Crawford’s Slam Powers Rays to Sweep of Cubs
St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) – Carl Crawford’s grand slam highlighted Tampa Bay’s seven-run seventh inning, helping the Rays complete a three-game sweep of the league-leading Chicago Cubs with an 8-3 victory at Tropicana Field.
The Rays have now swept three first-place teams this season, having bested the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim earlier in the year, each in a three-game series.
“It validates what we’ve been doing and it does give us more confidence,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We always think about winning a series, but once you win the first two games of a series, you finish it. When you win a game like that it can spill into tomorrow.”
Crawford finished 3-for-5, while Eric Hinske scored twice and knocked in a run to improve the Rays to a franchise-record 14 games over .500 (43-29).
Grant Balfour (2-0) was credited with the win in relief of James Shields, who allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings in his first start since being suspended six games for his involvement in a bench-clearing brawl with Boston earlier in the month. Shields also tied a season-high with nine strikeouts.
The Cubs’ Sean Gallagher allowed just one unearned run in his six-inning start, but the youngster is still searching for his first career road victory despite giving up just four hits. Carlos Marmol (1-2) had a relief appearance to forget, getting charged with four runs while not recording an out.
Derrek Lee went 3-for-4, while Mike Fontenot, Kosuke Fukudome and Ryan Theriot accounted for Chicago’s runs batted in. Chicago had won six of seven entering this series.
The Rays responded to Chicago’s three-run seventh with a knockout blow. Marmol simply imploded in relief of Gallagher. The normally reliable middle reliever walked a pair before hitting another two to force in a run, exiting without inducing an out.
Crawford stepped in with the bases still loaded and slammed Scott Eyre’s 1-0 offering into the left-field seats.
“I just wanted to put the ball in play,” Crawford humbly said.
The onslaught didn’t stop there, as B.J. Upton tripled and scored on Hinske’s double. Hinske then stole third and trotted home on a deep sacrifice fly off the bat of Evan Longoria, and Tampa suddenly led by five runs.
“It was a horrible inning,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said of the seventh. “It started with two walks and two hit batters, a grand slam, and I don’t know where it went from there.”
Balfour kept the Cubs off the board in the eighth, and Gary Glover tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the come-from-behind triumph.
Tampa loaded the bases with no outs in the home second but only mustered one run. Lee bobbled a possible double-play ball at first and Willy Aybar stepped in with Rays at every base. However, he bounced into a 3-6-1 double play to force in a run, and Dioner Navarro flied out to end the threat.
Shields blew through the Cubs lineup through six innings and fanned six of seven straight batters at one point. But in the seventh the righty allowed a leadoff double to Micah Hoffpauir and walked Mark DeRosa on five pitches.
After an out, Fontenot sent a ground-rule double to center to knock in the tying run and end Shield’s terrific effort. Lefty Trever Miller came on to face Fukudome, but the opportunistic outfielder reached out and blooped a go- ahead RBI single to left.
Balfour yielded a run-scoring single up the middle to Theriot before striking out Lee and getting a pop out from Aramis Ramirez to stop the bleeding with Tampa trailing, 3-1.
Game Notes
Shields came into the game with a 3-1 record and a 1.72 ERA at home this season…The Rays have won 25 of their last 29 games at Tropicana Field. It was their ninth consecutive series win at home…On Thursday, the Rays agreed to terms with the first overall selection of the First-Year Player Draft, signing shortstop Tim Beckham out Griffin High School in Griffin, Georgia…On Friday, the Cubs will host the White Sox in an intra-city rivalry to open a three-game series, while Tampa hosts the Houston Astros for a three-game set of its own.
06/20 00:32:06 ET