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Solid Pitching Leads Rays To 3-2 Victory Over Athletics

The Associated Press

Ben Zobrist, from left, Gabe Gross, Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton celebrate a 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics.

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 14, 2008

As David Price inched closer to the majors by making his Triple-A debut Wednesday night, one of the Rays pitchers who might be in danger of losing his spot to the phenom just kept on doing what he usually does.

Yes, Andy Sonnanstine won again. He worked six steady innings to beat the A's 3-2, with his strikeouts of all three batters he faced in his final frame about the only aspect of his outing that might qualify as an attention-grabbing feat.

That just isn't the right-hander's style, though. His 4.35 ERA is the highest in the Rays' rotation, but he has two more wins than anyone else on the staff. And he has racked them up with more efficiency than any Tampa Bay pitcher ever.

Sonnanstine, 12-6, reached a dozen victories faster than anyone in Rays history. He secured his 12th win in the Rays' 119th game, 16 games quicker than Rolando Arrojo did it in the inaugural 1998 campaign. Only two Rays pitchers have topped Sonnanstine's current win total in a season – Arrojo with 14 the first year and Scott Kazmir with 13 in 2007.

"That's what he's always done," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "He's always been a winner."

It's a quality that could make for a tough decision if the Rays decide to bring Price up within the next few weeks and insert him into the rotation. Barring an injury to a starter, either Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson would have to vacate a spot, and neither is particularly deserving of getting the boot. Jackson has lost only once in his last nine outings and Sonnanstine keeps on churning along.

"Sometimes when you get backed into a corner, it makes you perform better," said Sonnanstine. "Every start, I'm fighting to keep my spot, because I know we've got a lot of quality pitchers knocking on the door, so I know I'm going to have to do well."

Sonnanstine pitched well without much of a net Wednesday for the second consecutive start. He wasn't rewarded his previous time out in Seattle, with the Rays falling 2-1 after he had left the game tied 1-1 following 7 1/3 strong innings.

But the Rays chipped in with a bit more assistance this time around. Carlos Pena and Eric Hinske contributed a solo homer apiece within the first two innings, carving out a 2-0 Rays lead that would stand until the fifth.

He had some help along the way, benefiting from a couple of double plays and a stellar final out of the third inning, which saw Hinske and Willy Aybar team up on a relay throw that nailed Kurt Suzuki at the plate.

The one big inning Sonnanstine seems susceptible to reared up in the fifth, with the first four A's batters reaching base and two of them coming in to score. Bobby Crosby started it off with a double and Jack Hannahan followed with a bloop single to center. Sonnanstine walked Suzuki to load the bases, the only free pass he issued all night.

Ready for a first-pitch strike, Eric Patterson – who was called up from the minors earlier in the day – ripped Sonnanstine's initial offering under the glove of Pena and down the right-field line.

Two runs scored to tie the game, but Sonnanstine did a nice job to keep it right there. He got Cliff Pennington on a called third strike, then induced leadoff man Mark Ellis to bounce into an inning-ending double play started by Aybar at third.

"I thought Sonny had really good stuff tonight, and I thought he pitched well in Seattle, too," said Maddon. "The last two outings, I thought his stuff was as good as I've seen him in a long time."

The Rays picked up a run in the seventh as Sonnanstine headed for the exits, allowing him to qualify for the victory. Eric Hinske's third hit in as many at-bats, a single to right, got things going, and Gabe Gross moved him into scoring position with an infield hit after Dioner Navarro struck out.

Justin Ruggiano came on to run for Hinske when A's starter Justin Duchscherer was lifted for lefty Jerry Blevins, but as it turned out Hinske could have scored easily on the ball that came off Ben Zobrist's bat not long after. The shortstop ripped a curveball down the left-field line for a double to give the Rays a 3-2 lead and keep them threatening for more.

But this time it was Blevins exercising some damage control, as he escaped without further damage by fanning Akinori Iwamura and getting Pena to fly to shallow left after an intentional walk to B.J. Upton.

Still, Zobrist's double ended up being all the Rays needed, and he was pleased to be one of those helping fill the void.

"Things aren't going the greatest, injuries-wise, for us right now, so … all of us that haven't been playing on a regular basis this year, we've got to step up," said Zobrist. "I feel like I was able to do that in that at-bat right there and help the team out. It feels great."

The Rays won for the second time in three games without Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria, maintaining their three-game edge over the victorious Red Sox as they bounced back nicely from Tuesday's mistake-marred defeat.

Tampa Bay has lost consecutive games only once since the All-Star break, July 27-28 against the Royals and Blue Jays, and a win today would keep the Rays unbeaten in eight series since the break.

Wednesday's game looked like the Rays wanted it to, with some nice defensive plays – none bigger than Navarro gunning down Rajai Davis on a steal attempt in the ninth – timely hitting and the one element that has carried them this season, personified on this evening by Sonnanstine.

"Basically that's what we've been doing all year regardless of who's been playing for us, that kind of a game," said Maddon. "And it starts with the starting pitching."

Reporter Marc Lancaster can be reached at (813) 259-7227 or mlancaster@tampatrib.com.

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