Relentless Rays find way to win

RAYS 5, JAYS 4 (10): Two-out rally in ninth sets up winner and negates blown lead.

ST. PETERSBURG - Coming back to tie in the ninth and to win in the 10th is pretty good. To do so after the game seemed to be lost, as the surging Devil Rays discovered Tuesday in a 5-4 win over Toronto, is even better.

"This was like a typical one of our wins: not pretty, ugly at times, but when it's all said and done, it's a W," Al Martin said. "It was a good one to win. After we had a 2-1 lead and immediately blow that one and come back and get it, we've done it a bunch this year and it shows, I think, the character of the team."

The Rays showed a lot, rallying for two runs with two outs in the ninth to tie, Marlon Anderson and Martin delivering the key hits, then taking advantage of an error and winning in the 10th, with sizzling Travis Lee singling in Rocco Baldelli.

"It's no secret that we definitely like to put the gloves on and scrap a little bit, fight, scratch, claw," Damian Rolls said. "That's what helped us pull through tonight, scratching and clawing, getting the little things done."

The victory was the Rays' sixth in their past eight games and improved them to an AL East-leading 11-7 since July 18 and 17-14 since July 1.

They won because they never gave up, scoring their seventh walkoff victory and 19th come-from-behind win of the season. "It was a good comeback, good to see," manager Lou Piniella said. "I said all along this team plays hard all nine innings."

But they also won because, like good teams, they did a lot of little things right and took advantage of the opportunities presented.

"It seems like things are starting to turn a little bit," Lee said. "That is a big difference. Early on we were making those mistakes, and sometimes we still do, but you can never count us out."

The score was 1-1 in seventh after a strong start by Jorge Sosa, and the Rays scratched out a run to go ahead. Rolls' hustle to beat second baseman Orlando Hudson to second was a key play before rookie Antonio Perez drew a bases-loaded walk.

But relievers Lance Carter and Travis Harper quickly messed things up, turning the one-run advantage into a two-run deficit in the eighth. It took rookie Mark Malaska starting a pitcher-to-home-to-first double play to get them out of more trouble in the ninth.

Quickly, the Rays were down to their last out, but they weren't done. They scored twice to tie the score at 4, with a walk by Rolls, a single and a barely stolen base by Anderson and a clutch two-strike hit by pinch-hitter Martin all essential.

After the four-pitch walk off Cliff Politte, Rolls took second unchallenged, a key play because Anderson followed with a run-scoring single.

With Martin at the plate, Anderson tried the same move to second, figuring the Blue Jays again wouldn't make a play. "He didn't think the catcher was going to throw," Piniella said. "I said, "You know, son, you are the tying run."'

The Blue Jays made a play all righty, and shortstop Mike Bordick was convinced he tagged Anderson, who said he didn't slide because he never saw Bordick break for the base.

"Bordick came across real late;that's why he called me safe, because I was safe," Anderson said. "I really still thought I was in there."

"Bordick came flying out of nowhere," Lee said. "It was a nice timing pattern, I guess."

Manager Carlos Tosca argued and said later the replays confirmed his point, but it didn't matter.

Martin, who was 3-for-22 as a pinch-hitter, had a tremendous at-bat, fouling off three two-strike pitches before slapping a single to right.

"It just seems like we're getting big hits when we need to," Lee said.

The winning rally started when Baldelli hit a one-out grounder to third but raced down the line and reached when Eric Hinske booted the ball. After Aubrey Huff walked and Toby Hall flied out, Lee, who homered earlier and is hitting .389 (35-for-90) over his past 25 games, lined a single to left and Baldelli sprinted home.

"It was just a real good win for us," Martin said. "That was one that could have had a lasting effect if you lose it. We lost a couple this season like that where you got a lead late and lost it, then we've gone into a downturn for a while. It felt good to get that one."