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  Sunday, Aug. 20 2:05pm ET
Devil Rays win by scoring two in ninth
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Devil Rays barely survived a long, wild day against the Chicago White Sox.

Jason Tyner's RBI double in the ninth inning capped Tampa Bay's rally from a four-run deficit and gave the Devil Rays a 12-11 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

Bobby Smith
Bobby Smith tied the score at 11 with a leadoff homer in the ninth off White Sox closer Keith Foulke.

"We needed that, especially after the beginning of the game," said Roberto Hernandez, who survived a scary ninth to pick up his 22nd save in 28 chances. "You can't give an inch to (the White Sox). They'll take a yard."

The Devil Rays, who led 6-2 before battling back from a 10-6 hole, tied the game at 11 when Bobby Smith led off the ninth inning against Keith Foulke (3-1) with his fourth homer.

"Bad pitch and I got hurt," Foulke said.

Aubrey Huff followed with a single. Pinch-runner Felix Martinez advanced to second on a sacrifice and scored on Tyner's double to the gap in left-center. Foulke blew his fifth save in 27 chances.

Smith made a key defensive play with two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth. He knocked down Frank Thomas' single behind second base to load the bases for Magglio Ordonez. Hernandez then took advantage of the late-afternoon sun and shadows to strike out Ordonez and end the game.

"As a defensive player, I always think I can get everything," said Smith, playing his second game since being activated from the DL. "(Thomas) hit it pretty hard but I was able to knock it down."

Hernandez's duel with Ordonez was another key as the White Sox outfielder fouled off 10 pitches.

"I don't know if it was a classic ninth inning but it got the job done," Hernandez said. "I think my teammates were a little more nervous than I was."

With the game tied at 10 in the eighth, Jose Valentin and Thomas each drew walks against Esteban Yan (6-8). Valentin scored on a wild pitch by Yan to give the White Sox an 11-10 lead.

Hernandez pitched the ninth for his 22nd save in 28 chances. He struck out Ordonez with the bases loaded to end the game.

Greg Vaughn and Steve Cox drove in three runs apiece, and Mike DiFelice hit a solo homer for Tampa Bay.

Valentin went 3-for-4 with four runs and three RBIs, Ordonez drove in three runs and Herbert Perry hit a three-run homer for Chicago, which had won six of nine.

The White Sox took a 2-0 lead in the first on RBI singles by Valentin and Ordonez.

The Devil Rays then scored six runs in the second off Rocky Biddle, highlighted by Cox's three-run double. Tyner had a sacrifice fly, and Vaughn and Ozzie Guillen had RBI singles in the inning.

Perry hit the first pitch from reliever Cory Lidle for his 11th homer, highlighting a five-run third inning for the White Sox. Thomas added an RBI double in the inning.

Valentin hit an RBI double with one out in the Chicago fourth and scored one out later on Ordonez's single to make it 9-6. Valentin's RBI single in the fifth made it 10-6.

DiFelice homered leading off the Devil Rays fifth. Biddle walked Tyner before being pulled. Guillen singled and Williams hit an RBI double off Mark Buehrle to close to 10-8. One out later, Vaughn hit a two-run single to tie the game at 10.

Biddle, making his third career start, gave up eight runs -- four earned -- and eight hits in five-plus innings.

"Maybe I'll throw a game where everything clicks for me," Biddle said. "I know this team is going to score a lot of runs. Ray Durham told me after the second inning, 'Don't worry about it.' "

Tampa Bay starter Dave Eiland gave up six runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Game notes
McGriff's double in the second was his third extra base hit in his last 24 games. ... Eiland does not have a decision in three starts since being activated from the disabled list. He had been sidelined with a sore left hip. ... Sunday was "Dog Day" at Comiskey Park and fans brought their pooches to sit in the right-field bleachers. Among the 568 dogs in attendance was Foulke's labrador, Shep. Foulke was in the bullpen.
 


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