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Devil Rays get to Nathan in ninth

Apr 15, 2007 - 10:26 PM MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Devil Rays did not let Joe Nathan off the hook this time.

The Devil Rays scored twice in the ninth inning against the All-Star closer of the Minnesota Twins en route to posting a 6-4 victory and gaining a split of the four-game series.

Rookie Akinori Iwamura and Dioner Navarro stroked consecutive doubles into the right field corner to open the decisive frame, and Carlos Pena singled home the second run.

"I know I'm not perfect," Nathan said. "I've given up plenty of runs in my life. I've gotten my brains beaten in plenty of times. Its one of those things where I'll come back and work hard, get back out there and make some pitches."

In Thursday's series opener, Tampa Bay opened the ninth with a pair of hits off Nathan but were held off the scoreboard because of a baserunning blunder by Carl Crawford and lost in the bottom of the frame, 3-2, on a homer by Justin Morneau.

Iwamura and Navarro both hit sliders that Nathan left up in the strike zone, and Nathan allowed two more hits before stranding both baserunners.

"We have been working good at-bats, but I don't know why," Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "(Nathan is) very good. He's one of the best. It's kind of nice that we were able to do that because I think we can gain confidence from situations like that against him.

"There's no particular secret. We just hit him these two nights and I'm sure he'll still get his 35 or 40 saves this year."

After allowing just a pair of walks in his first two outings this season and earning saves in both, Nathan has allowed 10 hits and a walk in his last four outings - but Sunday was the first time he allowed any runs.

Nathan (0-1) suffered his first defeat since September 6, 2005 against Texas.

"He's fine," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He just got a couple balls up. It just happens. He hung a couple sliders down there and they jerked them down the line. That's just the way it is."

Gardenhire is more concerned about third baseman Nick Punto, who suffered a sprained left ankle fielding ground balls in batting practice before Saturday's game and has not played since Friday. Punto is scheduled for an MRI on Monday morning and could be headed to the disabled list.

Backup third baseman Jeff Cirillo already is on the 15-day DL, leaving utility infielders Luis Rodriguez and Alexi Casilla as the team's only options.

"Nick didn't want to say anything yesterday, but came in this morning with a very stiff ankle," Gardenhire said. "We're not real deep there. Its something to be discussed. We don't have a third baseman ready at Triple-A."

The news was better in the opposing clubhouse, as Brian Stokes (1-2) worked a perfect eighth for his first win this season and second of his career, and Al Reyes logged a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save. Reyes has converted each of his last eight save opportunities dating to the 2005 season.

Tampa Bay broke a 1-1 duel between Jae Seo and Boof Bonser, when Brendan Harris opened the sixth with his second homer of the season off Bonser and Delmon Young later drilled a two-run homer - his third - to extend his hitting streak to a career-high tying 12 games, helping Tampa Bay win its fourth road game of the season after finishing the 2006 campaign with a 3-22 road record from July 1 through the end of the season.

"It's nice," Harris said. "You've got to start somewhere. Last year was last year. We're trying to take some steps forward. Baby steps." Bonser left after Young's blast, surrendering four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings with a career high-tying eight strikeouts. Seo was charged with four runs and nine hits in seven innings.

"Seo gave us a chance to be in that game and eventually go ahead," Maddon said. "Hats off to Jae Seo, then Stokes and Reyes in the ninth. We pitched well today."

Minnesota opened the scoring in the first. Michael Cuddyer singled, Morneau doubled and Hunter brought home Cuddyer with a groundout.

Tampa Bay tied the contest in the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Jonny Gomes. Navarro started the rally with a two-out single and advanced on a walk by Pena.