St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) – Carl Crawford finished with two hits, including a homer, and scored twice to back eight scoreless innings from David Price, as Tampa Bay locked up a playoff berth with a 5-0 decision over Baltimore in the middle test of a three-game set from Tropicana Field.
Carlos Pena also homered for the Rays, who are headed to the postseason for the second time in their history and remained a half-game ahead of the Yankees in the AL East, as New York topped Toronto.
Price (19-6) scattered six hits and struck out eight to collect his fourth straight positive decision.
Brad Bergesen (8-11) lasted five innings and was charged in the loss for six hits and five runs, walking three with two strikeouts for the Orioles, who have dropped five of their last six.
Tampa picked up a run in the second. Walks to Matt Joyce and Pena preceded an RBI single from B.J. Upton. Reid Brignac flew into a double play, as Pena was thrown out at third trying to tag. Sean Rodriguez grounded out to end the threat.
Crawford slugged a two-out single in the third and raced home when Dan Johnson followed with a double down the line in right, and Pena’s leadoff homer in the fourth made it 3-0 for the Rays.
O’s right fielder Nick Markakis mishandled a John Jaso liner into a triple to start the fifth, and Ben Zobrist plated him with a fly to center. Crawford followed with a solo homer and it was 5-0.
Price worked around a Markakis double in the sixth, then got out of the seventh unscathed after Matt Wieters doubled with one away. He retired Baltimore in order in the eighth to finish his outing.
Rafael Soriano fanned two in a scoreless ninth, including Adam Jones swinging to end the contest and send the Rays toward meaningful October baseball.
Game Notes
Crawford scored two runs, giving him 106 on the season and a new team record, breaking his old mark of 104 set in 2004…Orioles infielder Brian Roberts did not play, a late scratch with an unknown illness…The Rays announced that the club will give away 20,000 tickets for Wednesday’s series and home finale.
09/28 22:18:02 ET