Haynes' RBI single gives Rays fourth straight win, 5-4 over Red Sox in 11
By FRED GOODALL | Associated Press | Apr 25, 08 10:27 PM CDT in
Sports
Nathan Haynes singled with no outs in the 11th inning, driving in Carl Crawford from second base and giving the Tampa Bay Rays a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
Haynes lined an 0-1 pitch from Mike Timlin (2-2) to right field after Crawford, who was 3-for-6 and scored three runs, began the rally with a single and stole second. Timlin walked B.J. Upton before giving up the game-winning hit.
The Red Sox stranded the potential go-ahead run in scoring position in the ninth, 10th and 11th inning. Scott Dohmann (1-0) got David Ortiz _ the only batter he faced _ to ground into an inning-ending double play with men at first and third in the top of the 11th.
The Rays rallied after falling behind knuckleballer Tim Wakefield 3-1, extending their season-best winning streak to four games. Their 12 wins overall match their most ever after 23 games.
Right-hander Matt Garza, obtained along with shortstop Jason Bartlett in an offseason trade that sent Delmon Young to Minnesota, made his first start since leaving Tampa Bay's April 8 home opener with what the Rays described as radial nerve irritation in his pitching arm.
He retired the Red Sox in order in the first, then nearly didn't make it through a 40-pitch second in which he gave up a leadoff single to Manny Ramirez before walking J.D. Drew and Sean Casey to load the bases with one out.
Boston wound up scoring three runs in the inning with Julio Lugo drawing a bases-loaded walk, Kevin Cash delivering a sacrifice fly and Jacoby Ellsbury following with a RBI single that made it 3-1.
Casey was injured scoring on Ellsbury's hit, limping across the plate with a right hip flexor strain that forced him out of the game.
Wakefield was unbeaten at Tropicana Field until the Rays beat him here last Sept. 23. He's 19-3 all-time against Tampa Bay, including 9-1 on the road, but struggled after the Red sox gave him the early lead.
Crawford, who has a 12-game hitting streak, tripled and scored on Upton's sacrifice fly in the first and Tampa Bay trimmed Boston's lead to 3-2 on Evan Longoria's RBI single in the third.
Wakefield fell behind 4-3 in the fourth when Crawford tied it with an RBI triple and then scored on shortstop Julio Lugo's fielding error. The Red Sox countered with a run in the sixth, then turned the game over to their bullpen.
The Boston starter allowed four runs, six hits and five walks in six innings. Garza gave up three runs, five hits and walked three in five innings.
Notes:@ Rays INF/OF Eric Hinske, who was with Boston last season, received his World Series ring before the game. ... Boston 3B Mike Lowell (sprained left thumb) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket. If all goes well this weekend, he could rejoin the Red Sox on Tuesday. ... Former Rays 1B Dan Johnson cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham. ... Red Sox RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (flu) threw a bullpen session in Boston and may be ready to make his next start Tuesday against the Blue Jays. ... RHP Bartolo Colon (strained right side muscle) worked out with the Red Sox before the game and could begin a rehab assignment in two weeks.
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