Rangers pitchers blank Rays 2-0

Another strong performance by the opposing pitcher. Another weak showing by the offense.

Add it up and you have a 2-0 loss to the Rangers.

The Rays were shutout for the 13^th time this season, this time by Scott Feldman and a parade of Rangers relievers Tuesday night at Rangers Ballpark.

The loss mixed with the Yankees win in Boston dropped the Rays 8 ½ games behind New York in the American League Wild Card standings with 28 games to play in the regular season.

The Rays are now chasing the Yankees while being chased by the schedule.

“Time is running out because of those kinds of losses,” manager Joe Maddon said.

Jeremy Hellickson pitched well enough for six innings, allowing just two runs to a very potent offense. But the Rays managed only six bases runners – three on hits and three on walks. Naturally, two of those base runners – B.J. Upton and Sean Rodriguez – were thrown out stealing second for the first out of the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, further diminishing the Rays chances of scoring.

“We got to take our chances,” Maddon said, adding the chances of the Rays hitting a ball into the gap to score a runner from first base was not good Tuesday night.

Still, Maddon wasn’t happy with the offense.

“Too many of these games,” Maddon said. “Too many 1-0, 2-0 losses. We got to get beyond that. There are no excuses. We got to find ways to score runs against some of these guys.”

The question is how?

The Rays hit or miss offense produced 24 runs in Toronto to take the first three games of this seven-game road trip. But Monday, they managed only three runs and those three came on a pair of Johnny Damon home runs. A trio of double plays stopped three other scoring chances as the Rays left Toronto late Monday night after a disappointing 7-3 loss.

But that offensive showing would have been enough Tuesday.

Yet the only inning in which the Rays had more than one base runner came in the ninth when Sam Fuld led off with a pinch-hit single and Desmond Jennings walked.

Damon hit into some bad luck when Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler tried to make an over-the-shoulder catch on Damon’s soft popup to shirt right field but dropped the ball. Jennings, who had to hold at first in case Kinsler caught the ball, was thrown out at second on a force play.

So instead of coming up with the bases-loaded and no outs, Evan Longoria came to bat with runners on the corners.

He grounded into a game-ending double play.

Three hits, three walks, no runs.

“It’s just one of those things,” Maddon said, “you got to find something, find another gear and pull it out somehow. You almost got to will getting hits. It’s almost beyond any kind of mechanic. You just got to beat the other guy. Like when you played Little League, you just wanted to beat the other guy. It wasn’t about mechanics. We just have to somehow find something within our reserve tanks, figure out a way to get these guys, because we’re playing way too well.”

Hellickson allowed two runs in his second straight start and lost both because the Rays were shutout both times.

Hellickson found himself in a couple of jams but managed to match Feldman for scoreless innings as the game headed into the sixth.

A leadoff walk to Mitch Moreland in the third inning and a one-out error by Longoria put runners on first and second. But Hellickson survived by getting Elvis Andrus to ground to Longoria, who started a 5-4-3, inning-ending double play.

The Rangers were at it again in the fourth when Hamilton led off with a double over Upton’s head in center field. After striking out the next two batters, Hellickson walked the left-handed David Murphy intentionally and catcher Yorvit Torrealba unintentionally.

That brought Moreland to the plate. The first basemen ended the threat by lining out to Matt Joyce in right field.

Hellickson retired the Rangers in order in the fifth inning and faced Hamilton to start the sixth.

The game turned on a home run by Josh Hamilton, who smacked Hellickson’s first pitch of the sixth inning well into the upper deck in right field.

Hellickson said he threw the ball right down the middle.

“Right where he likes it,” Hellickson said.

“That would have done Robert Redford proud,” Maddon said, alluding to Redford’s movie, “The Natural,” the theme of which is played at the ballpark whenever a Ranger hits a home run.

The Rangers added another run off Hellickson that inning, but Hellickson was able to pitch out another bases loaded jam with the help of some defense by Longoria, who picked up a slow roller up the third base line and threw home for a force out.

“We pitched great,” Maddon said. “We just got to find a way to beat these pitchers we’re facing.”

rmooney@tampatrib.com

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