| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Miguel Cairo was the forgotten man in Tampa
Bay's power-laden lineup, starting the season in a 2-for-12 slump.
But the Devil Rays' No. 9 hitter bounced back with a career-best
five RBIs Thursday, including the game-winning single off Hector
Carrasco in the ninth as Tampa Bay beat the Minnesota Twins 7-6.
|  | | Tampa Bay's Miguel Cairo drives in the game-winning run with a ninth-inning single. |
"I just needed to get my confidence back," said Cairo, who
also had a two-run double and a two-run triple off starter Joe
Mays.
Cairo's ninth-inning single drove in pinch-runner Tony
Graffanino from third. Graffanino had run for Herbert Perry, who
reached on a two-base error by third baseman Dennis Hocking after
Greg Vaughn's leadoff homer against Travis Miller tied the game 6-6.
Vaughn was one of the sluggers the Devil Rays added to their
roster this season in hopes of boosting their power production and
attendance.
But it was the light-hitting Cairo who helped the Devil Rays
split the four-game series and avoid a third straight late-inning
letdown.
"Hopefully this is a team where you check your egos at the
door," Vaughn said. "And you don't care who gets it done, just as
long as it gets done."
In Cairo's first three seasons, he never had more than three
RBIs in a game.
"Miguel's played a while now and you knew his time would come
and he'd be able to recover in a big way," Devil Rays manager
Larry Rothschild said. "Today he got the bit hits."
Hocking did, too.
He had three straight doubles in his first start of the season,
a performance that was overshadowed by his costly error in the
ninth.
"Everybody knows that's not my strength," Hocking said of the
doubles. "Throwing the ball into the bullpen is one of my
strengths."
Twins manager Tom Kelly said first baseman David Ortiz shared
some of the blame for stretching instead of stepping off the bag to
block the bad throw.
"Get off the base, catch the ball, prevent the
merry-go-round," Kelly said. "It's nice to want to make a play
and do well and stretch and catch the ball. As much as you
appreciate that effort, and we all do, it's not the right play."
But Kelly took himself to task, too, for leaving in Mays too
long and for sending Miller out for the ninth after he had struck
out Jose Canseco and Fred McGriff in a perfect eighth.
Reliever Jim Mecir (1-0) got the victory despite surrendering a
two-run single to Ron Coomer to give the Twins a 6-5 lead in the
seventh. Roberto Hernandez pitched the ninth for his first save.
Carrasco (1-1) took the loss.
Kevin Stocker's RBI single and Cairo's two-run triple gave Tampa
Bay a 3-1 lead in the third. The Twins tied it in their half of the
inning on RBI doubles by Cristian Guzman and Ortiz, then went in
front 4-3 in the fifth on Hocking's third double.
Hocking led off the game with a double and scored on Lawton's
single.
Tampa Bay starter Dan Wheeler gave up four earned runs on nine
hits in six innings. Mays allowed five earned runs on eight hits in
6 2/3 innings. He struck out five, including Canseco three times.
Game notes
Twins broadcaster and former pitcher Bert Blyleven turned
49 Thursday. ... Minnesota manager Tom Kelly is 12 victories shy of
1,000 for his career. ... The Devil Rays will retire Wade Boggs'
No. 12 before Friday night's home opener against Detroit at
Tropicana Field. ... Hocking said he felt like the baseballs being
used this year are smaller and harder than in the past.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
Minnesota Clubhouse
RECAPS
Kansas City 9
Toronto 3
Tampa Bay 7
Minnesota 6
Baltimore 6
Cleveland 2
Chi. White Sox 6
Texas 2
Seattle 5
Boston 2
Florida 5
San Francisco 4
St. Louis 13
Chicago Cubs 3
Pittsburgh 10
Houston 1
Cincinnati 5
Milwaukee 1
Montreal 11
Los Angeles 3
San Diego 8
NY Mets 5
Arizona 3
Philadelphia 2
|
