Baseball Guru
04-05-2002, 05:15 AM
By FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer
April 4, 2002, 5:03 PM EST
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Randy Winn hit a pinch-hit grand slam and Ben Grieve, Brent Abernathy and Chris Gomez also homered as the surprising Tampa Bay Devil Rays remained unbeaten Thursday with a 9-2 rout of the Detroit Tigers.
The Devil Rays became just the seventh team to start a season 3-0 after losing 100 or more games the previous season. They joined the 1905 Philadelphia Phillies, 1906 Brooklyn Dodgers, 1929 Boston Braves, 1952 St. Louis Browns, 1971 Chicago White Sox and 1994 New York Mets.
Tampa Bay is three games over .500 for the first time since April 24, 1999 -- 19 games into its second season. It's also the first time the club has been in first place in the AL East after opening day.
The Devil Rays will try to continue their success streak Friday when they play New York in the Yankees' home opener.
Right-hander Ryan Rupe, on a 100-pitch count, limited the Tigers to three hits in seven shutout innings. He threw 99 pitches, struck out seven and walked none.
The Tigers scored with one out in the ninth on homers by Jacob Cruz and Michael Rivera.
Grieve and Abernathy hit solo homers off Jose Lima (0-1), who only lasted two innings. Gomez hit a solo shot off rookie Terry Pearson, and the switch-hitting Winn came off the bench in the fifth to greet lefty Matt Miller with his second career grand slam to make it 9-0.
Rookie Steve Kent replaced Rupe at the start of the eighth inning. Another young pitcher making his big league debut, Jorge Sosa, worked the ninth for Tampa Bay, which has the youngest and lowest-paid roster in the majors.
The Devil Rays chased Lima in the third, when Abernathy led off the inning with his home run and the next two batters reached base on a single and a walk.
Lima won 21 games with the Houston Astros in 1999, but has struggled since. He was 7-16 with a 6.65 ERA in 2000 and went 6-12 with a 5.54 ERA for the Tigers and Astros a year ago.
Lima allowed four runs on four hits and walked two in two innings.
Rupe, meanwhile, hardly looked like the pitcher who led the Devil Rays in runs allowed (111), while also setting career highs in losses (12) and home runs allowed (30) last season.
The Devil Rays starter limited the Tigers to Dmitri Young's single and doubles by Cruz and Bobby Higginson.
Notes:@ Dating back to last season, the Devil Rays have won four straight series and are 5-0-1 in their last six ... Pearson is the first 30-year-old non-Japanese rookie to play for the Tigers since catcher Mike Roarke in 1961. In 1999, Japanese pitcher Masao Kida made his major league debut at the same age. ... Lima allowed 35 home runs last season, 23 with Detroit and 12 with Houston.
AP Sports Writer
April 4, 2002, 5:03 PM EST
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Randy Winn hit a pinch-hit grand slam and Ben Grieve, Brent Abernathy and Chris Gomez also homered as the surprising Tampa Bay Devil Rays remained unbeaten Thursday with a 9-2 rout of the Detroit Tigers.
The Devil Rays became just the seventh team to start a season 3-0 after losing 100 or more games the previous season. They joined the 1905 Philadelphia Phillies, 1906 Brooklyn Dodgers, 1929 Boston Braves, 1952 St. Louis Browns, 1971 Chicago White Sox and 1994 New York Mets.
Tampa Bay is three games over .500 for the first time since April 24, 1999 -- 19 games into its second season. It's also the first time the club has been in first place in the AL East after opening day.
The Devil Rays will try to continue their success streak Friday when they play New York in the Yankees' home opener.
Right-hander Ryan Rupe, on a 100-pitch count, limited the Tigers to three hits in seven shutout innings. He threw 99 pitches, struck out seven and walked none.
The Tigers scored with one out in the ninth on homers by Jacob Cruz and Michael Rivera.
Grieve and Abernathy hit solo homers off Jose Lima (0-1), who only lasted two innings. Gomez hit a solo shot off rookie Terry Pearson, and the switch-hitting Winn came off the bench in the fifth to greet lefty Matt Miller with his second career grand slam to make it 9-0.
Rookie Steve Kent replaced Rupe at the start of the eighth inning. Another young pitcher making his big league debut, Jorge Sosa, worked the ninth for Tampa Bay, which has the youngest and lowest-paid roster in the majors.
The Devil Rays chased Lima in the third, when Abernathy led off the inning with his home run and the next two batters reached base on a single and a walk.
Lima won 21 games with the Houston Astros in 1999, but has struggled since. He was 7-16 with a 6.65 ERA in 2000 and went 6-12 with a 5.54 ERA for the Tigers and Astros a year ago.
Lima allowed four runs on four hits and walked two in two innings.
Rupe, meanwhile, hardly looked like the pitcher who led the Devil Rays in runs allowed (111), while also setting career highs in losses (12) and home runs allowed (30) last season.
The Devil Rays starter limited the Tigers to Dmitri Young's single and doubles by Cruz and Bobby Higginson.
Notes:@ Dating back to last season, the Devil Rays have won four straight series and are 5-0-1 in their last six ... Pearson is the first 30-year-old non-Japanese rookie to play for the Tigers since catcher Mike Roarke in 1961. In 1999, Japanese pitcher Masao Kida made his major league debut at the same age. ... Lima allowed 35 home runs last season, 23 with Detroit and 12 with Houston.