OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Expansion Revision: 1998 Devil Rays and beyond

Moriarty9 · 10-31-2009, 04:32 PM

Holliday homer lifts Rays to win
Delcarmen shaky but successful in closer debut
April 5, 2011

BOSTON — John Lackey and Joe Saunders locked up into an entertaining pitcher's duel at Fenway Park today as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Red Sox, 2-1.

Lackey gave up a run in the eighth inning when Shane Victorino hit a RBI double with two outs, the only significant damage to his otherwise stellar pitching line: eight innings, one run, four hits, no walks, seven strikeouts.

Saunders took the loss with two runs allowed on five hits and five walks, striking out three in 6 2/3 innings. Pat Neshek threw 2 1/3 ininngs of shutout ball in relief for the Red Sox.

Matt Holliday got the big hit for Tampa Bay, hitting a two-run home run with two outs in the sixth inning off Saunders.

Manny Delcarmen made his debut as the Devil Rays closer and found himself in trouble before getting out of the jam and picking up the save. Pablo Sandoval led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and, after a fly ball out, advanced to third base on a Matt Kemp single that put the tying run 90 feet from home plate and the potential winning run on first base with one out for Casey Kotchman. Delcarmen fell behind Kotchman, 3-1, but was able to get the left-handed hitter to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

"It wasn't pretty but we won and that's what matters," Delcarmen said of his first save as the team's official closer. "No harm, no foul."

10-31-2009, 04:32 PM	#675 (permalink)
Moriarty9 All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,855 Thanks: 9 Thanked 3x in 3 posts	Holliday homer lifts Rays to win Delcarmen shaky but successful in closer debut April 5, 2011 BOSTON — John Lackey and Joe Saunders locked up into an entertaining pitcher's duel at Fenway Park today as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Red Sox, 2-1. Lackey gave up a run in the eighth inning when Shane Victorino hit a RBI double with two outs, the only significant damage to his otherwise stellar pitching line: eight innings, one run, four hits, no walks, seven strikeouts. Saunders took the loss with two runs allowed on five hits and five walks, striking out three in 6 2/3 innings. Pat Neshek threw 2 1/3 ininngs of shutout ball in relief for the Red Sox. Matt Holliday got the big hit for Tampa Bay, hitting a two-run home run with two outs in the sixth inning off Saunders. Manny Delcarmen made his debut as the Devil Rays closer and found himself in trouble before getting out of the jam and picking up the save. Pablo Sandoval led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and, after a fly ball out, advanced to third base on a Matt Kemp single that put the tying run 90 feet from home plate and the potential winning run on first base with one out for Casey Kotchman. Delcarmen fell behind Kotchman, 3-1, but was able to get the left-handed hitter to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game. "It wasn't pretty but we won and that's what matters," Delcarmen said of his first save as the team's official closer. "No harm, no foul."