Back to the Rays Report

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.

 @RMooneyTrib
 TBO_Rays
Send us your questions

More Links:

• Schedule/Results
• Player Stats
• Team Stats

Most Recent Entries

• Rays-Red Sox, Round II: Can Rays afford a beanball war?
• Robinson product Gibson advances to NCAA track finals
• Panini previews Gold Standard autographs
• UD unveils Military Machines inserts for 2012 Goodwin Champions set
• Rays @ BoSox: Guyer out for the season, Jennings close to returning and lineups
• USF softball: It’s game day
• Weekly Tampa Bay fishing report
• Rays at BoSox: Rivalry renewed
• Karen Cooley returns as Zephyrhills girls swimming coach
• USF beats Pitt, stays alive
• The Nerds head north
• Jeffrey Shank out as Gulf boys basketball coach
• Berkeley Prep captures Academic Team Champion Award - again
• This week’s signings and offers
• Berkeley Prep wins FHSAA Academic Award standings

More

• Bucs Report -Tribune staff
• Rays Report - Roger Mooney
• Bolts Report - Erik Erlendsson
• Bulls Report
• Prep Report - Hillsborough
• Prep Report - Pasco
• Prep Report - Region
• Prep Report - Recruiting Updates
• Prep Report - Football
• Go Fishing: On The Waterfront
• The Sports Bookie - Bob D'Angelo
• Gators Report - Tribune staff
• Youth Sports Report
• NFL Draft Report
• Go Ask: Frank's Tacklebox
• Bucified Bert Blog
• BUK Power - Bucs Fan Blog
• Pigskin Preacher - NFL Fan Blog
• Breakfast Bonus - Tom McEwen
• Highlands Sports

Monthly Archives

• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011

Rays’ losing streak grows to 10

Posted Sep 13, 2009 by Tribune Sports

Updated Sep 13, 2009 at 04:06 PM

BOSTON—Halfway through today’s day-night double-header at Fenway Park, the Rays’ losing streak has grown to 10 games.

With the sun finally shining after two days of rain—but not on the Rays—Dustin Pedroia hit a go-ahead two-run homer off Matt Garza in the bottom of the eighth, and the Red Sox held on for a 3-1 victory.

Garza, who entered the game 5-1 against Boston in the regular season and was the MVP of the American League Championship Series last year, held the Sox to one run on six hits until the eighth. Pinch-hitter David Ortiz opened the eighth with a double to the right field wall, and with pinch-runner Joey Gathright at second after a Jacoby Ellsbury sacrifice bunt, Pedroia hit a fastball that was up-and-away the opposite way into the Rays’ bullpen beyond the right-field wall.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth and picked up his 36th save after allowing Akinori Iwamura a one-out infield single.

“Pedroia hitting the home run is the last thing you expected,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Most of the time, when he goes to that side of the field, it’s a line drive. And he just got that up and hit it to the opposite field bullpen. That’s their day when that happens.”

Garza (7-10) is winless in his last nine starts, but in his last two starts, he is 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA. This was his first loss against Baltimore since june 3, 2008, ending a span of seven starts in which he went 3-0.

“Ortiz hit that (3-2) breaking ball, (and) you tip your cap,” Garza said. “I was talking to (David) Price after I came in and said, ‘man, he was sitting on a curveball.’ He (Price) is like, ‘everybody in the stadium knew you were going to throw a curveball.’ So I tip my hat to him. He’s been scouting video.

“But Pedroia is the on that surprised me. He really doesn’t have much power going the other way. ...  It was a four-seamer away. I was just trying to get a weak fly ball.”

The Rays’ anemic offense managed six hits against Clay Buchholz, Hideki Okijama (6-0) and Papelbon. Buccholz, who is unbeaten in his last six starts, allowed one run on five hits through seven innings.

Jason Bartlett drove in Tampa Bay’s lone run with a single over the second base bag off starter Clay Buchholz in the seventh inning. Bartlett also had Tampa Bay’s only RBI in a rain-shortened 9-1 loss Friday night. Tampa Bay has scored a sum of eight runs in its last six games.

Righthander James Shields will face lefty Jon Lester in the second game of the doubleheader, set to start at 5 p.m. Center fielder B.J. Upton, who missed the first two games of the series with a sprained ankle, returns to the Tampa Bay lineup.