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Garza again stifles Jays in Rays' shutout
Given early lead, righty strikes out 10 over 7 1/3 frames
By Zach Schonbrun / MLB.com
09/19/09 11:38 PM ET
ST. PETERSBURG -- Matt Garza was fuming as he made his way off the mound.Forget that he'd thrown 117 pitches and walked two batters, including one in the eighth with a 4-0 lead. Garza saw Rays manager Joe Maddon head up the dugout steps, and he did a big circle around the mound in disgust. For Garza this season, nothing has been guaranteed, and the ovation he received as he walked off the field didn't help his feelings.
Maddon knows his right-hander better.
"Three seconds later, he's going to be a lamb," Maddon said.
So when Tampa Bay's relievers finally put a cap on Garza's eighth win of the season, there were no ill tempers, only long overdue satisfaction, as the Rays beat the Jays, 4-0, to snap a winless streak for Garza that has extended almost three months. He struck out 10 and allowed only three hits in 7 1/3 innings in front of 22,705 at Tropicana Field on Saturday.
On Matt Garza figurine night, the 25-year-old right-hander dazzled in an effort that didn't belie his 8-10 record on the season. While his ERA has hovered around 3.80 the entire year, Garza hasn't gotten the run support or the breaks to amass a noteworthy record.
That doesn't mean he hasn't been effective.
"He's been throwing the ball good for us the whole year; he just hasn't gotten any luck," Rays catcher Dioner Navarro said. "Every time he pitches, he's been facing some good teams. That's just part of the deal. He also gives us a shot."
Looking to put on an offensive show as they had the night before, the Rays burst out to a hot start. Six of Tampa Bay's first seven batters reached base, totaling four runs on four singles in the first off Toronto starter Ricky Romero.
The hits -- all neatly-placed singles allowing each of the four runs to score from second base -- were the result of a small-ball attack from Tampa Bay, which pounded out 16 hits Friday. But Romero settled down after the first, giving up only three more hits and no runs before leaving after six innings. The Rays went 4-for-6 hitting with runners in scoring position in the first, but 0-for-4 the rest of the night.
A 4-0 lead, though, was plenty for Garza, whose career numbers against the Blue Jays are astounding. He improved to 6-2 with an 0.81 ERA against Toronto the past two seasons. His 1.69 career ERA is the best all-time against the Jays (minimum of 50 starts). And three of his eight wins this season have come against Toronto.
"The last couple starts, I've been on a roll and I'm just trying to stick with that," Garza said. "They've just always seemed to be in that path. They've got a great lineup. I just keep attacking them. It's easier to pitch with a four-run cushion."
The six walks beefed up Garza's pitch count and were the only blemish on his night. He allowed only one hit after the third inning.
"He had a really good slider tonight -- one of the better sliders I've seen him have all year," Maddon said. "He was very good."
The game began auspiciously, with outfielder Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay's No. 2 hitter, getting hit by a pitch by Romero in the first. After Crawford stole second base in the eighth inning of Friday night's 11-4 win, the timing of the hit-by-pitch on Saturday appeared somewhat circumspect.
Neither Maddon nor Crawford felt there was any intent to it, though.
"I think it probably just got away from him," Crawford said. "I don't think he tried to hit me on purpose. The only reason why I reacted like that is because it hurt. But I don't think he tried to throw at me."
Just why Garza has accumulated so much success against Toronto is also up for interpretation. He's allowed only one run in four career starts against the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field. And he has a 1.27 ERA against Toronto this season and a 4.12 ERA against everyone else.
"We're tired of getting beat by him," Jays second baseman Aaron Hill said. "You can only say I'll tip my cap so many times."
The win was Tampa Bay's third consecutive, and is the club's longest winning streak since winning four straight Aug. 15-19. In the wake of a nightmarish road trip that has left them well out of the American League Wild Card hunt, the Rays have not dipped in their effort in the first two games home.
Meanwhile, after the game, Garza still didn't hide his displeasure at being removed in the eighth, even though he understood why. Winless in his past nine starts -- a career-long drought -- and with the Rays' bullpen fighting through so many struggles of late, Garza would've like to scratch and claw his way through the end.
It wasn't necessary. For the first time since late July, his teammates picked him up.
"It was good to get him a win, because he deserves it," Crawford said. "He's been pitching well for us."
Zach Schonbrun is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
