RAYS 7, ORIOLES 3: Early perfect pitching and a rare power surge propel Tampa Bay, ending Baltimore's five-game winning streak.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published April 22, 2004
[AP photo]
Tino Martinez is greeted by Jose Cruz after the Tampa native's three-run homer in the fifth inning gave the Rays a 6-0 lead.
BALTIMORE - They were smiling, laughing, trading barbs and slapping hands. But what felt best for the Devil Rays in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Orioles was simply exhaling after the first signs of offense in more than a week.
The seven runs were more than they scored in their previous five games total. The 12 hits matched their total from their past three games. The three extra-base hits, including Rocco Baldelli's first homer of the season and Tino Martinez's third, were three more than they'd gotten in the previous 34 innings, a span that dated to Friday.
And the sense of relief was most-welcomed.
"Once we started hitting the ball, everything we had been doing the last couple games was forgotten," Baldelli said. "It lets us move on. We know we can hit the ball, we know we can put runs on the board. Sometimes you get in streaks where you're not scoring runs and some people get upset and panic and stuff and make you worry, but there's really nothing to worry about."
Manager Lou Piniella had been preaching patience and steadfastly spouting confidence that the offense would soon come around. But after Wednesday's game, he admitted that some of that was wishful thinking.
"Well," he said, "don't believe everything I say."
The Rays got off to a quick start, with two runs in the first and a 7-0 lead by the fifth, and veteran right-hander Paul Abbott did the rest, running his record to 2-1 with a third straight quality start.
"It goes to show you, you hit a little bit and get good pitching, you can win some ballgames," Piniella said.
With Aubrey Huff out of the lineup for the first time since June 2002, the Rays started well against Baltimore left-hander Matt Riley. After Carl Crawford's leadoff walk, Damian Rolls pulled a ground ball past third baseman Melvin Mora that was cause for celebration - the Rays' first extra-base hit since the second inning of Friday's game.
"I had no idea," Rolls said.
When Eduardo Perez singled in one run and Julio Lugo another, it was the first time they'd led since Friday as well.
Baldelli's homer - in his 47th at-bat of the season - made it 3-0, a blast that went against the wind and carried over the centerfield fence.
"It felt good," Baldelli said. "All I can say is it felt good."
The Rays expanded the lead to 7-0 with a four-run fifth that was their first nine-batter inning of the season. Baldelli, who'd been in a 1-for-12 skid, started it with a leadoff single and Martinez, who'd been in a 2-for-14 skid, had the key hit, a three-run homer.
"We have good hitters on this team and we know that," Martinez said. "You go through a crazy time like that when you can't do anything right offensively and you need a game like this. Hopefully this is the game that gets us going."
Abbott made it look easy, not allow a baserunner through the first four innings. He got a little careless once he got the big lead in the fifth, walking Rafael Palmeiro and Javy Lopez and giving up a three-run homer to Jay Gibbons, then regrouped and retired six of his next seven, with Lance Carter and Danys Baez doing the rest.
Abbott has two wins, as many as he had the past two injury-shortened seasons total. His 2.37 ERA ranks among the league leaders, but he thinks he could be doing better, frustrated he hasn't been able to rely on his changeup yet, and thankful he learned how to throw a cut fastball last year.
"Even with getting a couple wins and keeping us in the games, I think I can improve on it and pitch better," Abbott said.
As pleased as the Rays were to score seven, they know they have to keep doing it, at least on a somewhat regular basis.
"What we need to do is build some consistency around this game," Piniella said.
All agreed, it was at least a step in the right direction.
"It's a step that shows us we can put up the big runs," Rolls said. "Just to remind you, it does big things for a team. You're struggling . . . you're struggling ... it's baseball . . . and you think you're never going to get out of the funk you're in. Something like this happens tonight, and it's like a pressure-reliever, I guess you'd say. We've done it before and we can do it again."
