TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Longoria, Burrell homer to lifts Rays past Royals

The Associated Press

Pat Burrell, perhaps emerging from his early-season fog, smashed a 381-foot two-run homer in the seventh.

ADVERTISEMENT

By TONY FABRIZIO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 18, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Evan Longoria flexed his right ring finger before Friday night's second-half opener against the Royals and said it was fine.

Later, he confirmed that diagnosis with his bat.

Three days after having to miss his chance to start at third base for the American League All-Star team because the finger was infected, Longoria rescued the Rays with a two-run home run in the eighth inning to lead them past the Royals, 8-7.

"He didn't even have to talk me into it," Manager Joe Maddon said of the decision to let Longoria play. "He just had to tell me he was well, and that's all I had to hear."

Longoria's 18th home run - he also had a run-scoring single early in the game - allowed the Rays to overcome a difficult start by No. 1 pitcher James Shields, who entered the game 5-0 with a 2.50 ERA lifetime against Kansas City but allowed a season-high seven runs in 51/3 innings.

Tampa Bay's rested bullpen opened the second half with 32/3 scoreless innings, allowing only an inherited runner from Shields to score. Joe Nelson (3-0) got the win and J.P. Howell got his seventh save.

"It was a real nice pickup to get Shields off the hook, because he's battled for us all year," Nelson said.

Longoria's blast also helped the Rays (49-41) end a four-game losing streak on the road, where they are 19-26. And it was critical, because there are more difficult matchups ahead on this 10-game road trip, including tonight's contest against Zack Greinke, the AL's ERA leader.

The Rays trailed 7-6 going to the eighth against Juan Cruz, and their opportunities were quickly fading.

But with two out, Carl Crawford, the MVP of the All-Star Game, reached with his third single of the game.

After Crawford went to second on a wild pitch, Longoria jacked Cruz's 84-mph offering 394 feet over the left field wall. Tampa Bay led 8-7.

Longoria didn't have the only big bomb. Pat Burrell, perhaps emerging from his early-season fog, smashed a 381-foot two-run homer in the seventh off Jamey Wright to pull the Rays within one, 7-6.

Burrell, who averaged 31 home runs and 99 RBIs the past four years with the Phillies, hit his first road home run of the season June 29 at Toronto and had a walk-off winner against Toronto at home July 7.

Shields entered Friday with the lowest ERA among the Rays' starters (3.42) and the fifth-fewest walks (1.8 per nine innings) in the AL, but he also had the second-most hits allowed (136) in the majors.

His M.O. has been to make batters put the ball in play, and the Royals did. They did so for 11 hits, the most Shields has allowed since he gave up 12 to the Marlins in a 5-4 loss on May 24.

His worst inning was the third, when the Royals began with four consecutive singles and Mike Jacobs followed with a three-run homer to put Kansas City up 6-2.

After the Royals stretched their lead to 7-4 in the seventh on a one-out triple by newly acquired Yuniesky Betancourt off Shields and a run-scoring single by David DeJesus off Randy Choate, the Rays got two back with Burrell's homer.

And the assault on Shields started early. DeJesus opened the bottom of the first with a double, and when he scored on a groundout by Mark Teahen, the Royals had their first opening-inning run of July.

Shields also gave up a lead-off double to Miguel Olivo in the second, but he retired the next three batters to end that threat.

In the third, though, DeJesus started with a single and Willie Bloomquist and Billy Butler followed with singles to load the bases. Teahen grounded a single into center to drive in two runs, and Jacobs followed with his home run.

Reporter Tony Fabrizio can be reached at (813) 259-7994.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT