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Incredible Comeback: Rays Topple Tribe

Tribune photo by JASON BEHNKEN

Teammates mob Carlos Pena after his game-winning home run against Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon.

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By TONY FABRIZIO The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 7, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - OK, so there have been several of these dramatic comebacks in this improbable Rays season.

Wednesday's was the kind that can crystallize the belief that with this team, in this season, anything is attainable.

Anything.

"Probably the most exciting win I've been involved with here in my three years," Manager Joe Maddon said.

Trailing by three runs against a Cleveland team that, despite its 49-63 record, had taken five of six from them, the Rays scored six runs in the bottom of the ninth and pulled out - no, make that pulled off - a 10-7 victory.

That was six runs with six batters.

Carlos Pena's three-run homer ended the game, igniting a bench-clearing celebration at home plate and sending a Tropicana Field matinee crowd of 27,533 into a frenzy.

"How cool was that?" said a beaming Pena. "It's indescribable what you feel. I don't even remember touching the bases."

Held to only one base-runner in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings by starter Jeremy Sowers and tough reliever Rafael Perez, the first-place Rays (68-45) went into the ninth inning against Edward Mujica in a 7-4 hole..

Jason Bartlett doubled. Eric Hinske doubled in Bartlett to make it 7-5. Gabe Gross hit a towering 437-foot homer over the 370-foot wall in right, assuring at least extra innings.

"As soon as it left my bat, I knew that I had gotten about all of it I can get," Gross said. "And I knew it was a home run and we had tied the game."

That chased Mujica. The Indians brought in righty Masa Kobayashi (4-5), but the assault continued.

Akinori Iwamura beat out an infield single and Ben Zobrist walked. That set the table for Pena, who hit a 412-footer to center, his fifth home run in the last 12 games.

It was the Rays' ninth walk-off hit of the season.

"It's been like that numerous times this year," said Rays closer Troy Percival (2-0), who worked the ninth. "You almost got to the point where you see guys starting to expect the big comeback and you actually get disappointed when you don't come back."

Making the win all the more improbable, the Rays won without outfielders Carl Crawford (hamstring) and B.J. Upton (benched for not running out a ground ball Tuesday night) and with shortstop Bartlett (finger) limited to DH duty. Willy Aybar started at shortstop, Zobrist played center and Hinske patrolled left.

They won even though Cleveland chased starter Scott Kazmir with one out in the fifth and the Indians knocked out 13 hits total, including a home run and two doubles by Jhonny Peralta, who went 5-for-5.

In doing so, the Rays sent a message to the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees that they aren't going away.

"I think we have earned their respect already," Pena said.

Entering a 10-game road trip at Seattle, Oakland and Texas, the Rays do have to worry about ace left-hander Kazmir, a man they'll count on immensely if they make it to the postseason.

Lacking command and confidence, Kazmir was touched for five runs on a season-high nine hits in 41/3 innings.

He gave up home runs to Franklin Gutierrez and Peralta. He imploded in the fifth, surrendering a double, single, double and walk in succession.

"You could see that he's fighting himself and his emotions," Maddon said. "It's something we do have to get straightened out because he's such a big cog in our entire situation."

Kazmir hasn't lasted six innings in six of his last eight starts, and Wednesday, his ERA climbed from 2.89 to 3.20.

He said he's fine physically but has been pressing.

"I'm looking at video and it seems like I'm striding too long," he said.

This time, Kazmir had teammates who picked him up.

The bullpen held the Indians to two runs over the final 42/3 innings. Dioner Navarro hit a two-run homer early. Bartlett went 3-for-4. Zobrist, recalled from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, scored three runs.

Aybar, Zobrist and Iwamura beat out close plays at first through sheer effort.

"If we take that attitude into every game," Maddon said, "we have a really solid chance of playing in October."

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

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