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David Price doesn’t have an answer why most of his success during his rookie season has come at Tropicana Field
Price allowed one run over seven innings and Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to an 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.
Price (4-4) gave up five hits and improved to 4-1 at home this year.
“I feel good where ever it is,” Price said.
The left-hander has 2.67 ERA in 33 2-3 innings at home, compared to a road ERA of 8.20 over 26 1-3 innings.
“When it comes to a young guy, some guys it’s just a comfort level at home,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We are so young among our pitchers that you’re going to run into that once in a while. If it is some kind of a concern for David right now, he’s going to grow out of it rather quicky.”
Pena’s homer was his 26th this season, but just the third in July.
Alberto Callaspo extended his hitting streak to 13 games for Kansas City, which has lost 14 of 17. The Royals are 0-7 against Tampa Bay this season.
Pena put the Rays up 3-0 on an opposite-field shot off the left-field pole in the first.
“That’s a first,” Pena said. “I don’t remember (hitting the left-field pole) even in little league. Going the other way with strength and power is always a good sign, I think, for any hitter.”
Pena’s two-out homer came off Sidney Ponson (1-7), who allowed seven runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings.
“I put us in a hole right away,” Ponson said. “I didn’t pitch well.”
Callaspo singled during the second and later scored on Alex Gordon’s grounder to get the Royals within 3-1.
Jason Bartlett made it 4-1 on a fourth-inning RBI double. The Rays extended their advantage to 7-1 in the fifth when Ben Zobrist drove in a run with a triple, and Pat Burrell and Gabe Gross had RBI singles.
Tampa Bay’s Dioner Navarro added a solo homer in the eighth. Brayan Pena hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth for the Royals.
Zobrist hit into a strange double play to end the third. With runners on first and third, Zobrist hit a liner that struck Ponson on the left arm and shoulder and was caught for an out by second baseman Callaspo, who then made a throw that first baseman Billy Butler couldn’t handle that allowed Evan Longoria to return safely to first. Butler later threw to Gordon at third, who easily beat Carl Crawford to third base for the second out.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said.
“How strange is that?” Maddon added.
Plate umpire Charlie Reliford left with a tear in his right calf and is expected to be out four to six weeks. The game was completed with a three-man umpiring crew.
Xtra, xtra: Maddon had no problem with the defending AL champions not making a trade before the non-waiver deadline and said the Rays have the players to compete for a playoff spot. Royals RHP Kyle Farnsworth, sidelined since June 25 due to a strained right groin, will be re-evaluated this weekend after experiencing renewed tightness. Pena is 6-for-14 with two homers against Ponson. Kansas City OF Jose Guillen (right knee) will have his scheduled second opinion in the next few days. Guillen is getting treatment only for the injury at the current time (Associated Press - Sports).
George Steinbrenner’s presence placed a lot more heat on Joba Chamberlain than the Tampa Bay Rays.
With the Boss making the short trip from his Florida home to watch from his private suite at Tropicana Field, Chamberlain pitched eight scoreless inning Wednesday night as New York beat the Rays 6-2 to continue a strong second-half start.
“It’s great he came here. It’s definitely good to get a win when he’s in the house,” Chamberlain said. “I heard stories about when he was here. It was a little nerve-racking. I got a little nervous knowing he was in the house.”
Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano homered and drove in two runs apiece for the Yankees, who won for the 11th time in 13 games since the All-Star break.
They increased their AL East lead over second-place Boston to 3 1/2 games and dropped the defending division champion Rays a season-high 7 1/2 games off the pace in third place.
Steinbrenner, who lives in Tampa, visited the Yankees clubhouse before the game, spending about a half-hour in manager Joe Girardi’s office.
“It’s always good to see him. He doesn’t come around as much as he used to. He’s real proud,” New York captain Derek Jeter said. “We talked about a few things. His attitude never changes.”
Chamberlain (7-2) limited the sputtering Rays to three singles—two by Jason Bartlett—while allowing only one runner to reach second base. The right-hander struck out five and walked two, with both of the free passes coming in the fifth inning.
Teixeira and Melky Cabrera hit solo homers in the ninth. Teixeira and Jorge Posada also had RBI singles for the Yankees, who have won 24 of their last 31 games to move to the top of the division.
Cano grounded out to drive in a run in the fourth inning, then hit his 16th homer of the year in the sixth for a 3-0 lead against Matt Garza (7-8).
Chamberlain is 4-0 over his last seven starts and improved to 5-0 in nine starts on the road this season. He retired eight in a row before Bartlett singled with two outs in the third and gave up an infield hit to Carl Crawford on a comebacker that he slowed down but couldn’t field in the sixth.
“In my eyes,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said of Chamberlain, “that’s probably the best I’ve seen him.”
Bartlett added his second hit with two outs in the eighth.
“Joba seems to get better and better every time out,” Jeter said. “Today, in my opinion, was the best he’s been all year because he was working quick, he’s throwing strikes. It’s easy to play behind him.”
Although Chamberlain departed with a 6-0 lead, the Yankees still had to call on Mariano Rivera finish the game in a non-save situation after Brian Bruney gave up a triple to Crawford and Evan Longoria’s 21st homer with no outs in the ninth.
Rivera, who entered with one out after Carlos Pena doubled off Bruney, struck out Pat Burrell. After walking Gabe Gross, the New York closer fanned Michel Hernandez to end the game.
The Yankees built a 2-0 lead on Teixeira’s run-scoring single in the first and a single, double and Cano’s RBI grounder in the fourth, however they wasted several opportunities to put Garza in a deep hole by stranding runners at third in the second and third innings.
Garza struck out Alex Rodriguez to get out of another jam with a runner in scoring position after walking Johnny Damon and hitting Teixeira with a pitch with two outs in the fifth.
Teixeira was plunked after one of Chamberlain’s pitches sailed over the head of Longoria, who was hit by a pitch by Yankees reliever Jonathan Albaladejo. Garza said he was standing up for the Rays’ All-Star third baseman.
“They can take whatever they want from it, but I just kind of got tired of people brushing him back. It’s about time someone made a statement,” Garza said.
“I hate to be that guy, but someone had to take a stand and say we’re tired of it. You go after our best guy. Well, we’ll make some noise, too, and that’s what happened.”
Xtra, xtra: Garza, coming off an impressive nine-inning performance in which he outpitched Roy Halladay in a 10-inning win over Toronto, allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings. A night after going 2 for 3 with a RBI triple against CC Sabathia, Crawford joined the Yankees ace in hosting “Catching Up With Carl Crawford,” an event held to stimulate interest in baseball among young African-Americans. The players shared stories about how they got involved in the game as youngsters. Yankees RHP Chien-Ming Wang had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his injured right shoulder in Birmingham, Ala. Rays C Shawn Riggans (right shoulder tendinitis) finished a minor league rehab assignment and was optioned to Triple-A Durham (Associated Press - Sports).
Scott Kazmir pitched like an All-Star again, shrugging off trade rumors and helping the Tampa Bay Rays slow down the streaking New York Yankees.
Kazmir outpitched CC Sabathia to win for the first time in more than two months, and the defending AL champions backed the young left-hander with timely hitting and superb defense in a 6-2 victory Tuesday night.
“People have been wanting more out of him, but he’s been putting himself back together slowly. What you saw tonight was some really good work,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said after Kazmir allowed one run and five hits in a season-high seven-plus innings.
“That’s as good a game as I’ve seen out of him,” Maddon added, “in about a year.”
An All-Star in 2008, Kazmir struggled late in the year and again early this season before spending five weeks on the disabled list recovering from a right quad strain and working on his pitching mechanics.
His winless streak covered seven starts, five since being reinstated from the DL on June 27.
“I feel like after the (All-Star) break, me thinking about my mechanics— that kind of mental side—was completely out the window,” Kazmir said. “I was just concentrating on throwing the ball where I wanted to.”
Evan Longoria hit a solo homer and Carl Crawford had an RBI triple off Sabathia (10-7), and the Yankees lost for just the second time in 12 games since the All-Star break.
The AL East leaders got more bad news when they learned right-hander Chien-Ming Wang will undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his injured pitching shoulder.
“It’s a tough loss for us,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I feel for him. He’s been through a lot the last 14, 15 months. Hopefully this is will be the end of the surgeries for him and he’ll have the rest of his career be real healthy. We’ll be there for him and we’ll help him get through this. We’ll get him back pitching as soon as we can.”
A subject of speculation with the non-waiver trade deadline approaching on Friday, Kazmir (5-6) responded with his strongest performance of the season to notch his first win since May 9, against Boston.
The 25-year-old left-hander took a four-hitter into the eighth inning and retired 10 of 12 batters he faced after giving up a RBI single to Hideki Matsui with one out in the fourth. He left the game after allowing a leadoff single to Nick Swisher in the eighth, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd of 32,304.
“It was a little emotional,” Kazmir said, adding that it did cross his mind that he might have been making his final start for Tampa Bay. “To get the ovation that I got was special. I’ll remember that a long time.”
Sabathia, 7-1 lifetime against Tampa Bay before Tuesday, allowed six runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings.
Longoria’s homer put Tampa Bay up 4-1 in the fifth. The Rays chased the Yankees ace with two more runs in the sixth on Jason Bartlett’s RBI infield single and B.J. Upton’s bloop double that drove in Bartlett from first.
“This is horrible. We’re too good of a team for me to not even give us a chance. It’s definitely frustrating,” Sabathia said. “We have been playing well, but you want to continue to keep playing well. These are games in our division that we need to win.”
The victory enabled the third-place Rays to move back within 6 1/2 games of the Yankees in the division. New York’s 11-4 win in the series opener on Monday night had dropped Tampa Bay a season-high 7 1/2 off the pace.
Kazmir, the losing pitcher last Thursday when the Rays were the victim of Mark Buehrle’s perfect game in Chicago, walked one and struck out four in a season-high seven-plus innings. Grant Balfour, Randy Choate and J.P. Howell finished, with Choate allowing a run-scoring double to Matsui in the ninth.
Xtra, xtra: Sabathia fanned Crawford in the fifth inning for his 1,500th career strikeout. Rays 2B Akinori Iwamura, who had surgery last month to repair a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, fielded ground balls for the first time since being injured in late May. There’s still no timetable for him to begin a rehab assignment. Yankees LF Johnny Damon retrieved the ball he hit for his 200th career homer Monday night after a fan tossed it back onto the field from the right-field stands. He plans to put it on display at his home, along with the balls he hit for his first and 100th homers. Yankees LHP Damaso Marte (left shoulder inflammation) allowed three homers and three hits in 1 2-3 innings of a rehab outing at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Associated Press - Sports).
There’s no letup in the New York Yankees.
Starting a nine-game, 10-day road trip that could set the tone for the remainder of the season, the AL East leaders continued their strong second-half start with an 11-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
“We left home after a good homestand and we’re in a good spot right now,” right-hander A.J. Burnett said after the Yankees homered four times to improve to 10-1 since the All-Star break.
“But you can tell from these guys that we’re not content. We want to keep going and keep winning and see how far we can go.”
Burnett allowed two hits in seven innings and switch-hitter Nick Swisher homered from both sides of the plate for the Yankees, who maintained a 2 1/2 -game lead in the division over second-place Boston.
New York also extended its lead to 7 1/2 over the third-place Rays.
“We worry about winning series. We don’t worry about sending messages,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “For us, we wanted to get this road trip, it’s a long road trip, off on the right start and we did.”
Swisher homered from the left and right sides of the plate for the ninth time in his career, second this year. Robinson Cano and Johnny Damon also went deep, while Derek Jeter had three hits and Alex Rodriguez contributed a two-run double on his 34th birthday.
Cano had an RBI triple in the second inning, then led off the sixth with his 15th homer off Rays starter James Shields (6-7). Swisher hit his 15th off the right-hander two pitches later and added No. 16 off lefty Brian Shouse with a solo shot in the ninth.
Damon finished New York’s 15-hit night with his 200th career homer, a three-run blast that made it 11-3.
“We wanted to make sure we took the first one,” Swisher said. “After the break, I think the one thing we stressed was come out of the gate good, and that’s what we’re doing. We feel confident, and I’ll tell you what, if we keep playing like this, it’s going to be a really, really, fun season.”
Burnett (10-4) limited the Rays to B.J. Upton’s third-inning single until allowing an unearned run in the sixth, when Upton reached base after striking out on an inside pitch that skipped off Jorge Posada’s glove for a passed ball.
Upton moved to third on Carl Crawford’s single, then scored when Evan Longoria grounded into a double play.
Beginning a stretch in which they’ll play 19 of 26 on the road, the Yankees showed no signs of a letdown following the club’s best homestand (9-1) since June 2004. They’ve won 23 of their last 29, climbing a season-best 23 games over .500.
Tampa Bay’s 7 1/2 -game deficit matches its biggest of the season. The Rays never trailed by more than five games en route to winning the AL East and making an improbable run to the World Series last year.
“We can’t bury ourselves any further than we are right now,” Longoria said. “It becomes a lot tougher to win games late in the year, especially with the teams in our division.”
Burnett walked two and struck out five before departing with a 7-1 lead. The Rays scored twice off Jonathan Albaladejo in the eighth before the third New York pitcher, David Robertson, struck out Carlos Pena to escape a jam with two runners on.
Shields hasn’t won since beating the New York Mets on June 20, going 0-2 with five no decisions in seven starts since then. He fell to 1-7 lifetime against the Yankees, who have beaten him more than any team.
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon concedes his team faces an uphill battle to repeat as division champions and return to the playoffs, however he stressed the race is far from over.
“I hate to be disappointing. It’s just another game, and we have to come back tomorrow and play tomorrow,” Maddon said. “I don’t really apply the same amount of weight that other people do. I really believe in the one-day-at-a-time concept.”
Xtra, xtra: Rodriguez was back in the Yankees lineup after resting Sunday. He went 1 for 4 with a walk and exchanged words with plate umpire Brian Knight after taking a called third strike in the fifth inning. With OF Brett Gardner on the 15-day disabled list after breaking his left thumb, the Yankees only had three position players available off the bench—Cody Ransom, Jose Molina and Eric Hinske. The Rays activated Shouse (left elbow strain) from the DL and optioned RHP Dale Thayer to Triple-A Durham (Associated Press - Sports).
After losing the finale of a long and eventful road trip, the Tampa Bay Rays are finally heading home.
There won’t be much time to rest. A nine-game homestand opens Monday with three against the AL East-leading New York Yankees. After four games against Kansas City, the Rays play two against the Boston Red Sox, who lead the AL wildcard race.
“This is a crucial homestand,” Rays slugger Pat Burrell said. “I think it will dictate a lot, especially with the (July 31 trade) deadline coming up. If we have a real good homestand, I mean real good, we’re going to be in a good place.”
Scott Rolen hit a three-run home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Tampa Bay 5-1 on Sunday, handing Rays rookie Jeff Niemann his first loss in his last six decisions.
The Rays finished 6-4 on a road trip that began after the All-Star break and included both a perfect-game defeat to Chicago’s Mark Buehrle and the biggest comeback in team history, overturning an eight-run deficit in Saturday’s 10-9, 12-inning win.
“A lot of stuff happened in 10 days,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We’ve got to keep pushing it, there’s no two ways about it.”
Blue Jays rookie left-hander Brett Cecil got the win Sunday, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. Cecil (4-1) walked three and struck out seven. Brandon League pitched the eighth and Jason Frasor finished in the ninth as the Blue Jays won for just the second time in nine games against the Rays.
“(Cecil) is pitching well,” Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. “He set the tone. I’m proud of the way they came back and played because (Saturday) was a tough day for all of us.”
Outfielder B.J. Upton said Cecil denied the Rays one of their biggest weapons.
“He kept us off the basepaths and when you do that to us, it’s tough,” Upton said. “We’re a team that revolves around speed and letting the middle of our order knock us in.”
One day after matching its biggest blown lead ever, Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak. The Blue Jays have lost seven of their past eight series and are 8-17 in that stretch.
Niemann (9-5) allowed five runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings to lose for the first time since May 28 at Cleveland. He walked one and struck out six.
“I thought Jeff threw the ball great,” Maddon said. “He’s starting to really look like a major league pitcher.”
Niemann kept Toronto hitless through three innings before Aaron Hill and Adam Lind opened the fourth with back-to-back singles. Rolen followed with a homer to center, his eighth.
“It was a slider that just didn’t slide,” Niemann said. “It stayed out there and he capitalized.”
Rolen refused to speak to the media following the game.
Carl Crawford cut the deficit to 3-1 with his 10th homer of the season in the sixth inning. It snapped Cecil’s 18-inning scoreless streak.
Evan Longoria followed with a double and Ben Zobrist drew a four-pitch walk but Cecil struck out Burrell looking to end the inning.
Toronto answered in the bottom half when Lind doubled, went to third on Rolen’s single and scored when Vernon Wells grounded into a double play. The Blue Jays chased Niemann in the seventh. Lyle Overbay led off with a double, took third one out later on Joe Inglett’s single and scored on a base hit by Marco Scutaro.
Rays slugger Carlos Pena batted sixth for the second straight day and went 0 for 3 with a walk.
Xtra, xtra: Blue Jays scout Steve Springer attended the Class-A Clearwater Phillies game Sunday. Philadelphia is rumored to be the leading candidate to acquire Toronto RHP Roy Halladay. Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is considering using a six-man starting rotation over the final two months of the season, an effort to limit the innings of rookies Cecil, Scott Richmond and Marc Rzepczynski. Rays LHP Brian Shouse (elbow) is expected to come off the 15-day DL before Monday’s game against the Yankees. Toronto’s seventh annual Dog Day promotion attracted 324 dogs and their owners (Associated Press - Sports).
The Tampa Bay Rays refused to quit.
Jason Bartlett hit an RBI double in the 12th inning, capping the biggest comeback in Tampa Bay history, and the Rays erased an eight-run deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 on Saturday.
“That was a great game for us,” Rays slugger Carlos Pena said. “It’s an incredible boost to our confidence.”
Down 8-0 after four, Tampa Bay cut it to 9-7 heading into the ninth against closer Scott Downs. The defending AL champions tied it on solo homers by Pena and Willy Aybar, handing Downs his third blown save.
Downs took the loss in Friday’s series opener when he allowed two runs in the 10th.
“For me, it’s embarrassing,” Downs said. “Bottom line, it’s not executing. Yesterday I beat myself and today it was just bad location.”
It’s the first time in their 12-year history that the Rays have overcome an eight-run deficit. It matched the largest lead the Blue Jays have squandered, done three times previously.
Dropped to sixth in the order for the first time this season, Pena went 2 for 6 with four RBIs.
“I guess it worked today,” he said with a chuckle.
Facing right-hander Shawn Camp (0-5), Ben Zobrist singled to begin the 12th. After a two-out walk to Gabe Gross, Bartlett hit a double that landed on the left-field line, driving home the tiebreaking run.
“It had a lot of hook on it and I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We’ve hit several balls recently just foul or somebody’s catching it over the wall. It was nice to have one hit a line.”
J.P. Howell (6-2) pitched two innings for the win and Joe Nelson, Tampa Bay’s eighth pitcher, finished for his third save.
Toronto used three walks to load the bases with one out in the 12th but Nelson struck out Aaron Hill looking and got Adam Lind on a grounder.
“We’re exhausted, but it’s better to be exhausted and win than the other way around,” Pena said. “We’re very happy we were able to come out with that victory.”
With no relievers left, Maddon sent starter James Shields down to the bullpen in the 11th.
“I think I would have had to walk 30 to get him in the game,” Nelson joked.
Hill hit two home runs for Toronto, while Alex Rios and Jose Bautista also went deep. Still, the Blue Jays lost for the seventh time in eight games against the Rays.
Hill, who leads Toronto with 24 homers, had his second multihomer game of the season.
Tampa Bay loaded the bases with two outs in the 11th but Camp struck out Evan Longoria to end the threat.
With the Rays in a deep hole early, Nelson didn’t expect a comeback.
“It’s easy to throw ABs away when you’re down 8-0 after four innings and just say, ‘Let’s get out of here early and go get dinner,”’ Nelson said. “I was waiting for Joe to start pulling guys to give them some rest.”
That never happened. Instead, Pena chased Brian Tallet in the seventh with a bases-loaded triple that caromed off the base of the right-field wall. Brandon League came on and gave up an RBI grounder to Aybar.
“When we made it 9-5 it was like, ‘Hey, we’re within striking distance. We’re definitely not quitting,”’ Zobrist said.
Tampa Bay cut it to 9-7 in the eighth when Pat Burrell hit a two-run single off Jeremy Accardo, but the inning ended when Burrell was thrown out trying for a double.
It was all Toronto early, as Rays rookie left-hander David Price matched a season high by allowing six runs and nine hits in three innings.
“I just wasn’t any good at all,” Price said.
Toronto jumped on Price for two in the first. Lind hit an RBI double and Scott Rolen singled up the middle, with the ball grazing the middle finger on Price’s pitching hand and bringing a visit from Maddon and the trainer.
After three warmup pitches, Price declared himself fit to continue and gave up an RBI grounder to Kevin Millar.
Bautista hit a one-out drive in the second, his third. One out later, Hill also homered to left.
Rios hit a two-run drive to center in the third, his 12th, and Hill added a two-run shot off Lance Cormier in the fourth, his fourth in four games.
Pitching for the first time since July 8, Tallet allowed five runs in six-plus innings.
Xtra, xtra: Pena came in batting .133 (8 for 60) with one homer and four RBIs in July. Maddon said Pena will bat fifth or sixth for the time being. “I think he’s pressing a little too hard and I want him to back off,” Maddon said. Bautista had two outfield assists and leads the Blue Jays with seven (Associated Press - Sports).
The way Roy Halladay sees it, he expects he will still be pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays when the trade deadline passes.
“If there was an urgency to be somewhere else and an urgency from the team to have me somewhere else, I think it would be different,” Halladay, the most sought-after player on the trade market, said. “I just don’t get that feeling. At this point I feel like I’m going to be here.”
If Friday night’s game was his last with Toronto he gave the crowd of 24,151 one more solid effort, going nine innings before Tampa Bay scored twice in 10th for a 4-2 victory.
Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline is July 31 but Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi has set a loose deadline of July 28 to work out a deal. Halladay’s next scheduled start is July 29 at Seattle.
With trade rumors swirling, both Ricciardi and interim CEO Paul Beeston declined comment when approached before the game.
“No more talk,” Beeston said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot to say, but I’m not going to say it.”
Beeston wanted to keep a lid on things after Ricciardi said Thursday that Halladay’s desire to test free agency was the team’s primary reason for seeking a trade. Halladay, who has a full no-trade clause, can become a free agent after the 2010 season.
Halladay, however, said he simply wants to see whether Toronto can compete next year before he decides to try the open market. Now 32 and still awaiting his first trip to the postseason, Halladay acknowledged the need to be “a little bit selfish” when free agency arrives.
“Knowing that window is getting shorter to have a chance to win, I want to make that decision knowing everything that’s out there and not having to predict the future,” he said.
With one out in the 10th, B.J. Upton of the Rays reached on a fielder’s choice and went to second when Carl Crawford walked. Longoria followed with a double off Scott Downs (1-2) that dropped just in front of left fielder Joe Inglett.
“He threw a good pitch,” Longoria said. “I just put the hit in the right spot.”
Matt Garza (7-7) won for the first time in four starts by allowing two runs and five hits in nine innings, his longest outing this season. The righty, who walked none and struck out nine, is 3-2 with a 1.16 ERA in five starts at Rogers Centre.
“I was just trying to match (Halladay) pitch for pitch and keep my pitch count in the same area as his,” Garza said. “That’s what happened. Not walking anybody really helped too.”
J.P. Howell closed it out for his 11th save in 16 chances.
Halladay allowed two runs, one earned, and four hits. He walked three and struck out 10, the eighth 10-strikeout game of his career. He’s 0-2 in three starts against the Rays this season.
Halladay got his first standing ovation of the night before the game started, with fans rising to applaud as he walked in from the bullpen.
“It was electric, it was a great atmosphere,” Halladay said. “It was fun to be in.”
After being on the receiving end of Chicago’s Mark Buehrle’s perfect game Thursday, Crawford made sure the Rays would not go without a baserunner for the second straight day by singling up the middle in the first.
“It’s a tough two games in a row, Buehrle and Roy,” Longoria said. “Once we got the first hit out of the way today it was kind of like ‘All right, we can get back to playing our game now.”’
Consecutive sacrifice flies by Crawford and Longoria gave the Rays a 2-0 lead in the third but Toronto answered with a two-out rally in the bottom half. Marco Scutaro singled home Alex Rios and scored on Aaron’s Hill’s double to center.
Xtra, xtra: Fans in center field hung a banner that read “Thx 4 memories Doc,” while others held signs urging the team to keep Halladay and trade Ricciardi. Toronto returned RHP Casey Janssen (shoulder) from his rehab assignment and optioned him to Triple-A Las Vegas. Rays LHP Brian Shouse (elbow) pitched at Class-A Charlotte for the second straight night and could come off the 15-day DL Monday. The roof opened during the top of the fourth (Associated Press - Sports).
The 105th pitch of Mark Buehrle’s day broke in toward Gabe Kapler, who turned on it and connected. Buehrle looked up and knew—his perfect game was in jeopardy.
Just in as a defensive replacement, Chicago White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise sprinted toward the fence in left-center, a dozen strides. What happened next would be either a moment of baseball magic or the ninth-inning end of Buehrle’s bid for perfection against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Wise jumped and extended his right arm above the top of the 8-foot wall. The ball landed in his glove’s webbing but then popped out for a split second as he was caroming off the wall and stumbling on the warning track. Wise grabbed it with his bare left hand, fell to the ground and rolled. He bounced up, proudly displaying the ball for the crowd.
Magic. A home run turned into an out.
His biggest threat behind him, Buehrle coolly closed out the 18th perfect game in major league history, a 5-0 victory Thursday.
“I was hoping it was staying in there, give him enough room to catch it. I know the guys were doing everything they could to save the no-hitter, the perfect game, whatever it might be,” said Buehrle, who has now thrown two no-hitters in his career.
Wise knew the stakes.
“I was with the Braves in ’04 and I was there when Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks pitched a perfect game. So I’ve been on both sides of it,” he said. “It was probably the best catch I’ve ever made because of the circumstances.
“It was kind of crazy, man, because when I jumped, the ball hit my glove at the same time I was hitting the wall. So I didn’t realize I had caught it until I fell down and the ball was coming out of my glove, so I reached out and grabbed it.”
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was happy he made the switch to Wise, who came in at center while Scott Podsednik shifted to left and Carlos Quentin was pulled out.
“I guess that’s our job,” Guillen said.
Buehrle fell behind 3-1 in the count to Michel Hernandez, the second batter in the ninth, who took a called strike and then swung and missed at strike three.
With fans chanting Buehrle’s name, Jason Bartlett got ahead 2-1, then grounded to shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who threw to first baseman Josh Fields. Buehrle put both hands on his head and was mobbed by teammates between the mound and first base.
“Never thought I’d throw a no-hitter, never thought I’d throw a perfect game, never thought I’d hit a home run,” said Buehrle, who has done all three. “Never say never in this game because crazy stuff can happen.”
The pitcher received a congratulatory telephone call from President Barack Obama—a White Sox fan—following the 16th perfect game since the modern era began in 1900 and the first since Johnson’s on May 18, 2004.
“We joked around, a 30-second phone call, and I’m like ‘What? That’s all he’s got for me?”’ Buehrle said.
Obama, a lefty like Buehrle, wore a White Sox jacket when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at last week’s All-Star game in St. Louis.
“I told him how surprised I was that he actually did it,” Buehrle said. “He said, ‘Congratulations, and it’s an honor. A lot of people are going to remember this forever.”’
Obama had spoken with Buehrle—a St. Charles, Mo., native—in the AL clubhouse last week.
“As a fan, it’s extraordinary,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs quoted Obama as saying. “When you’re a White Sox fan and know the guy who did it, it makes it even more fun.”
Backed by Fields’ second-inning grand slam, Buehrle (11-3) threw 76 of 116 pitches for strikes and fanned six in his second no-hitter, helping Chicago move within a percentage point of AL Central-leading Detroit.
Kapler understood his role.
“That moment was magical for both Wise and Buehrle,” Kapler said, “and most guys earn those moments.”
In a 6-0 win over Texas on April 18, 2007, Buehrle also faced the minimum 27 batters. He walked Sammy Sosa in the fifth inning of that game, then picked him off two pitches later.
“I bought everyone watches after the last one. That was an expensive no-hitter,” Buehrle said. “This one will probably be more expensive.”
Buehrle and Johnson are the only two active pitchers with a pair of no-hitters, according to STATS LLC. In addition to his perfect game in 2004, The Big Unit tossed a no-hitter for Seattle on June 2, 1990, against Detroit.
Before the ninth, Buehrle needed no great plays behind him. In the fourth, Evan Longoria hit a line drive right at Ramirez. In the eighth, third baseman Gordon Beckham didn’t have to move to catch Pat Burrell’s liner.
“I’ve been involved in no-hitters before and you just have to move along,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s just a loss, but it does impact the team that gets the win, I believe.”
Buehrle went to three-ball counts on five batters, including 3-0 to Bartlett in the sixth. Bartlett took the next two pitches for strikes, fouled one off and then hit a routine grounder to Ramirez. As the shortstop threw to first, those in the crowd of 28,036, sensing history, cheered loudly.
With one out in the eighth, Ben Zobrist hit a weak grounder that just rolled foul and later popped out on a 3-2 pitch. The next batter, Burrell, lined one just foul to left, with third-base umpire Laz Diaz making an emphatic “foul” call. Burrell then lined out to third moments later.
The 30-year-old Buehrle became only the second pitcher to throw two no-hitters for the White Sox: Frank Smith did it against Detroit in 1905 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908. The only previous perfect game for the White Sox was by Charles Robertson at Detroit on April 30, 1922.
It was the second no-hitter against the Rays. Derek Lowe accomplished the feat for Boston on April 27, 2002.
Scott Kazmir (4-6) allowed five runs and five hits in sixth innings. In addition to Fields’ grand slam, Ramirez hit an RBI double in the fifth.
Toward the end, Buehrle’s wife Jamie was a wreck as she watched from the seats near home plate with 4-month-old daughter Brooklyn.
“I’m so proud of my husband, it’s unbelievable,” she said. “He just never ceases to amaze me. He keeps accomplishing more and more in his career.”
Xtra, xtra: The Rays placed RHP Chad Bradford on the 15-day DL with low back tightness and recalled RHP Dale Thayer from Triple-A Durham. After failing on their previous four attempts to go five games over .500, the White Sox succeeded. Chicago activated RHP Bartolo Colon from the 15-day DL and optioned RHP Carlos Torres to Triple-A Charlotte (Associated Press - Sports).
Alexei Ramirez and Jermaine Dye remained focused after an unusual long wait before their critical at-bats in the seventh inning
Ramirez hit a two-run triple and Dye added a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning as the Chicago White Sox came back to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Ramirez had to wait around as two pitchers warmed up before he stepped plate in the box.
“My concentration is really good at the moment. I really focused and it is something I have been working on over the past year, focusing on big moments like that,” said Ramirez through a translator.
Scott Podsednik homered for the White Sox, who pulled within one game of the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.
The Rays went through five pitchers in an unusual seventh inning caused by an injury to Chad Bradford during warm-up tosses on the mound.
Leading 3-1, the trouble began when Rays starter James Shields walked Gordon Beckham with two outs.
Rays manager Joe Maddon replaced Shields with left-hander Randy Choate to face Scott Podsednik. Podsednik hit a bouncer to shortstop Jason Bartlett, who made a bad throw that allowed Beckham and Podsednik to move to second and third.
Maddon then brought in Bradford, who after several warm-up pitches, had to leave the game with lower back stiffness.
Dan Wheeler (3-3) came in to face Ramirez, who hit a ball to center, that looked to be a routine fly out, but B.J. Upton misjudged the ball and it went over his head allowing two runs to score. Dye followed with a RBI single to make it 4-3.
“(I) just tried to stay focus and relax and just try to continue to have a gameplan,” said Dye. “A guy (Bradford) gets hurt on their staff and they bring in another pitcher and you have to try to think what he is going try to do to you.”
Upton didn’t get a good read on Ramirez’s ball from the start.
“He kind of took an inside out swing. Off the bat I really didn’t think he hit it that well. It kind of came out over Dan’s shoulder and kind over the umpire, so I really didn’t get a good look at it. I took a step in, but I still thought I had time to recover and I kind of spun out,” Upton said.
White Sox reliever D.J. Carrasco (3-0) pitched a perfect seventh inning and Matt Thornton pitched two scoreless innings for his first save of the season.
Bradford didn’t feel any pain during his warm-ups in the bullpen.
“Kind of out of nowhere. I felt fine in the bullpen, but I guess fourth or fifth warm-up pitch I felt a little something grab. I tried another one and it really got where I couldn’t move a whole lot,” said Bradford.
Gabe Gross hit a two-run homer and Pat Burrell added a solo shot for the Rays.
Shields, who has not won since June 20, allowed two runs on four hits in 6 2-3 innings.
White Sox starter Carlos Torres made his major league debut in place of left-hander John Danks, who missed the start with a blister on his left index finger.
Burrell tagged Torres for a solo shot in the fourth inning on a 1-0 pitch. It was his sixth of the season.
In the sixth inning, Ben Zobrist extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a leadoff single. One out later Gross hit his fifth homer of the season to make it 3-0.
Torres allowed three runs and six hits over six innings. The 26-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked three.
“The only person you got to prove for the most part is yourself, mistakes are obviously going to happen but I felt like I proved something,” said Torres.
Xtra, xtra: Before the game, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen defended closer Bobby Jenks and made it clear the closer job is still his. Jenks, suffered the loss and his third blown save of the season on Tuesday in a 3-2 loss to the Rays. “(He) blew one game, it’s not two, it’s one obviously that broke our heart but there is nobody in this room that feels worst than him. All of sudden, people treat him like he was a piece of garbage. The way they treat him is not fair,” said Guillen. Danks is scheduled to throw a side session on Saturday. If all goes well, he will make his next scheduled start against the Twins on Monday (Associated Press - Sports).
Another late rally, another dramatic win for the Tampa Bay Rays, and when it was over, Jason Bartlett let out a big sigh of relief.
“It’s stressful, man,” he said.
It’s a little easier when they have an ending like Tuesday night.
Carlos Pena’s sacrifice fly off Bobby Jenks capped a two-run ninth, and the Rays beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2.
Late rallies are becoming the norm for the Rays, who swept Kansas City with three come-from-behind wins before falling short in Monday’s 4-3 loss to Chicago. They loaded the bases in the ninth inning of that game but did not score against Jenks.
This time, trailing 2-1, they came through.
They had the bases loaded with no outs against Jenks (2-3) when Pat Burrell walked to force in Bartlett with the tying run. Pena drove in Evan Longoria with a sacrifice fly to right, making it 3-2 and sending the Rays to their fourth win in five games.
J.P. Howell allowed a leadoff single to A.J. Pierzynski in the bottom half, but he struck out Carlos Quentin and Jayson Nix before retiring Gordon Beckham on a comebacker for his 10th save in 15 chances.
The late rally made a winner of Jeff Niemann (9-4) and spoiled an outstanding start by Chicago’s Clayton Richard, who allowed four hits over a career-high eight innings.
Niemann, coming off a seven-hit shutout of Oakland, scattered eight hits over eight innings, striking out seven without walking a batter. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, striking out Scott Podsednik and Alexei Ramirez, but was looking like a tough-luck loser until the Rays got to Jenks.
“For me right there, that was the game,” Niemann said. “I had to keep them right there at that point.”
In a similar spot, Jenks couldn’t get the job done. He declined to speak to reporters afterward, instead telling a team spokesman, “I’m going through a rough patch. I’ll figure it out.”
Bartlett, who struck out to end Monday’s game, led off the ninth with a single and Jenks simply unraveled from there, blowing his third save in 25 opportunities. He hit Longoria and Ben Zobrist singled to load the bases before Burrell walked to tie it.
Burrell was doubled off first on Pena’s sacrifice fly. Pinch-hitter Carl Crawford walked before Gabe Gross grounded out to end the inning.
Until that rally, the White Sox appeared to be on their way to their 14th win in 20 games. They scored two in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead on an RBI double by Beckham—one of his three hits—and grounder by Podsednik, and that looked like it might be enough.
Richard delivered his best outing after going 1-2 with a 10.80 ERA in his previous five starts and putting his spot in the rotation—if not on the roster — in jeopardy.
“It’s just common sense,” Richard said. “At this level, when you struggle for so long, things have to get better. I realized that I would have a better outing. It’s just unfortunate it didn’t come out on our side.”
With John Danks missing Wednesday’s start because of a blister on his left index finger, the White Sox said they will purchase Carlos Torres’ contract from Triple-A Charlotte and have him start. To make room for Torres, they optioned Aaron Poreda to the minor league club.
So Richard appears safe for now. A longer layoff because of the All-Star break seemed to help.
“I got a few more bullpen sessions, which was really nice,” Richard said. “I got to address some of the issues that I had, and iron them out for the most part.”
Xtra, xtra: Rays manager Joe Maddon said LHP Scott Kazmir’s throwing session on Tuesday went well, and he is expected to start Thursday. Kazmir left Saturday’s game against Kansas City with a cramp in his left forearm. Maddon said he was planning to go with lefties against Danks, so his lineup won’t change because of the White Sox’s switch (Associated Press - Sports).
Paul Konerko realizes the heavy hitters on the schedule are lined up and ready to rip at the Chicago White Sox. On Monday night, he landed the big blow.
Konerko hit a three-run homer to back a solid start by Gavin Floyd and Chicago started a tough stretch by hanging on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3.
The game was the first of 18 straight against teams with winning records, a stretch that could knock the White Sox out of the race or solidify them as contenders in the American League. No wonder Konerko didn’t want to think about it.
“It’s too overwhelming,” he said.
The White Sox maintained their cool even though the Rays were at it again in the late innings after rallying to win each of their previous three games. This time, however, Tampa Bay came up short.
The Rays threatened in the eighth but did not score and loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth against Bobby Jenks before Jason Bartlett struck out to end the game.
Chicago’s Carlos Quentin went 1 for 4 after missing nearly two months with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Scott Podsednik had three hits and scored twice, but Konerko’s 18th homer was the difference as the White Sox won for the 13th time in 19 games. His three-run drive in the third gave the White Sox a 4-1 lead, and that was just enough for Floyd (8-6), who went seven innings to improve to 6-2 in his last 11 starts.
Floyd gave up three hits—all solo homers. Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria went deep and Carl Crawford had an inside-the-park homer.
The Rays had a chance to tie it in the eighth when Bartlett singled with one out against Scott Linebrink and B.J. Upton walked. Matt Thornton came in and Bartlett was caught stealing third. Crawford then singled, putting runners on first and second, but Longoria struck out.
Jenks escaped a tense ninth for his 22nd save in 24 chances. He walked Pat Burrell after striking out the first two batters and Willy Aybar singled, putting runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Gabe Gross, whose bases-loaded walk forced in the go-ahead run against Kansas City on Sunday, walked.
The tension mounted when Bartlett worked the count to 3-2 before fouling off a pitch. The crowd chanted “Bobby! Bobby!” as Jenks got him on a slider to end it.
“What a really intense baseball game,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “That was great for this time of the year. Both sides playing to win that thing and they came out on top in the end. Of course we wanted to win it, but I liked our intensity, I liked the way we went after things. I can’t ask for anything more from our group.”
The White Sox bounced back after a sluggish 10-2 loss to Baltimore on Sunday. They got Quentin back at the start of this rough stretch in which they also play Detroit, Minnesota, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels following this four-game set with the Rays.
“We do have a tough stretch in front of us, but it’ll be a good measuring stick for us to find out how good we really are,” Podsednik said.
They didn’t look bad against David Price (3-4), who allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings for Tampa Bay.
Crawford cut the Rays’ deficit to 4-2 in the fourth. He led off with a drive to center and Podsednik decided to go for a highlight-reel catch rather than play the carom off the wall.
Bad move.
Crawford sprinted around the bases with the third inside-the-park homer at U.S. Cellular Field and his first since April 13, 2007. He also hit one against Toronto on April 6, 2005.
“I thought it was out at first and then it just kind of died,” Crawford said. “So, you know, I had to run. I had to get out there a little bit.”
Xtra, xtra: Crawford’s inside-the-park homer was the first at U.S. Cellular Field since Chris Singleton hit one for Chicago against Kansas City on Sept. 29, 2000. Seattle’s Marc Newfield hit one on June 25, 1995. Chicago optioned OF Brian Anderson to Triple-A Charlotte to make room for Quentin (Associated Press - Sports).
Comeback wins were the norm last year for the Tampa Bay Rays on their way to an AL pennant.
They’ve been doing it again since the All-Star break, rallying for three straight victories over Kansas City.
Gabe Gross drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the tiebreaking run with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Rays rallied against a struggling Royals bullpen for a 4-3 victory Sunday.
“We found a way offensively to scratch and come out with a win,” Gross said. “It seemed like we did that about 94, 95 times last year. That seemed like our recipe. To come out and start the second half that way is encouraging. It’s something we haven’t had happen a lot this year. If we get a second half full of those, we could be really dangerous.”
After losing 14 of their first 22 games, the Rays are 42-27, the best record in the American League since April 30. The Rays (51-41) are 23-9 since June 10 and are 10 games above .500 for the first time this year.
“In April we didn’t have our mental act together,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “Coming off the World Series, that first month is a very dangerous month. You really have to avoid the pitfalls and we fell a little bit, but we’ve rebounded nicely.
“We came from behind in all three. That’s really a good way for your team to think that if you keep it close that you can win it late. It’s great to be able to think those thoughts.”
The Royals, who have lost six straight and eight of nine, blew a 3-0 lead. It was the third straight game the bullpen failed to hold a lead. The Rays scored seven runs in the eighth innings in sweeping the three-game series.
“It is weird,” said J.P. Howell, who saved all three games. “It shows you’ve got to be patient. If you can’t get to the starters, then get him out of there and try to get to the bullpen. If plan A doesn’t work, go to plan B.
“We did a lot of that last year. It’s just another part of our game. It’s a certain way to win. You buy time, wait until late in the game and get some runs.”
The Royals (37-54) dropped to a season-worst 17 games below .500.
With the Rays trailing 3-2, Carl Crawford reached on an infield single in the eighth and went to third on an errant pickoff throw by Jamey Wright (0-3).
After Evan Longoria was intentionally walked, Carlos Pena singled home Crawford before Ben Zobrist drew a walk from John Bale to load the bases. Roman Colon then walked Gross after having him down in the count 0-2.
Grant Balfour (4-1), the third of five Rays pitchers, got out of an inherited jam in the seventh when Yuniesky Betancourt rolled into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Howell, who has converted his past seven save opportunities, earned his ninth save in 13 chances.
Royals starter Luke Hochevar struck out a career-high nine and did not walk a hitter for the first time this season, but had to settle for a no-decision. He left with a 3-2 lead, giving up seven hits in 6 1-3 innings.
“I got to two strikes a lot and I tried to put them away,” Hochevar said.
Alberto Callaspo had three hits and drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single with two outs in the Kansas City fifth.
Rays starter Matt Garza left after five innings and 101 pitches, allowing three runs on six hits and five walks, which matched his career high. He walked David DeJesus with the bases loaded in the second.
“The walks kill you,” Garza said. “It cost me three runs. It extended my innings. It cost me more innings. I could have been out there for the sixth or seventh.”
Jason Bartlett led off the Tampa Bay sixth with a single, stopped at third on B.J. Upton’s double and scored on Longoria’s groundout.
The Rays chased Hochevar in the seventh with Gross’ RBI double.
The Royals stranded 13 and went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
“The damage was done in the eighth,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “Five walks out of the bullpen, 0 for 4 in situational hitting and 13 men left on base. It all adds up. We need more production out of the bullpen, that’s a no-brainer. We certainly had our opportunities to relieve some of the pressure offensively, and we didn’t do that. When you leave 13 men on base, you should definitely get more than three runs.”
Xtra, xtra: 1B Billy Butler had four of Kansas City’s 11 hits, matching his career high. Royals RHP Sidney Ponson, who has been on the disabled list with a right elbow strain, will make his first start since May 6 on Monday when he faces the Angels. Zobrist extended his hitting streak to nine, matching his career high (Associated Press - Sports).
With a few more decisions like this, Joe Maddon will be clearing space on his mantle for another manager of the year award.
Thinking he needed to get at-bats for some of Tampa Bay’s reserves, Maddon opted to give Willy Aybar his second start since June 30 and put him at second base. All Aybar did was go 3-for-3 against Zack Greinke and then add an RBI double off Juan Cruz for the go-ahead run in the eighth Saturday night in a 4-2 victory over Kansas City.
It was the second consecutive collapse of the Kansas City bullpen and wasted a good effort by Greinke, who departed after seven innings with a 2-1 lead.
“Man, Joe’s a genius, isn’t he?” said Pat Burrell, who also had a key hit in Tampa’s second straight come-from-behind win.
Actually, Maddon confessed, he’s not.
“It’s just one of those things. I cannot take credit for that,” he said. “This is something we do back at the office and we really crunch numbers and just so many different things, and Willy came out on top vs. Greinke. So we had to throw him out there.”
Aybar also atoned for a tough error that led to Kansas City’s taking a 2-1 lead.
“I think this is the first time I faced (Greinke),” he said through an interpreter.
John Bale walked Carlos Pena leading off the eighth and then with one out, Burrell’s RBI double off Cruz (3-4) tied it 2-2. Then Aybar doubled into the right-field corner for a 3-2 lead. B.J. Upton’s RBI single off Roman Colon, his third hit, made it 4-2 in the eighth.
Cruz, who gave up Evan Longoria’s booming two-run homer in the eighth inning Friday night, blew a save for the second straight game. The veteran right-hander has lost four in a row after winning 11 consecutive decisions over a span of almost two seasons, which had been the longest active streak in the majors.
“Obviously, things get streaky in this game,” said Maddon. “The guy’s got a great arm. I said it before the game, I like the way our players are right now. I think they know it’s time.”
Chad Bradford (1-0), the fourth of Tampa’s six pitchers, threw two pitches in the seventh and got the win and J. P. Howell pitched the ninth for his eighth save in 13 opportunities.
Each team scored a run in the second. Jason Bartlett had an RBI single off Greinke and Alberto Callaspo’s double off Scott Kazmir drove in Alex Gordon.
Greinke, who had lost his last two starts when the Royals scored a total of one run, went seven innings, giving up nine hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
Royals manager Trey Hillman, drawing increasing fire from fans for the way he uses pitchers, elected for the second night in a row to keep Cruz in the game in the eighth and refused to bring former All-Star closer Joakim Soria into the game before the ninth.
“I want Soria in the game, too. But I’m not going to sell my soul to the devil for a guy (Soria) that’s already had two major injuries,” he said. “I’m not going run the risk of injuring Soria when the rest of the bullpen on any given day quite frankly has been shaky.”
Kazmir, who missed 33 days with a strain of the right quadriceps muscle and had not won since May 9, left after the sixth with mild cramping in his left forearm. He held the Royals to one run and four hits, with four walks and three strikeouts.
“We already put fluids in me and it feels great, Kazmir said. “Everything is fine now. Everything is good.”’
After Grant Balfour walked Alberto Callaspo with one out in the seventh, Yuniesky Betancourt hit a grounder to Aybar at second. He let the ball go through his legs and was given an error for allowing Callaspo to reach third.
Randy Choate then relieved Balfour and Callaspo scored the go-ahead run when David DeJesus beat the throw to first on what could have been an inning-ending double play.
“I told him, `Listen, man that’s a bad hop,”’ said Maddon. “Forget about it and let’s move on.’ And he did.”
Xtra, xtra: The Royals have lost seven of eight. Upton singled leading off the Tampa third but was picked off by Greinke. Boosted by stadium renovations costing more than $250 million, the Royals have had 15 crowds of 30,000 or more, seven more than the entire 2008 season. The Rays are 5-0 against KC this year (Associated Press - Sports).
As sweet as it was, hitting a go-ahead home run against Kansas City hardly erases Evan Longoria’s disappointment over missing the All-Star game with a sore finger.
“It’s a good feeling, obviously,” Longoria said after helping Tampa Bay rally past the Royals 8-7 Friday night. “But if you get an opportunity to start in the All-Star game, it’s a pretty big disappointment to miss it.”
Tampa Bay’s third baseman was voted to start for the American League in St. Louis on Tuesday night but decided his aching right ring finger would just not let him perform at his best.
But three days later, the finger feels fine and he’s right back to All-Star form.
“It was really disappointing not to play in the All-Star game,” he said. “The guys I talked to who were on the team expressed their emotions for me, and that was a good feeling to know they were behind me. I told them, ‘I would love to play in the game but I wouldn’t be able to help with this bum finger.”’
Now it’s the Royals who are feeling bummed. After a five-run third inning off James Shields, they held a 6-2 lead.
But Pat Burrell’s two-run homer off Jamey Wright shaved the lead to 7-6 in the seventh and Longoria hit Juan Cruz’s 3-2 offering for another two-run shot in the eighth. Burrell and Longoria also had RBI singles as the Rays put together a nice start to their 10-game road trip.
“We made it easier on them with the two unearned runs and leaving balls right down Broadway with dangerous hitters up,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “Obviously, you can’t do that. There were six runs on their side that shouldn’t have been on the board.”
Longoria said he was just trying to hit a line drive up the middle against the hard-throwing Cruz (3-3).
“I got to 3-2 and I was just looking fastball and he so happens to leave a changeup in the middle of the plate,” he said.
Joe Nelson (3-0) pitched one inning for the win and J.P. Howell worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save in 12 opportunities.
Mike Jacobs and Mark Teahen drove in three runs apiece for the Royals. Teahen hit a two-run single off Shields in the third before Jacobs connected for a three-run shot.
Yuniesky Betancourt, acquired in a trade with Seattle last Friday, had two hits in his debut as the Royals’ shortstop. David DeJesus went 3 for 5 and scored twice.
It was not a good night defensively for Betancourt and third baseman Alex Gordon, the new left side of the infield for the Royals. Gordon, making his first start since undergoing hip surgery in April, dropped Dioner Navarro’s popup in the fourth. Navarro eventually came around to score when Longoria grounded a ball through Betancourt on what was ruled an RBI single because his view of the ball may have been obscured by the runner.
Carl Crawford, who was the MVP of the All-Star game, then scored on a passed ball for Tampa Bay’s second unearned run of the inning, cutting it to 6-4.
“I really believe our guys are motivated to get this thing done and to come back like that was really a pretty big moment,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It is a great way to start the second half.”
Crawford also had an RBI single in the third, stole his major league-leading 45th base and scored on Burrell’s single.
“I know they have some really good people in their bullpen,” Maddon said. “But we had good at-bats.”
Kansas City slugger Jose Guillen, late getting back from the Dominican Republic because of his son’s illness, pinch hit in the ninth and struck out to end the game.
Brian Bannister gave up four runs, two earned, and seven hits in five innings for Kansas City.
Shields allowed seven runs and 11 hits in 5 1-3 innings.
Xtra, xtra: The Rays reinstated RHP Grant Balfour from the bereavement list and optioned C John Jaso to Triple-A Durham. Maddon received his 2008 AL manager of the year award from the Negro Leagues Museum and toured the facility on Friday. The Royals are 19-41 since starting the season 18-11 (Associated Press - Sports).
The Oakland Athletics didn’t play like a team entering the All-Star break with a losing record for the first time in a decade.
Orlando Cabrera hit a tiebreaking RBI single in Oakland’s four-run seventh, leading the Athletics to a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
Kurt Suzuki and pinch-hitter Jack Cust each singled in a run and Mark Ellis drove in Landon Powell with a groundout to set up Cabrera’s hit off Chad Bradford.
“Playing a great team like Tampa Bay and taking two out of three at their place where they play awesome baseball is a nice confidence boost,” Suzuki said.
Oakland (37-49) last went into the break with a sub .500 record during the 1999 season (43-44).
Suzuki and Ryan Sweeney tacked on RBI singles in the eighth and Ellis connected in the ninth to make it 7-3.
“To take games from this team is no easy job,” Ellis said. “Especially to come from behind, which is not something we’ve done a lot of this year.”
Oakland starter Brett Anderson left after four scoreless innings due to lower back stiffness. The left-hander, coming off a two-hitter in a 6-0 win over Boston Monday, gave up three hits.
“We were just monitoring it because his velocity was down a bit,” manager Bob Geren said. “It got to the point that I thought for numerous reasons he should exit the game. It stiffened up and it could have been a potential injury.”
Michael Wuertz (5-1) got the win despite allowing a run and three hits in 1 1-3 innings and Andrew Bailey got six outs for his 10th save.
Rays right-hander James Shields took a shutout into the seventh, but wound up allowing three runs and six hits over 6 1-3 innings.
“It was strange,” Shields said. “I was cruising. That’s just kind of how the game goes sometimes.”
Tampa Bay has lost two in a row at home after winning nine straight at Tropicana Field.
“They were tough losses,” manager Joe Maddon said. “All of a sudden they bit us. I thought we had a nice thing going on there.”
Tampa Bay took a 3-0 lead in the sixth on a two-run double by Pat Burrell and Jason Bartlett’s RBI single off Wuertz.
“It was very disappointing,” Rays right fielder Ben Zobrist said. “It was a tight game up to when we scored those three runs. It was a tough day for our bullpen. They have been pitching so well.”
The Rays have allowed just 26 runs in the seventh this season, but were touched for four during the inning in each of the past two games.
Dan Wheeler (3-2), who followed Shields, was charged with one run while recording one out and took the loss.
Oakland threatened in the first, but Cabrera was thrown out by Zobrist when he tried to score on Matt Holliday’s fly ball.
Rajai Davis started in right field one day after Sweeney was benched for not running out a batted ball. Geren said putting Davis, who hit a two-run homer in Saturday’s 7-2 win over the Rays, in the lineup was a baseball decision.
Sweeney entered in the seventh after Cust hit for Davis.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay All-Star LF Carl Crawford rested. He struck out as pinch hitter in the ninth. Cabrera has a hit in 21 of his last 23 games. Geren said his post All-Star break rotation will be LHP Dallas Braden, RHP Trevor Cahill, RHP Vin Mazzaro, Anderson and LHP Gio Gonzalez. Athletics 1B Jason Giambi (bruised right elbow) was sore, but was available off the bench. Suzuki has a career-high 10-game hitting streak. Burrell has 10 RBIs in 26 games since returning from a strained neck on June 12 (Associated Press - Sports).
Rajai Davis and Adam Kennedy gave a tired Dallas Braden some offensive support.
Davis and Kennedy each hit two-run homers in the seventh inning, and Braden gave up two runs over six innings to help the Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-2 on Saturday night.
Braden (7-7), reinstated from the bereavement list before the game to pitch for the first time since July 1, allowed five hits, two walks and struck out six. The left-hander, who had spent most of the past week with his ailing grandmother, is just 3-2 despite allowing two earned runs or less in each of his last eight starts.
“He looked a little fatigued at the beginning,” A’s manager Bob Geren said. “He had a long week and he came out and the game was his.”
Braden acknowledged he “felt bad” early on.
“We won. That’s the most important part,” Braden said. “Was I happy with tonight? Not really, but I got through it.”
Braden arrived in Florida around 11 p.m. Friday.
“When you don’t sleep for four days and don’t eat anything, it’ll be brutal,” Braden said. “I didn’t pick up a ball until two days ago.”
Davis hit his two-run homer off Matt Garza (6-7) before Kennedy added another two-run shot on the only pitch Randy Choate threw to put Oakland ahead 4-2.
Garza allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings as Tampa Bay’s nine-game home winning streak ended.
“I made one mistake and paid for it,” Garza said.
Mark Ellis had a sacrifice fly and Orlando Cabrera drove in two with a double in the eighth that extended the Athletics’ advantage to 7-2. Oakland won for just fifth time in 16 games.
Gabe Kapler gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead on an RBI single in the second. Ben Zobrist made it 2-0 with a sixth-inning run-scoring single.
“It just got away from us,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “It shouldn’t, but it did.”
Davis replaced right fielder Ryan Sweeney in third.
“He popped a ball up and I didn’t like the way he ran down the line,” Geren said of Sweeney. “Sometimes players take their frustrations out different ways. He didn’t run down the line. He’s never made that mistake before and I’m sure after today we won’t again.”
Oakland loaded the bases with two outs in the first, but failed to score when Garza retired Kurt Suzuki for his third strikeout of the inning. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one.
Athletics first baseman Jason Giambi left in the fifth with a bruised right elbow, and is day to day. He was hit on the elbow by a pitch during the second.
Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro departed in the seventh after he was hit on the side the mask on Jack Cust’s foul tip. He needed assistance to walk off the field.
Navarro was scheduled to undergo tests at a hospital to see if he has a concussion.
“He was woozy and not feeling well,” Maddon said.
Maddon was ejected in the ninth by plate umpire Jeff Nelson for arguing what was called an error on Michel Hernandez, who had tried to pick a ball up with his mask after stopping a low pitch.
Hernandez was first charged with a catcher’s balk, but that ruling was changed by the official scorer to an error after the game.
Maddon, after watching a replay, said Nelson’s call that let a baserunner advance one base on the play was correct.
Xtra, xtra: Maddon said his post-All-Star game rotation will be: RHP James Shields, LHP Scott Kazmir, Garza, LHP David Price and RHP Jeff Niemann. Oakland manager Bob Geren said Nomar Garciaparra will start playing around one game a series at first base. The move will allow Giambi to get additional time off. Tampa Bay C Shawn Riggans (right shoulder) could play in a minor league in the next few days. To make room on the roster for Braden, RHP Jeff Gray was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento (Associated Press - Sports).
Jeff Niemann didn’t win his spot in Tampa Bay’s rotation until the end of spring training. It’s turning out that late decision was a good one.
Niemann pitched a seven-hitter and the Rays got home runs from Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria in a 6-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
“He’s probably pitching his best professional baseball right now, including all of his minor league stuff,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s just gaining confidence. He was in total command.”
Niemann (8-4), the Rays’ No. 5 starter, has two shutouts this season. The 6-foot-9 right-hander, who is 6-1 over his last 10 starts, allowed two hits in a 2-0 win over Kansas City on June 3.
“It’s good, but it’s only halfway through,” Niemann said. “We have another three months left, so you can’t get too happy or contented.”
An official scoring change after the game gave Oakland’s Ryan Sweeney a two-out single in the ninth inning instead of a fielder’s choice, which added a hit to Niemann’s original line.
“I knew when he was warming up in the ‘pen his arm angle was pretty good,” Rays catcher Dioner Navarro said. “He needs to get on top of that ball and that’s the way he pitched. He was throwing the ball downhill and he was getting ahead.”
Niemann struck out six and walked three.
“A tall guy like that with good stuff, they don’t see it every day,” Maddon said.
Oakland third baseman Adam Kennedy agreed.
“He’s a big guy and his fastball gets on you fast,” Kennedy said. “He kind of works wild in the zone. It’s not really on the middle of the plate.”
Pena hit his 24th homer of the season and Longoria added a solo shot for Tampa Bay, which has won nine in a row at home. The Rays are 19-8 overall since June 10.
Oakland right-hander Vin Mazzaro (2-5) allowed three runs and seven hits over five innings in losing his fifth straight decision. The Athletics (35-49) have lost 11 of 15 to drop a season-high 14 games under .500.
Struggling Oakland first baseman Jason Giambi, dropped to seventh in the lineup, struck out twice and went 0 for 3 with a walk. He is hitting .193.
The Rays took advantage of two Oakland defensive lapses to take a 1-0 lead in the first. One pitch after Giambi and Mazzaro failed to catch a foul ball, B.J. Upton doubled. Upton went to third when shortstop Orlando Cabrera was charged with an error for missing Mazzaro’s pickoff attempt, and later scored on Carl Crawford’s grounder.
“I couldn’t see that ball up there,” Oakland manager Bob Geren said about Upton’s foul. “It’s crazy. It’s a white dome with stuff going all across.”
Pena made it 2-0 with a solo home run in the fourth. It was his first homer since June 27.
Ben Zobrist walked with the bases loaded to put the Rays up 3-0 in the fifth. Tampa Bay took a 4-0 lead one inning later when Dioner Navarro was hit by pitch and later scored on a wild pitch by Santiago Casilla.
Longoria snapped an 18-game homerless stretch with his 17th this season, and Pat Burrell hit an RBI double in the seventh.
Xtra, xtra: Tampa Bay principal owner Stuart Sternberg, on a conference call, said he doesn’t anticipate cutting the Rays’ payroll if the team stays in the playoff hunt this season. The Rays started Friday with the majors’ fifth-lowest average home attendance at 22,699, which is considerably lower than the defending AL champions had projected. Friday’s attendance was 20,358. Athletics LHP Dallas Braden is scheduled to return from the bereavement list and start Saturday’s game. Oakland RHP Justin Duchscherer (right elbow) could be ready to pitch in a minor league game by late this month. Tampa Bay LHP Brian Shouse (left elbow) threw 32 pitches in a simulated game and will pitch in another one Monday (Associated Press - Sports).
David Price doesn’t have an answer why most of his success during his rookie season has come at Tropicana Field
