News
Rays bust out of offensive funk, rout Jays
Six hitters drive in at least one run; Shields earns 10th win
By Zach Schonbrun / MLB.com
09/19/09 12:10 AM ET
ST. PETERSBURG -- Carl Crawford broke the ice. His teammates took the cue.And the Blue Jays just had to forgive the Rays if they wanted to take out a little aggression.
After all the heartbreak and frustration from a seemingly endless road trip, Tampa Bay came back to Tropicana Field and went to work with its bats, pounding out 16 hits in an 11-4 drubbing of Toronto in front of 18,426 on Friday night.
It was just the third win in the past 16 games for Tampa Bay. The offensive outburst had the markings of something emotional, too.
Two weeks' worth of stagnant offense, lackluster defense and faulty pitching has upended its postseason hopes. There were few answers to a flood of issues as the team limped through its games at New York, Boston and Baltimore.
But with a resounding showing against the Blue Jays, Tampa Bay could at last put its road woes behind it.
"It was a good team effort tonight," Rays starter James Shields said. "Good way to start this homestand."
After falling behind, 3-0, in the third, the Rays began their half of the third with eight consecutive batters reaching base, accumulating five runs before the first out and knocking Toronto starter Scott Richmond out of the game.
"He just struggled real bad tonight," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "I'd seen enough of that tonight, so let's get somebody else in there."
Through the fourth, Tampa Bay had eight runs on 12 hits, four for extra bases, seven RBIs and went 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Crawford was the spark in the third, with an RBI triple -- his eighth of the year -- which got the ball rolling for the rest of the offense. What followed was an offensive barrage: two more extra-base hits, six more runners reaching base and five more runs, all totaling the highest-scoring inning for Tampa Bay since June 13.
"We kept the conga line moving," Maddon said. "We got a couple singles there, well placed, and good at-bats, just good at-bats, grind-out at-bats, see pitches and eventually see a pitch and get it done. Just the kind of stuff that I like to see us do."
Crawford finished 4-for-5 with a stolen base in the eighth -- his 59th of the season, tying his career high.
"I'm just so happy to be healthy again and be able to run again," Crawford said. "It feels good."
Evan Longoria added a two-run home run in the eighth, his 31st of the season, as an exclamation point to a hitting spree that had been lacking. Over the previous 15 games, Tampa Bay had averaged 2.71 runs and had scored more than three runs only three times.
A six-run inning like the one they had Friday can cure a lot of bad sentiments.
"This was a good game for us," Crawford said. "We want to finish strong and get some momentum going into next year. This was a good way to start it."
Shields pitched six innings and allowed four runs but hung tough to earn the win, his 10th of the season and first at home since June 4. He also reached 200 innings on the season for the third straight year, becoming just the sixth pitcher in baseball to do so in that span.
"I felt pretty good," Shields said. "My arm's feeling really healthy right now, my body's feeling good. It's almost like I'm getting stronger towards the end here, which is a good thing."
Fearful of his team continuing to play flat as it finishes out the regular season, Maddon was happy to see the way his players attacked its first home game since Sept. 6. Right fielder Gabe Gross dove unsuccessfully full-out for a fly ball. Catcher Gregg Zaun scrambled after a foul tip, trying desperately to keep it fair. First baseman Willy Aybar started a 3-6-1 double play in the fifth.
"Those are the kind of things that I love for us to do on a daily basis," Maddon said. "That indicates that we're there, we're focused, we're playing baseball. And when you do it like that and you're talented, you're going to win a lot of games. Above everything else, I was most pleased seeing that."
The offensive outbreak wasn't tough on the eyes, either. At last, it took some of the sting away from Tampa Bay's rough road stretch. Suddenly winners of back-to-back games, the Rays have a refreshed outlook.
"We're rolling now," Maddon joked.
Zach Schonbrun is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
