitter Gabe Kapler grounded out. Joe Nathan worked a perfect ninth for his ninth save, ensuring Blackburn would improve to 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA over the starter’s last five outings.
“Our bullpen was phenomenal,” Gardenhire said. “They came in and got some huge outs.”
Garza was acquired in the November 2007 trade that also brought shortstop Jason Bartlett to the Rays as part of a six-player transaction that sent Harris and outfielder Delmon Young to Minnesota.
The 25-year-old right-hander was an 11-game winner last season, and beat Boston in Games 3 and 7 to claim MVP honors in the AL Championship Series. He has been Tampa Bay’s most consistent pitcher this year, flirting with a no-hitter against the Red Sox on April 30, when Jacoby Ellsbury’s infield single leading off the seventh inning spoiled a bid for a perfect game.
Harris and Young had the first two hits off Garza Sunday, with Harris hitting a two-out solo homer in the second and Young leading off the fourth with a single. Span legged out a bunt and later scored on Morneau’s RBI single that made it 2-2 in the sixth.
Gomez’s bloop single, the third straight hit off Garza, snapped the tie in the seventh. Garza allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings.
“I set out to do my job and wasn’t able to squeak through it. … It’s one of those losses you just have to choke down,” said Garza, who felt he pitched well.
“He had great stuff. They just got a couple of knocks and they eeked out their three runs,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We hit the ball really well, but without any luck. That’s how this game works sometimes.”
Xtra, xtra: Twins C Joe Mauer, who fouled a ball off his right leg just above the ankle and was also hit by a couple foul tips Saturday, was out of the starting lineup. He was available off the bench. Tampa Bay leadoff hitter B.J. Upton, hitting .200 with two homers and nine RBIs in 44 games, was rested but entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth. 2B Ben Zobrist replaced Upton at the top of the lineup. Minnesota 3B Joe Crede (bruised left knee) didn’t play. Maddon has talked with injured closer Troy Percival (right shoulder). Maddon said the right-hander plans to rehab his shoulder, but added that retirement remains a possibility. Twins RF Michael Cuddyer left the game in the second inning with right index finger strain. He is day to day (Associated Press - Sports).
Even before he earned his first regular-season win, David Price knew what it was like to get a standing ovation.
That doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy this one, too.
Price struck out 11 for his first career victory and Evan Longoria got his 55th RBI of the season to help the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Saturday.
“It was fun out there,” said Price, who tipped his cap to the cheering crowd of 36,052 when he left the game. “Any win you’ve got to look at all the positives. It’s fun to be here. It’s fun to pitch here.”
Price (1-0), who started the season at Triple-A Durham and was recalled Monday, gave up one run, five hits and two walks over 5 2-3 innings in his first start at Tropicana Field.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 amateur draft was the winner out of the bullpen in Game 2 and picked up the Game 7 save in last year’s AL championship series against Boston, making the rookie an immediate fan favorite.
“David again, great stuff,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “His stuff was dominant.”
Longoria had an RBI single during a four-run third for the Rays, who have won two in a row after a season-high five-game skid. Carl Crawford had two RBIs, including a solo homer in the seventh, and Randy Choate earned his second save.
Minnesota left-hander Francisco Liriano (2-7) allowed four runs and seven hits in four innings. He has lasted just four innings in three straight starts.
“It’s tough right now,” Liriano said. “I just got to go out there and pitch and see what happens.”
The Twins are 5-16 on the road this season. Minnesota was hitless in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position and is 1 of 20 overall the past two games.
“Another one of those games where I think we were facing a guy that was really, really throwing the fire out of the ball,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Joe Dillon hit a solo homer, Crawford had an RBI infield single, Longoria hit a run-scoring single and Ben Zobrist drove in a run on an infield single to give Tampa Bay a 4-1 lead in the third.
Gardenhire said his team made “some bad decisions” on three infield grounders in the third, possibly missing out on potential forceouts at second that might have changed the complexion of the inning.
Justin Morneau put the Twins ahead 1-0 on an RBI grounder in the third. He has driven in 28 runs this month.
Price worked out of a self-induced, second-and-third, two-out jam in the second by getting a grounder to third from Alexi Casilla. With Joe Crede on first after an earlier walk, Price fielded a routine grounder by Carlos Gomez and proceeded to lob a throw well over first baseman Carlos Pena’s head that put the two runners in scoring position.
“That was awful,” Price said. “The most unathletic thing I’ve ever done. That was embarrassing.”
Crede left in the fourth after fouling a ball off his left knee. X-rays were negative and although he is day to day, Gardenhire doesn’t expect him to play Sunday.
“There’s just quite a bit of swelling,” Crede said.
Twins catcher Joe Mauer might also get a day off Sunday. He fouled off a ball just above his right ankle Saturday.
Grant Balfour pitched 2 2-3 innings before being replaced by Choate with two on in the ninth. Choate got two outs, including an RBI grounder by Casilla.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay recalled OF Matt Joyce from Triple-A Durham after the game and optioned RHP Dale Thayer to the International League club. Maddon said DH Pat Burrell, out since May 11 with a strained neck, underwent a third round of shots for the injury and will likely have his status reviewed on Tuesday. Twins OF Jason Kubel, bothered by a sore knee, was rested. Tampa Bay LHP Scott Kazmir (right quadriceps strain) is playing catch, but team officials are still talking about how to put together his overall throwing program. Crawford had his streak of 32 successful stolen base attempts—including 30 this season—stopped when he was thrown out trying to steal second during the third. Liriano threw 47 of his 93 pitches in the third (Associated Press - Sports).
Back home following a calamitous trip, the Tampa Bay Rays righted themselves.
Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford homered, James Shields pitched into the eighth inning, and the defending AL champions ended a season-high, five-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
“This was a make-us-feel-good type of game,” Crawford said. “We really needed it.”
Shields (4-4) allowed two runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings to get his first win since May 3. The right-hander gave up a solo homer to Michael Cuddyer in the sixth and a second run that scored on Justin Morneau’s RBI double off reliever J.P Howell in the eighth.
The Rays stopped their longest skid since dropping seven straight heading into last season’s All-Star break. They went 2-5 on a disappointing road trip that concluded with four straight losses at Cleveland, which entered the series with the worst record in the league.
“We definitely needed a win. … It’s a good way to start a homestand,” said Shields, who had been 0-2 over his previous four starts.
“You just have to keep plugging away,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We had a tough go up in Cleveland. That stuff happens during a season. I thought our guys were in good order, we just lost some games.”
Longoria boosted his major league-leading RBI total to 54 with his three-run homer off Scott Baker (2-6), snapping a 1-1 tie in the sixth. Crawford’s second homer of the season gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the third.
Joe Mauer had a single, double and triple to boost his batting average to .417 for the Twins, who fell to 5-15 on the road. His triple leading off the eighth finished Shields, and Morneau followed with his double to trim Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-2.
Morneau scored from second base on Longoria’s throwing error on Cuddyer’s grounder to third, however Minnesota stranded the potential tying run at second when Howell struck out Joe Crede and Brendan Harris to end the eighth.
Willy Aybar gave Tampa Bay some more breathing room with an RBI double that made it 5-3. Dan Wheeler and Randy Choate pitched the ninth, with Choate getting his first major league save by striking out Mauer with one runner on base.
“We battled pretty hard there toward the end,” said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who’s at a loss to explain Minnesota’s futility away from home.
“We’ve played good baseball on the road, but we’re not winning games. You’ve got to find a way to win games.”
Shields walked one and struck out five. He has suffered from a lack of run support this season, with Tampa Bay winning just two of the last eight games in which he’s pitched, even though the right-hander has not pitched that poorly.
Entering Friday night, the Rays had scored 4.03 runs per nine innings for Shields. That was fifth-lowest in the AL.
The Twins wasted opportunities early, going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position through five innings. Cuddyer’s ninth homer wiped out a 1-0 deficit in the sixth, however it didn’t take Tampa Bay long to regain the lead.
B.J. Upton and Crawford singled before Longoria lined his 13th homer over the center field wall to make it 4-1. Baker didn’t make it through the inning, leaving after Ben Zobrist doubled with two outs.
The Minnesota starter allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings.
“We came up a little short, but I don’t think we should dwell on this game,” Baker said, adding that the Twins can still take the series by winning the remaining two games. “To get down about this game would be kind of foolish in my opinion.”
Xtra, xtra: Longoria finished 3-for-4. Crawford extended his hitting streak to nine games. Minnesota SS Nick Punto, who missed his second straight game with a groin injury, was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Rays RHP Chad Bradford, whose recovering from right elbow surgery, is close to beginning a minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Montgomery. Twins LHP Glen Perkins (left elbow) is set to resume throwing off a mound. He is expected to have several bullpen sessions before starting a minor league rehab assignment (Associated Press - Sports).
The Tampa Bay Rays limped out of town, hoping a homestand will help the them get back on track.
Rookie David Huff and four relievers combined to stifle the Rays and Victor Martinez drove in both runs for the Cleveland Indians in a 2-1 victory Thursday, completing a four-game sweep of the defending American League champions.
The Rays have lost five in a row overall and 17 straight in Cleveland, the longest road losing streak against one team in club history. It was the first four-game sweep for the Indians since they did it to the Rays July 10-13 at Progressive Field.
“Maybe next time we come in, we’ll have some candles and holy water,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “I have no good explanation for this.”
The Rays’ run came on Willy Aybar’s homer in the sixth, which was upheld after using video replay.
Aybar’s 1-0 pitch to right field was just out of the reach of a leaping Shin-Soo Choo. Replays showed the ball hit the yellow line atop the wall before caroming back into the field of play. First base umpire Angel Hernandez immediately ruled it a home run, prompting Indians manager Eric Wedge to argue. After a 90-second video review, crew chief Tim Welke confirmed the call.
“You ask four people what they saw on the replay, two of them are going to be adamant that it was not a home run and two will be adamant that it was a home run,” Wedge said. “I’m not talking about umpires, I’m talking players, fans, coaches, whoever it may be. But I appreciate the fact they went in and took a look at it. It has to be their choice. When they do that, you have to respect what they come up with.”
It was a difficult road trip for the Rays, who went 2-5 against the Florida Marlins and Cleveland, placing their shortstop, second baseman, closer and staff ace on the disabled list in the span of a week. Now they return home to open a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, having dropped six games back of Boston in he AL East.
“It was a strange series, all in all,” Maddon said. “We need to play some games at home. We need to get our mojo back.”
The Indians’ bullpen, which has struggled much of this season, excelled Thursday. Jensen Lewis, Matt Herges, Rafael Betancourt and Kerry Wood combined to hold Tampa Bay to one run on four hits over five innings after a 2 hour, 40 minute rain delay in the fourth inning knocked out Huff.
Herges (1-0) struck out Evan Longoria to end the seventh inning with B.J. Upton on second to preserve the slim lead.
“He’s a lot better than I am,” Herges said of Longoria. “Anytime I get him out, I’ll take it. He’s going to get me a lot more than I’ll get him.”
Asdrubal Cabrera reached on a bunt single in the third off starter Jeff Niemann (4-4). He scored on a groundout by Martinez, who singled to drive home Kelly Shoppach in the fifth for the game’s only other run.
The Indians’ bullpen did the rest. Over their last 18 innings—all against Tampa Bay—Tribe relievers have allowed one run on 13 hits. It has allowed the Indians to rally for victories from 10-0 and 5-0 deficits in the series.
“They’ve gone beyond the call of duty here of late because we’ve needed so many innings from them,” Wedge said. “They’ve been doing a very good job. They need to recognize that and feel good about how they’re performing as a unit.”
The final three games of this series were delayed by rain, and Tampa Bay has now endured rain delays in four of its last five games.
The delay prevented Huff from picking up his first major league victory after he was off to the best start of his brief career.
He entered 0-1 with a 17.55 ERA, and was blasted by the Rays for seven runs in 3 2-3 innings last week in his major league debut. Huff had allowed four hits through four innings Thursday before giving way to the rain. He made seven starts at Triple-A, six of which were affected by rain, he said.
"My nickname was Rainman," Huff said. "I'm used to it. It happens. You can't control it, so you just move on."
Xtra, xtra: Prior to the game, the Indians recalled Tomo Ohka from Triple-A Columbus and optioned Zach Jackson back to Columbus. RHP Anthony Reyes was transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Ohka. RHP Joe Smith will begin a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Saturday. Ben Zobrist started for the second straight game at short for the Rays after starting in right field the first two games of the series (Associated Press - Sports).
Ben Francisco smiled, shrugged his shoulders and had no explanation for his success against Tampa Bay right-hander Andy Sonnanstine.
Francisco homered and drove in four runs for Cleveland and the Indians earned their first three-game winning streak of the season by defeating the Rays 12-7 Wednesday night.
“It’s a big win for us, to finally get three straight,” Francisco said. “We’re all feeling confident.”
Francisco extended his domination against Sonnanstine (3-5) with a three-run homer and RBI single as Cleveland overcame a 5-0 deficit. On Monday night, the Indians came back from 10-0, beating the Rays with a seven-run ninth inning, 11-10.
“We gave up two huge leads here and have to do a better job of pitching,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
Greg Aquino (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win—Cleveland’s sixth in eight games. It was the right-hander’s first win since June 19, 2006, for Arizona. Luis Vizcaino worked three scoreless innings for his first save since Sept. 29, 2004, with Milwaukee.
“Those two did a tremendous job running through five innings,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said.
The Rays lost their fourth straight for the first time this season and have dropped 16 in a row in Cleveland since a 1-0 win on Sept. 29, 2005. But the Indians are a long way from matching their team record for consecutive home wins over a team. They beat the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles 27 straight times in Cleveland from 1952-54.
Francisco’s three-run homer in Cleveland’s five-run second was his third in three at-bats against Sonnanstine this year and fourth straight off the right-hander. Francisco also homered off him in Cleveland on July 10. Francisco is 8 for 9 with five homers and 12 RBIs against the 26-year-old who grew up in Wadsworth, Ohio, about 40 miles southwest of Progressive Field.
“I try not to think about it and don’t want to talk about it too much,” Francisco said, fearful that he may jinx his streak. “Some guys you just have success against and others you don’t.”
Maddon can’t comprehend why Francisco becomes Babe Ruth when he sees Sonnanstine on the mound.
“I’m sure Andy never wants to see him again,” Maddon said. “It’s amazing.”
Said Sonnanstine: “He’s hitting everything I’m throwing. I have to figure a way to get him out.”
Cleveland starter Zach Jackson had to wait out a one-hour, 55-minute rain delay before making his first pitch after being called up from Triple-A Columbus. The left-hander trailed 5-0 in 15 minutes.
Tampa Bay sent 10 men to the plate, getting five singles, a double and walk in the first inning.
“Zach, we waited two hours for this, buddy!” a fan yelled from the upper deck midway through the Rays’ rally.
Gabe Kapler had a two-run single, Ben Zobrist an RBI double, while Evan Longoria and Willy Aybar each singled home runs.
Ryan Garko singled in Cleveland’s first run. Francisco’s homer made it 5-4, then Jamey Carroll singled and later scored on Grady Sizemore’s double to make it 5-5.
The Rays went ahead 6-5 in the third on Mark DeRosa’s two-out throwing error. The third baseman backed up on a grounder hit by Michel Hernandez and his throw in the soggy dirt skipped past first baseman Garko, scoring Zobrist from third.
Francisco’s single tied it in the bottom half and Carroll followed by poking an RBI single between first and second to give Cleveland its first lead, 7-6. Asdrubal Cabrera added an RBI single.
Longoria’s 12th homer in the fourth got the Rays within 8-7, but the Indians went ahead by five in the fifth on a two-run double by Victor Martinez and Shin-Soo Choo’s two-run homer.
Sonnanstine gave up eight hits and nine runs over three innings.
Jackson allowed six earned runs and eight hits over four innings.
The game ended at 12:16 a.m., with the teams scheduled for a 12:05 p.m. start Thursday.
“We have to sleep fast and come back and fight again,” Wedge said.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay is 31-63 against the Indians, including 12-37 in Cleveland. Three of Francisco’s four career games of four RBIs are against Tampa Bay. Longoria’s homer was his first in 64 at-bats, the longest drought of his career. Indians RHP Joe Smith, sidelined since May 2 with a strained rotator cuff, threw a simulated game and may go to the minors this weekend to begin a rehab assignment. Indians DH Travis Hafner, out since April 29 with a sore right shoulder, will return to his rehab assignment with Columbus. He missed three days with a sore back (Associated Press - Sports).
Carl Pavano has done as much on the mound this May as he did the past three years combined.
Pavano won for the fifth time in six starts, Ryan Garko homered for the third time in two games and the Cleveland Indians beat the Tampa Bay Rays without needing a big comeback, 5-1 on Tuesday night.
“It’s good to get a couple of wins in a row, but the story was Carl,” said Indians left fielder Mark DeRosa, who hit a two-run homer. “He’s worked his butt off to get back.”
The right-hander’s comeback is more impressive than the Indians overcoming a 10-0 deficit to beat the Rays on Monday night.
Pavano (5-4) allowed one run and four hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out six to enhance an outstanding month. He’s 5-1 with a 3.58 ERA and only seven walks against 30 strikeouts since May 1, when he got his first win of the season in Detroit.
“I’m feeling better, getting deeper in games,” Pavano said. “I didn’t exactly know what to expect this year, but I worked hard and stayed positive. There’s still a long way to go for me to be remotely settled in.”
Pavano’s 10th start this season surpassed by one his total for the previous three years. He was signed to a one-year contract as a free agent in January after four injury plagued years with the New York Yankees—where he missed the entire 2006 season and pitched only 45 2-3 innings in 2007-08 combined. He won only five games the last two years.
Garko hit his home run in the second inning after connecting twice and driving in five runs Monday night in Cleveland’s 11-10 win that was the biggest collapse in Tampa Bay history.
Asdrubal Cabrera and Kelly Shoppach also homered for the Indians, who won for the fifth time in seven games and earned their 15th consecutive home win over the Rays since Sept. 29, 2005.
Rays right-hander Matt Garza (4-3) struck out seven without issuing a walk, but couldn’t keep the ball in the park. He allowed four runs and five hits— three of them homers. He dropped to 1-4 in his career against Cleveland.
“I have to find a way to get past these guys,” Garza said. “I won’t face them again this year, but it’s still going to be in the back of my head not to let them beat me again.”
Garko hit the first pitch he saw from Garza over the wall in right-center with one out to put Cleveland ahead 1-0 in the second. On Monday night, Garko hit a two-run homer and three-run shot in the comeback.
Tampa Bay’s bad run continued before Tuesday’s game when shortstop Jason Bartlett was put on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left ankle. Bartlett, a career .276 hitter, is batting .373 with seven homers, 30 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.
He joined second baseman Akinori Iwamura, closer Troy Percival, DH Pat Burrell, staff ace Scott Kazmir and four others on the Rays’ crowded DL. Iwamura is lost for the season with a torn knee ligament, and Percival’s career might be over because of right shoulder tendinitis.
“A lot of guys are going on the DL, but we have to push through this,” Rays right fielder Ben Zobrist said. “Last year we had guys go down and other guys stepped up. We have to do that again.”
The Rays mustered little offense against Pavano until Carlos Pena hit his AL-leading 16th homer to lead off the Rays’ seventh. It ruined Pavano’s bid for his first shutout since May 17, 2005, when he was with the New York Yankees.
“He’s added a splitter, changeup or whatever it is,” Rays left fielder Carl Crawford said. “He’s locating his fastball really well. He’s definitely not the same pitcher we faced in the past.”
Xtra, xtra: Rain delayed play 32 minutes in the bottom of the fourth. It drizzled throughout most of the final five innings. Before the game, Cleveland optioned OF Matt LaPorta back to Triple-A Columbus and recalled OF Trevor Crowe. LaPorta hit .190 (8 for 42) with one homer and four RBIs in his first 13 career games after being called up May 2. After the game, the Indians sent LHP Rich Rundles to Columbus and recalled LHP Zach Jackson from the Clippers to start Wednesday night. Crawford stole second in the fourth inning and is 30 for 30 in steal attempts. He has not been caught in 32 attempts since July 18 (Associated Press - Sports).
Trailing by 10 runs, Victor Martinez told his Cleveland Indians teammates they could win.
Martinez, in an 0-for-18 slump, backed up his words by lining a two-out, two-run single to cap a seven-run ninth inning that gave the Indians an 11-10 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Martinez said after his hit off Jason Isringhausen (0-1) ruined the Rays night, which began with the much-awaited season debut of starter David Price. The left-hander was staked to a 10-0 lead but ran his pitch count up and lasted only 3 1-3 innings.
“When he came out, I said, ‘Go out there and be a tough out, and just keep battling,’ ” Martinez said. “That’s what we did.”
The Indians became the first team to make up a 10-run deficit and win since the Texas Rangers rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 16-15 on May 8, 2004, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“When you do something like this, it is special,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said.
It was the largest blown lead in Rays history. Tampa Bay had twice led games 10-2 before losing 20-11 each time—to the New York Yankees in 2005 and Cleveland in 1999.
Ryan Garko’s two-run homer off Price in the fourth started the comeback. His three-run shot in the ninth off Grant Balfour made it 10-7.
“I wanted to put the barrel of the bat on the ball and just happened to hit a home run,” Garko said of his second homer. “The important thing was not making the last out. Nobody wanted to do that.”
Jeremy Sowers (1-2) pitched five scoreless innings for the win in his first relief appearance after 51 career starts.
The loss was Tampa Bay’s 14th in a row in Cleveland. The Rays have not won a road game against the Indians since a 1-0 victory on Sept. 28, 2005.
The teams combined to use 11 pitchers, who issued a total of 19 walks—10 by the Rays.
Isringhausen walked the first three men he faced, forcing in one run to make it 10-8. Martinez then lined a 3-2 pitch to center and was mobbed by teammates in Cleveland’s biggest win of a disappointing season.
“The walks are unacceptable,” Isringhausen. “I’d rather give up home runs than walk guys.”
The Indians still have the worst record in the AL at 18-28 and are just 8-11 at home.
But Garko said he felt confident seeing Martinez at the plate with the game on the line. The catcher leads the Indians with 32 RBIs and a .364 batting average.
“That’s the guy you want up there in that spot,” Garko said.
Price struggled with his command, walking five.
“He had great stuff, but was all over the place,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
Indians starter Fausto Carmona was even wilder. The right-hander unraveled in the second inning, walking the first four men he faced on 20 pitches and giving up five runs while registering only one out.
Gabe Gross hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs for the Rays.
Price struck out the side in the first after Jamey Carroll drew a leadoff walk and went to third on a bloop double by Grady Sizemore. But he couldn’t complete the five innings required of a starter to earn a win. The left-hander gave up two runs and four hits, striking out six. He threw 100 pitches—57 for strikes.
“I was averaging 10 pitches an out,” Price said. “I didn’t have a feel for anything.”
He didn’t use sitting for long stretches as an excuse. The Rays twice batted around—in their five-run second and three-run fourth.
“That’s what you want as a pitcher, to score runs,” Price said. “They gave me 10.”
Price was recalled from Triple-A Durham, where he was 1-4 with a 3.93 ERA in eight starts. He started in place of Scott Kazmir, who went on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a strained right quadriceps.
Carmona gave up five runs and three hits with five walks in 1 1-3 innings. He has walked 35 and struck out 33 in 54 2-3 innings this season.
Xtra, xtra: Maddon got a three-year contract extension. Rays INF Akinori Iwamura will have surgery for a torn left ACL and is out for the season. The Rays put LHP Brian Shouse on the 15-day DL with a strained left elbow and recalled LHP Randy Choate from Durham. Rays SS Jason Bartlett, hitting .431 with 19 RBIs in his last 16 games, did not play. He sprained his left ankle Sunday, but Maddon doesn’t think the injury is too serious (Associated Press - Sports).
With one out and the bases loaded in the 11th inning, Florida’s Ross Gload waited to bat while the Tampa Bay Rays set their defense.
Right fielder Ben Zobrist trotted in to grab a smaller glove, then took a spot near second base as a fifth infielder. Left fielder Carl Crawford moved to right field, and center field B.J. Upton went to left.
“You can’t overanalyze it, because it’s too crazy,” Gload said.
The alignment failed to foil Gload. He lined a two-strike sinker through the right side of the infield for a game-winning single, and the Marlins snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Tampa Bay 5-4.
“The 5-2 defense—I’m going to recommend that for the New York Jets,” Gload said. “You’re just trying to hit the ball hard. If I could control where the ball went, I would be a lot better than I am.”
The Rays played with five infielders at the end after losing their second baseman in the eighth. Akinori Iwamura hurt his left knee when hit while trying to turn a double play and was carted off the field. He was to fly back to St. Petersburg, Fla., to undergo an MRI.
With the score 4-all, Jorge Cantu led off Florida’s 11th with a pinch-hit single against Lance Cormier (0-1). Jeremy Hermida singled off Brian Shouse to put runners at the corners with one out, and Hanley Ramirez was intentionally walked.
Gload followed with his hit.
“We were just trying to get a groundball and get a double play,” Shouse said. “That was the whole goal. It didn’t work out.”
With Gload’s single, Florida finished 5 for 12 with runners in scoring position. Tampa Bay went 1 for 11.
The Marlins had lost eight in a row at home to the Rays, and were outscored 25-5 in the first two games of the series.
Florida improved to 9-24 since an 11-1 start.
“We needed this,” said Josh Johnson, who pitched seven innings and left with a 4-3 lead. “It just takes one win, and hopefully we can turn it around and get that feeling of winning again. We have a great team. We know we’re a lot better than we’ve been playing.”
Florida nearly let another game slip away, squandering leads of 3-0 and 4-3. John Baker had three of the Marlins’ 17 hits, including a home run, and Gload and Chris Coghlan also had three hits apiece.
The game was delayed six minutes in the eighth while trainers tended to Iwamura, who was hurt when Coghlan slid into him.
With the score 4-all, runners at first and second and one out in the eighth inning, Wes Helms hit a one-hopper to pitcher Dan Wheeler, who spun and threw to second. Iwamura took the throw for a forceout, and was ready to throw to first with his left foot planted when Coghlan arrived.
The collision sent Iwamura tumbling to the turf. Shortstop Jason Bartlett took the ball from Iwamura’s glove and threw home, where catcher Dioner Navarro tagged out Baker trying to score.
Bartlett said Coghlan did nothing wrong.
“From the marks that were by second base, if it were our player sliding, I’d probably high-five him,” Bartlett said. “That’s what you’re taught to do: Break up the double play.”
After the game, Coghlan went into the Rays clubhouse and told Iwamura he was sorry about the injury.
“I felt awful that he got injured,” said Coghlan, a rookie. “I hope he’s OK. I was just playing the game the right way.”
Johnson allowed three runs and six hits, and he had an RBI single in the Marlins’ three-run second inning. Florida’s Matt Lindstrom walked the bases loaded in the ninth, but Kiko Calero came on to retire Zobrist on an inning-ending groundout. Brian Sanches (1-0) pitched a perfect 11th.
The result ended the Rays’ three-game winning streak.
“Listen, man,” manager Joe Maddon said. “When your group goes out and plays that hard every night, and you fight to the last out, I love it.”
Xtra, xtra: Johnson said he has a small blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, but it didn’t bother him. Bartlett sprained his left ankle in the 10th inning and said he doesn’t think the injury is serious. He had already been slated to take Monday off at Cleveland. Rays DH Pat Burrell, who is on the disabled list with a strained neck, will rejoin the team Monday and may be activated as early as Tuesday, Maddon said. Ramirez is tied for the NL lead among shortstops with only two errors after committing more than 20 in each of his first three seasons (Associated Press - Sports).
An imprint in the pattern of baseball stitches was visible on Evan Longoria’s upper left arm, a souvenir from an inside pitch he failed to avoid in the ninth inning.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ latest win eased the pain.
Longoria hit a tiebreaking single in eighth to pad his major league-leading RBI total Saturday, and the Rays beat the hapless Florida Marlins 10-3.
Tampa Bay improved to 23-22 with its third consecutive win. The reigning AL champions are above .500 for the first time since April 13.
“That’s how we played all last year,” Longoria said. “The belief is back. In tight games we believe firmly we can win those games now. As long as we keep believing that, we’re going to be pretty good.”
Longoria came out of the game in the bottom of the ninth to ice his arm but said he was fine.
“It hit me right in the meat,” he said. “That’s a good spot.”
While Longoria collected his 48th RBI, Jason Bartlett had three RBIs and two hits to hike his average to .376, and reserve catcher Michel Hernandez drove in two runs for the Rays. Jeff Niemann allowed one run in six innings.
“Everybody is going to leave tonight feeling like they had a part in it, which is really a wonderful thing,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I like our fight.”
After winning 15-2 Friday, the Rays benefited from another dismal performance by the slumping Marlins. Florida walked nine, hit a batter, balked home a run, committed three errors and allowed Tampa Bay to break a 3-all tie in the eighth with an unearned run.
Akinori Iwamura walked against Leo Nunez (2-2) to start the inning and advanced on a sacrifice. First baseman Jorge Cantu mishandled a grounder to put runners at the corners, and Longoria followed with a single.
The Rays added six runs in the ninth, including four off Matt Lindstrom, who balked in a run.
“That’s a very tough ballclub over there, and they took it to us pretty good these past two nights,” Lindstrom said. “We just have to find a way to respond.”
Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez was lucky to miss his team’s latest loss. He was out of town to attend his daughter’s high school graduation, and Florida played no better for bench coach Carlos Tosca.
Since an 11-1 start, the Marlins have gone 8-24.
“It has certainly been a struggle,” infielder Wes Helms said. “But it’s something you have to battle through. It’s not something you can just wish away. You just have to keep working hard every night.”
Even in better times Florida has struggled against the Rays, losing seven in a row in the Citrus Series. During that stretch the Marlins have been outscored by the Rays 68-19.
Tampa Bay won despite stranding 15 runners. The Rays, who entered leading the majors in runs, struggled to scratch out two against Sean West, who went five innings in his major league debut.
“It was like a dream being out there and facing guys like Longoria who you watched on TV last fall,” West said.
The Rays had better luck against the Marlins’ beleaguered bullpen, scoring off four relievers. Grant Balfour (2-0) struck out the only batter he faced for the win.
Carl Crawford scored twice and stole a base to improve to 26 for 26 this year. The Rays center fielder also robbed the Marlins twice on flyballs in the fourth, first retreating to make a leaping catch and then charging to make a sliding grab.
Tampa Bay closed to within 3 1/2 games of AL East leader Toronto.
“Whenever we get a chance to get outside the AL East, we’ve got to try to win those games,” Longoria said.
Xtra, xtra: LHP David Price, who helped Tampa Bay reach the World Series last year, is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Durham to start Monday at Cleveland. “We haven’t officially announced anything yet,” Maddon said with a smile. “We don’t want to tip the Indians off.” Price would replace Scott Kazmir, who went on the disabled list Friday with a quadriceps strain. With the Rays facing left-hander West, Maddon held AL home run leader Carlos Pena and Akinori Iwamura out of the starting lineup. Marlins rookie LF Chris Coghlan is 2 for 27 on their homestand, dropping his average to .143. With Niemann at 6-foot-9 and West at 6-8, the pitching matchup was the third-tallest in major league history (Associated Press - Sports).
Andy Sonnanstine came to the plate five times Friday night, a reflection of how well he pitched—and how well his teammates hit.
Sonnanstine allowed only five baserunners and one run in six innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays had three homers among their 17 hits to beat the Florida Marlins 15-2.
“I love playing interleague,” said Sonnanstine, who singled, walked and scored twice. “It’s an opportunity for our pitchers to show what we can do at the plate. It was a really fun game.”
The Rays scored eight runs in the first two innings off Ricky Nolasco. They batted around in the second inning and again in the third to take a 13-0 lead.
After the game, Nolasco (2-5) was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans. The Marlins’ opening-day starter, a 15-game winner last year, has an ERA of 9.07.
“We’ve got to get him fixed,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “That’s why we’re making the move down there—get him a couple of starts, and whatever it takes to get him straightened out.”
By the third inning, every Rays starter had a hit. By the sixth, manager Joe Maddon had four reserves in the game. By the ninth, Marlins outfielder Ross Gload was on the mound.
Gload walked the first two batters but got Dioner Navarro to hit into a double play and allowed no hits or runs.
“I just wanted to put the ball in play,” Navarro said. “I knew if I struck out, I wasn’t going to hear the end of it.”
Gabe Gross hit a two-run homer and a two-run double, and Navarro and Carlos Pena also homered. Jason Bartlett drove in three runs with a double and a bases-loaded walk.
“I know the Marlins’ bullpen has been a little bit tired,” Maddon said. “That’s why it’s so important to do what we did to keep them tired. You want to see a bullpen, and you want to see a lot of them.”
Sonnanstine said his five plate appearances were the most he has had since Little League. He came into the game with the highest lifetime average of any pitcher with at least 10 at-bats, and is now at .333 (6 for 18).
More important to the Rays, Sonnanstine (3-4) lowered his ERA this season to 6.60.
“I went out there with that big lead attacking hitters, knowing if I make a mistake it’s not too bad,” the right-hander said. “It takes a lot of the pressure off.”
Dale Thayer made his major league debut and allowed one run in three innings for a save.
For Florida, it was a sour start to the annual intrastate Citrus Series. After three innings the Marlins had thrown 119 pitches, and they finished with 225, allowing nine walks.
Tampa Bay’s 15 runs matched a season high and were the most allowed by Florida this year.
Nolasco pitched on three days’ rest for the first time in his career, and the result was his briefest stint as a starter since Aug. 25, 2006. He was coming off a 76-pitch effort Monday in a game called because of rain.
“I asked him if the ball is going where he wants it to go, and he said, ‘Sometimes,”’ Gonzalez said. “That’s not the answer you want to hear. He’s healthy, his miles-per-hour are good. Maybe it’s something mechanical. He needs to get a little confidence back.”
Gonzalez’s rotation has been a disappointment, and the Marlins will turn to a minor leaguer for help Saturday, when left-hander Sean West will be selected from Double-A Jacksonville to make major league debut.
The Marlins will also recall right-hander Chris Leroux from Jacksonville. Reliever David Davidson, who gave up five runs in the third inning, was designated for assignment.
For the Rays, the rout took some sting out of setbacks earlier in the day, when they placed starter Scott Kazmir (quadriceps) and closer Troy Percival (shoulder) on the disabled list.
They won for the sixth time in eight games. With a victory Saturday, the defending AL champions will climb above .500 for the first time since April 13.
Xtra, xtra: The Marlins recalled C Brett Hayes from Triple-A New Orleans, and he singled in his first big league at-bat in the ninth. Gonzalez will miss Saturday’s game to attend the graduation of his daughter from high school in Atlanta. Bench coach Carlos Tosca will fill in for Gonzalez. Former hockey great Gordie Howe threw out the first pitch (Associated Press - Sports).
Ben Zobrist, pinch-hitter deluxe.
Zobrist came off the bench and tied the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, then Carl Crawford won it with an RBI single to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 6-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
“He’s turning into a cult figure,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Zobrist.
Zobrist got the Rays even at 5 with the homer off Andrew Bailey.
“I tried to throw a backdoor cutter and it just went middle,” Bailey said. “It wasn’t away enough.”
Zobrist is 4 of 12 with three homers and nine RBIs as a pinch hitter this season.
“For me sometimes, it’s freeing to know that you’ve got one shot and might as well take your hacks,” Zobrist said. “It’s pretty easy not to get a hit in the situation. It’s a tough situation. I kind of tell myself I’ve got nothing to lose. Go up there and look for something hard to hit, and if it’s in the zone just try to put a good swing on it.”
After Dioner Navarro doubled and B.J. Upton walked against Brad Ziegler (0-1), Crawford lined the game-winning single to center.
“It would have been a bad loss, absoultely,” Maddon said.,
Adam Kennedy had an RBI single and Ryan Sweeney drew a bases-loaded walk off Joe Nelson (1-0) to give Oakland a 5-3 lead in the top of the ninth.
Tampa Bay’s Matt Garza allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings. Oakland left-hander Dallas Braden gave up three runs and six hits over seven innings.
Two walks and Jason Giambi’s single off the wall in center field against Tampa Bay closer Troy Percival loaded the bases in the ninth. Kennedy’s single made it 4-3 and Sweeney followed with his RBI walk.
Pinch-runner Rajai Davis advanced only from second to third on Giambi’s hit, and was running back toward second when the ball was at the wall.
“It was just a flat-out baserunning mistake, and you can’t make those mistakes at this level,” Oakland manager Bob Geren said. “Especially if that’s your job.”
Jason Bartlett gave the Rays a 3-2 lead with his sixth homer, a solo shot in the sixth. He had just one homer in 128 games last season. Bartlett went 1 for 4, and is hitting .376 this year.
Oakland tied it at 3 on Orlando Cabrera’s RBI single off Dan Wheeler in the eighth. The Athletics failed in their bid for a season-high three-game winning streak.
Gabe Kapler hit an RBI double and Upton drove in a run with an infield single as Tampa Bay went ahead 2-0 in the second.
The Athletics made it 2-all in the fourth on Kennedy’s RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Sweeney.
Tampa Bay completed an eight-game homestand against Cleveland and Oakland with a 5-3 record.
The game was delayed 19 minutes with two outs in the bottom of the first because of a power failure at Tropicana Field. The Rays said a nearby electrical substation was affected by a lightning strike.
The umpires pulled the Athletics off the field as power was being restored.
“I was bitter to quite bitter about it,” Braden said of the delay. “There’s not much you can really do when the lights go out. Played catch, tried not to get struck by lightning or whatever was going on out there. Nice state, Florida.”
Xtra, xtra: The AL record for pinch-hit homers in a season is five, set by Boston’s Joe Cronin in 1943. Upton had two hits in four at-bats. He entered 1 for 25 against the Athletics this season. Oakland RHP Justin Duchscherer (right elbow surgery) threw at 60 feet on level ground (Associated Press - Sports).
Brett Anderson needed a great defensive play from Ryan Sweeney to preserve his special night.
Anderson pitched into the seventh inning to pick up his first major league win, and Orlando Cabrera was one of six Oakland Athletics to drive in at least a run in a 7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night.
“Getting the first win is an unbelievable feeling,” Anderson said. “I want to carry it over down the stretch.”
Anderson (1-4) gave up four runs—two earned—and four hits over six-plus innings. The victory came in his seventh career start, all this season.
Brad Ziegler pitched the ninth for his fifth save. He some got help when Sweeney made a diving, two-out catch on B.J. Upton’s drive to center that might have scored the tying run.
“I knew it was going to be close, real close,” Upton said. “Another inch, it’s a triple. He came up with it. A great play by him.”
Sweeney completed his dash toward left-center with a full-out dive.
“I knew it would be close, but as an outfielder, you say you know you were going to catch it right off the bat,” Sweeney said.
Cabrera had two RBIs, helping Oakland win its second in a row and sixth in the last 16 games.
Tampa Bay left-hander Scott Kazmir (4-4) had another dismal outing, allowing seven runs, eight hits, four walks and hitting a batter in 4 1-3 innings. Over his last five starts, Kazmir has given up 31 runs—29 earned—over 23 innings.
“It’s one of those things that you just really sit back and evaluate it (Thursday), get a chance to talk to him, see where he’s at and try to come up with the right game plan for the next time out,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
Kazmir said he picked up some bad habits coming back last year after missing the opening month of the regular season with a left elbow strain.
“It’s really frustrating,” Kazmir said. “Words can’t explain it. You’re completely healthy, feel good and you’re just kind of fighting yourself.”
Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar homered for the defending AL champion Rays (20-22), who have lost two in a row after a four-game winning streak.
Oakland took a 2-0 lead on RBI singles by Jason Giambi in the first and Kurt Suzuki during the second. Adam Kennedy’s run-scoring double and a sacrifice fly by Bobby Crosby made it 4-0 in the third.
Pena hit a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 4-2. Pena’s 14th homer of the season ended a 40 at-bat stretch in which he hadn’t gone deep.
Aaron Cunningham had an RBI double and Cabrera drove in a pair with a single as Oakland extended its lead to 7-2 in the fifth.
Aybar hit a solo homer in the fifth and added a sacrifice fly during a two-run seventh that pulled Tampa Bay to 7-5. Akinori Iwamura tripled in a run in the seventh, and was later thrown out by second baseman Kennedy attempting to score on pinch-hitter Ben Zobrist’s pop fly down the right-field line.
After Santiago Casilla threw a wild pitch that allowed a run to score that cut the Athletics’ advantage to 7-6, the right-hander later induced a grounder from Aybar with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth.
Xtra, xtra: New Yankee Stadium and Tropicana Field are the only two major league parks where at least one homer has been hit in every game this season. Oakland RHP Justin Duchscherer (right elbow surgery) has had “no setbacks” in his rehab program according to manager Bob Geren and could start throwing off a mound shortly. Rays RHP Chad Bradford (right elbow surgery) is nearing the start of a minor league rehab assignment. Athletics backup C Landon Powell, who hurt a hamstring running out a grounder on Monday, is available off the bench but won’t be in the lineup for a few more days. Oakland RHP Russ Springer, who faced one batter, experienced tightness in his forearm, but said he is fine (Associated Press - Sports).
After 10 scoreless innings, the Oakland Athletics got a little help from the Tampa Bay Rays to finally break out.
Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer during a four-run 11th inning to help the Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Tuesday night.
“We need to start winning games because it’s been frustrating,” Holliday said after Oakland won for just fifth time in 15 games.
Holliday hit his fifth homer of the season on a two-out, 3-2 pitch from Joe Nelson. Adam Kennedy later added an RBI double.
“That was something,” Athletics manager Bob Geren said. “Holliday, with two strikes, hit one of the longest balls I’ve seen all year.”
Holliday got a chance to hit after Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett misplayed Jack Cust’s grounder that should be ended the inning.
“It’s definitely not on J.B.,” Nelson said. “That’s where I need to step up.”
Santiago Casilla (1-1) pitched a scoreless 10th inning for the win, which stopped Oakland’s four-game losing streak.
Willy Aybar hit a solo homer for Tampa Bay in the bottom of the 11th.
The defending AL champion Rays (20-21), who had won four straight, failed in the attempt to move above the .500 mark for the first since they were 4-3.
“That’s the kind of game that we’ve permitted to get away from us this year way too often,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “We’ve got to starting winning those kind of games on a consistent basis.”
Tampa Bay right-hander James Shields allowed four hits in 8 1-3 shutout innings. Dan Wheeler (1-1) took the loss.
“I’ve always said it’s not how you pitch, it’s when you pitch,” Shields said. “Our team is a good team, and we’re going to come back from this. Their pitcher did a great job of counteracting what I was doing out there.”
Shields is 1-3 in his last six starts despite allowing 16 runs—13 earned— in 40 2-3 innings.
Athletics left-hander Josh Outman gave up three hits, one walk and struck out six over six scoreless innings.
“Obviously I’d like a win, but the team getting the win at this point is more important,” Outman said. “I think this could right the the ship for us and we can stop giving up big numbers and let the offense work.”
Oakland starting pitchers had given up 31 runs—23 earned—over 13 innings in the previous four games. In losing all four of those games, the Athletics allowed 47 runs overall.
Orlando Cabrera started the first with a single and went to second when Holliday drew a two-out walk. Shields then started a stretch of retiring 17 in a row by inducing an inning-ending grounder from Jason Giambi. The run ended when Holliday hit a one-out single in the seventh.
Holliday had two hits in four at-bats. He entered 1 for 14 against the Rays this season.
Tampa Bay had two on and one out in the third, but failed to score when B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford struck out.
Upton had a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth against Andrew Bailey and went to third on a single by Crawford. After Evan Longoria struck out and Carlos Pena walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases, Bartlett struck out swinging.
Bartlett went 1 for 4 with a walk, and is hitting .380 this season.
Xtra, xtra: Rays C Dioner Navarro (pinkeye) was out of the lineup for the second straight game, but entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth. Maddon said with a smile that Navarro’s eye looks like a “scene from a horror film.” Giambi went 0 for 3, and is hitless in 13 at-bats overall, against Shields. Crawford stole his 25th base of the season in the 10th. Tampa Bay’s streak of scoring three or more runs in 21 straight games—which was the longest active stretch in the majors—ended (Associated Press - Sports).
Jason Bartlett goes about his business quietly with the AL champion Rays, content to stay out of the spotlight in a clubhouse full of rising young stars.
The slick-fielding shortstop solidified Tampa Bay’s defense during last season’s run to the World Series. Now, his hot bat is one of the reasons the team has been able to put together a season-best four-game winning streak and is back to .500 for the first time since mid-April.
“I know he played really well last year. But at no point did I see him play this well,” manager Joe Maddon said after Bartlett drove in a career-high five runs in Monday night’s 13-4 rout of the Oakland Athletics. “I’m talking a complete game.”
Bartlett went 3 for 3 with a walk to raise his batting average to .384. He had a two-run single off Sean Gallagher (1-2) in the first, as well as a run-scoring triple in the fifth and a two-run single in the sixth off Gio Gonzalez.
Bartlett’s most impressive contribution might have been scoring from second base on a passed ball in the first inning. Yet Bartlett insisted he was not satisfied with his performance because he also committed a throwing error that helped Oakland score its first run.
“I take a lot of pride in my defense,” he said. “It would have been a great day if I hadn’t made the error.”
Rookie right-hander Jeff Niemann (4-3) allowed four runs and eight hits in eight innings to win for the fourth time in five decisions. He struck out three and walked none in the longest outing of his career.
Jason Isringhausen, who came off the disabled list Sunday, pitched the ninth for Tampa Bay—his first appearance in a major league game since undergoing right elbow surgery in September, when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals.
“It was good to get out there,” said Isringhausen, who had last thrown in a game Aug. 16 at Cincinnati.
“I had nerves, believe me. It started in the second or third inning because I didn’t know when I’d be used,” the 36-year-old right-hander said. “Niemann did a great job going out there through eight innings. It was a big pickup for the bullpen.”
The A’s, swept at Detroit last weekend, have been outscored 47-13 during a four-game losing streak in which their starting pitchers have yielded 31 runs (23 earned) in 13 innings. Despite giving up just three hits, Gallagher allowed nine runs in 2 1-3 innings.
“We’ve hit a big bump in our pitching,” A’s manager Bob Geren said. “It needs to improve, and it will.”
Akinori Iwamura drove in three runs for the Rays, who had at least one stolen base in each of the previous 19 games. After building a big early lead, they didn’t even attempt a steal.
The streak was the longest in the AL since the 1914 Yankees swiped a base in 19 straight games.
Bartlett’s first two RBIs came during Tampa Bay’s six-run first. That inning, Gallagher walked Ben Zobrist with the bases loaded, hit the next batter with a pitch to force in another run and later watched two others race home on a passed ball.
On the passed ball, catcher Kurt Suzuki appeared to lose sight of the pitch and was struck in the left shoulder while trying to duck out of the way.
“I lost control of the ball. I feel terrible,” Gallagher said. “The guy is expecting the ball to break and it stays straight.”
The A’s scored on Jason Giambi’s first-inning sacrifice fly, Orlando Cabrera’s solo homer in the third and Jack Cust’s two-run homer in the eighth.
Xtra, xtra: The Rays stole 43 bases during their streak and lead the majors with 67. Cabrera has homered in consecutive games after going 38 without one dating to last season. Oakland put RHP Dan Giese (right elbow) on the 15-day disabled list and recalled Gonzalez from Triple-A Sacramento. A’s INF Nomar Garciaparra (right calf), on the DL since April 29, might be ready to return Wednesday. He ran the bases, fielded grounders at third base and took batting practice before the game. Rays C Dioner Navarro was out of the lineup because of pink eye. He could return before the end of the series (Associated Press - Sports).
Andy Sonnanstine thought the last time he batted third was in Little League, maybe.
Sonnanstine delivered after a pregame mistake forced the pitcher to bat Sunday, hitting an RBI double in the Tampa Bay Rays' 7-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
The game was delayed 13 minutes before the bottom of the first due to a lineup card error by the Rays that listed both Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria as the third baseman. Longoria was supposed to be the designated hitter, but Tampa Bay lost the DH position because of the snafu and was forced to put Sonnanstine in the third spot of the lineup.
“I knew something was up, but I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen,” Sonnanstine said. “They told me that I was going to have to hit, and I corrected them and told them ‘I get to hit.’ I took it as an opportunity. That was one of the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of.”
Sonnanstine (2-4) went 1 for 3, including a run-scoring double in the fourth. He also reached on a failed sacrifice in the first and struck out looking in the third.
Rays manager Joe Maddon took the blame for the lineup card miscue. He didn’t notice the problem before signing it.
“I messed up, and the players picked me up,” he said.
Umpire crew chief Tim McClelland said Cleveland manager Eric Wedge brought up the issue.
“It’s just an interpretation of the rule and we had to be clear on the rule. That’s why we took so long in talking,” McClelland said. “We wanted to make sure all four us were clear on the rule.”
Sonnanstine became the first pitcher to get at least two plate appearances in an AL game since teammate Matt Garza did it for the Minnesota Twins at the Chicago White Sox on July 6, 2007, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
On the mound, Sonnanstine gave up five runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. Troy Percival pitched the ninth for his sixth save.
Ben Francisco had two homers and four RBIs for the Indians, who lost three straight against the Rays after winning the series opener Thursday.
There was a brief scrum in the bottom of the eighth after Indians closer Kerry Wood’s first two pitches went behind and in tight to B.J. Upton. Catcher Victor Martinez, who got out of the way of a high-and-inside pitch earlier in the series, got into a yelling match with someone on the Rays’ bench before both dugouts emptied.
Maddon feels Wood was intentionally throwing at Upton in response to the lead-off hitter stealing a base Thursday with the Rays trailing 9-0. Tampa Bay wound up scoring six times in the inning after the stolen base.
“From the get-go, it felt like one of those days. You just knew something wasn’t right,” Upton said. “The more I think about it, bringing the closer in to get one more out, it probably should have been heads up in the box anyway. It’s over with, and we move on.”
Wedge said Wood didn’t throw on purpose at Upton.
“We got Kerry Wood out there because he hasn’t pitched in three days, and I figured if we could tie it or take the lead, we can run him one-plus (inning),” Wedge said.
Percival hit Mark DeRosa, the leadoff hitter in the ninth, on an 0-2 pitch.
“I’m not going to put a game on the line in that situation. I’m not going to hit him (intentionally),” Percival said.
Tampa Bay scored five times in the fourth to take a 7-3 lead. Jason Bartlett hit an RBI single and Michel Hernandez added a three-run double. Hernandez came home when Sonnanstine doubled to left against rookie David Huff (0-1).
Upton walked, stole second and scored on Carl Crawford’s single to give the Rays a 1-0 lead in the first. Tampa Bay has at least one stolen base in 19 straight games, which equals the longest streak in the AL since the 1914 New York Yankees had a 19-game run.
Francisco homered in both at-bats against Sonnanstine, and is 6 for 7 with four homers overall against the right-hander. He put the Indians ahead 3-1 with a three-run drive in the second and added a solo shot in a two-run fifth.
Huff gave up seven runs and seven hits over 3 2-3 innings in his major league debut. The left-hander walked four and struck out two.
Longoria entered the game at third with two outs in the sixth when Grant Balfour replaced Sonnanstine. He also moved into the third spot of the lineup.
The Rays may have gotten a big break in the eighth when it appeared the umpires blew the call on Ryan Garko’s deep drive to left with one out. It was ruled that Crawford caught the fly after it first hit his glove while jumping at the wall. TV replays indicated the ball went off the padding just below the home-run line before the left fielder got to it.
McClelland said Crawford’s catch is not reviewable by video.
“We had just a little bit of everything,” Crawford said. “One of those games that, who’s watching it on TV would be happy with the entertainment.”
Xtra, xtra: Indians DH Travis Hafner (shoulder), on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Columbus, singled in three-at-bats against injured New York Yankees RHP Chien-Ming Wang (hips), who started for Scranton/Wikes-Barre (Associated Press - Sports).
Joe Maddon is hopeful the Rays are back to playing championship-caliber baseball.
B.J. Upton homered for the second consecutive day, Matt Garza pitched six effective innings and Tampa Bay beat the Cleveland Indians 4-2 on Saturday.
“I expect us to get back to the playoffs and I expect that we’ll stop making the little mistakes that we didn’t make in the past,” The Rays manager said.
The defending AL champions Rays (18-20) have won 10 of 16.
Hours after he completed the Rays’ rally from seven runs down with a game-ending drive Friday night for an 8-7 victory over Cleveland, Upton put the Rays ahead 1-0 with his second home run of the season off Carl Pavano in the fourth.
“B.J.’s homer was big,” Maddon said.
Upton, who started the season on the disabled list after left shoulder surgery, is hitting .192. However, he has worked recently on the lower half of his batting stance and has seven hits in his last 19 at-bats.
Gabe Gross and Akinori Iwamura pulled off a double steal in the fifth, giving Tampa Bay at least one stolen base in 18 straight games, which is the longest stretch in the AL since the New York Yankees had a 19-game run in 1914. Both scored on Jason Bartlett’s single to make it 3-0.
“The double steal really killed me,” Pavano said.
Bartlett stole second later in the fifth, but left was stranded on base. The Rays have stolen three bases or more in a game 11 times this season.
Garza (4-2) gave up two runs and five hits. The right-hander had three strikeouts and four walks.
“Today was a lucky day,” Garza said of getting away with the four walks without too much trouble.
Joe Nelson, the third Tampa Bay reliever, worked the ninth for his second save.
Maddon opted to use Nelson over closer Troy Percival because of the strong left-handed presence in the Cleveland lineup. Lefty’s are hitting .476 against Percival this season.
Pavano (3-4) had his three-start winning streak end. He allowed three runs, six hits, two walks and struck out six in five-plus innings.
The Indians pulled to 3-2 in the sixth on Jhonny Peralta’s RBI double and a sacrifice fly by David Dellucci.
Tampa Bay went up 4-2 on Ben Zobrist’s RBI double in the eighth.
Cleveland loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fourth, but failed to score when Garza induced a grounder to third from Kelly Shoppach. The Indians went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.
“We missed opportunities, and in a tight game like that, that’s usually the difference,” Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said.
Victor Martinez went 3 for 4, raising his batting average to .409, for the Indians.
“He’s doing everything he can to help get us going,” Wedge said. “He’s just been on a mission.”
Xtra, xtra: Cleveland plans to call up LHP David Huff from Triple-A Columbus to start Sunday’s game. It will be his major league debut. To make room for Huff, the Indians are taking RHP Masa Kobayashi off the roster and would like him to go to Triple-A Columbus, but Kobayashi has the option to reject the assignment. “We’re hoping that he’ll accept the assignment,” Wedge said, “go down there and get ready to work and get himself going.” Kobayashi has an 8.38 ERA with no decisions in 10 games this year. Rays DH Pat Burrell (neck stiffness) will be re-evaluated Sunday. He had a cortisone shot on Friday. Pavano struck out his first four batters. Garza threw 40 of his 120 pitches during the sixth (Associated Press - Sports).
Down seven runs, the Tampa Bay Rays never felt they were going to lose.
“You could see it in guys’ eyes,” B.J. Upton said after his ninth-inning homer capped the biggest comeback in franchise history and gave the defending AL champions an 8-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Friday night.
“We don’t stop playing. The energy was still up in the dugout,” Upton added. “There was a lot of game left.”
A night after building a 9-0 lead and holding on in the late innings for an 11-7 victory, the last-place Indians jumped out to another big advantage against left-hander Scott Kazmir.
This time it was 7-0 before Cleveland’s pitching and defense helped Tampa Bay, which got a strong performance from its bullpen, get back in it.
The Rays scored two runs on throwing errors and a third on a wild pitch before Ben Zobrist led off the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer that made it 7-all.
Upton led off the ninth with his first homer on a 3-2 pitch from Luis Vizcaino (0-1), who signed with Cleveland on Thursday.
“When you don’t make your pitch, somebody hits it,” said Vizcaino, who hadn’t appeared in a game since April 21, when he was with the Chicago Cubs.
Grady Sizemore opened the game with the 19th leadoff home run of his career, breaking a tie with Kenny Lofton for the most in Indians history. Shin-Soo Choo homered for the second straight game, hitting a two-run shot that made it 7-0 in the fourth.
Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar drove in runs in the comeback against Indians starter Anthony Reyes and relievers Tony Sipp, Jensen Lewis and Rafael Betancourt, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh only to give up Zobrist’s tying homer in the eighth.
Cleveland’s bullpen has been a problem all season.
“It was 9-0 last night. It’s 7-0 tonight, and we end up losing the ballgame. At some point, these guys—they’ve got to look in the mirror,” said Indians manager Eric Wedge, who was ejected in the third for contesting a play at the plate.
“When you score seven runs, you should be up at home plate tension free,” he added. “Our guys are up there and they’re not tension-free for the fact they feel like they’ve got to score more runs, and that’s ridiculous.”
Dan Wheeler (1-0) pitched one inning to get the win. The Rays had previously overcome six-run deficits to win on five occasions, most recently on Sept. 24, 2008, at Baltimore, where they trailed 6-0 before winning 11-6.
Kazmir allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 3 1-3 innings—his shortest outing of the season. Since beating Boston and the New York Yankees in his first two starts, the 25-year-old left-hander has yielded 30 runs, 41 hits and 22 walks in his last 28 2-3 innings.
“I’m just in a funk right now, and I’m going to get out of it,” Kazmir said.
Reyes retired nine in a row before Upton doubled for Tampa Bay’s first hit. The speedy center fielder stole third, giving the Rays at least one swipe in 17 consecutive games, and scored on Pena’s RBI single.
The stolen base streak matches the longest in the AL since 1954. The 1976 Athletics and 2001 Yankees each swiped a base in 17 straight, while the longest stretch in the majors during that span is 29 by the 1985 Cardinals.
A second run in the Rays’ fourth scored on Choo’s throwing error from right field, and Aybar followed with a RBI single that trimmed Cleveland’s lead to 7-3.
The Rays pulled within two runs on second baseman Jamey Carroll’s throwing error in the sixth, and Jason Bartlett scored on a wild pitch that trimmed the deficit to 7-6 in the seventh.
Xtra, xtra: Rays LF Carl Crawford returned to the lineup after missing one game because of a bruised right shoulder. He had his major league-leading 23rd and 24th steals. Indians DH Travis Hafner, who’s been on the 15-day disabled list since April 29 because of a sore right shoulder, began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Columbus. Rays DH Pat Burrell, who sat out his fourth consecutive game because of a sore neck, received a cortisone shot and will be out Saturday, too. His status will be re-evaluated on Sunday (Associated Press - Sports).
Brendan Harris homered, Nick Blackburn pitched well, Denard Span made a highlight-reel defensive play, and reliever Jose Mijares made a difficult catch before falling face-first on the mound.
