Another manic day for Rays

We don't know who in baseball heaven signed the lineup card for this one, but if you were the Rays, or a fan of the occult, Sunday afternoon was a keeper.

Strange, Bizarre and Crazed formed the heart of the order under the big top at the Trop.

"Absolute pandemonium," said Rays winning pitcher - and No. 3 hitter - Andy Sonnanstine.

It was a day when the Rays messed up from the start (and we mean start) and won in the end. They should send the lineup card Rays manager Joe Maddon signed - the one with two third basemen, Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist, and no designated hitter - to Cooperstown. OK, maybe not.

"You want it?" Maddon asked.

It was headed for the trash, like all the others.

For now, this season isn't.

"Fortunately, we won," Longoria said.

On one nutty day, the Rays beat the Indians 7-5. That's three in a row and a win within .500 for the first time in a month. Throw in Friday's historic comeback win and maybe something is finally up at the Trop. OK, maybe not, but Sunday was something.

The lineup-card debacle (Maddon took the blame, but, you know, the Rays actually have a bench coach and a quality assurance coach) cost Longoria, who was supposed to be the DH, his No. 3 spot in the order. The majors' leading RBI man was replaced by: starting pitcher Sonnanstine. Yowza.

Sonnanstine, the first American League pitcher to be in a starting lineup since Ford was president, hit an RBI double in a five-run Rays fourth. "That just had to happen," Maddon said.

In other news, Sonnanstine hit better than he pitched, serving up two homers to Indians No. 9 hitter Ben Francisco. And Rays left fielder Carl Crawford got credit for a catch he didn't make. And the Indians brought in Kerry Wood to throw a 96 mph fastball behind B.J. Upton while trying to hit him, apparent retaliation for Upton stealing while trailing 9-0 in the series opener last Thursday night. Got all that?

Wood's next pitch busted Upton inside, coming close and clearing the dugouts. Crawford and Indians catcher Victor Martinez seemed ready to go. Even Rays Pat Burrell, on his way to the DL (stiff neck) and in the clubhouse in a veritable state of undressed, ran onto the field as he pulled up his zipper and yanked on a jersey. It wasn't even his jersey. In the old days, Jonny Gomes would have come out naked.

Absolute pandemonium.

It was just another manic Sunday. Meanwhile, the state of Rays starting pitching remains lousy. Maddon and pitching coach Jim Hickey met with the up-down staff before the game. We're not sure if anyone made brownies.

But somehow this team has won three of four and four of five (Note: Orioles and Indians are a combined 17 games under .500).

Troy Percival got the save, reaching back for 93-mph fastballs after plunking Mark DeRosa to start the ninth. Percival wasn't tossed, as the umpiring crew figured ol' Percy wouldn't have brought the tying run to the plate just to prove a point. Oh, and maybe they've seen ol' Percy pitch lately, too.

Endangered Indians manager Eric Wedge must have thrown up his hands, because seeing-eye third base ump Greg Gibson already had ruled that an eighth-inning fly ball hit by Ryan Garko was caught by Crawford, who did no such thing. The replay showed the ball hitting the padding atop of the wall, not Crawford's glove, before Crawford grabbed it with his bare hand as it returned to earth. This game never did.

"Thing is, we found a way to win," Crawford said after he made a lunging grab to end it. Yes, he actually caught it. The Rays haven't caught fire, but they return to .500 for the first time since April 14 by beating Oakland tonight.

"I will always believe in going segmentally, where you're going to get to .500, then you look to get five over, then 10 over," Maddon said. "It's always one game at a time, but there's a segmental, a ... is that a word?"

It was on Sunday. Absolutely.