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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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Rays 4, Royals 0: Shields shines, Longo delivers, everyone goes home early

Posted Aug 10, 2011 by Roger Mooney

Updated Aug 10, 2011 at 12:01 AM

James Shields gets a hug from David Price on Tuesday after Shields pitched his eighth complete game of the season.
CHRIS URSO/STAFF

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG James Shields said Monday he would like to throw another complete-game by the end of the year, and he did just that Tuesday when he blanked the Royals 4-0 at the Trop.

It was his major league-leading eighth complete game and fourth shutout, which tied him for most in the AL with Derek Holland of the Rangers.

Shields has more complete games than 25 other teams. Seven teams have yet to record a complete-game shutout.

He is the first pitcher since Atlanta’s Greg Maddux in 1998 to have pitched at least 175 innings, have an ERA under 3.00 and have at least four complete games by Aug. 9.

Shields won back-to-back starts for the first time since throwing three straight complete games from June 14-24.

The Rays have given Shields 13 runs of support in his last two starts. He received a total of six runs in his 10 previous starts.

Here are some more notes:

—Evan Longoria, who drove in all four runs with a two-run single in the first and a two-run homer in the sixth, has six home runs in his last 19 games. It was his fifth four-RBI game of the season. He has 12 RBIs in his last 12 games.

Longoria leads the team with 12-game winning RBIs.

—The Rays are 43-43 with Longoria in the lineup. In those 43 wins, he’s batting .307 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs. In those 43 losses, he’s batting .142 with four home runs and 14 RBI.

—Johnny Damon had two hits in four at-bats after having two hits in his previous 31 at-bats.

—The Rays have won eight of their last 12.

—At 1 hour, 53 minutes, it was the fastest nine-inning game in Rays history. The previous fastest was 1:54 on June 8 at Houston.

The fastest game in Rays history was a rain-shortened 1:19, five-inning game at Florida on June 21, 2003.

—It was the 10th team shutout this season, and the fifth complete-game shutout – Jeremy Hellickson has won. That ties the 2008 club for the most CG SHO’s in one season.

—Royals starter Jeff Francis allowed hits to the first three batters he faced then retired the next 15 Rays.

—It was the sixth time the Royals have been shutout this season.

—Francis and Nathan Adcock, who pitched the eighth, combined to throw only 86 pitches.

—Royals left fielder Alex Gordon is 1-for-45 in 13 career games at the Trop.