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Not The Desired Finish

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By CARTER GADDIS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 23, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - If Tampa Bay's sweep of the Cubs last week proved the Rays belonged in the conversation about the game's elite teams, an ensuing weekend series loss to the Astros proved that even the game's elite teams don't have it their way all the time.

A 3-2 loss Sunday in front of 19,778 fans at Tropicana Field wasn't catastrophic, but losing two of three to the National League Central's last-place club certainly wasn't the way the Rays wanted to finish a nine-game homestand.

All three games were decided by one run, and the Rays came away only with a walk-off victory Saturday.

Sunday, the Rays ended innings by getting thrown out at the plate, thrown out trying to steal third and by twice striking out with runners at second and third.

"It's been there for us. We've had opportunities," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "The opportunity has been there, and the intent and the intensity has been there. You're not going to get it done all the time. That's just the way of life. For as much as we all want it to be perfection, it's not."

What they had hoped to do was ride the left arm of starting pitcher Scott Kazmir to a victory that would clinch their 10th consecutive series win at home.

Instead, that streak ended at nine as former Rays right-hander Brandon Backe overcame a two-run homer by Evan Longoria and occasional bouts of wildness to limit Tampa Bay to two runs in 62/3 innings.

It was Backe's first appearance against Tampa Bay since the Rays traded him to the Astros for infielder Geoff Blum (who has since returned to Houston) on Dec. 14, 2003. The Rays selected Backe (5-8) as a second baseman in the 18th round of the 1998 draft and converted him to the outfield, then pitcher.

The high point of his post-Rays career came in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series, when he pitched seven scoreless innings against the White Sox. He came into Sunday's game with a 4.99 ERA in 15 starts, and left having outpitched Tampa Bay's ace, Kazmir (6-3).

Backe said afterward that he still has warm feelings for his first pro organization.

"I wish them the best," Backe said. "Not against us, but I wish them the best against anybody else in the league. This is the team that gave me the opportunity to play professional baseball. I owe a lot of things to them and all the things they've done."

After falling behind 2-0 in the second on Longoria's 12th home run, Backe escaped further damage by striking out Eric Hinske to end the third inning with runners at second and third.

In the fourth, Rays catcher Dioner Navarro was thrown out at the plate by Astros right fielder Hunter Pence, whose throw was several feet up the third-base line but still close enough to nail Navarro.

Maddon said he endorsed the aggressiveness in that situation of third-base coach Tom Foley, who never hesitated to wave Navarro around after Gabe Gross lined his single to right.

"I was just following orders," Navarro said. "He sent me, and I kept going. They did a great throw and got me out."

In the fifth, Astros catcher Humberto Quintero caught Carl Crawford trying to steal third with two outs. In the seventh, Backe was replaced after he walked Jason Bartlett and gave up a single by Akinori Iwamura, who executed a double steal on reliever Wesley Wright.

With Iwamura representing the go-ahead run, Crawford struck out to end the inning.

"We absolutely pitched well enough to win," Maddon said. "We just could not get any offense going. We had opportunities, and they just kept putting us down."

Kazmir's first home loss since Sept. 21 last season was a result of two home runs, both hit with two strikes, one by Pence in the fifth and the other by Carlos Lee in the sixth. Lee's came after Miguel Tejada had walked and gave Houston the lead.

Kazmir is winless in three consecutive starts. He left Tropicana Field without speaking to reporters.

Rays relievers Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler and Trever Miller held the Astros scoreless for the final 31/3 innings. On the 6-3 homestand, Tampa Bay's bullpen compiled a 0.91 ERA in 292/3 innings.

Reporter Carter Gaddis can be reached at (813) 259-8291 or igaddis@tampatrib.com.

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