Recap: Baltimore vs. Tampa Bay
Sports Network | September 23, 2008
Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Fernando Perez had three hits and knocked in two runs to give the Rays a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a doubleheader, as Tampa Bay inched closer to its first division title.
James Shields (14-8) picked up the win, giving up only two runs on eight hits and a walk in seven innings while striking out eight. Dan Wheeler pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save of the season as the Rays won for the sixth time in eight contests.
Shields' 14 wins ties a franchise record for most in a season, held by Rolando Arrojo, who went 14-12 in the team's inaugural year in 1998.
Jason Bartlett went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for Tampa Bay. Evan Longoria and Dioner Navarro each had a pair of hits for the Rays, who moved three games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. Tampa Bay's magic number to clinch the division stands at three.
With their 94th win, the Rays tied the 1991 Atlanta Braves for the most wins ever for a team that had MLB's worst record the year before.
Garrett Olson (9-10) allowed three runs on six hits and three walks in six innings pitched with four strikeouts to take the loss.
Lou Montanez homered for the Orioles while Alex Cintron and Adam Jones each contributed a pair of hits as Baltimore dropped its seventh straight.
The Rays went ahead in the sixth. Navarro hit a two-out single and moved to second on Ben Zobrist's walk. Bartlett doubled to left to plate Navarro easily, but Montanez threw out Zobrist at home to keep the score at 3-2.
Carlos Pena added a two-out RBI single in the seventh, driving in Perez. Three consecutive singles by Zobrist, Bartlett and Perez in the eighth scored another run.
The Orioles took the lead in the second. Luke Scott reached after striking out on a wild pitch, and Montanez hit a two-run homer to left.
Tampa Bay tied the score in the fifth. Navarro doubled and moved to third one out later on Bartlett's single to center. Olson tried to pick off Bartlett at first, but the throw was wild, allowing Navarro to score. Perez followed with a double down the left field line, plating Bartlett.
The Rays lead the season series 13-3, including 10 straight wins over Baltimore...Shields has won three straight decisions, while Olson has dropped three straight...The Rays are three games behind the Angels for the AL's best record.
