Rays at a loss on a weird day

A'S 6, RAYS 1: Tampa Bay's offense exploded Saturday, but on Sunday the team has little pop and only one steal.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published April 11, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Dewon Brazelton couldn't put his finger on it, but the Devil Rays pitcher said he felt a strange vibe Sunday at Tropicana Field.

Day game after a night game? The pregame parade commemorating Youth Baseball Appreciation Day? The pressure of following the previous game's offensive explosion?

Whatever it was, Brazelton said, "It was a weird day."

The result: a 6-1 loss to the A's that snapped a three-game winning streak and reversed just about everything that had worked for Tampa Bay.

Brazelton, who fell to 0-2, was not sharp and allowed three runs in five innings and walked six, tying a career high and one fewer than Tampa Bay's starters allowed in five previous games.

The bats that were so explosive in Saturday's 11-2 victory couldn't solve Oakland starter Rich Harden and his 96 mph fastball. The Rays were held to eight hits with 11 strikeouts.

The team stole one base after swiping five the day before. And even speedy Joey Gathright was caught trying to steal second.

Then there was this: Rays third baseman Nick Green got tangled up with a fan as he leaned into the first row and tried to catch a foul ball. Green did not make the catch that would have ended the sixth inning with Tampa Bay trailing 3-0.

Instead, Erubiel Durazo turned his second chance into a two-run single that capped a four-run inning and made the score 5-0.

"I thought I had the ball," Green said, "but I didn't."

Brazelton didn't have it either. The right-hander said he was somewhat taken out of his routine by the youth parade that passed near where he was throwing.

No excuse, Brazelton said, though he added, "I had to warm up different. ... I never did get into a rhythm. You have days like that. You have 33 starts in a year and all are not going to be where you're comfortable. As a pitcher you just have to battle."

Brazelton escaped in the second and fifth innings from bases-loaded situations with one out. And Nick Swisher's two-out single in the fourth that made the score 1-0 broke a bat.

Brazelton was removed in the sixth inning after walking the first two batters. But relievers Travis Harper and Trever Miller couldn't reverse things. By the time the inning ended, four runs were in, two on Durazo's second-chance single off Miller.

"We talked about the success of our pitching has been the fact that we haven't walked any hitters. Today we walked people and they scored," manager Lou Piniella said. "That was really the story of the ballgame outside the fact that we couldn't mount much offense."

Credit Harden. The right-hander allowed one run on five hits and struck out five in 51/3 innings. Relief came from Justin Duchscherer, Kiko Calero and Octavio Dotel, who combined to strike out six.

Harden, 3-1 against the Rays, is apparently over the blister on his throwing hand that pushed his start back four days.

"You have to tip your hat to him," said shortstop Julio Lugo who struck out three times. "He was mixing it up. He was really on."

"My finger was feeling good, no problems," Harden said. "I was hoping I could get in a groove. Their bats are hot. Fortunately I was able to keep their fast guys off the bases for the most part."

For Harden it was a vibe worth feeling.

[Last modified April 11, 2005, 01:19:11]