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Unexpected power lifts Shields, Rays 4-3
Gomes, Zobrist homer to get offense going in matinee
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Jonny Gomes and Ben Zobrist hit back-to-back homers in the fifth after the Rays were shut out up to that point, and James Shields pitched into the ninth in Tampa Bay's 4-3 win over Oakland Wednesday afternoon.
Shields struck out seven in 8 1/3 innings.
Zobrist was sent down after the game despite his homer and insurance RBI single in the seventh.
Tampa Bay avoided what would have been its first consecutive home losses since the middle of April. Oakland looked like it would make that happen when Emil Brown and Carlos Gonzalez hit back-to-back homers off Shields in the second.
Oakland starter Greg Smith did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, and erased that immediately with an amazing pickoff move to get Aki Iwamura off first. Smith later picked off B.J. Upton and leads the majors with 12.
Gomes broke through however, smashing a two-run homer to tie the game in the fifth. The homer hit off the catwalk and landed in the field of play. Zobrist followed by guiding a ball into the first row of the right-field seats for the 3-2 lead.
Shields lasted 8 1/3 innings, gave up six hits and struck out seven.
He was pulled after a Jack Cust double to the wall. Troy Percival allowed a run on a wild pitch and sac fly but then escaped further damage.
After the game Rays manager Joe Maddon explained he was going to pull Shields if a runner got on base.
Tampa Bay heads to Kansas City next. assured of having first place still in the East.
If you think getting shut down by Dallas Braden was cause for concern, rest assured the team's management does as well.
Oakland beat Tampa Bay 8-1 Tuesday night as the Rays offense was stagnant. After the game Rays manager Joe Maddon met, for about 40 minutes, with executive VP Andrew Friedman about the possibility of making a trade to help the offense,
"We talk about stuff all the time, and we talked about that....we're always trying to make it better," said Maddon.
Again a left-handed pitcher, this time one who had not started a game all year in the big leagues, subdued the Rays lineup. Braden went five innings giving up just one run.
On the other side Andy Sonnanstine was doing well until Jack Hannahan got a hold of one offering, hitting a three-run homer to give Oakland a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning.
That would be all that Sonnanstine gave up in his seven innings, during which he struck out five and allowed five hits.
Oakland would break open the game in the eighth with four runs, three off the now-struggling Trever Miller. Tampa Bay's lefty specialist has only retired one batter in his last three outings.
Ben Zobrist committed two errors helping Oakland add on late.
The A's ended a six-game losing streak where they scored nine runs total. The Rays look to take the series Wednesday afternoon at 12:40, sending James Shields out against another lefty, Greg Smith.
A night after a dissapointing crowd of less than 13,000 Tuesday's attendance was slightly up, to 16,800. Carlos Pena had Tampa Bay's lone RBI on a sac fly with the bases loaded in the third.
After his first four pitches were for balls, things got significantly better for Scott Kazmir on Monday.
In his first start since the All-Star game Kazmir silenced the already-quiet Oakland bats, tossing seven shutout innings as the Rays won 4-0 at the Trop.
Kazmir struck out eight and only gave up two hits. Relievers Grant Balfour and J.P. Howell tossed a hitless inning each.
Evan Longoria paced the Rays offense with an RBI single to start the scoring in the third inning, adding a solo homer later.
Willy Aybar also hit a solo shot, making the score 2-0 in the fourth. Aki Iwamura added an RBI single in the inning to score Jonny Gomes, who had stolen second base.
Longoria's homer, his 19th of the year, capped the scoring in the fifth.
B.J. Upton showed signs of coming out of his recent slump wiht two hits, a pair of stolen bases (giving him 30) and a run.
Dana Eveland took the loss for Oakland, which has now dropped six in a row after getting to within four games of Anaheim.
Kazmir was on an extra couple days of rest thanks to his All-Star game appearance.
Just when it looked like the Rays offense was about to be back on track, it went away and Toronto's picked up. That was how the Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep, beating Tampa Bay 9-4 at the Trop Sunday afternoon.
Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena hit back-to-back solo homers for a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third. But in the fifth Toronto's Marco Scutaro hit a three-run shot that brought an end to Edwin Jackson's day, making the score 6-4.
Jackson allowed the runs in 4 1/3 innings, striking out two on eight hits.
Though Toronto starter John Parrish was chased early (three-plus innings, four runs) the Jays pen was very solid, giving up just two hits in the final six frames. Former Ray Shawn Camp pitched the first portion of that stretch and got the win.
The Tampa Bay homers brought the Rays back from an early 3-1 deficit. Alex Rios hit a two-run homer for his team's first lead.
Rios was 3-for-5 with three RBI. His run-scoring double kickstarted Toronto's three-run seventh inning.
Matt Garza outperformed Roy Halladay Saturday, and Longoria's first career grand slam was the big hit the Rays have been waiting for in Tampa Bay's 6-4 win over Toronto.
Garza shut out the Jays across 7 2/3 innings.
Shields struck out seven in 8 1/3 innings.
Zobrist was sent down after the game despite his homer and insurance RBI single in the seventh.
Tampa Bay avoided what would have been its first consecutive home losses since the middle of April. Oakland looked like it would make that happen when Emil Brown and Carlos Gonzalez hit back-to-back homers off Shields in the second.
Oakland starter Greg Smith did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, and erased that immediately with an amazing pickoff move to get Aki Iwamura off first. Smith later picked off B.J. Upton and leads the majors with 12.
Gomes broke through however, smashing a two-run homer to tie the game in the fifth. The homer hit off the catwalk and landed in the field of play. Zobrist followed by guiding a ball into the first row of the right-field seats for the 3-2 lead.
Shields lasted 8 1/3 innings, gave up six hits and struck out seven.
He was pulled after a Jack Cust double to the wall. Troy Percival allowed a run on a wild pitch and sac fly but then escaped further damage.
After the game Rays manager Joe Maddon explained he was going to pull Shields if a runner got on base.
Tampa Bay heads to Kansas City next. assured of having first place still in the East.
If you think getting shut down by Dallas Braden was cause for concern, rest assured the team's management does as well.
Oakland beat Tampa Bay 8-1 Tuesday night as the Rays offense was stagnant. After the game Rays manager Joe Maddon met, for about 40 minutes, with executive VP Andrew Friedman about the possibility of making a trade to help the offense,
"We talk about stuff all the time, and we talked about that....we're always trying to make it better," said Maddon.
Again a left-handed pitcher, this time one who had not started a game all year in the big leagues, subdued the Rays lineup. Braden went five innings giving up just one run.
On the other side Andy Sonnanstine was doing well until Jack Hannahan got a hold of one offering, hitting a three-run homer to give Oakland a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning.
That would be all that Sonnanstine gave up in his seven innings, during which he struck out five and allowed five hits.
Oakland would break open the game in the eighth with four runs, three off the now-struggling Trever Miller. Tampa Bay's lefty specialist has only retired one batter in his last three outings.
Ben Zobrist committed two errors helping Oakland add on late.
The A's ended a six-game losing streak where they scored nine runs total. The Rays look to take the series Wednesday afternoon at 12:40, sending James Shields out against another lefty, Greg Smith.
A night after a dissapointing crowd of less than 13,000 Tuesday's attendance was slightly up, to 16,800. Carlos Pena had Tampa Bay's lone RBI on a sac fly with the bases loaded in the third.
After his first four pitches were for balls, things got significantly better for Scott Kazmir on Monday.
In his first start since the All-Star game Kazmir silenced the already-quiet Oakland bats, tossing seven shutout innings as the Rays won 4-0 at the Trop.
Kazmir struck out eight and only gave up two hits. Relievers Grant Balfour and J.P. Howell tossed a hitless inning each.
Evan Longoria paced the Rays offense with an RBI single to start the scoring in the third inning, adding a solo homer later.
Willy Aybar also hit a solo shot, making the score 2-0 in the fourth. Aki Iwamura added an RBI single in the inning to score Jonny Gomes, who had stolen second base.
Longoria's homer, his 19th of the year, capped the scoring in the fifth.
B.J. Upton showed signs of coming out of his recent slump wiht two hits, a pair of stolen bases (giving him 30) and a run.
Dana Eveland took the loss for Oakland, which has now dropped six in a row after getting to within four games of Anaheim.
Kazmir was on an extra couple days of rest thanks to his All-Star game appearance.
Just when it looked like the Rays offense was about to be back on track, it went away and Toronto's picked up. That was how the Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep, beating Tampa Bay 9-4 at the Trop Sunday afternoon.
Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena hit back-to-back solo homers for a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third. But in the fifth Toronto's Marco Scutaro hit a three-run shot that brought an end to Edwin Jackson's day, making the score 6-4.
Jackson allowed the runs in 4 1/3 innings, striking out two on eight hits.
Though Toronto starter John Parrish was chased early (three-plus innings, four runs) the Jays pen was very solid, giving up just two hits in the final six frames. Former Ray Shawn Camp pitched the first portion of that stretch and got the win.
The Tampa Bay homers brought the Rays back from an early 3-1 deficit. Alex Rios hit a two-run homer for his team's first lead.
Rios was 3-for-5 with three RBI. His run-scoring double kickstarted Toronto's three-run seventh inning.
Matt Garza outperformed Roy Halladay Saturday, and Longoria's first career grand slam was the big hit the Rays have been waiting for in Tampa Bay's 6-4 win over Toronto.
Garza shut out the Jays across 7 2/3 innings.
© 2008