Rays 1 - 2 Athletics
Final
  for this game

Injury-stricken Rays open series against struggling Athletics

Aug 12, 2008 - 1:12 PM Tampa Bay (71-46) at Oakland (54-63), 10:05 pm EDT

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- The suddenly brittle Tampa Bay Rays have lost Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria to injuries, so another series out West to face one of the American League's punching bags could be just what they need.

Sitting atop the AL East standings, the Rays begin a three-game set on Tuesday with the Oakland Athletics, who have dropped 19 of the 23 games after the All-Star break.

One day after learning Crawford will miss an extended period of time, the Rays on Monday placed the All-Star third baseman Longoria on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured right wrist. Losing Longoria, the club's leading run-producer, is clearly a tough blow as the club tries to pad its four-game lead over the second-place Boston Red Sox (68-51).

Scott Kazmir (8-5, 3.20 ERA) takes the mound for Tampa Bay, which surpassed the franchise record for wins in a season on Sunday when it completed a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners. It also wrapped up the first series of a 10-game road trip on the West Coast.

Kazmir hasn't factored in a decision in three straight starts, a span in which the 2007 AL strikeout leader has failed to pitch past the fifth inning.

The lefthander has one win since June 27, but that could change since Kazmir has built quite a reputation facing the Athletics. This season, he is 2-0 against Oakland with a 0.64 ERA in two starts, allowing one run and six hits while striking out 17 in 14 innings.

Kazmir is also 5-1 in six starts against AL West foes in 2008.

Oakland counters with Gio Gonzalez (0-1), who is coming off his major league debut on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays. In six innings, the 22-year-old surrendered four runs and four hits, striking our four and walking two.

The last time Oakland won a series was on July 9, when it finished with two wins in a three-game set against the Mariners. The club last notched back-to-back victories on July 10-11.

The Athletics recorded 45 wins in the first 82 games of the season, but have just nine in the last 34.








  • AL
    FINAL
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
    - - - - - - - - - - - -
    TAMPA BAY 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0
    OAKLAND 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 x 2 4 1 (FINAL)

    BATTERIES: TAM - SCOTT KAZMIR, J.P. HOWELL (6TH), GRANT BALFOUR (8TH) AND
    DIONER NAVARRO
    OAK - GIO GONZALEZ, JERRY BLEVINS (6TH), JOEY DEVINE
    (8TH), BRAD ZIEGLER (9TH) AND KU

    Aug 13 12:39 AM
  • 69
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 35 roots (Close Finish)

    Rays 1, Athletics 2  Bot 7, 0 OutsAug 13 12:07 AM
  • 34
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 34 roots

    Rays 1, Athletics 2  Bot 5, 0 OutsAug 12 11:37 PM


  • AL
    AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
    SACRIFICE FLY BY AKINORI IWAMURA SCORED BEN ZOBRIST.
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J BARTLETT ON THIRD, 2 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 1
    OAKLAND 2 TOP, 3RD
    DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: B UPTON (.264, 0-FOR-1)

    Rays 1, Athletics 2  Top 3, 0 OutsAug 12 10:48 PM


  • AL
    AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
    TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY BOBBY CROSBY (7) TO LEFT CENTER WITH 0
    OUT IN THE 2ND OFF SCOTT KAZMIR SCORED EMIL BROWN.
    CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 0, OAKLAND 2
    DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: C GONZALEZ (.277, 3 HR, 19 RBI)

    Rays 0, Athletics 2  Bot 2, 0 OutsAug 12 10:31 PM

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