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Zobrist blasts Rays out of recent slump

Sep 28, 2008 - 10:41 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Rays didn't want to finish up the best regular season in franchise history with a four-game sweep at the hands of a last-place club. It may have taken extra innings, but they managed to avoid that fate.

Ben Zobrist's solo home run in the 11th inning lifted the Rays to an 8-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, as the newly minted American League East Division champions finished the year with a team-record 97 wins.

"I loved the way we played like that on the last day," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

The Rays, who clinched the division on Friday courtesy of a loss from the Boston Red Sox, blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning but recovered in the 11th as Zobrist's recent power surge continued. The 26-year-old shortstop led off by taking Chris Lambert's offering deep to right for his fourth home run in his last four games. He finished the season with 12 homers.

"I like playing here, I guess. I really see the ball well here," Zobrist said. "It really feels good to go out and win on the last day of the season."

Edwin Jackson (14-11) blew a save in his first relief appearance of the season but earned the victory anyway. He gave up two runs and four hits over two innings, striking out one and walking one. Jason Hammel worked a perfect 11th inning for his second save.

"It was a bad season and today was the icing on the cake," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "All year long we had leads late and couldn't hold them. We just couldn't compensate for the missing pieces in our bullpen."

Zobrist was also at the center of a late rally that put the Rays out in front. Down 5-3 through seven thanks to an early surge by the Tigers, the Rays erased the deficit with a four-run eighth inning. Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Carl Crawford and delivered a drive to center field that one-hopped the wall for a two-run, ground-rule double to tie the game.

Zobrist followed with a go-ahead RBI single three batters later and Eric Hinske capped the surge with a bases-loaded walk.

But Magglio Ordonez answered in the bottom of the ninth, driving a deep blast over the left-field fence to send the game into extra innings. After winning a batting title last year, Ordonez finished 2008 with a .318 average, 21 homers and 103 RBI.

Lambert (1-2) went two innings, allowing one run and three hits to take the loss. Curtis Granderson homered and drove in four runs for the Tigers.