SB Nation Tampa Bay - Rays Lose Game And Series, But Not Groundhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49019/tb-fave.png2010-09-05T19:04:27-04:00http://tampabay.sbnation.com/rss/stream/14296852010-09-05T19:04:27-04:002010-09-05T19:04:27-04:00Orioles Get Past Rays 8-7
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hlPUf0ehTFoOiFlLADBIPosvqRo=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828137/large_tampabay.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) – Corey Patterson homered and drove in three runs and Nick Markakis went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs batted in to lead Baltimore to an 8-7 win over Tampa Bay in a back and forth affair to close a three-game series.</p>
<p>Brian Roberts went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and an <span class="caps">RBI</span> for the Orioles, who took the last two games and have won six of their last nine.</p>
<p>Alfredo Simon (4-2) got the win in relief with a scoreless inning and Koji Uehara fanned two in retiring the side in order in the ninth to earn his sixth save.</p>
<p>Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Rocco Baldelli all hit two-run homers in defeat for the Rays, who remain 2 1/2 games behind front-running New York in the AL East after the Yankees fell at home to Toronto.</p>
<p>Dan Wheeler (2-2) was charged with the loss after giving up two runs on two walks after getting just one out for Tampa Bay, which still leads the season series, 10-5.</p>
<p>Roberts singled to lead off the first, stole second and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt and came into score when Markakis ripped a single to right field.</p>
<p>A Markakis stolen bases and walks to Luke Scott and Felix Pie filled the bases for Patterson, who brought home Markakis with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.</p>
<p>Ben Zobrist’s solo homer with two outs in the third halved the lead but the Birds responded in the bottom half of the frame with Patterson’s two-out, two- run blast over the high wall in right to give the hosts a 4-1 advantage.</p>
<p>Tampa then played long ball in the sixth to move in front for the first time.</p>
<p>Carl Crawford opened the inning with a single and scored when Longoria followed with a two-run blast to center.</p>
<p>After Matt Joyce flied out, Tillman was lifted from the game and replaced by Jim Johnson, who quickly coughed up the lead.</p>
<p>Reid Brignac greeted Johnson with a pinch-hit single and scored when Upton clubbed his 14th homer of the year to left-center to put the Rays ahead 5-4.</p>
<p>Wade Davis allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while fanning five and left with a 5-4 lead that he turned over to Wheeler, who was lifted with one out in the sixth after back-to-back walks.</p>
<p>Chad Qualls assumed the hill and did not meet with any success after he gave up a base hit to Josh Bell that plated Craig Tatum with the tying run. Roberts then doubled off the top of the wall in left-center to chase home Cesar Izturis with the go-ahead run before Markakis singled to center to deliver Bell to give the Birds a 7-5 lead.</p>
<p>Ty Wigginton walked to load the bases and Randy Choate came on to replace Qualls and allowed a sacrifice fly by Scott that restored the home team’s three-run cushion.</p>
<p>Tampa drew within one on Baldelli’s pinch-hit homer in the seventh off Mike Gonzalez.</p>
<p>Game Notes</p>
<p>Tillman, who was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to make the start, was charged with three runs on six hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings in his first start since meeting Davis and the Rays on July 19…Davis had won his first three career starts against the O’s and had allowed only two earned runs in 24 innings before Sunday…The Rays were stalled in garnering their franchise- best 41st road victory of the season…Tampa Bay travels to Boston to face the Red Sox for the final time this year in a three-game set, while the Birds open a three-game series against the Yankees Monday.</p>
<p>09/05 17:33:33 ET</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2010/9/5/1671678/orioles-get-past-raysClark Brooks2010-09-04T22:10:23-04:002010-09-04T22:10:23-04:00Orioles Down Rays
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hlPUf0ehTFoOiFlLADBIPosvqRo=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828137/large_tampabay.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) – Nick Markakis smashed a two-run homer and Matt Wieters supplied a two-run double, as the Baltimore Orioles beat Tampa Bay, 8-4, in the middle installment of a three-game series at Camden Yards.</p>
<p>Jeremy Guthrie (9-13) gave up two runs on six hits in seven strong innings for Baltimore, which snapped a three-game skid and won for the fifth time in its last eight tries.</p>
<p>It was the 900th career win for Orioles manager Buck Showalter.</p>
<p>Matt Joyce belted a solo home run and added an <span class="caps">RBI</span> double for the Rays, who fell 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Yankees in the American League East. New York beat Toronto on Saturday for the club’s season-high eighth straight victory.</p>
<p>James Shields (13-12) was victimized for six runs and eight hits in just 4 1/3 innings.</p>
<p>09/04 22:01:29 ET</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2010/9/4/1670432/orioles-down-raysClark Brooks2010-09-04T18:36:57-04:002010-09-04T18:36:57-04:00Rays At Orioles: Game Two Matchup
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hlPUf0ehTFoOiFlLADBIPosvqRo=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828137/large_tampabay.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>(Sports Network) – The Tampa Bay Rays own the best road record of any team in the majors this season, in part due to their success at Baltimore’s Camden Yards. The postseason contenders will have their sights set on another victory over the homestanding Orioles when the two American League East foes continue a three-game series this evening.</p>
<p>Tampa Bay improved to 40-25 on the road and 6-1 at Camden Yards in 2010 by virtue of last night’s 4-1 triumph. The victory, the fifth in the last six games for the Rays, kept Joe Maddon’s club 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the race for home-field advantage throughout the upcoming AL Playoffs as well as first place in the league’s East Division.</p>
<p>Matt Garza (14-7) continued his own dominance of the Orioles in Friday’s opener, with the Tampa hurler yielding one run over the first 5 2/3 innings to notch his 14th win of the season. Garza moved to 9-1 lifetime against Baltimore and 6-0 in eight starts at Camden Yards.</p>
<p>“He really utilized his changeup,” Maddon said of Garza. “He was throwing it on some really odd counts, 2-2, 3-2 pitches, which prevented [the Orioles] from just sitting hard and I think that was the big difference [Friday].”</p>
<p>Carl Crawford paced the Rays offensively with three hits, including an <span class="caps">RBI</span> single in the top of the third that knocked in the game’s first run. Reid Brignac finished 2-for-4 with a run-scoring base hit of his own for Tampa Bay, now 10-3 against the bottom-feeding Orioles so far this season.</p>
<p>Baltimore’s Kevin Millwood (3-15) became the majors’ first 15-game loser of the year after the veteran righty was reached for four runs and issued five walks in a 5 2/3-inning stint.</p>
<p>“Any time you walk five guys and hit a guy against a team like that, you’re going to struggle to win,” Millwood said afterward.</p>
<p>The Orioles have now dropped three in a row following a four-game winning streak and will call upon Jeremy Guthrie to end the team’s skid. If the right- hander is able to duplicate the line of his most recent start, Baltimore should have a good chance of doing so.</p>
<p>Guthrie limited the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to four hits and a walk over 8 1/3 shutout innings to lead the O’s to a 1-0 verdict this past Sunday. The effort continued a strong second half for the former first-round draft choice, as he’s now 5-2 with an excellent 2.51 earned run average in nine outings following the All-Star break.</p>
<p>The 31-year-old also shut down the Rays in a matchup in St. Petersburg last month, surrendering a mere two hits over six scoreless innings in Baltimore’s 5-0 win on August 13. Guthrie did struggle in two subsequent starts, allowing 12 runs (11 earned) over a combined 14 2/3 innings to suffer back-to-back defeats to Seattle and the Chicago White Sox, before rebounding with last weekend’s gem.</p>
<p>For his career, Guthrie is 4-7 with a 4.28 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in 14 appearances (12 starts) versus Tampa Bay.</p>
<p>James Shields draws the assignment for the Rays tonight and has also put together a nice second-half surge. The durable righty has won six of eight decisions since the break and enters this contest riding a three-start winning streak.</p>
<p>Shields has pitched to a 2.75 <span class="caps">ERA</span> and fanned 24 batters in 19 2/3 innings over the course of his unbeaten stretch, which came after he was outdueled by Guthrie in that August 13 clash with the Orioles. In that game, the 28-year- old was tagged for four runs and 10 hits in only five frames.</p>
<p>In his latest start, Shields permitted three runs and struck out eight through 6 2/3 innings to defeat Boston on Sunday, six days after he registered 10 punchouts and tossed six innings of three-run ball (two earned) in a road win over the Angels.</p>
<p>Shields does sport a 7-3 record with a 3.32 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in 18 career encounters with the Orioles and has never lost at Camden Yards, having amassed a 4-0 mark with a 3.04 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in eight overall starts at the venue.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2010/9/4/1670112/rays-at-orioles-game-two-matchupGregg Burrage2010-09-03T23:51:36-04:002010-09-03T23:51:36-04:00Rays Win, Keep Pace With Red Hot Yankees
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hlPUf0ehTFoOiFlLADBIPosvqRo=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828137/large_tampabay.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) – Carl Crawford went 3-for-5 with an <span class="caps">RBI</span> and a run scored, as the Tampa Bay Rays beat Baltimore, 4-1, in the opener of a three-game series at Camden Yards.</p>
<p>Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist and Reid Brignac each knocked in a run for the Rays, who have won five of their last six games. Matt Garza (14-7) gave up a run on five hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings.</p>
<p>Tampa Bay remained 1 1/2 games behind first-place New York in the American League East standings.</p>
<p>Orioles starter Kevin Millwood (3-15) yielded four runs on seven hits and walked five in 5 2/3 innings to take the loss.</p>
<p>The Rays scored two runs in both the third and fourth innings.</p>
<p>Brignac singled to open the third, took second on a groundout and came home on a two-out single by Crawford. Longoria followed with a double to plate the speedy Crawford.</p>
<p>Matt Joyce walked to begin the fourth, and consecutive one-out singles by B.J. Upton and Brignac produced a run. After John Jaso walked to load the bases, Zobrist lofted a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.</p>
<p>A sac fly by Felix Pie put Baltimore on the board in the bottom of the fourth.</p>
<p>Tampa Bay relievers combined to allow just two hits over the final 3 1/3 innings.</p>
<p>Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth to register his major league-leading 41st save.</p>
<p>Rays starter Matt Garza had made remarks Thursday about “payback” and making Orioles hitters “uncomfortable” in response to the last time he faced Baltimore, a game in which he gave up four home runs. But the game passed without incident, at least between the two teams. However, when Garza was relieved by manager Joe Maddon in the sixth, he let his skipper have an earful. "There was something he had said walking off the mound, and I didn’t appreciate it,’’ Maddon said. “So we reviewed it when I got to the dugout.”<br>
Game Notes</p>
<p>The Rays opened a nine-game road trip…Garza improved to 9-1 in 12 career starts against the O’s…Baltimore reliever Mark Hendrickson struck out five in three scoreless innings…Tampa Bay is 10-3 versus Baltimore this season.</p>
<p>09/03 22:37:53 ET</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2010/9/3/1668871/rays-win-keep-pace-with-red-hotClark Brooks2010-09-03T12:58:20-04:002010-09-03T12:58:20-04:00Rays At Orioles: Matt Garza Promises Payback
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hlPUf0ehTFoOiFlLADBIPosvqRo=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828137/large_tampabay.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Check out the <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/remembering-hr-barrage-tampa-bay-rays-matt-garza-vows-to-make-orioles-less/1119230">quotes from Matt</a> Garza about his start tonight against the Baltimore Orioles:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I owe them a lot of payback for the type of outing I had last time against them,” he said. "They had back-to-back-to-back. So I’m going to make them feel really uncomfortable in the box. So they know, this (stuff) doesn’t happen, so don’t get used to it.</p>
<p>“I’m going to go in there, hair on fire, like I have been and go after them and say, ‘Hey, you got me the first time, well I’m going to shove it down your throat this time.’ "</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Wow. It's going to be “really uncomfortable in the box,” and he promises to “shove it down your throat.” Should be quite a game tonight.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2010/9/3/1667674/rays-orioles-matt-garza-quotesGregg Burrage2010-09-03T12:52:29-04:002010-09-03T12:52:29-04:00Rays To Begin 9 Game Road Trip In Baltimore
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hlPUf0ehTFoOiFlLADBIPosvqRo=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828137/large_tampabay.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Firing a manager isn't always the cure-all a team needs. Bad teams are often simply bad teams and there's not much a manager, new or old, can do about it. Sometimes though, bringing in a new voice, a new approach and new philosophies will give a team a spark that generates some positive momentum for a while. And in even rarer circumstances, you get the Baltimore Orioles.</p>
<p>The Orioles won their first game of the season on April 8 (at Tropicana Field against the Rays), didn't win their second one until 10 days later, and didn't post their 10th victory until May 12. For much of 2010, a game against the Orioles was as close to an automatic win as you were liable to find in Major League Baseball. Manager Dave Trembley was fired on June 4, replaced by interim manager Juan Samuel, and the club continued to muddle along at about the same pace.</p>
<p>But on July 30, the Orioles hired Buck Showalter and became a different team overnight, winning seven of their first ten games after the change and posting a record of 17-11 in the month of August.</p>
<p>The Orioles (49-85, 5th in the <a href="http://tampabay.sbnation.com/2010/6/16/1521930/al-east-standings-race-for-top">AL East</a>) are fresh off a series with the Boston Red Sox that saw them drop 2 out of 3. They are 5 and 5 in their last 10 games and 3-9 overall against the Rays this season, with a 1-5 record at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Kevin Millwood (3-14, 5.34) is expected to start Friday night's series opener for Baltimore.</p>
<p>The Rays (82-51, 2nd) were off yesterday, having completed a six game homestand that saw them take two of three in series against both the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. They're 7-3 in their last ten games, are 1.5 games out of first place behind the New York Yankees and hold a 6.5 game lead over the Red Sox for the Wildcard spot in the playoffs. They'll send Matt Garza (13-7, 3.52) to the mound Friday night.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2010/9/3/2320352/rays-to-begin-9-game-road-trip-in-baltimoreClark Brooks