RAYS 10, JAYS 2: Carl Crawford's four hits, two steals and three runs help push surging Tampa Bay back over .500.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published June 29, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - The Devil Rays are pushing to keep playing at their best-in-baseball pace up until the July 12-14 All-Star break. Carl Crawford is making an impressive push to go home to Houston to play in the All-Star Game.
The Rays won again Monday, beating Toronto and Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay 10-2, improving their record since May 20 to a stunning 27-8 and stepping back over .500 at 37-36.
Jose Cruz and Geoff Blum homered, Aubrey Huff and rookie Joey Gathright each had three hits and Victor Zambrano pitched six decent innings, but Crawford was again the key part of the story before a disappointing Tropicana Field crowd of 11,218.
He logged his fourth four-hit game of the season and his eighth multihit game in his past nine, pushing his average into the American League top 10 at .319.
He stole two bases, expanding his major league-leading stolen base total to 35 and creeping to within one of becoming the eighth player in modern history to steal 100 before his 23rd birthday.
He scored three times, moving into the top three in the league with 57 runs and setting a team record by scoring in his ninth straight game.
And he made it even more obvious that he deserves to be among the outfielders named Sunday to the American League All-Star team.
"I think he's looking for a spot over there in his hometown," Rays manager Lou Piniella said. "I don't think it's going unnoticed around baseball."
Crawford said he won't allow himself to believe the hype until he gets official word. He saw how Rocco Baldelli and Huff were worthy selections last season but were left home as MLB's clunky four-part selection process produced reliever Lance Carter as the Rays' unexpected All-Star.
"I'm still skeptical because of what happened with Rocco and Huff," Crawford said. "I won't look forward to it, I'll tell you that. Those guys can tell you they didn't care about it all they want, but I know deep inside they felt bad about what happened.
"I felt bad for them and it wasn't even me. I'm not going to look forward to it because I don't want that feeling inside me."
The Rays have several other qualified candidates, including Julio Lugo, whose team-high 47 RBIs are third among AL shortstops; Danys Baez, who ranks fourth in the league with 15 saves; Zambrano, who improved to 8-4; and even Tino Martinez, who shares the team lead with 12 homers and might be a sentimental choice for All-Star/Yankees manager Joe Torre.
But Crawford seems to be most deserving.
"No question," Huff said. "He's been our most consistent player. It seems like he gets three or four hits a game nowadays. He really wants to go back home, I think. He deserves it. I think out of anybody on the team, he deserves it. A lot of guys are having good years, but he's really stood out. I'm rooting for him."
The chance for Crawford to be an All-Star for the first time would be something. To get to do it in his hometown would be something special.
"It would just mean a lot to go back home," Crawford said. "Whatever role I had, if I was in the game it would be nice to do it in front of the home crowd."
Stymied by Florida's red-hot Carl Pavano on Sunday, the Rays knew it wouldn't be much easier against Halladay, who hadn't lost since May 11. Getting down 1-0 in the first didn't help.
But these aren't the same old Rays, and they came out swinging, scoring three in their first, Crawford singlehandedly starting the rally by beating out an infield single, stealing second and leading Halladay to balk. They added Blum's homer in the fourth, the first Halladay allowed in more than 51 innings, and Cruz's three-run shot in the fifth.
The seven runs Halladay allowed were the most in more than a year.
"That's a good win for us; a win against Roy doesn't come too easy," Crawford said.
"We've got to be able to hit anybody if we want to be a good team."
