Recap: Oakland vs. Tampa Bay
Sports Network | August 14, 2008
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Carlos Pena hit the go-ahead solo home run in the 12th and Dioner Navarro wound up with the eventual game-winning RBI single, as the Tampa Bay Rays edged the Oakland Athletics 7-6, in the rubber match of a three-game set from McAfee Coliseum.
Cliff Floyd scored four runs on four walks and a double while Willie Aybar and Navarro had two hits and two RBI each for Tampa, which got its seventh win in nine games to help the club keep its three-game lead over Boston for first place in the AL-East.
B.J. Upton gave the Rays a brief advantage with an RBI double in the top of the ninth, but Frank Thomas had a game-tying RBI single in the bottom portion to send the game to extra innings.
Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run homer and doubled while Daric Barton had a two- run double for Oakland. The A's dropped their 14th contest in the last 16 games and have only four wins over the last 27 games overall.
Pena took a first-pitch fastball from Santiago Casilla (2-1) out to right breaking the 5-5 deadlock. Floyd followed with a double down the right field line, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a two-out RBI single from Navarro.
Jason Hammel (4-3) remained on the mound for the third straight inning but saw the first two batters reach on an error and a single. A wild pitch moved the runners before Kurt Suzuki grounded into a run-scoring double play. Trever Miller came on for Hammel and plunked Barton before Rob Bowen ended the contest with a force out at second. Miller earned his first save of the season for the effort.
Neither starter factored into the decision with each being hurt early by walks. Tampa's James Shields was touched for four runs on five hits and a season-high five walks in five innings of work, while Oakland's Sean Gallagher allowed three runs on four hits and four walks through four frames.
The A's jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run homer to left-center from Gonzalez. Mark Ellis led off with a triple prior to Gonzalez' at-bat.
The Rays came right back with two runs in the second. Floyd drew a leadoff walk and raced home on a double to the gap in right-center from Aybar. Aybar then moved to third on a fly ball to right and came home on a sacrifice fly from Navarro.
Oakland immediately erased the Rays half with a pair of runs in the home half. Bobby Crosby and Suzuki walked to start things off and Barton stroked a two- run double to left.
Tampa got one back in the third when Floyd got on with a walk for the second straight inning and Aybar came through with a triple to deep right-center.
Dan Meyer came on for Gallagher in the fifth to get Upton and Pena swinging before issuing consecutive walks to Floyd and Aybar. Pinch-hitter Justin Ruggiano stepped to the plate and tied the game with an RBI single to left. Navarro then worked a walk to load the bases and Alan Embree was called upon to retire pinch-hitter Rocco Baldelli on strikes.
Brad Ziegler, who pitched a perfect eighth to reach 39 consecutive scoreless innings to start his career, saw that streak come to an end in the ninth. Akinori Iwamura singled through the right side with one away and hustled home on a double into the left field corner from Upton.
Troy Percival issued a walk to Jack Hannahan to start the bottom half then was forced from the game with a right knee sprain after fielding a successful sacrifice bunt from Ellis. Grant Balfour entered for Percival to get Gonzalez swinging, but Thomas took an RBI single the other way to knot things at 5-5 and send the game to extras.
Huston Street set the Rays down in order in the 10th while Oakland moved a runner to third with two away in the home half, but Cliff Pennington was rung up by Hammel to end the frame.
Casilla started the 11th and the Rays greeted him with back-to-back singles from Baldelli and Ben Zobrist to put runners at the corners. Casilla then uncorked a wild pitch that caromed back to the catcher Suzuki in perfect rhythm to catch a breaking Baldelli at the plate. Iwamura moved Zobrist to third with a groundout, but Upton lined out to end the threat.
Rajai Davis lined a two-out single to center and moved to second on a passed ball in the home half, but a Jack Cust groundout sent the game to the 12th.
Tampa leads the season series 6-3 and won two of three in Oakland from May 19-21, while taking six of 10 matchups from Oakland last season...The Rays are 5-2 on a 10-game road trip that next heads to Texas for a three-game set starting Friday...Rays' shortstop Jason Bartlett is expected to return for the Texas series. Bartlett has not played since August 3 when he suffered a bone bruise to his right index finger on a bunt attempt...Oakland will remain at home, hosting a three-game weekend series with the White Sox...Gallagher, who had his last outing skipped due to right shoulder soreness, received his fourth straight no-decision...Pena's home run was his 23rd of the season.
