5/13 - Yankees (22-18) @ Rays (27-12): Game 2

The Rays have now dropped three in a row, and two in a row to the Yankees in game two of this four game set in Tampa. The Yankees scored first in the top of the second with a monster solo homer to left by Alex Rodriguez, but the Rays tied it in the bottom of the inning with an RBI base hit by Jason Bartlett scoring Cliff Floyd. The Yankees then took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third with an opposite field homer by Hideki Matsui. The Rays tied it up once again in the bottom of the third with a solo blast by B.J. Upton, but that was all the Rays would get as the Yankees scored twice more in the top of the seventh, and a huge five run ninth to win the game. Alex Rodriguez homered three times in this game and drove in five of the Yankees nine runs. Rays starting pitcher James Shields pitched seven innings giving up four earned runs on four hits and striking out three.

Final Score:

Yankees: 9

Rays: 2

WP - Chien-Ming Wang (3-2) | LP - James Shields (2-2) | SV -

HR:

B.J. Upton - Rays (12)

Bobby Abreu - Yankees (8)

Alex Rodriguez - Yankees (12)

Alex Rodriguez - Yankees (13)

Alex Rodriguez - Yankees (14)

Hideki Matsui - Yankees (7)

5/12 - Yankees (21-18) @ Rays (27-11): Game 1

The Rays have now dropped two in a row, this one to the Yankees at home. In the bottom of the third, with B.J. Upton on second, Carlos Pena hit a single up the middle, knocking in Upton to take a 1-0 lead, and then Evan Longoria followed with a two-run blast to center field to extend the lead to 3-0. With the score 3-1, the Yankees viciously fought back in the sixth,  scoring seven runs on two homers. A three-run homer by Alex Rodriguez, and later in the inning, a grand slam by Melky Cabrera to take an 8-3 lead. Jason Giambi extended the Yankees lead in the top of the seventh with a solo shot. In the bottom of the eigth, the Rays scored once more with an RBI knock by Jonny Gomes to bring in Evan Longoria, but Alex Rodriguez did it again in the top of the ninth, with a two-run blast. Rays starting pitcher Chuck James started the game well, but was taken out in the sixth after giving up the three-run homer to Alex Rodriguez then getting two on. James was charged with six earned runs on ten hits pitching five and one-third innings.

Final Score:

Yankees: 11

Rays: 4

WP - Ian Kennedy (2-1) | LP - Chuck James (0-1) | SV -

HR:

Evan Longoria - Rays (10)

Alex Rodriguez - Yankees (10)

Alex Rodriguez - Yankees (11)

Jason Giambi - Yankees (7)

Melky Cabrera - Yankees (6)

5/11 - Angels (24-14) @ Rays (27-10): Game 3

The Angels have finally ended the Rays long winning streak with a huge first inning, scoring five runs off Rays starter Scott Kazmir. The Angels then scored another run extended their lead to six runs in the second. In the bottom of the fourth, the Rays scored their only two runs with RBI hits by Jason Bartlett knocking in Dioner Navarro and Akinori Iwamura knocking in Rocco Baldelli. The Angels scored once more in the top of the ninth with a solo shot hit by Howie Kendrick, his eigth of the season. Rays starter Scott Kazmir as said before was beat up in the first, giving up a total of six runs in this game on nine hits, and one strikeout.

Final Score:

Angels: 7

Rays: 2

WP - Jered Weaver (2-3) | LP - Scott Kazmir (4-1) | SV -

HR:

Howie Kendrick - Angels (8)

Casey Kotchman - Angels (6)

5/10 - Angels (24-13) @ Rays (26-10): Game 2

The Rays continue their VERY hot streak with a second win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim today. In the bottom of the first, with Akinori Iwamura on first because of an error by Angels second baseman Maicer Izturis, B.J. Upton blasted a ball off the wall in right center field, scoring Iwamura, but Upton was caught in a rundown and was eventually tagged out on the play. In the top of the second, Torri Hunter hit a solo shot to left center, tying the game at one each. In the bottom of the third, with Iwamura on base again, and Upton at the plate again, Upton blasted a two-run homer into the upper deck seats in left field, taking a two run lead. The Rays scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, with an RBI hit by Evan Longoria knocking in Jason Bartlett, and Jonny Gomes, knocking in Akinori Iwamura. The Rays then extended their lead even more in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run homer off the bat of Carlos Pena. In the top of the eighth, the Angels picked up another run with an RBI double hit by Gary Matthews, Jr. knocking in Chone Figgins. Rays starting pitcher Edwin Jackson pitched seven innings, giving up just one run on four hits and striking out one.

Final Score:

Angels: 2

Rays: 7

WP - Edwin Jackson (3-0) | LP - Jon Garland (5-1) | SV -

HR:

B.J. Upton - Rays (11)

Carlos Pena - Rays (21)

Torri Hunter - Angels (4)

5/9 - Angels (24-12) @ Rays (25-10): Game 1

The Rays continue their dominant streak, defeating the Angels in ten innings in Tampa Bay. The Angels scored first in the third, with an RBI double off the bat of Vladimir Guerrero knocking in Gary Matthews, Jr. The Rays then tied it up in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI hit by B.J. Upton scoring Jason Bartlett. Going into extras tied 1-1, Carlos Pena led off the bottom of the tenth, and belted his twentieth homer of the season into the right field bleachers, a walk-off solo shot. Rays starter Matt Garza pitched seven great innings giving up the only Angels run on five hits and striking out two. This is the eleventh win in a row for the Rays, and they are on fire.

Final Score:

Angels: 1

Rays: 2

WP - Al Reyes (3-1) | LP - Kelvim Escobar (3-3) | SV -

HR:

Carlos Pena - Rays (20)

5/8 - Rays (24-10) @ Blue Jays (18-17): Game 3

The Rays have completed their third consecutive sweep, this time of the Blue Jays on the road, and continued their winning streak to ten games in an extra innings thriller in Toronto. The Blue Jays struck first in third the with an RBI double hit by Aaron Hill knocking in Lyle Overbay to take a one run lead, and with no scoring since, it seemed the Blue Jays had the game in the bag until the ninth inning when Dionner Navarro came to the plate with two on, and knocked in Jonny Gomes. Still tied 1-1 in the tenth, Carlos Pena came to plate, hitless in the game, and blasted a solo homer to dead center field to take a 2-1 lead. The Rays brought in closer Troy Percival to close out the game in the bottom of the tenth, but couldn't keep the Jays down, giving up a solo shot to Gregg Zaun, tying the game at 2-2. Leading off the eleventh, on the first pitch of the inning, Gomes blasted a solo homer to left taking the lead again at 3-2, and that was the end of the game for Blue Jays starting pitcher Jesse Litsch. Troy Percival stayed in the game to pitch the bottom of the eleventh, and the Rays held on to the lead this time. Rays starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine pitched seven innings giving up just one run on four hits and striking out five.

Final Score:

Rays: 3

Blue Jays: 2

WP - Troy Percival (2-0) | LP - Jesse Litsch (1-5) | SV -

HR:

Gregg Zaun - Blue Jays (4)

Carlos Pena - Rays (19)

Jonny Gomes - Rays (2)

5/7 - Rays (23-10) @ Blue Jays (18-16): Game 2

The Rays continue to win game after game this road trip, now having taken the first two of three in Toronto. In a scoreless game in the fifth, Iwamura got on on with a single, and stole second base. B.J. Upton then hustled out a triple, knocking in Iwamura to take a 1-0 lead, then followed by a sacrifice fly by Carlos Pena that brought in B.J. Upton, and that was all the scoring the Rays could get off A.J. Burnett, but that was all they needed. In the bottom of the eighth, Aaron Hill jacked a solo shot to left, but the Blue Jays couldn't make the comeback. Rays starting pitcher James Shields pitched seven strong, scoreless innings, giving up six hits, and striking out seven. Troy Percival protected the one run lead for the save in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Score:

Rays: 2

Blue Jays: 1

WP - James Shields (2-1) | LP - A.J. Burnett (4-3) | SV - Troy Percival (10)

HR:

Aaron Hill - Blue Jays (3)

Nomo placed on 15-Day DL; Rays Call Up Glover

After being taken out of the game in the seventh inning in yesterday's game against the Blue Jays because of elbow pains, Nomo has been placed on the 15 Day DL, and will most likely return after his stay. Replacing Nomo on the team while he's out is right handed pitcher Gary Glover.

5/6 - Rays (22-10) @ Blue Jays (18-15):Game 1

The Rays continue their hot winning streak to eight games with an extra inning victory over the Blue Jays in Toronto. B.J. Upton got it started in the top of the first with a solo homer, but the Blue Jays tied it up again with a solo homer off the bat of Alex Rios in the bottom of the first. The Rays then took the lead again in the top of the third with a deep solo shot off the bat of Carlos Pena. The Rays extended their lead in the fifth with another homer off the bat of Pena, this time a two run shot, but after Rays starter Hideo Nomo was taken out of the game seventh, the Blue Jays came back to tie it up with a solo homer hit by Matt Stairs, followed by a two-run blast hit by Lyle Overbay, tying the game at 4-4. Still tied in the top of the eleventh inning, Carlos Pena blasted another homer, his third of the game into the upper deck seats in right. Troy Percival protected the one run lead in the bottom of the inning for the save. Rays starting pitcher Hideo Nomo pitched 6 and a third innings giving up four runs on six hits and striking out six, taking a no decision. He was taken out of the game in the seventh with elbow pain and his condition is currently still unknown.

Final Score:

Rays: 5

Blue Jays: 4

WP - Dan Wheeler (4-0) | LP - Casey Janssen (1-2) | SV - Troy Percival (9)

HR:

Alex Rios - Blue Jays (7)

Matt Stairs - Blue Jays (6)

Lyle Overbay - Blue Jays (5)

B.J. Upton - Rays (10)

Carlos Pena - Rays (16)

Carlos Pena - Rays (17)

Carlos Pena - Rays (18)

5/4 - Rays (21-10) @ Red Sox (16-15): Game 3

The Rays extended their winning streak to seven games with a victory and sweep of the Red Sox in Boston today. In the top of the first, with Akinori Iwamura on third, Carlos Pena got a base hit up the middle and the Rays took a 1-0 lead, but the Red Sox tied it in the bottom of the first with a solo shot to right off the bat of David Ortiz. Rays DH, Cliff Floyd had to be taken out of the game in the top of the second inning after sliding into second base on a lead off double off the green monster in left. His condition is still currently unknown. Carlos Pena came through again in the top of the third with a solo shot to right giving the Rays the 2-1 lead. The Rays extended their lead in the fifth with back-to-back jacks; a two run blast hit by B.J. Upton, followed by another homer by Carlos Pena. The Red Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run double hit by Manny Ramirez, but they couldn't make the comeback. Rays starting pitcher Edwin Jackson pitched seven very strong innings giving up just one run on six hits and striking out two.

Final Score:

Rays: 5

Red Sox: 3

WP - Edwin Jackson (2-0) | LP - Clay Buchholz (1-2) | SV - 

HR:

David Ortiz - Red Sox (7)

B.J. Upton - Rays (9)

Carlos Pena - Rays (14)

Carlos Pena - Rays (15)