Rays/MLB

Corcoran skid ends in shutout

By Times Staff
Published September 28, 2006

BOSTON - Mr. Tibbs rides alone.

Starter Tim Corcoran avoided a dubious achievement by leading the Devil Rays to an 11-0 victory over the Red Sox, the biggest shutout win in franchise history.

Corcoran had lost his past nine decisions and was one loss from matching Jay Tibbs' 0-10 mark (for Baltimore in 1988) as the worst post-All Star break performance in the past 50 years.

Corcoran said he didn't know about it until he saw something in the paper Wednesday afternoon, but that was enough.

"I was like, 'Huh, I don't want to get in the book with that record,' " Corcoran said.

Instead, he worked impressively into the seventh, throwing more strikes than usual, allowing four hits and walking five (though three were semi-intentional to Sox slugger David Ortiz).

The win was the Rays' third on the road in a span of 32 games since July 1 - "That's so nice," manager Joe Maddon said - and guaranteed they can do no worse than tie the 1943 Philadelphia A's record low of three road victories after the All-Star break.

It also improved their overall record to 61-97, leaving them needing two wins in their final four games to avoid 100 losses.

The offense came from throughout the lineup as the Rays beat Josh Beckett, whose 16-11 record is nice but whose 5.01 ERA and major-league high-matching 36 homers allowed could have the Sox wishing they hadn't traded shortstop Hanley Ramirez and pitcher Anibal Sanchez to the Marlins for him.

Ty Wigginton had two doubles, both in the nine-run seventh inning, and extended his team-leading RBI total to 77. Greg Norton hit his 15th homer, one shy of his 1999 career high. Rocco Baldelli hit a massive three-run homer over the centerfield wall. And Carl Crawford picked up his AL-leading 16th triple, giving him 50 since the start of 2004, a total met over the past 70 years by only Stan Musial (51, from 1946-48) and Garry Templeton (50, 1977-79).

"It feels good to win big like that," Crawford said.

Corcoran hadn't won since July 9, though he had pitched well in several games, allowing three runs or fewer in 13 of his 16 starts. He finished his first season of extensive major-league action 5-9 with a 4.38 ERA that ranks near the best among AL rookies.

But getting a win to snap the streak was important.

"It'll make deer season a lot more fun," he said.

DELMON COUNTDOWN: The Rays will cut short Delmon Young's rookie season if necessary to make sure he is a rookie again next season. A player maintains rookie status as long as he does not have more than 130 at-bats (or pitch more than 50 innings) the previous season.

Young, who has 114 at-bats, would likely be a strong candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2007, and the coaching staff is committed to making sure he remains eligible, so he may not play all four games this weekend.

NAVARRO STILL OUT: Catcher Dioner Navarro likely won't rejoin the team until Saturday at the earliest, and perhaps not at all before Sunday's finale, as he remains home in Tampa to attend to medical matters involving his 1-year-old son.

Veteran Josh Paul will start tonight with J.P. Howell on the mound. Howell won his first game as a Ray on Saturday and gave much of the credit to Paul's pitch-calling. "I like when the J.P.'s work together," Maddon said.

MINOR MATTERS: The Rays continue working against a Saturday deadline to move their Class A affiliates closer to the Tampa Bay area. The only advanced Class A option outside the California League is the Vero Beach team in the Florida State League; Columbus and Savannah, Ga., and Clinton, Iowa, are available for the low-A team.

MISCELLANY: Rain is expected throughout the weekend in Cleveland. ... The Rays matched their franchise best by winning nine games against the Sox (though still losing 10). ... Wade Boggs sent a video wishing Sox icon Johnny Pesky a happy 87th birthday; the Sox officially renamed the rightfield foul pole Pesky's Pole. ... The Sox set a major-league record with their 105th errorless game.

- MARC TOPKIN, Times staff writer

[Last modified September 28, 2006, 05:38:27]