Disputed call helps keep bats quiet

M'S 5, RAYS 2: Chance to tie ends on controversial strikes as Seattle splits.

By KEVIN KELLY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 30, 2002

[Times photo: Michael Rondou] Rays starting pitcher Tanyon Sturtze with the broken bat of Carlos Guillen that narrowly missed him when the bat broke and flew out to the mound in the 2nd inning

ST. PETERSBURG -- There was no dirt kicked or brushed by hand across home plate as Mariners manager Lou Piniella had done the night before.

But though he didn't have the showmanship and pizazz of his Seattle counterpart, the result was similar for Hal McRae on Wednesday.

The Rays manager was ejected, and his team lost.

McRae was tossed before he even stepped onto the field to discuss a called strike by home-plate umpire Mike Everitt in the eighth inning of a 5-2 loss to Seattle at Tropicana Field.

"I had my say when I went out," he said. "I told him what I thought of the pitch. ... I thought it was a bad call. But that's after the fact."

With the tying run at second and two outs, Everitt called second and third strikes on Ben Grieve to end the inning and the Rays' chances of sweeping the first-place Mariners.

"It was a ball," Grieve said of the pitch that ran the count to 1-and-2. "He's human and makes mistakes. He probably knows it was a ball. ... It completely changed the whole at-bat."

The Rays problems extended beyond one or two calls.

They have averaged four hits over the past four games and had eight baserunners Wednesday. Two, John Flaherty and Aubrey Huff, homered to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead by the fourth inning.

Seattle, however, scored four off Rays starter Tanyon Sturtze to split a two-game series attended by 21,396 fans total. Sturtze is winless in 11 starts this season.

"We didn't get anything going offensively," McRae said. "I thought Sturtze threw the ball better. He gave us a good effort but we didn't score enough runs.

"Two runs is not enough. We're not getting enough opportunities to score runs, not getting enough baserunners."

Wednesday's crowd of 10,586, second smallest at Tropicana Field this season, witnessed the continued revival of Flaherty.

One night after belting a grand slam to help beat the Mariners, the 34-year-old homered to give the Rays a 1-0 lead in the second.

"He's doing well," McRae said. "He's given the team a lift. He's worked hard from the onset in spring training. He's brought a lot of energy to the ballpark. He deserves what he's getting."

Though Sturtze's ERA through 11 starts is better this season than last, he is tied with the Cubs' Jason Bere for the second-longest current losing streak in the majors.

"I've felt good this whole first half," Sturtze said. "Some ground balls are just hitting some holes, they're out of reach of some people.

"It's going to change sooner or later. I've got a lot of starts left. It's going to change. It has to change. It can't stay like this all the time."

Seattle had runners in every inning Sturtze pitched, but the Rays defense helped out with double plays in the third, fourth and sixth innings.

The Mariners scored two in the fifth when rookie outfielder Chris Snelling followed Carlos Guillen's leadoff double with his first major-league home run to tie it at 2.

Seattle scored two more in seventh to make it 4-2 before Sturtze was pulled with the bases loaded and one out. He struck out four and walked four.

"The wins are going to come," Sturtze said. "I just feel bad that my team got me out to a 2-0 lead tonight and I made a really bad pitch to (Snelling). He did what he was supposed to do."

The Rays got two runners in the eighth after Randy Winn reached second on a throwing error by Garcia and Greg Vaughn walked with two outs.

Winn advanced to third and Vaughn to second on a wild pitch by Arthur Rhodes.

With a 1-and-1 count on Grieve and two outs, Everitt delayed a split-second in calling strike two, then called strike three to end the eighth.

McRae was ejected for the first time this season and fourth time since taking over as the Rays manager last season for arguing from the dugout.

"He was standing on the top steps of the dugout, gesturing with both his arms, yelling at me on balls and strikes about a pitch previous in the inning," Everitt said. "Once he continued to do that he was ejected. You can't argue balls and strikes."

Today's lineup

Other sports

Gary Shelton