Rays/MLB

Kazmir's solid start not enough for sweep

Orioles 4, Rays 2: The lefty duels red-hot Erik Bedard evenly, but Baltimore beats the Rays' bullpen.

By MARC TOPKIN
Published July 24, 2006

	[Times photo: James Borchuck]
	Scott Kazmir heads to the dugout after the fifth inning. Kazmir recorded a no decision for his outing against the Orioles as the Rays lost 4-2.

ST. PETERSBURG - As the Devil Rays were piling up 13 runs Saturday, having scored 14 the night before, Scott Kazmir joked in the dugout they should save some for his start Sunday.

As it turned out, they needed them all Saturday, and they indeed came up a few short Sunday, losing the chance for a series sweep as they lost to the Orioles 4-2.

A hangover from the 27 runs they scored on 32 hits in the first two games certainly seemed reasonable for Sunday's matinee, but Rays manager Joe Maddon said it was more a case of too much good pitching from Baltimore starter Erik Bedard, who came out on top of Kazmir in matchup of ace left-handers.

And it didn't help to be playing without Julio Lugo, the red-hot shortstop who, as the subject of significant trade rumors, was given a curiously timed day off.

"I think it was 95 to 99 percent Bedard being sharp," Maddon said. "I've been a fan of his. He's pretty good."

Bedard was supposed to pitch against the Rays (41-58) on Friday, but his start was pushed back when he was stricken with food poisoning after eating bad sushi after arriving in St. Petersburg on Thursday night.

"I just wish that food poisoning lasted one more day," Maddon said.

The Orioles were just as glad he felt better.

"We'll take the W on Sunday instead of the W on Friday," first baseman Kevin Millar said. "I'll get him some sushi. We'll just cook it."

Bedard, who didn't allow a hit until the fifth, and Kazmir, who struck out 10 of the first 18 batters he faced, battled essentially to a draw, with the score 2-2 when both left after seven innings.

The difference was that Orioles closer Chris Ray, a Tampa native, retired the Rays in order in the eighth and ninth, while Tampa Bay relievers Jon Switzer and Edwin Jackson gave up a pair of runs.

Switzer allowed a one-out double to Brian Roberts in the eighth, then Jackson gave up the run as Melvin Mora singled. Mora stole second - with a huge break as Jackson slowly went through his delivery - and scored on a two-out single by Jeff Conine.

Bedard, who shares the AL lead with 12 victories, has been on a remarkable roll, winning seven straight with a 1.29 ERA over that stretch and holding hitters to a .155 average.

Mixing a cutting fastball and a dominating curve, and feeling a little weak in the early innings due to the food poisoning, Bedard kept the ball down and the Rays off balance.

"We saw Bedard's numbers," Travis Lee said. "It looks like he figured something out."

The Rays got one run in the fifth when Tomas Perez doubled in Lee for their first hit of the game. And they got another in the sixth when Jorge Cantu tripled high off the rightfield wall to score Ty Wigginton, missing a home run by inches. But Millar made a diving stop to rob Lee of a run-scoring double, and they didn't get another baserunner.

"The turning point," Bedard said.

Kazmir did equally well. Relying more on his slider that was unexpectedly crisp, he struck out the side in the first inning, four of the first five Orioles and 10 of the first 18. Kazmir made one mistake in the third, leaving a changeup up that Javier Lopez hit for a home run, then allowing a run on two hits in the fourth.

Lee said the sudden lack of offense was simply the result of the quality on the mound.

"It had nothing to do with scoring a lot of runs (Saturday), it was just facing good pitching," he said. "And the same with them. Kazmir went out and shut them down. His stuff's electric. Everyone who gets to first base talks about it. They're both going to be around for a while. These two guys are great."

[Last modified July 24, 2006, 01:04:31]