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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Maddon: ‘We have to win every game, pretty much’

Posted Sep 23, 2011 by Roger Mooney

Updated Sep 24, 2011 at 09:18 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Matt Moore’s pitching and a huge night for the offense Thursday enabled the Rays to pick up a crucial half-game on the Red Sox, allowing the Rays to begin their final leg of the regular season – the final six games – two games back of the AL Wild Card-leaders.

“It’s a lot better than three back,” manager Joe Maddon said after the Rays 15-8 thumping of the Yankees salvaged the final game of the four-game series and finished the grueling road trip through Baltimore, Boston and the Bronx at 5-6.

Now the Rays begin a six-game homestand tonight against the visiting Blue Jays. David Price (12-12, 3.36) faces Brandon Morrow (10-11, 4.98).

The Rays play three games this weekend with the Blue Jays and finish the regular season with three games next week against the Yankees, who have won the American League East title and will be setting up the playoff rotation and resting the starters by the time they reach Tropicana Field on Monday.

That seems to favor the Rays, who have very little room for error.

“We have to win every game, pretty much,” Maddon said. “There might be room for one hiccup, but we don’t have much more room than that.”

The Red Sox begin a three-game series tonight in New York and finish with three games at Baltimore.

The Angels, who fell out of a tie for second in the Wild Card with the Rays after Thursday’s loss in Toronto, play the A’s and the Rangers.

“I think we have a really good shot,” right fielder Matt Joyce said. “We came in here before (Thursday’s) game and we’re like, ‘You know what? Let’s just win every one. Let’s just win the rest of them and see what happens.’ ”

That might not be enough to guarantee a second-straight trip to the postseason for the Rays, but then again, the slumping Red Sox finish the season in Baltimore against the Orioles, who have won seven of their last 10 games by winning series against the Rays, Angels and Red Sox.

The Orioles helped create this close race for the last playoff spot in the American League by winning three of four at Fenway Park earlier this week.

“Boston playing Baltimore in Baltimore,” Maddon said, “that’s not going to be easy.”