The Rays score five during the first five innings, but Kevin Mench's home run wins it for Texas.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published August 15, 2004
ARLINGTON, Texas - Funny the way things work out.
When talking of the fine line between the Devil Rays' success and failure, manager Lou Piniella usually draws it at five runs. Well, Tampa Bay got five Saturday night ... and lost anyway.
Tampa Bay fell 6-5 to the Rangers in front of a crowd of 38,620 at Ameriqest Field for its fifth straight loss in a seven-game road trip that wraps up tonight. It also was the Rays' 14th loss in their past 15 road games.
Just as notable, it was the first Rays loss when scoring at least five runs since the Twins beat them 7-5 on July 22, a stretch of seven victories.
"We competed the last two games," Piniella said, counting Friday's 5-3 loss. "We just haven't closed the deal."
Frankie Nunez got the loss in his major-league debut when Kevin Mench's fifth-inning homer broke a 5-5 tie. But the onus was more on starter John Halama.
The lefty went just 32/3 innings and allowed five runs on five hits with one strikeout. Oddest of all, were the three walks. Halama had walked just nine in his previous 10 starts.
"It was bound to happen, and it happened today," Halama said of his relative wildness. "I just tried to keep the ball down. It was just one of those days."
Still, it was an interesting game and not just because Tampa Bay gave the hard-hitting Rangers a battle.
With Rocco Baldelli on the disabled list because of a quadriceps injury and the release of outfielder Robert Fick, the Rays called up from Triple-A Durham 22-year-old Jorge Cantu and 23-year-old Joey Gathright, who played third and centerfield, respectively.
Add 23-year-old Carl Crawford in leftfield and 19-year-old B.J. Upton at shortstop, and the lineup included three rookies and six players younger than 30. Include Nunez, 27, and its four and seven.
Upton had two hits for his third straight multihit game. Cantu had a run-scoring single, and Gathright had two hits.
A nice glimpse of the future? Yes. Still. ...
"It's hard to keep taking when you lose. It really is," Piniella said when asked if he took a positive from the contributions. "At the same time, we're playing three rookies in the lineup and had a rookie pitcher out there, so you have to be realistic. You really do."
And reality is that Tampa Bay's offense did not take advantage of its chances. It outhit the Rangers 10-8 but mustered just one extra-base hit, Jose Cruz's double, while Texas had two home runs, two doubles and a triple.
The Rays scored two runs in the first inning on run-scoring singles from Aubrey Huff, who upped his hitting streak to eight games, and Cruz. But with starter Mike Bacsik also hitting two batters, the team should have had more. Cantu struck out and Toby Hall grounded to third with the bases loaded.
Second and third with one out in the third produced just one run on Tino Martinez's groundout. And the game ended with Crawford thrown out trying to steal second on a perfect throw from catcher Gerald Laird.
Crawford believed he was safe. Piniella said he gave Crawford the option to go.
"I take responsibility for that because I'm the one that gave the young man the option," Piniella said.
"The player did the best he could to steal the base."
