Feldman Wins Fifth Straight Road Start as Rangers Top Rays 4-0
Feldman won his fifth consecutive road start, Michael Young and Ivan
Rodriguez each drove in two runs and the Texas Rangers avoided a
three-game sweep by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 on Sunday.
Feldman (13-4) is the first Texas
pitcher with victories in five straight starts away from home since
Rick Helling accomplished the feat in 1998. The right-hander, 9-1 this
season on the road, allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings.
Young extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a two-run single in the third that put Texas ahead 2-0.
Rodriguez made it 3-0 with a
fourth-inning RBI double and hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth. He has
driven in 62 runs in 77 career games against the Rays.
Tampa Bay's David Price (6-6) gave up
three runs and three hits in seven innings. The left-hander had won
five starts in a row at home.
Feldman struck out a career-high 11
and walked two. He worked out of jams in the second and seventh innings
when the Rays had two on with one out.
Darren O'Day struck out all three
batters he faced in the eighth before closer Frank Francisco pitched
the ninth in a non-save situation.
The Rays completed a nine-game homestand with a 6-3 record. Tampa Bay is 42-21 at home this season.
NOTES: Tampa Bay, 25-35 away from
home, starts a seven-game road trip Monday at Toronto. The Rays will
face Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay (13-6), who they have defeated five
times over the past two seasons. … The Rangers are off Monday before
opening a three-game series Tuesday at the AL East-leading New York
Yankees. … Texas signed 3B Travis Metcalf to a minor-league contract
and assigned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. … Tampa Bay special
adviser Fred McGriff, dressed in full gear, was the umpire for a
pregame softball contest between the wives and girlfriends of the Rays
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McGriff hit 493 homers during a 19-year
big league career.