This is not a reprint: Rays stun Bosox

RAYS 6, RED SOX 5: Tampa Bay rallies against Curt Schilling to edge Boston for the second straight night.

By MARC TOPKIN
Published April 24, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Their stunning walkoff win from the night before a fading memory, the Devil Rays quickly found themselves down four runs Saturday, and prospects grim with Boston ace Curt Schilling on the mound.

It was a situation that even the most optimistic Ray would have been pessimistic about.

And it couldn't have turned out any better.

The Rays came back for a thrilling 6-5 victory, beating Schilling for the first time at Tropicana Field, winning a series from the Red Sox for the first time since 2003, and setting up a chance today for their first three-game sweep of the Sox.

"A lot of things haven't looked great this year so far, but we still come back and hang in there," reliever Trever Miller said. "Our fans have got to love that. You've got to love the underdog. Especially when the underdog keeps biting."

Saturday, in front of a season-high crowd of 33,220, they attacked in a pack.

They chipped away at the Red Sox lead, Alex Gonzalez hitting a key two-run homer in the fifth, and went ahead to stay in the sixth. A leadoff single by Alex Sanchez and a two-out single by Jorge Cantu set the stage, and Travis Lee starred, ripping a two-run double down the rightfield line.

With an unsteady start from Doug Waechter, who gave up two long homers to David Ortiz, and top relievers Travis Harper and Danys Baez unavailable, the Rays used patchwork relief work to hold the lead. They got key outs from Casey Fossum and Seth McClung, a huge strikeout of Mark Bellhorn by Miller, and a 1-2-3 ninth from Lance Carter, who earned his first save since 2003.

"There were a lot of big moments out there," manager Lou Piniella said. "This is a good feeling. A big crowd. There was some energy in the ballpark."

The Rays are hoping to harness it. As is usually the case when the Red Sox or Yankees are in town, the sentiments in the stands were divided. "They go back and forth," Piniella said. "I think they've got a half-green, half-red hat on."

But the Rays seem to be building something. Since their embarrassing 19-8 loss in New York on Monday, they've won four of five, and have done so against some impressive starting pitchers - Randy Johnson, Kenny Rogers, Tim Wakefield and Schilling.

"I think it all started back when we got beat 19-8," Miller said. "For some reason, this team is exceptional in shaking off tough things, tough losses. Maybe it started in spring training when he lost two guys to retirements. This team has a lot of resiliency, that type of thing. You can see it in the way we play.

"We're always coming back. It doesn't matter what the score is. We're always putting runs on the board, always trying to make the big play. We keep that up, we get the kind of confidence you're talking about, we're going to reel off quite a few more wins than we did last year."

For now, they'll have to settle for having more wins than the Yankees, who at 7-11 are a game behind the 8-10 Rays. The Sox are 10-8.

"They've got some talent," Boston's Johnny Damon said. "Give them a couple years, add a player here or there, they're going to be good. They are a scrappy young team. ... They got the best of us tonight. In the end, our record is going to be better than their's. I hope."

The Sox expected better Saturday - it was the first time in 20 games they scored five or more runs for Schilling and didn't win.

"It's a game we should not have lost," said Schilling, who was 3-0 at the Trop. "It's a game I don't lose. I don't care who we're playing. We score five-six runs, that's a win. I don't know what to say beyond that."

After being swept by the Sox last weekend, the Rays had plenty to say after winning the first two games here.

"It feels good to get those two wins, especially against Schilling," Carl Crawford said. "I'm just happy that he took the loss today."

[Last modified April 24, 2005, 01:04:05]