Break up the Rays!

Posted Mar 8, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Mar 8, 2010 at 05:18 PM

By ROGER MOONEY
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PORT CHARLOTTE The Rays won again.

The Rays won in their final at-bat. Again.

Note to fans: If you’re planning on attending a Rays game this week, plan on staying late.

Monday’s 4-3, 10-inning win against the Pirates was their fifth-straight and third straight in their final at-bat. the Rays have won all three games at Charlotte Sports Park and all three have been walk-off wins.

Joe Dillon and Fernando Perez helped provide the 10th inning magic Monday. Dillon doubled into the left field corner to lead off the inning and Perez singled home pinch-runner Tim Beckham with two outs to end the game.

The Rays had a chance to win it in the ninth when John Jaso reached on a walk and Dan Johnson doubled into the right field corner, but Rays third base coach Tom Foley held Jaso at third, a wise move given Jason’s lack of speed and the fact you don’t need a catcher popping a hamstring trying to score from first in a spring training game.

Still, Foley was booed after J.J. Furmaniac popped to right field to end the threat.

Pittsburgh almost took the lead in the 10th inning, but Jordy Mercer was thrown out at the plate while trying to score on a one-out triple by Josh Harrison, the play going Matt Joyce to Furmaniac to Jaso.

The fans behind third base booed Foley when he returned to the coaches box to start the 10th, and Foley went over and explained why he held Jaso, pointing toward the Pirates dugout as his defense.

Matt Garza became the first Rays pitcher to throw three innings. He allowed three hits, struck out five and didn’t walk a better.

“I felt great today,” Garza said.

Trailing 3-1 in the eighth, the Rays tied the score on an RBI double by Matt Joyce and a sun-scoring single by Sean Rodriguez. It was Rodriguez’s sixth hit and sixth RBI in 10 at-bats this spring.

The Rays opened the scoring in the first inning when Ben Zobrist drove home Jason Bartlett with a sacrifice fly. Bartlett reached on a walk, moved to second when Carl Crawford bounced out to first base and crossed over to third on a single by Evan Longoria.

The Pirates tied the score with a run off Lance Cormier in the fourth then took a 3-1 lead on a two-run homer by Brian Friday off Jeff Bennett in the seventh inning.

Desmond Jennings, the top prospect in the organization, made his first start as a Ray and played right field. He singled in the second inning to give the rookie outfielder three hits in his first three at-bats of the spring. He struck out and popped out to second in his next two trips to the plate.