BALTIMORE -- The Tampa Bay Devil Rays blew a five-run lead, tied a franchise record by issuing 12 walks and received a miserable performance from starter Victor Zambrano.
A month ago, those misdeeds would have resulted in an ugly loss.
But the Devil Rays are in the midst of the most torrid stretch in franchise history, and Tampa Bay escaped with an 8-7 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
Julio Lugo led off the 11th inning with his fourth hit and scored the tiebreaking run on a pinch-single by Fred McGriff. That was enough to give the Devil Rays an 11-4 record since May 19 -- their best stretch over a 15-game span.
Tino Martinez hit a three-run homer for the Devil Rays, who blew a five-run lead before rallying to force extra innings. Tampa Bay has won three straight and 11 of 15.
"We made some mistakes and we gave the lead away, but we're starting to show some confidence as a team," Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella said. "It's starting to show. We're winning some close ballgames."
Melvin Mora hit his first career grand slam for the Orioles, who have lost four straight. Despite getting a dozen walks -- including three apiece by Mora and Miguel Tejada -- Baltimore stranded 12.
That wasn't as distressing to manager Lee Mazzilli as the fact that Baltimore twice blew one-run leads.
"You've got to hold them down when you get the lead," Mazzilli said. "We came back, took the lead and took the lead again. But we gave it up."
The game was played in a steady shower that was heavy at times, but plate umpire Lazaro Diaz never called for the tarp.
Lugo opened the 11th with a grounder to short off Mike DeJean (0-5) that was ruled a single when Tejada fell on the muddy infield. Lugo stole second on a pitchout and took third on a wild pitch before McGriff singled past the drawn-up infield.
Mazzilli refused to blame the elements for the defeat.
"Both sides played on the same field," he said. "You've got to deal with the elements."
Lance Carter (2-2) pitched three hitless innings, and Danys Baez worked the 11th for his 11th save.
"The kids stayed with it. We were lucky," Piniella said. "You put on that many on via walks ..."
Rafael Palmeiro, who earlier stranded seven runners, followed two walks with a sacrifice fly to put Baltimore up 7-6 in the eighth. But the Devil Rays pulled even against Jorge Julio in the ninth, loading the bases with no outs before Jose Cruz drove in a run with a grounder.
Down 5-0, the Orioles fought back against Zambrano in the third. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases for Mora, who hit the first pitch over the center-field wall. It was his team-high 11th home run; he hit 15 all last season.
Baltimore went up 6-5 in the fourth. Brian Roberts hit a sacrifice fly and Zambrano walked Tejada with the bases loaded to force in a run.
Zambrano allowed six runs, four hits and six walks in 3 2/3 innings.
"You can have a bad game, but what you're looking for is for the team to win the game," he said. "The team won. That's the most important thing."
Tampa Bay got an unearned run in the first when Aubrey Huff hit an RBI single after Mora made his team-high 14th error at third base.
The Devil Rays made it 5-0 in the third. After Huff drove in a run with a grounder, Martinez lined an 0-2 pitch high off the right-field foul pole.
"You put five runs on the board with your No. 1 starter in the game, you feel good," Piniella said.
Baltimore starter Erik Bedard finished the inning, but was done for the night following a shaky 87-pitch effort in which he allowed four earned runs, five hits and two walks.
After Rick Bauer provided three innings of one-hit relief, B.J. Ryan yielded a game-tying RBI single to Cruz in the seventh.
Notes
Martinez has eight homers in his last 14 road games. ... The Orioles have 28 homers in their last 21 games. ... Bauer was recalled from Triple-A Ottawa on Friday; RHP Darwin Cubillan was designated for assignment.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
