Baseball Guru
04-13-2002, 05:35 AM
By FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer
April 12, 2002, 11:15 PM EDT
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Carlos Delgado's three-run homer capped a seven-run third inning, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 14-7 Friday night.
Felipe Lopez and Raul Mondesi also drove in three runs apiece for the Blue Jays, who scored four times in the seventh after the Devil Rays cut it to 8-7.
Ben Grieve hit a pair of solo homers for Tampa Bay, giving him three home runs in his last two games and four this season.
Rookie reliever Justin Miller (1-0) pitched 2 2-3 innings for his first victory. He allowed one run on four hits and worked through bases-loaded jams in the fourth and fifth innings.
Delgado's homer off Ryan Rupe (1-1) was his third of the season and it gave the Blue Jays a 7-2 lead. The slugger is 4-for-16 lifetime against the right-hander with three home runs.
Toronto has hit more home runs (70) against Tampa Bay than any other team in the Devil Rays' short history, and Delgado is the individual leader with 13.
Steve Cox and Randy Winn drove in two runs each for the Devil Rays, who pulled to 8-7 on Winn's RBI single in the sixth.
Delgado's homer was the sixth of seven consecutive hits the Blue Jays strung together in the third inning. Mondesi had a two-run single, and Lopez and Eric Hinske delivered RBI singles off Rupe, who allowed eight runs on nine hits in five innings.
The seven-run third gave Blue Jays starter Brian Cooper a five-run lead, but he couldn't stay around long enough to get the victory.
Tampa Bay fought back with two runs in the bottom of third, then chased Cooper in the fourth when Grieve hit his second homer and Bobby Smith followed with a one-out double.
Miller, making his major league debut for Toronto, replaced Cooper and hit the first two batters he faced with pitches to load the bases. Winn's sacrifice fly trimmed Tampa Bay's deficit to 7-6, but the Blue Jays escaped further damage when Cox struck out to end the inning.
Cooper, who's given up five homers in 8 1-3 innings this season, allowed six runs on eight hits in 3 1-3 innings.
Notes:@ Delgado has 42 career RBIs against the Devil Rays, third-most against Tampa Bay behind Jason Giambi and Manny Ramirez, who have 45. ... Grieve didn't hit his fourth homer until June 12 last season. This year, No. 4 came in his 30th at-bat of the season. Last year, he didn't get his fourth until his 211th at-bat. ... The multihomer game was Grieve's first since he hit two for Oakland at Texas on June 23, 1999. ... After giving up a walk and seven straight hits in the third inning, Rupe struck out four of the next six batters. ... Devil Rays pitchers have gone a major league-record 160 consecutive games without a complete game.
AP Sports Writer
April 12, 2002, 11:15 PM EDT
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Carlos Delgado's three-run homer capped a seven-run third inning, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 14-7 Friday night.
Felipe Lopez and Raul Mondesi also drove in three runs apiece for the Blue Jays, who scored four times in the seventh after the Devil Rays cut it to 8-7.
Ben Grieve hit a pair of solo homers for Tampa Bay, giving him three home runs in his last two games and four this season.
Rookie reliever Justin Miller (1-0) pitched 2 2-3 innings for his first victory. He allowed one run on four hits and worked through bases-loaded jams in the fourth and fifth innings.
Delgado's homer off Ryan Rupe (1-1) was his third of the season and it gave the Blue Jays a 7-2 lead. The slugger is 4-for-16 lifetime against the right-hander with three home runs.
Toronto has hit more home runs (70) against Tampa Bay than any other team in the Devil Rays' short history, and Delgado is the individual leader with 13.
Steve Cox and Randy Winn drove in two runs each for the Devil Rays, who pulled to 8-7 on Winn's RBI single in the sixth.
Delgado's homer was the sixth of seven consecutive hits the Blue Jays strung together in the third inning. Mondesi had a two-run single, and Lopez and Eric Hinske delivered RBI singles off Rupe, who allowed eight runs on nine hits in five innings.
The seven-run third gave Blue Jays starter Brian Cooper a five-run lead, but he couldn't stay around long enough to get the victory.
Tampa Bay fought back with two runs in the bottom of third, then chased Cooper in the fourth when Grieve hit his second homer and Bobby Smith followed with a one-out double.
Miller, making his major league debut for Toronto, replaced Cooper and hit the first two batters he faced with pitches to load the bases. Winn's sacrifice fly trimmed Tampa Bay's deficit to 7-6, but the Blue Jays escaped further damage when Cox struck out to end the inning.
Cooper, who's given up five homers in 8 1-3 innings this season, allowed six runs on eight hits in 3 1-3 innings.
Notes:@ Delgado has 42 career RBIs against the Devil Rays, third-most against Tampa Bay behind Jason Giambi and Manny Ramirez, who have 45. ... Grieve didn't hit his fourth homer until June 12 last season. This year, No. 4 came in his 30th at-bat of the season. Last year, he didn't get his fourth until his 211th at-bat. ... The multihomer game was Grieve's first since he hit two for Oakland at Texas on June 23, 1999. ... After giving up a walk and seven straight hits in the third inning, Rupe struck out four of the next six batters. ... Devil Rays pitchers have gone a major league-record 160 consecutive games without a complete game.