RAYS win 7th consecutive game, vault into 3rd place, and only trail the Bosox by seven games!!
The Devil Rays spent exactly one day in fourth place in the American League East. It took them only that long to scoot right past the Orioles into third place.
A day after moving out of the cellar and past Toronto, the Rays defeated the Padres 9-6 Wednesday and set a franchise record with their seventh consecutive victory. Tampa Bay has never been alone in third this late in the season.
Rays starter Victor Zambrano (7-4) earned his fourth consecutive victory but was shaky early, allowing four runs and five hits as San Diego overcame the Rays' two- run first inning to take a 4-3 lead on a third- inning single by Phil Nevin.
Padres starter Ismael Valdez (six innings, three runs allowed) also seemed vulnerable early, allowing three runs in his first three innings - one of which came on a pair of third-inning triples by Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli.
It wasn't until the bullpens took over in the seventh that Tampa Bay began to pull away. Valdez handed a one-run lead to Scott Linebrink, who promptly allowed four runs in the seventh.
The decisive inning included infield singles by 36-year-old Rey Sanchez and 40- year-old Fred McGriff. It was capped by Jose Cruz Jr.'s ninth home run, a two-run blast that bounced off the top of the center-field wall.
The Rays added an insurance run in the eighth on a ground-rule double by Julio Lugo and a single by Sanchez.
Zambrano improved to 9-1 lifetime in interleague play, the best winning percentage in the majors. He has won four consecutive decisions after losing four in a row.
Tampa Bay is 18-6 since May 20, the second-best record in the majors during that span. Only the Yankees have been better at 19-4.
The victory was No. 1,410 for Rays manager Lou Piniella, who pulled into a tie with fellow Tampa native Al Lopez for 21st all- time.
The Devil Rays spent exactly one day in fourth place in the American League East. It took them only that long to scoot right past the Orioles into third place.
A day after moving out of the cellar and past Toronto, the Rays defeated the Padres 9-6 Wednesday and set a franchise record with their seventh consecutive victory. Tampa Bay has never been alone in third this late in the season.
Rays starter Victor Zambrano (7-4) earned his fourth consecutive victory but was shaky early, allowing four runs and five hits as San Diego overcame the Rays' two- run first inning to take a 4-3 lead on a third- inning single by Phil Nevin.
Padres starter Ismael Valdez (six innings, three runs allowed) also seemed vulnerable early, allowing three runs in his first three innings - one of which came on a pair of third-inning triples by Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli.
It wasn't until the bullpens took over in the seventh that Tampa Bay began to pull away. Valdez handed a one-run lead to Scott Linebrink, who promptly allowed four runs in the seventh.
The decisive inning included infield singles by 36-year-old Rey Sanchez and 40- year-old Fred McGriff. It was capped by Jose Cruz Jr.'s ninth home run, a two-run blast that bounced off the top of the center-field wall.
The Rays added an insurance run in the eighth on a ground-rule double by Julio Lugo and a single by Sanchez.
Zambrano improved to 9-1 lifetime in interleague play, the best winning percentage in the majors. He has won four consecutive decisions after losing four in a row.
Tampa Bay is 18-6 since May 20, the second-best record in the majors during that span. Only the Yankees have been better at 19-4.
The victory was No. 1,410 for Rays manager Lou Piniella, who pulled into a tie with fellow Tampa native Al Lopez for 21st all- time.
