Rays just can't land final blow

PIRATES 12, RAYS 9: Tampa Bay scores six in the ninth but can't finish it in a game marred by a bench-clearing brawl.

ST. PETERSBURG - The Devil Rays showed some fight during a bench-clearing brawl in the fourth inning Saturday, and some more during a team-record six-run rally in the ninth inning.

And while they ended up with a loss, a dramatic and eventful 12-9 defeat to the Pirates, they came away with some hope that what happened might turn into something positive.

"It's part of the game that happens, and it's unfortunate that it did," said Marlon Anderson, who instigated the brawl after being hit by a pitch and was one of four players ejected. "If it's something that can spark us and we start playing better baseball, hopefully it's something we can build on. ... There's something about getting in a fight with a lot of individuals that seems to bring you closer."

The Rays showed some of that spark in the ninth. Down 12-3, they responded with the biggest ninth inning in team history, scoring six and getting the tying run to first when pinch-hitter Rocco Baldelli walked to load the bases and bring the potential winning run to the plate. But Carl Crawford grounded into a force play to end it.

"I'm proud of our team for not laying down," manager Lou Piniella said. "They battled. To get the winning run up at home plate when you're nine runs down to start an inning, that shows a lot of spunk to me. We just fell short."

The brawl started with Anderson's increasingly vehement objection to Josh Fogg hitting him on the right knee in what appeared to be a retaliatory plunking. The Rays hit three Pirates on Friday, and hit Jason Kendall in the top of the fourth Saturday - with the bases loaded.

"I knew we'd hit a few of their hitters, but, my God, I knew we weren't trying to hit a guy with the bases loaded," Piniella said. "And their pitchers had pretty darn pinpoint control the whole night. It was obvious what the intention was." (Fogg, naturally, said he wasn't trying to hit Anderson and just missed his spot.)

Anderson and Kendall were jawing as they moved down the first-base line, then started brawling when Anderson knocked Kendall's mask ajar with his elbow.

"I don't know why I got upset; it's one of those things," Anderson said. "It happened, I reacted. Right or wrong, who knows? Who's to say?"

MLB disciplinarian Bob Watson will have the ultimate say when he decides whether to fine and/or suspend Anderson. Kendall was pretty sure the veteran second baseman was wrong.

"It was an 88-mph fastball on his knee ... whatever. I think the whole thing is pretty weak. He might have a little bruise on his leg," Kendall said.

"I told him to go to first base and that was about it. Then he (expletive)-slapped me, or I don't know what it was. I don't play that (expletive)."

The benches and bullpens quickly emptied, and several scrums broke out. While baseball "brawls" tend to be more like a group tango, this one featured some legitimate action, with punches flying. Several Rays fingered Pirates reliever Julian Tavarez as the instigator for delivering "cheap shots."

When order was restored and play resumed 13 minutes later, two players from each team were ejected: Anderson, Kendall, Tavarez (who came out of the bullpen) and ex-Pirate Al Martin (who came off the Rays bench).

The brawl made for good TV, but by the time the game was over people in both clubhouses were downplaying the incident.

"There's nothing wrong with a little extracurricular, and we'll leave it at that," Piniella said. "Nobody got hurt, and that's a good thing."

The brawl and the comeback were about the only highlights for the home team, outside of some heads-up defensive plays by catcher Javier Valentin and third baseman Damian Rolls.

Crawford, filling in for Baldelli, misplayed two balls in centerfield, and the pitching for the most part was horrible, allowing 17 hits, nine for extra bases, and walked six.

Rob Bell became the 12th pitcher to start for the Rays this season, and based on his performance they're probably going to be looking for No.13. Bell, working at a deliberate pace (to put it kindly), couldn't get out of the fourth, allowing seven of his last nine batters to reach base.

"It wasn't one of our better starts," Piniella said.