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Rays let another get away

The Blue Jays overcome a 5-0 deficit, and sloppy play costs Tampa Bay in 8-7 loss.

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 23, 2001

TORONTO -- The Rays can talk, and they often do, about being a young team and having to learn some of the finer points of success, like how to get the ultimate out in a close game.

But there are some things that shouldn't happen at any stage of development, like losing an early five-run lead and turning what should have been an easy win over the Blue Jays into a frustrating 8-7 defeat on Saturday.

"You've got to win that game," manager Hal McRae said.

Officially, the Rays lost it in the sixth, when the Jays scored what proved to be the winning run on a pair of singles, a wild pitch by Jesus Colome and a sacrifice fly.

But realistically, it was the costly mistakes earlier, after taking a 5-0 lead, that did them in.

An error by third baseman Russ Johnson and the inability to turn a double play led to Jose Cruz's three-run home run in the Toronto second, giving the Jays the entree they needed to get back in the game.

And some sloppy pitching by Nick Bierbrodt and another unsuccessful double-play attempt in the fifth gave the Jays the opportunity to score three more and tie the score at 7.

"It's tough to score as many runs as we did and not pitch the way we should and not make the plays defensively to win the game," second baseman Brent Abernathy said.

"What we've been talking about for the past two months is learning how to win games. The other night in Boston, we didn't win a 2-1 ballgame. Today we score seven runs and we don't do what it takes to win. That's frustrating.

"But I don't think we're necessarily putting ourselves in the right position at times to win ballgames either. That might come in preparation, that might come in other aspects of the game. We just have to learn what it takes to win, as a group."

Bierbrodt, whose lone Tampa Bay win came Aug. 13, didn't have much during the game, or much in the way of explaining how he let the 5-0 lead get away.

"I would probably say that's the first time I've done that, and that's probably what I'm most upset with," Bierbrodt said. "I don't know. A frustrating day again. I say the same thing every interview. I haven't been throwing the ball too great."

The way the game started, it didn't appear he would have to be too sharp. The Rays got one in the first and four in the second, stringing together five hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly off Esteban Loaiza. Chris Gomez, Abernathy, and Steve Cox (who had four RBI) each had run-scoring doubles.

"They did a good job, and I didn't do my part in holding the lead they gave me," Bierbrodt said.

Felipe Lopez opened the Toronto second with a single to center, but it was Vernon Wells' ground ball that got by Johnson that cost the Rays. Bierbrodt struck out Homer Bush and could have been out of the inning when rookie catcher Josh Phelps grounded to short, but Wells got to second so quickly, Abernathy couldn't turn the double play. Cruz then crushed an 0-1 fastball over the leftfield fence.

Bierbrodt took the blame, but McRae offered him an out.

"You give them that many outs in an inning, you're giving them an opportunity to get back in the ballgame," McRae said. "What hurts is that you should be hitting. That's the discouraging part. The pitcher should be in getting a drink of water in the dugout and he's still out there trying to get an out."

The Jays closed to within 5-4 in the third, but the Rays reopened a 7-4 advantage when Cox hit a two-run homer in the fourth.

A pair of singles and a hit batter loaded the bases for the Jays in the fifth, and they proceeded to tie the score. They got one run on a sacrifice fly, another on Bush's single and the third when the Rays couldn't complete the double play when Phelps grounded to third. "We did all we could do," Abernathy said.

"I don't know how you classify them, but they're plays we expect to make," McRae said.

Still, the Rays had a couple chances to come back. Randy Winn drew a walk to open the eighth but broke too soon for second and Dan Plesac picked him off. Johnson singled and Jason Tyner drew a one-out walk in the ninth, but closer Billy Koch got pinch-hitter Greg Vaughn on a fly to left and struck out Cox.

It was the fourth time this season the Rays have squandered a lead of at least five runs.

"We let this one get away," McRae said.

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