The Rays' 5-3 loss to Texas is their fourth straight, 13th of 14 on the road.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published August 14, 2004
ARLINGTON, Texas - The road has become a most inhospitable place for the Devil Rays.
With a 5-3 loss to the Rangers Friday night at Ameriquest Field, Tampa Bay lost its fourth straight away from home and 13th in 14 games.
Worse, centerfielder Rocco Baldelli was taken out after the first after aggravating a tender right quadriceps. He will go on the DL, and Joey Gathright will be called up from Triple-A Durham.
Tino Martinez hit his 18th home run to give the Rays a 1-0 second-inning lead. But losing pitcher Rob Bell gave up a two-run home run to Laynce Nix in the bottom half.
A two-run fifth was Bell's undoing, as he gave up a home run to Alfonso Soriano and a run-scoring single to Mark Teixeira that made it 5-1.
That last run was toughest to take, with David Dellucci scoring after being walked and, with two outs, wild-pitched to second. It was Bell's second wild pitch of the game.
Bell, relieved by Trever Miller after Teixeira's hit, allowed five earned runs in 42/3 innings on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks.
Aubrey Huff's streak of multihit games ended at six, though he extended his hitting streak to seven with a sixth-inning single. Designated hitter B.J. Upton had his first three-hit game with two singles and a double. And reliever Travis Harper pitched two scoreless innings with a strikeout.
The Rays took the lead on Martinez's 18th home run. The Rangers answered when Nix launched his 12th homer to right.
Texas made it 3-1 in the third. Bell walked No. 9 hitter Rob Barajas to start the inning, and Barajas moved to second when Bell struck out Soriano with a wild pitch.
Barajas scored on Dellucci's single to right. The throw home from Jose Cruz was perfect and seemed to beat Barajas. But Barajas' slide to the right of the plate, with his left hand reaching for home, beat the diving tag of catcher Toby Hall.
The Rays mounted a serious threat in the fourth when with two outs they loaded the bases on Cruz's single, a walk to Martinez and Upton's infield hit.
Hall ripped a line drive to leftfield that Dellucci misplayed. Though turned around and looking awfully tentative, Dellucci reached up to snag the ball and end the inning.
Tampa Bay cut its deficit to two in the sixth. Huff started the inning with a single. Two outs later, he went to third on Upton's double, and both scored on Hall's single.
Carl Crawford doubled with one out in the ninth, and Tampa Bay had runners on first and third with two outs. But Texas closer Francisco Cordero got Huff to ground out to second for his 34th save, helping Plant City High product Kenny Rogers win his 14th.
