St. Petersburg, FL (Best E Casino) - Carlos Pena drew a game-ending, bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th inning, as the Tampa Bay Rays rallied past the
Detroit Tigers, 6-5, to complete a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field.
After Miguel Cabrera's lead-off home run in the top of the 10th off Troy Percival gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead, the Rays took advantage of a wild Fernando Rodney (0-3) to mount a comeback in the bottom half.
Pinch-hitter Willy Aybar walked to begin the frame, bringing Jason Bartlett to the plate. Bartlett squared to bunt and Rodney drilled him on his right hand. Shawn Riggans replaced the injured shortstop, and Rodney plunked him with the very next pitch. Riggans stayed down for a few minutes, but eventually made his way to first.
"I didn't breathe for a second, but got up and told the guys I was fine," Riggans said.
After Akinori Iwamura bunted the runners over, B.J. Upton walked to the load the bases for Carl Crawford, who drove in the tying run with a single to left. One out later, Pena walked to force in the winning run.
"The way we do it really doesn't matter," Pena said. "What a great game again today."
Upton finished 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer for the Rays, who have won five in a row overall and own a three-game lead over the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East. Eric Hinske added a solo home run.
Percival blew his third save of the season, yielding two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Trever Miller (1-0) recorded the last two outs in the 10th to get the win for Tampa Bay. Miller did not have a decision in his previous 121 outings -- a major league record -- dating to a victory over the Atlanta Braves on September 30, 2006 as a member of the Houston Astros. Starter James Shields gave up two runs on nine hits over 6 1/3 innings of a no-decision.
Magglio Ordonez drove in two runs for the Tigers, who have lost four games in a row to fall a game under .500 at 55-56. Placido Polanco had three hits and scored twice, while Gary Sheffield also belted a solo home run.
Armando Galarraga, who entered play tops among all AL rookie pitchers with nine wins, allowed one run on four hits over seven innings, but did not receive a decision. Kyle Farnsworth was roughed up for three runs in his one inning of work.
Trailing 2-0, Upton began the seventh with a ground-rule double, snapping a string of 13 retired in a row by Galarraga and later scored on Pena's RBI single. Galarraga had allowed just one hit through the first six innings -- an infield single by Evan Longoria to open the second.
Detroit padded its lead in the top of the eighth on Sheffield's ninth home run of the season, a two-out shot off Grant Balfour, though, Tampa Ray forged ahead in the next frame.
Farnsworth replaced Galarraga and Hinske greeted him with a shot over the center field wall. One out later, Iwamura slapped a single and Upton followed with a blast to center for a 4-3 lead.
"I fell behind Upton 3-1, can't do anything about that one but the 1-2 to Hinske that was right down the middle," Farnsworth said.
Percival came on for Tampa Bay in the ninth, and Curtis Granderson's lead-off home run tied the game at four.
After squandering an opportunity with the bases loaded in the previous frame, the Tigers got on the board in the third as Polanco, Carlos Guillen and Ordonez stroked three straight singles.
Polanco began the fifth with a double, moved to third on a groundout by Guillen and trotted home on an Ordonez run-scoring single for a 2-0 lead.
Game Notes
At 66-44, the Rays matched last year's win total...Tampa Bay recorded its eighth sweep of the season...Granderson extended his hitting streak to 13 games...The Tigers left 11 men on base, while Tampa Bay stranded six.