Rays can't hold lead

The White Sox overcome a 5-0 deficit and win 6-5. Missed chances help keep Tampa Bay in last place.

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 12, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- As game-winning rallies go, it wasn't much. Especially because there wasn't even a hit. But for the White Sox on Friday, it was enough. And for the Devil Rays, it was too much.

Two walks, two bunts, a sacrifice fly and an errant throw by Rays catcher John Flaherty resulted in a seventh-inning Chicago run and a 6-5 White Sox victory.

[Times photo: Michael Rondou] Rays shortstop Felix Martinez can't control the throw from right as Jose Valentin slides in with a two-out, run-scoring double in the third.

For the Rays, who blew a 5-0 lead, it was a night of missed opportunities. At the plate. In the field. On the mound. And even in the standings, where a victory would have vaulted them out of last place for the first time since April 18. Instead, the loss snapped a three-game winning streak.

"We had our chances," manager Larry Rothschild said.

The Rays scored five in the second, mixing run-scoring singles by Gerald Williams and Fred McGriff with four walks by Jim Parque. But the White Sox, who lead the majors in scoring, had the score tied by the fifth off Ryan Rupe.

"Even when it was 5-0 I don't think anyone in this clubhouse thought it was going to be enough," Flaherty said. "They've been scoring too many runs, and they have too good of a lineup."

Charles Johnson started the winning rally by drawing a walk from starter-turned-reliever Paul Wilson to open the seventh. "That walk, the Charles Johnson walk, if he doesn't get on, it could be a different story," Wilson said.

Flaherty pounced on Ray Durham's bunt and made an aggressive play trying to get the slow-footed Johnson at second, but his throw bounced by the base, putting runners on first and second.

"Right before the play, I was saying if this bunt's anywhere in front of home plate, I'm going directly to second base," Flaherty said. "You know Charles doesn't run real well. It was the right play; it was just a poor throw on my part."

Jose Valentin then pushed a sacrifice bunt exactly as planned toward third, advancing the runners. That left Rothschild without a lot of appealing options. Pitch to Frank Thomas, who is having an MVP-caliber year and ranks among the league's top five in average, homers and RBI, or put him on to face Magglio Ordonez, whose numbers are nearly as impressive, with the bases loaded.

In the fifth, the Rays walked Thomas after Rupe fell behind 2-and-0, and Ordonez lined a two-run single that ticked off second baseman Miguel Cairo's glove to tie the score.

Rothschild decided to put Thomas on again, drawing boos from what apparently was a pro-Chicago crowd announced at 18,370.

"You take a chance to get a double play to get out of the inning," Rothschild said. "Given that situation, that's about the best you're going to do, and Ordonez has hit into 21 double plays. But Ordonez is having a hell of a year. Both of them are. It's not an easy choice no matter what you do."

That's how the Sox, who have the best record in the American League, plan it. "Magglio's a good hitter. That's why he's hitting behind Frank," manager Jerry Manuel said. "We wouldn't send Frank up there naked, so to speak. You have to send him up there with somebody behind him, and Magglio's done a good job in that role. I can understand the move. Frank's one of the hottest hitters in the American League. I'd probably do the same thing."

Said Ordonez: "They walk Frank, I have to do my job. I got the opportunity twice. Frank is hot right now, swinging the bat real good. So they say, "I'm not going to let Frank beat me; I'll let Magglio beat me.' "

Ordonez did just that, delivering a sacrifice fly deep enough to centerfield to score Johnson.

"I knew they were going to make a run at us," Flaherty said. "And they got the big hit when they needed it, or the big sac fly, or whatever you want to say."

The Rays failed in two chances to tie. Steve Cox opened the eighth with a single. But Felix Martinez popped up a bunt, and Williams and rookie Aubrey Huff, pinch-hitting for Cairo, did the same. Greg Vaughn drew a leadoff walk in the ninth, but left-hander Kelly Wunsch got McGriff on a ground out, and Keith Foulke struck out Flaherty and got Jose Guillen to line to left.

"This was definitely a day of missed opportunities," Flaherty said. "Against a club like that, you've got to take advantage of situations."

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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