Pettitte quickly takes air out of Rays

YANKEES 9, RAYS 1: Day after inspired win, Tampa Bay goes down meekly to left-hander.

By KEVIN KELLY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 29, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- The tell-tale signs were there in the opening inning Sunday when Andy Pettitte needed all of 10 pitches to strike out two Rays and get another to ground out.

"The hitters let you know about everything," Tampa Bay manager Hal McRae said. "When they're not getting good swings and when a guy is working ahead, using all his pitches and getting swings and strikes with them and he's a good pitcher ... you recognize that here's a game that might be difficult.

"But sometimes the pitcher loses something as the game progresses."

Pettitte, the Yankees left-hander, never did in New York's 9-1 win.

Backed by a well-stocked offense and facing a pieced-together Rays lineup, Pettitte threw first-pitch strikes to the first 17 Tampa Bay batters and tied a career high with 12 strikeouts before 29,144 at Tropicana Field.

It was the Rays' 19th loss this month.

"He by far had the best stuff I've seen the last couple of years," second baseman Brent Abernathy said.

With first baseman Steve Cox and catcher Toby Hall getting the day off, the Rays lineup had a much different feel than the night before when it electrified the second-largest crowd of the season by beating the Yankees for only the second time in 11 games.

The 2-5 hitters -- Andy Sheets, Aubrey Huff, Jared Sandberg and Ben Grieve -- went a combined 0-for-13 with eight strikeouts against Pettitte.

"Everyone knows when a pitcher is throwing well and he's on," McRae said. "They know the difference between good pitching and bad hitting. Today was obviously good pitching."

Were it not for two pitches to Yankees third baseman Robin Ventura and catcher Jorge Posada, the Rays might have had a chance to take two of three against the Yankees.

Those two pitches, both thrown by starter Tanyon Sturtze, wound up costing Tampa Bay five runs.

"I didn't give us a chance today," said Sturtze, who has one win in 22 starts this season. "They were really patient today and it ended up hurting me."

The right-hander loaded the bases in the third inning on two singles and a walk when Ventura came up and, on a 3-and-1 count, smacked a chest-high fastball out that put the Yankees ahead 4-0.

It was Ventura's third homer in as many games against the Rays and 16th career grand slam, tying him for sixth on the all-time list with Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Dave Kingman. Posada led off the sixth with a homer down the rightfield line.

"I have no qualms about the way he pitched," McRae said of Sturtze.

In seven innings, Sturtze allowed six runs on nine hits. He struck out three but walked six. Rookie Steve Kent, who pitched the final two innings and allowed three more runs, walked three.

Rays pitchers walked 21 Yankees during the three-game series.

"They had a pretty good plan today," Sturtze said. "They kind of waited for something where they could handle it. It was weird. It was pretty much just those two pitches that really hurt us.

"Other than that, I thought I threw the ball really well today. I felt I had the best stuff that I've had throughout the year."

Pettitte, who allowed four hits in 71/3 innings, retired the first five and 14 of the first 15 by handcuffing hitters with a cut fastball.

Catcher John Flaherty was the only Rays player to get a hit, a double to left-center in the second, off Pettitte through 42/3 innings.

"Randy Johnson might be the only one better at establishing the inside corner from the left side," said Abernathy, who had a run-scoring double off Pettitte in the seventh.

With three games left this month, the Rays are one defeat from tying the mark for the worst month in club history. Sunday's loss ended a seven-game stretch against the Red Sox and Yankees, during which they went 3-4.

"I don't feel like we ever felt overmatched today," Abernathy said. "They just played a better ballgame than us. That's going to happen every now and then. It doesn't mean you have to like it, but they got great pitching and timely hitting."