• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Pena gets home run on reversal; Rays pound Twins

Sep 20, 2008 - 4:17 AM ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- Maybe the Tampa Bay Rays really are a team of destiny.

Carlos Pena hit a replay-aided three-run homer as the Rays inched closer to their first playoff berth with an 11-1 thrashing of the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

Evan Longoria collected three RBI and Edwin Jackson allowed only one run and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings for Tampa Bay (91-61), which maintained a 1 1/2-game lead over Boston (90-63) in the American League East. The Red Sox edged the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3, on Friday.

The Rays, who will assure themselves of a playoff berth with their next victory, do not sound like a team that lost 93 games last season.

"It's very exciting to be in this position," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "To get to the postseason is great, but we still have goals to win the East and have the best record in baseball. We don't want to be satisfied yet."

"It's been a long time waiting (to get to the playoffs), so we don't want to be overwhelmed Saturday," Jackson said.

The Rays got another break in a Cinderella-story season in which they are in the process of going from worst to first. Tampa Bay was the beneficiary of the first reversal by the use of instant replay since the system was approved for boundary calls on August 28.

The controversy began when Pena drove a ball to right-center field that hit a fan standing in the first row of the bleachers. It initially was ruled fan interference by first base umpire Mike DiMuro, and Pena was awarded a two-run double.

However, the umpires used instant replay and after a delay of 4 minutes, 10 seconds, they overturned the call, giving Pena a three-run homer - his 31st blast of the season.

"It seemed like a long time (waiting), but I'm glad they went and checked it," Pena said. "I thought it was a home run. You don't want to go home with a doubt."

Crew chief Gerry Davis said they reviewed two angles in order to reverse the call.

"The first one was inconclusive," Davis said. "The second one was the one that showed it."

It was the third time instant replay has been used and second at Tropicana Field. The first occurrence came here on September 3, when replay confirmed a home run by Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.

"We had the first (replay) and now we had the first positive response," Maddon said. "It's there for that purpose."

The other time video review came into play was on September 9, when Hunter Pence's drive off the top of the right field wall at Minute Maid Park in Houston was confirmed as a double during a game between the Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Rays jumped to a 6-0 advantage with three runs in the each of the first two innings. Jason Bartlett recorded an RBI groundout, Longoria added a run-scoring double and Cliff Floyd plated a run with a single in the first.

In the second, Bartlett had an RBI single, Pena drew a bases-loaded walk and Longoria added a sacrifice fly. That was more than enough for Jackson (12-11), who struck out five and walked one in ending his three-game losing streak.

Twins rookie Nick Blackburn (10-10) left after just 1 2/3 innings. The righthander allowed six runs and six hits with three walks.

The Twins (83-71) fell 2 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox (85-68) in the AL Central. Chicago beat Kansas City, 9-4, on Friday.

"It's frustrating," said Blackburn, who has one win in his last eight starts. "This is not the time in a season to be doing what I'm doing right now. The last couple of outings have not been close to what I should be doing. I'm not giving us a chance to win."

The Twins have lost 11 of 17 games in September.

"This is a pennant race," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "They say they're not tired. They don't throw tired. It's about making pitches."