Bats and Zambrano team up for gutsy win

RAYS 10, ORIOLES 7: Tampa Bay storms back from five-run deficit.

[Times photo: Michael Rondou] Aubrey Huff crosses home after homering in the fourth inning, putting the Rays up 7-5.

ST. PETERSBURG - Falling behind early, and staying there, has been a long-standing tradition with the Devil Rays. Now, catching up is catching on.

Trailing by five after 1 1/2 innings Saturday night, the Rays erupted for 18 hits, one shy of their season high, against Rick Helling and three relievers and outpounded the Orioles 10-7 before an announced 13,408 at Tropicana Field.

Aubrey Huff had four hits, one a home run in a three-run fourth inning that put Tampa Bay ahead to stay, offsetting Steve Parris' struggling start and some shaky relief by former starter Nick Bierbrodt.

"We've come from behind a lot," manager Lou Piniella said. "It shows a lot about the type of baseball this team is playing. It goes to show you that if you keep battling for 27 outs you've got a chance. But you don't want to fall behind 5-0 too often."

They've won three times after trailing by five or more this season.

"It's weird," said Huff, a grizzled veteran of 26 who saw Greg Vaughn, Vinny Castilla, Wilson Alvarez and other veteran disappointments come and go in three seasons. "Everybody's so young and hungry to win. You get down in a situation like that three years ago and we would be dead in the dugout. Now we're down 5-0 in the second inning and anything is possible."

Like a win for Victor Zambrano. He was sent to the bullpen, at least temporarily, after several starts in which he had as many walks and hits as innings.

Saturday, with the lead down to one, Zambrano bailed Bierbrodt out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth with a huge assist from Rocco Baldelli, who made a sliding catch of Jeff Conine's low liner to centerfield.

Baldelli's sacrifice fly in the fourth put the Rays ahead to stay before Huff hit his full-count home run down the rightfield line. Baldelli, who had a 13-game hitting streak this month, also had two singles to stretch his new streak to nine games.

"We're going to get wins any way we can," he said. "We're not going to be ahead the whole time, but we know we're capable of coming back no matter what."

Piniella, meanwhile, was effusive in his praise for Zambrano. "What a gutsy performance by Victor," he said. "He started just three days ago."

"You try to throw strikes and use all your pitches," Zambrano said. "The big thing is when you throw strikes, a lot of good things happen."

When Zambrano got into a jam in the eighth on Jerry Hairston's two-out single and a walk to Melvin Mora, whose two-run homer in the second put the Orioles up 5-0, Mike Venafro came in and struck out pinch-hitter Jose Leon.

"The last couple of years, everybody here has learned something about baseball, about winning and losing," Zambrano said, "and I think everybody has come in here this year to play hard no matter what happens."

After committing 16 errors in their first 11 games, the Rays have had two in the past 13. The defense, Piniella said, "has really tightened up, turning double plays, cutting balls off in the outfield. ... It's been fun for me personally, watching this team play."

It wasn't at the start, with Parris gone after four and Bierbrodt giving up two runs in the sixth to allow the Orioles to climb within a run. "We were hoping to get three of four innings from Nick," Piniella said. "But he'll be better the next time out."