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Pena, Navarro help Rays stay red-hot

Aug 15, 2008 - 3:07 AM OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Rays are missing two stars, but they still have Carlos Pena.

Pena snapped a tie in the 12th inning with a solo home run, leading the Rays to a 7-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.

Dioner Navarro drove in two runs, and Cliff Floyd scored a career-high four runs for Tampa Bay, which is without All-Star rookie third baseman Evan Longoria (fractured wrist) and left fielder Carl Crawford (finger).

Longoria is expected to be out at least three weeks, while Crawford will have surgery and likely miss the rest of the regular season.

"Of course we want these guys out there," Pena said, "they are a very important part of the team, but we understand there are things we cannot control.

With Longoria and Crawford out, the Rays need Pena to continue to do what he did Thursday, when he led off the 12th inning with a 400-foot home run to right field off Santiago Casilla (2-1). Cliff Floyd, who walked four times, then doubled and scored a critical insurance run on a single by Navarro.

"I pretty much emptied the tank today," a smiling Floyd said. "I haven't walked four times in a game, even in Little League.

"This type of win is what started happening in May and June - it's us believing in ourselves no matter what happens. We have to believe that, no matter who is on the field, we can get it done."

It was the 10th win in 13 games for Tampa Bay (73-47), which leads the Boston Red Sox (71-51) by three games in the American League East.

"We kept trying to have good at-bats," Pena said. "There were many times when momentum shifted, and we were able to stay poised. It's a great win for us - it was quite difficult - but I'm proud of the fact we didn't let things affect us in the last few innings."

Despite the win, the Rays got more bad news as closer Troy Percival left with a sprained right knee. Percival, who has made two trips to the DL, suffered the injury while tagging out Mark Ellis on a sacrifice bunt in the ninth. He was relieved by Grant Balfour.

Balfour struck out Carlos Gonzalez, but allowed a game-tying RBI single to Frank Thomas.

After Tampa Bay broke through, the A's plated an unearned run in the 12th and Trever Miller came on to record the final out and record his first save in more than 10 years.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said Percival is day-to-day.

"I just talked to him briefly," Maddon said. "He's going to be evaluated tomorrow."

Percival was wearing a thigh-length soft cast and carrying a crutch in the clubhouse after the game, but was optimistic.

"Maybe I can fit this brace underneath my uniform," he joked. "I felt fine making the play, and then as I was walking back to the mound, I felt a sharp pain. I didn't feel anything pop or anything, and I took two steps back to the mound and was wondering what the heck happened."



Percival is traveling to Texas with the team . "My opinion is, I'll be back out there in two days, but that doesn't usually come true," he said. Balfour will close games in the short term.

Oakland rookie Brad Ziegler finally allowed his first major league run when B.J. Upton doubled home Akinori Iwamura with one out in the ninth to put Tampa Bay up, 5-4.

Ziegler had a 39-inning scoreless streak snapped, but still tied the major-league record for scoreless innings by a relief pitcher set by Cleveland's Al Benton in 1949.

"I didn't think about the streak until I started walking back on the mound," said Ziegler, a 28-year old rookie.

"But the first thought was they broke a tie score. So the first thought that popped in my head was, I guess the good thing is, it wasn't a cheap one. That makes it feel better. It was hit hard and the first extra base hit I've given up. (Now I can) just go out and pitch well and hopefully lead us to some wins."

Daric Barton drove in two runs for Oakland, which scored more than four runs for the first time in 16 games.