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Harris walk-off powers Devil Rays

May 16, 2007 - 5:30 AM ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- If the idea of moving their next nine home games to Disney Wide World of Sports Complex was to increase fan interest, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays may have allowed Brendan Harris to leave Tuesday's game as an Orlando icon.

Harris had four hits, including a walk-off single, as the Devil Rays downed the Texas Rangers, 4-3, in 10 innings in the opener of a three-game set in Orlando.

With Tampa Bay playing the first of three straight series in Orlando in their attempt to appeal to a more regional market, Harris singled off Scott Feldman (1-2), allowing Carlos Pena to score from third to give the Devil Rays their eighth win in 12 one-run games. Feldman failed to record an out in the frame.

"It was nice to get the win any way we could get it. I was seeing the ball great tonight and able to come through at the end," Harris said. "I knew he would try and do something to sink it in and try and get a double play with the bases loaded at the end, so I was trying to just stay up on it and stay out of a double play."

"There was a buzz about the place, the players felt it, I felt it and the fans were very good. It was a nice atmosphere," Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "I'm happy we won, but Orlando saw some good baseball tonight."

Brian Stokes (2-5) worked around a hit and a walk in the 10th to get the win.

Tampa Bay threatened to break the 3-3 tie in the bottom of the ninth as Harris led off the frame with a double off Rangers reliever Akinori Otsuka and advanced to third on a groundout by Josh Wilson. Otsuka walked rookie Elijah Dukes and Carl Crawford intentionally to load the bases.

However, B.J. Upton grounded out to short to end the frame.

"It took awhile, but we did execute offensively to the point of scoring the run in the 10th, (James) Shields pitched another great game, (Al) Reyes did his job, Stokes did his job, there were so many good things except we couldn't get the knock (hit) until the very end, but we'll take it," Maddon said.

The Rangers opened the scoring in the top of the second when Brad Wilkerson hit a sacrifice fly to score Victor Diaz. The Devil Rays answered in the bottom half of the frame as Carlos Pena doubled to right to plate Upton, tying the game at 1-1.

Tampa Bay added two more runs in the third. Dukes hit an RBI single to center to score Josh Wilson, who replaced the injured Rocco Baldelli after the first inning. Two batters later, Ty Wigginton hit the second sacrifice fly of the contest for the Devil Rays, helping them take a 3-1 lead.

Texas countered with two runs in the fifth as Hank Blalock homered for the third straight game to narrow the deficit to 3-2. Wilkerson followed with a double but was lifted for pinch runner Matt Kata, who scored two batters later on a single from Nelson Cruz.

Unable to push across the fourth run until extra innings, the Devil Rays wasted a second strong outing from Shields, who allowed three runs and six hits with five strikeouts. The righthander has pitched at least eight innings in four of his last five outings, allowing no more than three runs in any contest.

"Shields is pitching at the top of his game, he's one of the top AL pitchers right now, maybe even all of MLB," Maddon said. "Of course, he can get better, and the thing I love is ... his composure and mound presence, and that's a good-hitting ballclub he went against tonight. His fastball and command overall were very good."

Rangers starter Brandon McCarthy tied his season high by pitching six innings and striking out a season-high seven. After a four-start stretch in which he allowed five or more runs three times, the righthander has yielded three runs or less in each of his last three outings.

"It's been a matter of consistency," McCarthy said. "My focus from runners on base has been better in terms of focusing on every individual pitch and getting the hitter out, rather than letting the whole situation get to me."

Baldelli left the game with a strained left hamstring after the first inning. Wilkerson left the game with a strained right hamstring in the fifth and is being listed day-to-day.