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Red Sox, Rays bidding for wild card (AP) |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—The Tampa Bay Rays are loose and raring to go, “Whatever it takes,” designated hitter Johnny Damon(notes) said. “It’s been a The Rays’ improbable bid for a third playoff berth in four years comes down If the teams remain tied after Wednesday night’s season finales, they will “We have to focus on ourselves … play our game and not worry about the Matt Joyce(notes) and Ben Zobrist(notes) homered, the bullpen shut down the Yankees after Throw in Joyce, whose three-run homer wiped out a 3-2 deficit in the seventh “All the indicators are there, let’s just keep pushing,” Maddon said. Joyce’s homer off former teammate Rafael Soriano(notes) (2-3) was the All-Star’s “Everybody’s thirsty for offense, and we’d like to score more,” Maddon Jake McGee(notes) (4-2) pitched one scoreless inning to get the win. With a crowd Russell Martin(notes) hit a solo homer for the Yankees in the third, but also The Yankees, who clinched the division title and homefield advantage Tampa Bay will go with All-Star lefty David Price(notes), who’s 12-13 after The Rays said he’s up to the task. “I always have the utmost confidence when David pitches. I really do,” Despite squandering their big lead with a miserable September, the Red Sox “I think it’s really good for baseball (but) not so good for my stomach,” That’s all for today. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Rays, Red Sox remain tied |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist homered Tuesday night, helping the surging Tampa Bay Rays continue their improbable chase for the AL wild card with a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night. The Rays, seeking their third playoff berth in four seasons, are tied with Boston after making up nine games in the standings since Sept. 4. The Red Sox beat Baltimore, 8-7, Tuesday, and if the teams are tied after their regular-season finales Wednesday they will meet in a one-game playoff Thursday at Tropicana Field. Joyce’s three-run homer off former teammate Rafael Soriano (2-3) was the all-star’s first in more than three weeks and wiped out a 3-2 deficit in the seventh. Zobrist hit a two-run drive off Bartolo Colon in the second, and the Rays kept the score close by turning the third triple play in franchise history after falling behind in the sixth. Jake McGee (4-2) pitched one scoreless inning to get the win. With a crowd of 22,820 standing and cheering, Kyle Farnsworth got the final three outs for his 25th save in 31 chances. The victory was the fourth straight for Tampa Bay. The Yankees, who clinched the division title and home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs last week, rested Derek Jeter and plan to play most – if not all – of their regular lineup again on Wednesday. Manager Joe Girardi remained undecided on a starting pitcher for the finale, but it figures to be a reliever. After blowing a nine-game lead in the span of 23 days, the Red Sox will send Jon Lester (15-9) to the mound against Baltimore on Wednesday night in an effort to get into the postseason for the fourth time in five years. Lester, Boston’s winningest pitcher, will be throwing on three days’ rest. Boston will be looking to put together its first winning streak since sweeping a doubleheader from Oakland on Aug. 27. New York general manager Brian Cashman reiterated how nice it is to be in a position to not have to go down to the wire. “I’m not pulling for anybody. I know I’m glad that we were able to do what we did,” Cashman said. “I know that both parties involved, Boston and Tampa Bay, are having sleepless nights. They’re hungry. Rather than have to live through it, I think both want to fast forward it to see what happens. I’ve been there.”
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Surging Rays top Yankees, remain tied with Red Sox |
[ [ [['Conrad Murray', 15]], [ [['she-devil', 12]], [ [['diana nyad', 13]], [ [['Joshua Komisarjevsky', 10]], [ [['CASCO Signal', 13], ['Yu Yuan station', 13]], [ [['It is difficult to assess how many birds are affected', 7]], [ [['Andy Rooney', 9]], [ [['villages where people are trapped under collapsed houses', 8]], [ [['The absence of Borders is going to be felt across the industry', 6]], [ [['Anders Behring Breivik', 8]], [ [['like there is no way out', 9]], [ [['including snipers picking off protesters from rooftops', 5], ['Violence has flared anew in Yemen in frustration', 6]], [ [['Dolores Hope', 7]], Not much else going on in the NFL world today. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Rising Tampa Bay Rays win again, have Red Sox on… |
ST. PETERSBURG — Like the rest of us, the Tampa Bay Rays have been accidental tourists witnessing one of the greatest implosions in baseball history. The Boston Red Sox meltdown is truly epic. They’ve lost 17 of 23 games, despite beating the Baltimore Orioles, 8-7, in the next-to-the-last game of the regular season Tuesday evening. But the flip side of this tale of two cities is the Rays. As the Red Sox collapse, the Rays chase at a frantic pace, with poise and purpose. They beat the New York Yankees for the second time in as many nights here Tuesday. The dazzling snapshots of a 5-3 victory included the third triple play in team history, a three-run homer by Matt Joyce in the seventh inning, and a second inning single by Orlando’s Johnny Damon that moved him past Lou Gehrig into sole possession of 57th place on the career hits list with 2,722. You want drama. We got drama. The Red Sox are 90-71. The Rays are 90-71. They will begin the final night of the regular-season in a tie for a wild-card spot in the American League East. If the teams remain tied after Wednesday night, the Rays will play host to a one-game playoff Thursday afternoon. “We still have a chance to control our own destiny,” said Damon, a graduate of Dr. Phillips High School. “…This game is amazing. You never know what to expect coming to the ball park every single day. We did some pretty good stuff.” Here’s the ‘stuff’ the Rays are made of: They have a shot at becoming the first team in baseball history to advance to the postseason after trailing by nine games in September . The flesh wounds grow deeper for Boston, since the arch-enemy Yankees are in town here to face the Rays. Having clinched the division title, the Yankees can send most of their regulars to Bern’s Steak House for a fine Châteaubriand, or if the mood, strikes, meet up at one of the area’s fine adult establishments tonight. Doesn’t matter. The Red Sox have no one to blame but themselves for this mess. So anybody feel sorry for these guys? “I don’t feel sorry for them I can’t tell you that frankly because we’re trying to win too,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday when I posed the pre-game question .” It’s a competitive situation. I can feel for them. I get what they are going through because I’ve lived it. But it’s up to us to benefit from it.” Beneficiaries indeed. The Rays have been solid of late, winning 15 of their last 23. But it’s not as if it’s a Boys Gone Wild scenario. The tale of two cities is much more about one of the biggest meltdowns in baseball history. Give the Rays credit for their scrappiness and hanging tough, but you’d be reading something else in this space at the moment if the Red Sox hadn’t left their backbone in their duffel bags. The painful twists and turns abound for the Red Sox as pennant fever reaches a lukewarm pitch in the Tampa Bay area. Only 18,772 fans showed up on Monday for the first game of the Yankees series, a painful indictment of the apathetic woes of the city toward its baseball team. That number “grew” to 22,820 fans on Tuesday. Ridiculous comes to mind, and that’s one of the milder adjectives. The Rays made the playoffs last season. And then it gutted the payroll this year — losing stars like Carl Crawford . And with its payroll down to $41.9 million, Tampa Bay is still in the chase for the playoffs. The Red Sox — with a $160 million payroll that includes Crawford — are set to go down as one of the most infamous embarrassments in sports history. “We just to worry about ourselves,” Maddon said after the victory on Tuesday. “We have to try to win our game that night and not worry about the other side of it. That will take care of itself.” Which story are pulling for? The comeback or the collapse? I’m pulling for the greatest collapse ever. May as well shoot for the stars, boys. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Joyce’s key homer fuels Rays’ rally |
Updated Sep 28, 2011 12:54 AM ET ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)Strong pitching, solid defense and just enough offense. Call it the Rays way. Tampa Bay continued its improbable bid for the AL wild card with a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night, taking the chase down to the last night of the regular season after getting home runs from Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist and turning a triple play that helped them stay in the game. Seeking their third playoff berth in four seasons, the Rays are tied with Boston after making up nine games in the standings since Sept. 4. The Red Sox beat Baltimore 8-7, and if the teams remain tied after Wednesday’s season finales, they will meet in a one-game playoff Thursday at Tropicana Field. ”We don’t feel like we have anything to lose. We’ve had a great run,” Zobrist said. ”We’re hoping to cap it with a playoff berth.” Joyce’s three-run homer off former teammate Rafael Soriano (2-3) was the All-Star’s first in more than three weeks and it wiped out a 3-2 deficit in the seventh. Zobrist hit a two-run drive off Bartolo Colon in the second, and the Rays kept the score close by turning the third triple play in franchise history after falling behind in the sixth. ”Everybody’s thirsty for offense, and we’d like to score more,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. ”But we’re built around pitching and defense.” Jake McGee (4-2) pitched one scoreless inning to get the win. With a crowd of 22,820 standing and cheering, Kyle Farnsworth got the final three outs for his 25th save in 31 chances. The victory was the fourth straight for Tampa Bay, which trailed the Red Sox by nine games before battling back into the wild-card race. ”Catching Boston was a big thing, but we still haven’t accomplished what we set out to do from the beginning of spring training,” Rays designated hitter Johnny Damon said. Russell Martin hit a solo homer for the Yankees in the third, but also grounded into the triple play that helped Jeremy Hellickson escape further damage after Nick Swisher’s RBI double gave New York a 3-2 lead in the sixth. The Yankees, who clinched the division title and homefield advantage throughout the AL playoffs last week, rested Derek Jeter and plan to play most – if not all – of their regular lineup again on Wednesday. Manager Joe Girardi remained undecided on a starting pitcher for the finale, but it figures to be a reliever. New York general manager Brian Cashman reiterated how nice it is to be in a position to not have to go down to the wire. ”I’m not pulling for anybody. I know I’m glad that we were able to do what we did,” Cashman said. ”I know that both parties involved, Boston and Tampa Bay, are having sleepless nights. They’re hungry. Rather than have to live to through it, I think both want to fast forward it to see what happens. I’ve been there.” Zobrist has homered five times in his last 10 games after going 39 games without hitting one. Martin’s solo homer trimmed the early lead to 2-1, and the Yankees tied it in the fourth when Brett Gardner, who had singled, scored from third as Curtis Granderson grounded into a double play. New York wasted a couple of opportunities to take charge against Hellickson, who allowed three runs and six hits in six innings. Mark Teixeira flied to right field with the bases loaded to end the third, and the Yankees also failed to score with the bases filled in the sixth, when Martin grounded into the 5-4-3 triple play. After Swisher’s RBI double, Jorge Posada drew an intentional walk to load the bases against Hellickson with no outs. The rookie escaped the jam when Martin hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Evan Longoria, who stepped on the bag and threw to second baseman Zobrist for the second out. Zobrist’s relay to first arrived ahead of Martin, who dived head first into the base. ”What I was hoping for was maybe a double play and giving up one run,” Maddon said. ”But my God, how do you even envision a triple play. We were very fortunate with that. The ball was hit in a perfect spot.” Girardi agreed. ”You can’t hit it in a more perfect spot,” he said. ”That was a big break for them.” Colon allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings. Girardi used four relievers – Soriano, Cory Wade, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera – in their final tuneup for the playoffs. ”We’re professionals. We try to win every game,” Martin said. ”We want to play these guys tough. They just had our number today.” Notes: The Rays played without 1B Casey Kotchman, who was scratched from the lineup after experiencing chest tightness and being taken to a hospital for precautionary tests. The team said all of the tests were negative. … Damon singled in the second inning, moving past Lou Gehrig into sole possession of 57th place on the career hits list with 2,722. … Tampa Bay and Boston both are trying to become the first team to start a season 0-6 and make the playoffs. … Cashman flew to Florida to take part in a postseason organizational meeting with Girardi and his coaching staff. More talks will take place Wednesday. … Girardi said it’s possible the Yankees will use three starters and have 10 or 11 pitchers overall for the opening playoff round. LHP CC Sabathia and RHP Ivan Nova will start Games 1 and 2. The Yankees have not announced their Game 3 starter. … Cashman confirmed that the New York Mets denied the Yankees request to have their Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team play one season in Newark. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s stadium is undergoing major renovations. What do you guys think about this. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Tampa Bay Rays turn triple play on grounder by… |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rays have turned the third triple play in team history. The Rays accomplished the feat in the sixth inning Tuesday night while trailing 3-2 on a grounder by the Yankees’ Russell Martin. Martin hit a groundball off Jeremy Hellickson to Evan Longoria, who was perfectly positioned near third base. After Longoria stepped on the bag, he threw to second baseman Ben Zobrist for the second out. Zobrist’s throw to first retired Martin, who dived head first into the base. It was Rays’ first triple play since Sept. 2, 2006, against Seattle. The Yankees hadn’t hit into a triple play since May 29, 2000, in a game with Oakland. Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Rays turn triple play |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—The Tampa Bay Rays have turned the third triple The Rays accomplished the feat in the sixth inning Tuesday night while Martin hit a groundball off Jeremy Hellickson(notes) to Evan Longoria(notes), who was It was Rays’ first triple play since Sept. 2, 2006, against Seattle. The Yankees hadn’t hit into a triple play since May 29, 2000, in a game with That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Rays Vs. Yankees: Tampa Bay Looks To Move Into… |
By Michael Bean
The Rays are tied with the Red Sox for the wild card lead. Can they move into first place? Follow , and Like SB Nation Tampa Bay on Facebook. Sep 27, 2011 – Fans of the Tampa Bay Rays may finally believe that they’re going to pull off the unthinkable and storm all the way back from 9 games back dating back to September 2nd. The Rays have won 15 of 21 games since then, including four straight and three in a row over their opponent Tuesday night, the New York Yankees. Aiding the Rays during their surge has been the collapse of the Boston Red Sox, losers of 20 of their past 27. In the month of September, Boston sports an atrocious 6-19 record, the second worst mark in the month of September in franchise history (4-18 in 1926). Jeremy Helickson (13-10, 2.90) gets the start for the Rays; Bartolo Colon (8-10, 4.02) takes the mound of the Yankees. First pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 7:10 pm local time. While the Rays are battling the Yankees, the Boston Red Sox will be in Baltimore playing the Orioles, desperately trying to put a halt to the miserable month of Septemeber that has allowed the Rays to move back into contention. Erik Bedard will take the hill for Boston, while Zach Britton is scheduled to pitch for the O’s. Go Rays! Read More: New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox Follow , and Like SB Nation Tampa Bay on Facebook. Do you like this story?
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Rays pick 1 road game if 3-way tie in wild card |
NEW YORK (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays have chosen to play one road game rather than two at home if they finish tied with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels for the AL wild card. Tampa Bay had first choice because of a 16-10 record against the Red Sox and Angels this year, while Boston had second pick for going 12-14 in head-to-head games. Los Angeles was 6-10. In the event of a three-way tie, the Red Sox would host the Angels on Thursday, with the winner hosting the Rays on Friday. For a two-team tie, the Rays would host the Red Sox because Tampa Bay won the season series 12-6. Boston began Monday one game ahead of Tampa Bay and two games in front of Los Angeles. In the NL, St. Louis would host Atlanta in a tiebreaker on Thursday because the Cardinals won the season series 5-1. The Braves entered Monday with a one-game lead. Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Gotta run!. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Rays opt to hit road in 3-team scenario (AP) |
NEW YORK (AP)—The Tampa Bay Rays have chosen to play one road game rather Tampa Bay had first choice because of a 16-10 record against the Red Sox and In the event of a three-way tie, the Red Sox would host the Angels on For a two-team tie, the Rays would host the Red Sox because Tampa Bay won Boston began Monday one game ahead of Tampa Bay and two games in front of In the NL, St. Louis would host Atlanta in a tiebreaker on Thursday because Leave any suggestions in the comment box. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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