RED SOX 5, RAYS 2: Tampa Bay still can't measure up to elite foe as its offense struggles again.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published August 4, 2004
[Times photo: Michael Rondou]
Rob Bell composes himself after Boston's two-run fourth inning, when he gave up three hits and a walk.
ST. PETERSBURG - Except for the part about Manny Ramirez flying through the air to make a leaping catch at the leftfield wall, the Devil Rays played the same game Tuesday they've played many times before.
Too many times.
Their starter threw too many pitches. Their defense, which makes most of the plays, didn't make a key one. Their offense continued to struggle to do much of anything.
And they lost, again, this time 5-2 to the Red Sox.
It was the third time in five games the Rays didn't get more than six hits and the seventh time in their past 13 they didn't score more than three runs.
Manager Lou Piniella, whose pleas for an upgrade to the offense went unanswered at the trading deadline, was too disgusted afterward to talk with reporters.
The players didn't have much to say, either, complimenting Boston starter Curt Schilling, who improved to 4-1 against them with a six-hit complete game, and acknowledging the obvious: that they're still not good enough to beat the elite teams more than occasionally.
The Rays are 5-17 against the Red Sox and Yankees and 45-39 against everyone else.
"We play well against some teams but against some of the better teams, we don't know how to beat those teams yet consistently," said Rocco Baldelli, who hit his 10th homer.
"You've got to pitch great and hit timely, or a score a ton of runs, which you can't bank on. That's the only chance you really have. They play each other really tough and they beat up on everyone else. You've got to play great to beat them. We're still looking for a couple great games."
Starter Rob Bell did what he usually does, which is keep his team close. He gave up five runs in six innings, though he needed 115 pitches to do so.
Third baseman Geoff Blum made several nice grabs and the Rays twice threw runners out at third to end Boston rallies, but it was a foul ball that rookie shortstop B.J. Upton didn't catch that turned out to be one of the biggest plays.
Upton, making his first start in the field, gave chase and called off Blum as the ball drifted into foul territory down the leftfield line with two on and two outs in the sixth, but the ball dropped beside him. Given a second chance, Bill Mueller doubled both runners home to extend Boston's lead to 5-0.
"I had it off the bat," Upton said. "I looked up and I looked into the lights and I lost it for a second, then I picked it back up. But by the time I picked it back up it was too late. I think I should have have made (the play) anyway."
The most interesting moment - aside from the equally split Rays and Red Sox fans in the crowd of 20,882 uniting to chant "Yankees s---!" - was Ramirez's leaping catch to rob Huff in the sixth.
Ramirez is known for a lot of things, though not for his defensive grace.
"Out of all people, you know?" Huff said. "You watch that cutoff on ESPN (when Ramirez intercepted centerfielder Johnny Damon's throw) and then you see that (Tuesday) and it kind of makes you laugh. He made a good play. What are you going to do?"
"I've got a silver glove," Ramirez said. "I just went out there with all my confidence like I always do and I went hard to the ball."
He also went hard into the wall and the ground but eventually popped up, hugged Damon and started pointing to the dugout.
Was he hurt?
"Nah," he said. "Only God can mess me up. I'm blessed."
