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Rays Power Past Tribe, 8-4

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By TONY FABRIZIO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 6, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - More than four months into their finest season, the Rays finally got a piece of the bothersome Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night in a 3-hour, 41-minute game at Tropicana Field.

Evan Longoria, Cliff Floyd and Dioner Navarro all hit seventh-inning hit home runs in an 8-4 victory, Tampa Bay's first win against the American League Central cellar-dwelling Indians in six games this year.

The Rays improved to 4-1 in a six-game homestand and this afternoon can win their 23rd series of the season. The victory before 20,063 fans kept them from losing consecutive games at home for the first time since mid-April.

"It would be great to meat loaf those guys, because I don't know what they've done against the rest of the league, but against us, they've had great at-bats, they play wonderful defense, and their pitching has been very good," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Playing for a second consecutive night without shortstop Jason Bartlett and outfielder Carl Crawford, the Rays scored three runs in the fourth inning against starter Fausto Carmona (5-4) and four in the seventh against relievers Rafael Betancourt and Juan Rincon.

All three are right-handed pitchers. The Rays have struggled this year against the Indians' left-handers.

The Rays were not only 0-5 against the Indians, but they also had been outscored 36-10. Even with Tuesday's victory, Tampa Bay has won only three of their last 24 games against the Indians and are 27-60 (.310) against them all-time, their worst record against any AL foe.

"We got the monkey off our back with the Indians," said Floyd, whose eighth homer of the year was his first since July 19. "To get 90-something wins, you need to win now."

Edwin Jackson (8-7) won his third consecutive start, although not without taking some dents. He gave up four runs (three earned) in 5 2/3 innings, including a two-run homer to Jhonny Peralta in the third inning.

In his last eight starts, Jackson is 3-1 with a 3.80 ERA and he has allowed three earned runs or less in seven of them.

J.P Howell, Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler and Al Reyes did the job in relief, as first-place Tampa Bay won for the eighth time in its last 11 games and improved to 12-6 since the All-Star break. At 67-45, the Rays have the second best record in the majors - behind the Los Angeles Angels, who visit the Trop Aug. 18-20.

Carlos Pena, picking up some of the slack for the injured Crawford, went 2-for-2 with two doubles, two runs scored and a sacrifice fly. Navarro was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Longoria and Gabe Gross each went 2-for-4.

The Rays, leading 4-3 at the time, may well have won the game in the Cleveland sixth when Balfour came on with two outs and the bases loaded to face pinch-hitter Ben Francisco, who was 10-for-18 with six RBIs against Tampa Bay this season.

Francisco, after fouling off three 1-2 pitches, teed off on a slider and launched it deep to left-center field. What might have been a three-run double became an out when B.J. Upton ran the ball down, caught it over his shoulder at the warning track, bounced off the wall and held on.

"Tremendous catch," Maddon said. "It was hit to the most appropriate part of the ball park, in that little crease out there. That gave us the best chance to actually run it down. We were fortunate, and B.J. made a great play."

Balfour also might want to buy lunch for fellow right-hander Wheeler, who came on for him with two on and two out in the seventh and got Franklin Gutierrez to fly out to right fielder Gross.

The Rays blew open a tight game in the seventh when Pena walked and Longoria blasted a 428-foot shot to left off of Betancourt. Floyd followed with a solo shot and the Rays led 7-3. After Rincon replaced Betancourt, Navarro hit his fifth home run.

Longoria set a Rays rookie record with his 22nd home run, passing Jonny Gomes, who hit 21 in 2005 and was optioned to Triple-A Durham earlier Tuesday.

Cleveland tagged Jackson in the first, with Shin-Soo Choo driving in a run after David Dallucci and Shoppach each singled. The Rays tied the game 1-1 in their half of the inning with a leadoff triple from Aki Iwamura and sacrifice fly by Carlos Pena.

A two-run homer by Peralta, the 16th home run allowed by Jackson this year, gave the Indians a 3-1 lead in the third. Peralta entered the game eight for 19 with two home runs against the Rays this season, and even in Tuesday night's losing cause went two for four with two RBI.

But the Rays would not go to 0-6 against the Indians the season. They rallied with three runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead on a Dioner Navarro's two-run single after Pena and Longoria walked and Gross' second triple of the season.

The Indians scored their fourth run in the eighth on a single by Grady Sizemore off Wheeler.

Reporter Tony Fabrizio can be reached at afabrizio@tampatrib.com or 813-259-7994.

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