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Rookie lefty struggles for first time, giving up 4-0 lead in Rays' 6-4 loss to Marlins.
By KEVIN KELLY
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 18, 2001
MIAMI -- Even Joe Kennedy has his bad days.
The 22-year-old, who pitched and acted like a veteran in his first two starts with the Rays, knew the day would come when he would lose again.
Nine months removed from his most recent defeat, Sept. 4 at Class A Charleston, Kennedy struggled with his control against the Marlins on Sunday at Pro Player Stadium.
The result was his first professional defeat this season as the Rays let what should have been a victory turn into a 6-4 loss before an announced 13,281.
"I'm not going to win them all this year," said Kennedy, 2-1 with a 5.17 ERA with the Rays after going 6-0 in the minors. "It's good to get it over with. It's one little bump in the road, and hopefully I can overcome it and come back as strong as I have been the whole year."
Kennedy was 4-0 at Double-A Orlando and 2-0 at Triple-A Durham. Tampa Bay took a 4-0 lead by the fourth inning, but Florida scored three in both the fourth and fifth en route to a three-game sweep of the Rays, who had won six of eight entering the series.
"We've got to take some positives from this game," manager Hal McRae said. "The fact that we scored early, the fact that we were in position to win a game and we let the game get away ... it's a better loss than the two previous losses."
It also was Kennedy's shortest outing since being recalled from Triple-A Durham on June 1. He left with one out in the fifth after throwing 72 pitches.
"He's going to be a good one," catcher Mike DiFelice said. "He's going to be fine. This was bound to happen."
Unlike most Rays starters, Kennedy got adequate support early as Tampa Bay scored in the first and second innings off Marlins starter Ryan Dempster (7-7).
Leftfielder Greg Vaughn doubled to left and scored on Fred McGriff's single to centerfield in the first. The Rays loaded the bases the next inning and made it 2-0 when Russ Johnson drew a walk and DiFelice trotted home.
DiFelice and Kennedy scored in the fourth to make it 4-0.
When the Marlins came to bat in the bottom of that inning, Kennedy had allowed two hits. A misplayed ground ball by third baseman Aubrey Huff, his seventh error of the season and second in as many games, started the fourth and sparked a three-run rally for Florida.
After retiring the second batter of the inning, third baseman Mike Lowell, Kennedy gave up three straight hits and the Marlins closed to within 4-3.
"The first couple of innings, I felt good," he said. "But later, in the fourth and fifth, I got the ball up on a couple of pitches ... and they got the hits."
McRae hoped his starter could make it to the end of the fifth inning but pulled him in favor of Paul Wilson after two batters got on with one out.
Kennedy gave up seven hits, struck out four and walked one.
"I was hoping I could bail him out and Paul could keep the ball in the infield or pop somebody up," McRae said.
The first batter Wilson faced, leftfielder Kevin Millar, hit a single to the rightfield corner that scored both runners and gave the Marlins a 6-4 lead.
Only three Rays reached base the rest of the game as Dempster pitched into the eighth inning. He struck out seven, walked three and gave up nine hits.
"We let Dempster off the hook," McRae said. "He settled down and pitched well."
Florida manager Tony Perez replaced the right-hander with left-hander Armando Almanza to get the final two outs of the eighth.
Closer Antonio Alfonseca pitched the ninth. He got centerfielder Jason Tyner to ground out to first before Johnson, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, lined a single up the middle that Alfonseca ducked to avoid.
The reliever then got Greg Vaughn to ground into a game-ending double play.
The victory put the Marlins over .500 for the first time since August and marked the Rays' third straight loss after a 5-1 homestand against the Mets and Phillies.
At 21-47, Tampa Bay has the worst record in baseball.
"They (losses) all hurt," DiFelice said. "We're trying to build an organization here and they all hurt.
"Every game is the same. Every loss is bad. ... They all stink."