Tampa Topples Tomahawks on Tuesday

Tuesday’s ballgame in Atlanta pitted the East’s two first place teams against each other. The National League East leading Braves dropped a 10-4 decision to their American League counterpart, Tampa Rays. The Rays remained deadlocked in first place with the New York Yankees after touching up the Braves following a 2 ½ hour rain delay. David Price became the AL’s first ten game winner as the Rays’ hurler cruised through five innings of two run ball. Price allowed ten base runners and issued two walks in a somewhat inefficient effort, but Tampa’s offense put the game out of reach in the sixth inning. Kenshin Kawakami wasn’t creamed but still suffered his ninth loss of the season, a Braves’ franchise record to begin a year. The Japanese right-hander allowed seven hits and issued three walks. He hasn’t won a start since last August. Kawakami’s poor defense didn’t help the pitcher’s case as Atlanta committed four errors in the inter-league contest.
Evan Longoria starred for the Rays, decking his twelve homer of the season on a full count in the first frame. Yunel Escobar’s throwing error preceded Longoria’s homerun. The talented All-Star third baseman went 2-for-5 Tuesday, knocking in three runs. Sean Rodriguez drove in a pair of first inning runs with a double to left field to complete the Rays’s four run opening frame. Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to 15 games with the double inside the third base line. Atlanta answered with one run in the bottom half of the first. The Braves scored on an unearned run when Price’s wild pitch sailed past catcher, John Jaso, and had a chance to add to their tallies in the second. The Rays went up 5-1 on Jaso’s single in the second. Atlanta had a chance to collect on a bases-loaded, no outs situation in the bottom half, but failed to score. The Braves stranded 14 base runners and went 1-for-15 with runners-in-scoring position in Tuesday night’s loss.
The Braves did add a run in the bottom of the third on Carlos Pena’s RBI sacrifice fly. They cut the Tampa lead to two in the fifth inning but didn’t find the plate again until Chipper Jones’ solo shot in the eighth. Jones blasted a double earlier in the game before driving one deep for his fourth of the season late in the game. There were talks before the game about the 38 year old retiring after the season, but the future Hall-of-Famer collected both of the Braves’ extra-base hits. Price lacked command but was the benefactor of sixth Tampa extra-base hits. The Rays scored five runs in two innings to increase their lead over the first place Braves. Jaso opened the sixth with a single off newly promoted reliever, Chris Resop. The 27 year old walked Carl Crawford and Pena to load the bases for Ben Zobrist. Zobrist singled in Jaso and Crawford raced home barely avoiding Brian McCann’s tag at the plate. Crawford went 2-for-4 with his 22nd stolen base of the season. The speedy outfielder roped an RBI triple in the seventh and Longoria cracked open the game even more with a double to damage Resop’s debut for Atlanta. Longoria has now reached base safely in 32 consecutive games. Jason Heyward had two hits for Atlanta. The Braves hold just a half-game lead in the division over second place New York. The Yankess rocked Roy Halladay and the Phillies last night to remain tied for first with Tampa.

Parting Points: Painful loss for Big Blue-Domenik Hixon is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Lakers-Celtics has come down to a Game 7. I predicted Boston in 7 and I am staying with my prediction.

Happy Bloomsday to the James Joyce fans out there.