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Pena powers Rays past Mariners

Aug 9, 2008 - 6:57 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Carlos Pena continues to help the Tampa Bay Rays stay atop the standings on Friday.

Pena homered and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Rays to a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

The 30-year-old slugger has been red-hot this month, stroking home runs in two of his last three contests while extending his current hitting streak to four games. He owns a .469 on-base and .636 slugging percentage in August.

"I'm seeing the ball well and focusing on that. It sounds kind of clich??, but it's true," Pena said. "You know when you can keep it that simple you really allow yourself to play. You can kind of get out of your own way."

"It's the type of at-bats; taking pitches that I shouldn't be swinging at and swinging at pitches that are hittable. Simple as that. Now you put that together over a longer period of time and good things happen."

Pena's recent surge has led the Rays (69-46) to a 6-2 record this month and has helped them stay atop the American League East - 3 1/2 games in front of the Boston Red Sox (66-50).

His 21st homer in the second inning gave Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead, which did not last long as Wladimir Balentien's two-run shot in the bottom of the frame lifted the Mariners to a one-run advantage.

The Rays struck for four runs in the third off Seattle starter Carlos Silva (4-13), who allowed five runs - four earned - and eight hits in six innings, walking three while striking out three.

"The way I was feeling tonight - it was one of the best I have been feeling so far," Silva said. "That is the kind of year I've been having, you know."

"He's going through a rough time. But, we know it's going to get better," Mariners manager Jim Riggleman said of Silva. "We are working for the long haul. We just look for better things that we know he does. You know, he doesn't hang his head. He's had a tough time, but he just keeps getting after it. He just keeps challenging hitters."

Ben Zobrist and Akinori Iwamura reached on back-to-back, one-out singles before B.J. Upton plated Zobrist with a base hit to right field.

Upton and Iwamura moved to second and third base on the throw home and both scored on Yuniesky Betancourt's throwing error on a groundball by Carl Crawford.

"I think that throw over to first (by Betancourt ) really cost them and helped us out tremendously," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "That throwing error is the residue of how we've been running to first base. We've been putting pressure on throws going to first base (and the error) got us off to a great start."

Pena capped the inning with a RBI single to center - his ninth RBI in eight games - as the Rays forged a 5-2 advantage.

Riggleman blamed the entire team, not only Silva and Betancourt, for allowing the Rays to score four runs in the third.

"Carlos threw the ball pretty good," Riggleman said. "Could have probably got out of that inning with a lot less damage, but that's baseball - errors are part of the game. ... It made it a tough inning for Carlos, but we have to get out of that inning with as little damage as possible."

Brian LaHair pulled the Mariners within two runs, plating Jeff Clement with an infield single in the fourth off Tampa Bay righthander James Shields (10-7).

The run would be the last for Seattle as Shields surrendered three runs, nine hits while striking out five in 6 2/3 innings before reliever Grant Balfour pitched 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

Troy Percival worked a perfect ninth to earn his 25th save.

"Troy did a great job tonight, and has been throwing the ball very well lately," Maddon said. "He's been solid all season long even though he has been on the DL (disabled list) a couple of times, but he's still there (to get the job done)."