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  Saturday, Apr. 8 4:15pm ET
Cleveland 6, Tampa Bay 4
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) _ Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome hit the 199th home runs of their careers five pitches apart Saturday, helping the Cleveland Indians beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-4.

The sluggers remained tied for sixth on Cleveland's career list, connecting off right-hander Steve Trachsel (1-1) with two outs in the fifth inning to give the Indians a 6-1 lead for Dave Burba (1-0).

Ramirez's two-run shot was his first of the season. Thome has three and homered for the second straight game at Tropicana Field to keep pace in the team record book. Travis Fryman also had a two-run double off Trachsel, giving him five RBIs in the series.

Greg Vaughn homered twice and drove in four runs off Burba for the Devil Rays, including a 462-foot solo blast to deep left center that was the third longest in the three-year history of the stadium.

Steve Karsay pitched the ninth for his second save.

Tampa Bay's Fred McGriff hit a 468-foot homer against Kansas City last May 5, and Oakland's Jason Giambi hit a 463-foot blast on Sept. 12.

Vaughn's second homer was a three-run shot to left that trimmed Cleveland's lead to 6-4 in the sixth. It was the 25th multi-homer game for Vaughn, who signed with the Devil Rays after hitting 95 home runs the past two years for the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds.

Burba, hampered during spring training by a strained left hamstring, allowed seven hits in six innings and left a two-run left a two-run lead for the bullpen to protect. Scott Kamienicki gave up a two-out double in the seventh, but Paul Shuey got out of the jam when he struck out McGriff.

Trachsel pitched seven scoreless innings in Tampa Bay's 7-0 season-opening win over Minnesota, but this time looked more like the pitcher who lost a major league-high 18 games with the Chicago Cubs last season.

Fryman's two-run double gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the second, and the Indians added a run in the third when Trachsel's wild pitch allowed Omar Vizquel to score.

Ramirez took over sole possession of sixth on the Indians' career list when his homer carried 390 feet to left field. Thome outdid Ramirez when he drove a 2-2 pitch onto the roof of the Batter's Eye restaurant in center field.

The ball traveled an estimated 448 feet, and Thome joined McGriff as the only players who have reached the roof of the restaurant during a game.

Notes: Vaughn has homered in 33 parks, fifth on the career list. McGriff is first at 36. ... The Devil Rays placed RHP Juan Guzman on the disabled list with right shoulder tightness and recalled RHP Jeff Sparks from Triple-A Durham ... The Indians have 18 runs in the second inning of their five games ... Tampa Bay has homered in each of its six games. The club record is seven, accomplished twice last year ... Hall of Famer Al Lopez, a native of Tampa and a former player and manager for the Indians, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Lopez, 91, played 19 seasons and managed for 17, compiling a 1,410-1,004 record. His 570-354 mark with the Indians from 1951-56 is the best in team history.

 


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