RAYS 2, D'BACKS 1: Carl Crawford says it best as Tampa Bay's winning streak goes to 11, longest in the majors this season.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published June 21, 2004
[AP photo]
Rays reliever Jesus Colome faced four batters, and a double play helped him get five outs for his second save of the season.
PHOENIX - The manager broke from his one-game-at-a-time mantra to acknowledge that good things are happening. The gleeful managing general partner claimed the only word that fit properly was "wonderful." The veteran first baseman suggested there could be bigger things ahead.
But the most telling comment may have been this one:
"We're playing good baseball," leftfielder Carl Crawford said.
"It's fun to be a Devil Ray right now."
Now that's something you don't hear every day.
The amazing Rays won again Sunday, beating the Diamondbacks 2-1 to run their winning streak to 11, longest in the majors this season.
They improved their best-in-the-big-leagues record over the past month to 22-6. They moved to within two games of the elusive .500 mark at 32-34. They kept their hold on third place, 3 1/2 games ahead of Toronto and Baltimore.
And they crept to within six games of wild-card leading Boston.
"We just have to keep playing hard basically from right now to the All-Star break," Tino Martinez said.
"See where we wind up then, and come back strong in the second half. We've got a good team, we're playing really good, we have a lot of talent in here. You never know."
Managing general partner Vince Naimoli didn't say anything about playoff tickets, but his joy was obvious as he bound through the clubhouse.
"Unbelievable," Naimoli said. "It's just wonderful. That's what it is."
Manager Lou Piniella, while noticeably pleased, continues to tell a cautionary tale.
"The kids obviously are getting confident," Piniella said. "Their confidence is growing. Good things are happening to our baseball team. But, believe me, like I've said before, we're not out of the woods. We've just got to keep playing."
If they keep playing like they did Sunday, they may at least get to the clearing.
The game was unlike most of the others in the streak because there was little offense and no dramatic comeback. But there was a common theme - and one that is common among successful teams - in that lot of players played key roles.
"Everybody's doing their thing," Robert Fick said. "It's cool, man. It's fun."
Mark Hendrickson had another strong start, overcoming a bloody nose caused by the dry desert air and a cramping left calf to allow one run in six innings while improving to 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA in June and 5-5. 4.07 overall.
"Today was probably the best I've felt when it comes to some of the things (pitching coach Chuck Hernandez) and I have been working on, and it's just a good feeling," Hendrickson said.
"Not overthrowing, not overstriding, staying tall, just feeling more relaxed."
Carl Crawford created the first run, singling to open the game, stealing his 30th base (matching the major-league high), going to third on a groundout and scoring on Rocco Baldelli's sacrifice fly.
Fick, making a surprise start in rightfield when Jose Cruz was scratched from the lineup, tripled in the third to score Crawford with the other.
Top starter Victor Zambrano bolstered a short-handed bullpen by working the seventh, and Trever Miller got a huge out in the eighth, striking out Steve Finley on a wicked 3-and-2 slider with men on first and third and no outs. "A gutsy call," Piniella said.
Jesus Colome came on to coolly get the final five outs, breaking Danny Bautista's bat with a 95 mph fastball to get a double-play grounder that ended the eighth, then blowing through the ninth, twice hitting 100 on the stadium radar gun.
"We won a tough ballgame today," Piniella said. "That was really clutch pitching there at the end by Colome."
As they had for the past 10 games, they did what they had to do to win, running their interleague record to a major league-best 11-1 and sweeping a third straight series.
For a team that was 10-28 a month ago and didn't get back-to-back wins until its 40th game, that's saying something.
"I think we just got off to a slow start," Hendrickson said. "Now we're playing like everybody in the locker room thought we would be playing.
"Everybody outside is kind of surprised, but nobody in this locker room is surprised."
