Jon Lester and Rays starter Matt Garza were engaged in a true pitchers' duel as both hurlers battled into the sixth inning and combined to give up just six hits and three runs. Garza, who went seven full frames, coughed up a pair of solo homers to Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia while Lester shut out the Rays through five.
After hitting Carlos Pena leading off the seventh, Lester was pulled. The Rays managed to plate a run off Daniel Bard, charged to Lester, to bring the home team within one. An inning later, Bard coughed up a towering blast to center field off the bat of Evan Longoria, his 22nd of the year, to tie things up at two.
After the Rays bounced into an inning-ending double-play in the bottom of the ninth and both teams left the bases loaded in the 10th, neither team was able to make a threat in the 11th or 12th.
Then, after Takashi Saito surrendered a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the 13th, the Rays walked off winners thanks to Longoria's two-run blast to left — his second dinger of the night and 23rd of the season.
Rays 4, Red Sox 2 (13 innings)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
August 4, 2009
Headliner: Despite striking out three times, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria smacked both the game-tying homer in the eighth off Bard — the first homer the rookie reliever has allowed in 28 major league appearances — and the game-winning two-run blast in the 13th to end it.
Dirt dog: Jon Lester held the Rays scoreless through six frames in the highly anticipated pitching tilt between the southpaw and Garza, the Red Sox killer himself. Lester went six-plus innings and was charged with one run on three hits while lowering his ERA to 3.79.
Better luck next time: Reliever Daniel Bard allowed the Rays to get on the board in the seventh and then coughed up a leadoff bomb to center off the bat of Evan Longoria to knot things up at two in the eighth. After walking the next batter, Bard committed an ugly throwing error on a bunt attempt by Willy Aybar before allowing his second walk of the frame to load up the bases.
Bard’s stat line for the night: 2/3 innings, two hits, two walks, one run, one error.
Key moment: With one down and the bases loaded in the top of the 10th inning, Rays reliever J.P. Howell got Dustin Pedroia to bounce into an inning-ending double play to keep things tied at two.
On deck: Brad Penny looks to pick up his eighth victory of the season Wednesday night as he takes on David Price, who stands at 4-4 with a 5.10 ERA.
Penny has just two wins since May and in 20 starts this season, has yet to last seven innings. In his last outing, Penny took a loss after going five innings and allowing seven earned on seven hits and four walks against the A’s at Fenway Park. In his last outing back in May against the Rays in Boston, he picked up the win after going 6 1/3 and holding the AL East foes to just three runs.
Price looked sharp in his last outing, holding the Royals to just one run over seven innings. The rookie southpaw has won three of his last five decisions after going winless in his first four June starts. Price has yet to face the Red Sox this season but fared well against the Sox' bats last October in three games during the ALCS, picking up a win and a save while posting a 0.00 ERA in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
