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Rays Can't Solve Tribe

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By TONY FABRIZIO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 5, 2008

Updated: 08/05/2008 12:11 am

ST. PETERSBURG - They're the last-place Cleveland Indians to the rest of the American League, but to the Rays, they're the Buzz Killers.

First there was that wet blanket they threw over the Rays' sensational first half last month, sweeping them four straight in Cleveland and sending them into the All-Star break with a seven-game losing streak.

And Monday night, with a 5-2 victory in the opening game of a three-game series at Tropicana Field, they took the air out of a team that was feeling great about itself after a sweep of the Detroit Tigers that included a come-from-behind 10-inning victory Sunday.

"They play us well," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "They just smoked us four times up there, and they got us again - that's five in a row. Historically, the Rays have not played well against the Cleveland Indians."

Indeed. The Rays are not only 0-5 against Cleveland this year, but they've also lost 12 of their last 13 and 19 of their last 21 to them.

"We're seeing a lot of lefties," Maddon said. "We saw them up there - three out of the four starts were lefties; two out of three are going to be lefties here. The kid Rafael Perez out of the bullpen, they've used him a lot against us. Their pitching matches up well with our offense, and we don't match up well with their pitching."

In fairness, Monday's matchup before 17,049 fans wasn't the best for the Rays.

For starters, they were facing left-hander Cliff Lee (15-2), the starting pitcher for the AL in the All-Star Game. Lee wasn't perfect, but he went seven innings, spreading eight hits and allowing two runs.

The Rays also were without starting shortstop Jason Bartlett, who was hit on the hand by a pitch Sunday, and left fielder Carl Crawford, who was resting a strained left hamstring.

Willy Aybar, who began his career in the Dodgers organization as a shortstop, got his first start at the position in the majors. Eric Hinske and Gabe Gross played left and right field, respectively, and Jonny Gomes, batting only .187 with eight home runs and 19 RBIs, drew the DH assignment.

On the plus side, the Rays had right-hander Matt Garza coming off his first career shutout, a five-hitter against Roy Halladay at Toronto on July 29.

Garza (9-7), who was 6-1 with an AL-best 2.10 earned run average at home, did not have the same command this time, though. He gave up four runs in five innings on seven hits, including a solo home run to Asdrubal Cabrera and a two-run shot to David Dellucci.

"Two big pitches cost me three runs," Garza said. "Obviously, that was the difference in the game."

The extra practice Aybar has been taking at short showed in the first inning when he deftly snared a hard shot from Dellucci, stepped on second for one out and fired to first for a double play.

But Aybar looked less like Bartlett in the second inning when a hard grounder from Jhonny Peralta about three steps to his left skimmed off his glove into left center for a single. Hot-hitting Kelly Shoppach followed with a double, and the Indians led 1-0.

Cabrera, batting ninth, tagged Garza for a solo home run in the third to give the Indiana a 2-0 lead, and Dellucci added a two-out, two-run homer in the fifth to put Cleveland ahead 4-2.

The Rays did tie the game at 2 in the fourth. Aybar led off with a single and strained his right leg in the process, a scare for the Rays since they already were without Bartlett. Gross doubled from the ninth spot in the order, and Akinori Iwamura, who went 3-for-4 Monday night, followed with a two-run double up the middle.

Cleveland's fifth run came in the eighth. Peralta drew a two-out walk from Jason Hammel, who provided three innings of mostly excellent work. Peralta stole second and went to third on Dioner Navarro's throwing error. Shoppach followed with a soft RBI single.

Other chances against Lee were wasted. Even in the first, Iwamura led off with a single and B.J. Upton followed with a walk. But Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria and Navarro went down in succession.

The Rays came away with nothing after loading the bases in the second. Aybar led off with a bunt single, Gross reached on a two-out single and Iwamura walked. Upton flied out to right to end the inning.

In the seventh, Lee again got Pena, Longoria and Navarro in succession after Iwamura and Upton singled.

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