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RAYS 9, TIGERS 5: Tampa Bay delivers on its promise of heart and hustle.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published April 3, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- They showed their heart, and they showed their hustle. Best of all, they showed their smiles.

The Rays opened their fifth season Tuesday night by delivering just about everything they've been promising on billboards, posters and advertisements.

[Times photo: Michael Rondou] Rays starter Tanyon Sturtze delivers the first pitch of the season. Sturtze went 52/3 innings, giving up five runs on nine hits and striking out three.

They legged out infield hits. They got dirty playing defense. They made the pitches they needed to make. They rallied from behind. And they won, beating Detroit 9-5 before an announced crowd of 38,142 that brought Tropicana Field to life.

"I think we exhibited our slogan -- "Heart & Hustle,' " managing general partner Vince Naimoli said. "It was just a great night."

The Rays won exactly the way they said they would -- the pitching keeping them in the game, the defense making the necessary plays and the offense coming through when it matters.

"That's what we have to do to win," outfielder Jason Tyner said.

Each of their first three runs took some work.

Tyner's bunt and a throwing error by starting pitcher Jeff Weaver scored the first, Greg Vaughn's infield singled sparked the second and Randy Winn running to first after a strike-three wild pitch led to the third.

Down 5-3, the Rays took advantage of shortstop Shane Halter's error in the sixth inning to tie the score on a two-run single by Steve Cox.

And they won with four runs in the eighth, thanks to curious strategy by Tigers manager Phil Garner and a two-out Vaughn single that scored the go-ahead run.

"We're going to have to play that way to win ballgames," second baseman Brent Abernathy said. "We're going to have to have solid defense, which we had. We're going to have to have solid pitching, which we had; it kept us in the game. And then come up with big two-out hits, get some guys on with walks, take advantage of their miscues. Whatever it might be.

"Tonight was awesome because everyone in the lineup contributed to us scoring runs."

With Chris Gomez on third, following a leadoff single, a Tyner bunt and a Randy Winn groundout, Garner had Juan Acevedo walk Cox and pitch to cleanup hitter Vaughn. It took three pitches for Vaughn to make it look like the wrong move, ripping a single to right.

It looked like an even worse decision when Danny Patterson loaded the bases by hitting Toby Hall and walked Ben Grieve to force in a run. And it looked downright horrible when Bobby Smith hit a ball up the middle that hit off Patterson's left foot and caromed into short rightfield for a two-run double, making it 9-5.

[Times photo: James Borchuck] Bobby Smith, left, and Steve Cox are all smiles after Smith drove in two insurance runs in th eighth inning of the victory that started the Rays' fifth season.

Garner said he made the right move, walking the hot-hitting left-hander (Cox) to face the right-handed Vaughn.

"I think Vaughn is a decent hitter too, but I think it's a good matchup, Acevedo against Vaughn," he said.

"It didn't work out."

Vaughn said he wasn't surprised, that Garner, who managed Vaughn when both were in Milwaukee, has used similar strategy against him before.

"He was banking on me using my adrenaline to get myself out," Vaughn said.

Given the lack of power and consistency in their lineup, the Rays know they are going to have to scrape for runs, and that's pretty much what they did to score their first of the season.

Gomez opened the third inning with a line shot that ticked just inside the leftfield line for a double. Tyner's bunted allowed Gomez to race to third, and he scored when pitcher Jeff Weaver's throw went by first baseman Dmitri Young.

The second run also took some work. Vaughn got them going with an infield single, Smith showed the patience to draw a two-out walk and Abernathy laced a double to left-center.

The Rays scratched out another run in the fifth. Winn started the rally by striking out but reaching first when the ball bounced past Detroit catcher Mike Rivera. Cox followed with a single and Hall, using only his left hand, slapped a ball to the left side and beat the throw to first.

Tanyon Sturtze, who was facing the Tigers for the third time in 16 days, started strong but couldn't finish the sixth, throwing 101 pitches.

He took a 3-1 lead into the sixth, but it slipped away when a ball bounced off his glove.

Three singles netted the Tigers one run, but Sturtze had a chance to escape with two outs and No. 9 hitter Jose Macias at the plate. Macias grounded the ball sharply right back at the mound, but the ball glanced off Sturtze's glove and into centerfield, allowing the tying run to score.

Jesus Colome came in throwing 99 mph, but that didn't help when Bobby Higginson blooped a ball that was just beyond the reach of leaping first baseman Cox, allowing two more runs to score, giving Detroit a 5-3 lead.

The Rays came right back. Singles by Gomez and Tyner, and an error by Halter on Winn's sharp grounder, loaded the bases. Cox, who won the third spot in the order with a solid spring, slashed a hard single to right, scoring two to tie.

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