Sloppy defense spoils Scott Kazmir's strong start as Tampa Bay loses its eighth straight.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO, Times Staff Writer
Published May 3, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG - So this is what it has come to for the Devil Rays.
A 6-2 loss Monday night to the Yankees was Tampa Bay's eighth straight, one behind the Royals for most this season in the majors, and manager Lou Piniella responded by offering his players extra help.
But this was not a benevolent gesture as Piniella described the effort before a crowd of 13,217 at Tropicana Field as "bad, bad, bad baseball. That's what it is, bad, bad, bad baseball.
"If they don't get better we're going to have them out here every day at 1 p.m. until they get better. It's their choice."
Piniella said he was not talking about everyone. In fact, starter Scott Kazmir, in arguably his best outing of the season, allowed one earned run and tied a career high with nine strikeouts in six innings.
In that context, it was unfair the left-hander fell to 0-3. But the Rays did themselves in with some atrocious defense, including physical errors by rightfielder Damon Hollins and pitcher Travis Harper and a crucial mental mistake by centerfielder Alex Sanchez, all of which helped give the Yankees three unearned runs in the game and widen a 3-2 lead with a three-run eighth.
"It's frustrating," Kazmir said, "because we had them."
Instead, New York pushed the Rays to 10 games under .500, their eight victories matching the fewest in club history after 26 games.
"It's not pretty baseball," Piniella said. "I'm not pleased. Nobody is pleased. Nobody should be pleased.
"I'm talking about the way we're playing defensively. We've got young pitchers here and they need help. We need to play a 27-out game. I'm talking about catching the ball and making plays major-league players should be making."
Most notable was Sanchez's misplay of Bernie Williams' bloop to center in the eighth. Sanchez said he broke badly, and the ball fell for a single and moved John Flaherty, who led off with a single, to second.
Flaherty scored when Harper threw away Derek Jeter's bunt, and Rey Sanchez's two-run single over a drawn-in infield ended the scoring.
"I have to catch that ball," Sanchez said. "I was playing too deep. I have no excuse. I have to catch it."
So should have Hollins, who was called up from Triple-A Durham to take the roster spot of injured first baseman Travis Lee and misplayed Rey Sanchez's soft fly ball into a two-base error off his glove to start the fifth inning. Gary Sheffield doubled home Sanchez, then scored on Jorge Posada's deep foulout to right for a 3-0 lead.
"Those balls can't fall," Piniella said, "not in the big leagues."
Alex Sanchez brought the Rays back with a two-run home run in the fifth, but that just set up the meltdown in the eighth that ensured Mike Mussina's seventh victory at the Trop and improved his record against the Rays to 13-5.
The right-hander was sharp, retired his first 11 batters until Carl Crawford's single to right-centerfield and allowed five hits in seven innings.
But Kazmir matched him. With a fastball that reached 95 mph and a breaking ball he kept low, Kazmir struck out four straight over the second and third innings.
"With Kaz pitching his (butt) off," Hollins said, "you've got to find a way."
Piniella believes he might have.
"If we don't see improvement, we're going to start (early) work," he said. "I'm here anyway, so it doesn't bother me any."
