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Another One Gets Away In Bronx

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By MARC LANCASTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 15, 2008

NEW YORK - The Rays' make-or-break road trip didn't really do either.

Tampa Bay didn't get the results it would have preferred, dropping six of nine games on its swing through the AL East after Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Yankees, but the Rays flew home clinging to first place as they prepared for the latest edition of the biggest series in franchise history.

Three games against the Red Sox beginning tonight at Tropicana Field won't officially settle anything either, but it will be Boston coming in with the momentum after picking up a couple of games since dinnertime Saturday to slice the Rays' division lead to one.

Regardless of what went down with their pursuers on getaway day, the Rays looked like a team ready to head for home. Dropped in an early hole when Edwin Jackson gave up a grand slam to Alex Rodriguez in the first inning and a two-run shot to Jason Giambi in the second, the balance of Tampa Bay's afternoon was spent admiring David Price's big-league debut.

Admirable as it was, it didn't get the Rays any closer to their goal. They can only hope returning to the building in which they have dominated nearly all comers this season will provide a jolt.

"Tough road trip," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "The schedulers really had an eye on us for this time of the year, and Toronto, Boston, New York - not easy.

"We haven't played well against the Yankees. That's the one team this year that kind of got us a little bit. We have not played well against them and once again it showed up today, whether it's we can't get a big hit or we're not making a pitch."

The Rays finished their season series against New York with a 7-11 mark after dropping their final two games at Yankee Stadium. And even though their defense was much better Sunday than in the previous evening's game, the Rays struggled in the other two facets, as Maddon mentioned.

All but one of their runs came on Fernando Perez's first big-league homer, a drive to right-center off Carl Pavano in the second inning that momentarily cut the Yankees' lead to 4-3. But Jackson went back out in the bottom half and watched Giambi jack a hanging change-up out to right and that was pretty much it for both the starter and his team. Price came out of the Rays' bullpen to start the third inning and worked into the eighth.

"I just didn't think Jackson was going to settle down, and having David out there made it an easy thing to do," Maddon said. "If this is a month ago, it's a little bit more difficult to want to go ahead and do that and fry your bullpen."

Price figures to log plenty of important innings in the new building across the street in the Bronx, but his role Sunday was mainly to serve as the proverbial bright spot. He did his job, keeping the Rays in the game even as he absorbed a couple of runs. One of them scored on Jason Hammel's watch after Price had departed the game, and the other came courtesy of Derek Jeter - nothing new in this series.

The Yankee captain went 9-for-11 over the weekend, and his homer leading off the fifth was his 1,269th hit at Yankee Stadium, tying him with Lou Gehrig for the most all-time.

Aside from Perez's big swing, the Rays couldn't match that kind of production Sunday or on the trip as a whole. They went 11-for-86 with runners in scoring position during their journey, a paltry .128 batting average.

The Rays will have to hope a return to the air-conditioned comforts of the Trop will provide a boost - and not just at the plate. Evan Longoria - who didn't even play in the first two series - described himself as "mentally drained" as the Rays prepared to head for the airport.

"It's tough to play on the road, it's tough to play in the places we play," Longoria said. "Boston and New York, especially, it's a grind every day. It'll be an uplifting thing for us to get back home."

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

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