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Tampa Bay at Arizona

Scoreboard
Tampa Bay «101000000280
Arizona000010000170
Devil Rays scrap past D-Backs for 11th in row
 

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PHOENIX -- With their closer in Miami to be with his wife during the delivery of their first child, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays found another way to cope.

Victor Zambrano, who will start Wednesday in Toronto, worked an inning in relief, Trever Miller got one out and Jesus Colome faced four batters and got five outs to seal the Devil Rays' 2-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday -- their 11th straight victory.

"We have a nice defensive ballclub," manager Lou Piniella said. "(Danys) Baez, his wife is having a baby. We couldn't use him. We put Zambrano in the bullpen to see if we needed him, and we did."

The Devil Rays had scored 65 runs in 10 games to tie San Francisco for the best winning streak in the majors. This time, they made do with limited offense.

Robert Fick, a late addition to the lineup, tripled in the eventual winning run, and Rocco Baldelli had a sacrifice fly. The rest was pitching and defense.

"Nobody saw this coming," said Carl Crawford, who scored both runs. "We knew we could win, but 11 in a row, I think, kind of surprised everybody. We're playing team baseball right now."

With the win, Piniella moved past Miller Huggins for 20th all-time with 1,414 victories. Piniella's teams have five streaks of 10 wins or more. His 2001 Seattle team won 15 straight on the way to an American League-record 116 victories.

Fick was playing for Jose Cruz Jr., who was hit by a pitch Saturday and was scratched from the lineup with a bruise on the back of his left leg. Fick's triple came in the third and put Tampa Bay up 2-0.

The Giants had 10 straight wins from May 20-31. The last team to win 11 straight was Minnesota last Sept. 13-24.

The Devil Rays improved to major league-best 11-1 in interleague play.

Mark Hendrickson (5-5), who is 3-0 in four starts in June, had worked into the eighth inning in two previous outings, but weakened earlier this time and lasted six.

The Diamondbacks loaded the bases on three singles with no outs in the fifth, but got only one run -- Shea Hillenbrand scored from third when Juan Brito hit into a double play.

Hendrickson, who threw 26 pitches in the fifth after using only 46 in the first four innings, pitched a perfect sixth and was allowed to bat second in the Tampa Bay seventh. But Arizona starter Brandon Webb walked him, and Hendrickson cooled off as Fick singled and Webb walked Baldelli to load the bases.

Hendrickson said he had nosebleeds before the game because of the dry air and felt his calf tighten on a pitch to Brito in the fifth.

"I had plenty of liquids in me, but I think (Piniella) just wanted to take me out for a caution," said Hendrickson, who finished with one run on five hits and a walk.

Zambrano replaced him to start the seventh.

Miller came in for the eighth and allowed a double by Chad Tracy and a single by Scott Hairston before striking out Steve Finley.

Colome relieved and got Danny Bautista to ground into an inning-ending double play, then pitched a perfect ninth for his second save in as many chances.

"That was really clutch pitching there at the end by Colome," Piniella said. "I tell you what, he's done a heck of a job for us since we called him up from Durham, and we've leaned on him."

Bob Brenly, his Arizona counterpart, said the last of Tampa Bay's three double plays was the most costly.

"Double-play balls have really hurt us lately," Brenly said. "We've had some opportunities -- anything but a double-play ball."

Webb (3-7) gave up two runs on six hits and three walks, striking out six in 6 2/3 innings.

Baldelli had his sacrifice fly in the first after Crawford singled, stole second and advanced on a groundout.

In the third, Crawford doubled and scored on Fick's triple.

Notes

  • Home plate umpire Jim Joyce warned both benches after Webb hit Aubrey Huff after Arizona fell behind 2-0 in the third. Two Tampa Bay batters were hit Saturday night.
  • Crawford's stolen base was his 30th, tying Scott Podsednik for the major league lead.
  • Before the game, the Diamondbacks optioned RHP Lance Cormier to Triple-A Tucson and recalled RHP Greg Aquino from Tucson. Cormier started Saturday and allowed seven runs on six hits while getting four outs.
  • Huggins managed the St. Louis Cardinals (1913-17) and New York Yankees (1918-29).

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
 
 
 
Surprising Mark Hendrickson needs lots of help from his pen, but wins again.
Surprising Mark Hendrickson needs lots of help from his pen, but wins again.(AP)

Players of the Game
Arizona

T. Olson
AB 3
R 0
H 2
HR 0
RBI 0
Tampa Bay

J. Colome
IP 1.2
H 0
ER 0
BB 0
K 1
 
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Carl Crawford, LF5220012 .305
Robert Fick, RF4021111 .188
    Jose Bautista, PR-RF0000000 .263
Rocco Baldelli, CF3001112 .286
Aubrey Huff, 3B3010013 .267
Fred McGriff, 1B3000113 .242
Julio Lugo, SS4000000 .274
Rey Sanchez, 2B4010001 .273
    Jesus Colome, P0000000 .000
Brook Fordyce, C4010001 .222
Mark Hendrickson, P2000121 .200
    Victor Zambrano, P0000000 .000
    Trever Miller, P0000000 .000
    Geoff Blum, 2B1010000 .177
Totals332824714 
Batting
2B - Carl Crawford (14, Webb)
3B - Robert Fick (2, Webb), Rey Sanchez (3, Dessens)
SF - Rocco Baldelli (3)
RBI - Robert Fick (15), Rocco Baldelli (32)
SB - Carl Crawford (30, 2nd base off Webb/Brito)
CS - Geoff Blum (2, 2nd base by Koplove/Brito)
Team LOB - 10
Fielding
DP - Huff-Sanchez-McGriff, Lugo-Sanchez-McGriff, Lugo-McGriff
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Mark Hendrickson (W,5-5) 6511100 4.07
Victor Zambrano (H,1) 1000110 5.15
Trever Miller (H,6) 0.1200010 2.28
Jesus Colome (S,2) 1.2000010 0.82
Pitches-Strikes - Mark Hendrickson 81-49, Victor Zambrano 24-13, Trever Miller 13-8, Jesus Colome 20-13
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Mark Hendrickson 11-5, Victor Zambrano 1-1, Jesus Colome 1-2
Batters Faced - Mark Hendrickson 22, Victor Zambrano 4, Trever Miller 3, Jesus Colome 4
Arizona Diamondbacks
Scott Hairston, 2B4010002 .296
Steve Finley, CF4000012 .287
Danny Bautista, RF4000001 .305
Luis Gonzalez, LF4010010 .280
Shea Hillenbrand, 1B4110001 .304
Tim Olson, 3B3020100 .212
Alex Cintron, SS3010001 .254
Juan Brito, C3000011 .240
Brandon Webb, P1000100 .138
    Randy Choate, P0000000 .000
    Elmer Dessens, P0000000 .083
   a- Chad Tracy, PH1010000 .269
    Mike Koplove, P0000000 .000
Totals31170238 
a-doubled for Dessens in the 8th
Batting
2B - Chad Tracy (11, Miller)
Team LOB - 5
Arizona Diamondbacks
Brandon Webb (L,3-7) 6.2622360 4.03
Randy Choate 0.2000010 5.55
Elmer Dessens 0.2100000 5.60
Mike Koplove 1100100 4.93
HBP - Huff (by Brandon Webb)
Pitches-Strikes - Brandon Webb 106-68, Randy Choate 10-5, Elmer Dessens 5-4, Mike Koplove 11-6
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Brandon Webb 11-3, Randy Choate 1-0, Elmer Dessens 2-0, Mike Koplove 1-1
Batters Faced - Brandon Webb 30, Randy Choate 2, Elmer Dessens 3, Mike Koplove 4
Game Information
Attendance - 36037
Game Time - 2:38
Temperature - 79
Umpires - Home - Jim Joyce, First Base - Kerwin Danley, Second Base - Marvin Hudson, Third Base - Dana DeMuth
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