The surging Rays won for the ninth time in 11 games Tuesday night, using Willy Aybar’s two-run single to break an eighth-inning tie in a 4-2 win over the Angels that gave Tampa Bay the best record in the American League.
The AL East leader overcame a strong pitching performance by Los Angeles’ Ervin Santana, who took a no-hit bid into the sixth and left with a 2-1 lead after allowing one run and four hits in seven innings.
Los Angeles let the game slip away in the eighth when the Rays loaded the bases with no outs against Scot Shields (5-4) on two walks and an error. Carlos Pena drew a one-out walk from Darren Oliver, forcing in the tying run before Aybar singled.
James Shields (11-7) allowed two runs and nine hits in eight innings, and Dan Wheeler pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save in eight chances as Tampa Bay improved to 6-2 against the AL West-leading Angels, including 5-0 at home.
The Rays won the series opener 6-4, getting two-run homers from Eric Hinske and Cliff Floyd. They got their first run Tuesday night on B.J. Upton’s infield RBI single, then scored three unearned runs in the eighth, with Aybar’s hit the only ball getting to the outfield.
Vladimir Guerrero hit his 23rd home run for Los Angeles, a solo shot in the second. Garret Anderson made it 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI double that extended his hitting streak to 22 games.
Maddon was ejected in the sixth for arguing with first base umpire Jerry Meals after Upton beat out his RBI infield single to trim the Angels’ lead to 2-1. Upton was called out when Meals ruled he turned toward second and was tagged out by second baseman Howie Kendrick.
Replays showed Upton, who hit a high chopper to first baseman Mark Teixeira, contorted his body to avoid a potential tag by Santana, who was covering first. However, it did not appear Upton, in the spotlight lately for a lack of hustle, turned toward second before being tagged by Kendrick, who was backing up the play.
Maddon bolted from the dugout and had an animated discussion with Meals before being ejected. The manager also had an exchange with second base umpire and crew chief Gary Darling before leaving the field.
Maddon said the call was flat-out wrong, going as far as to describe it as “fabricated.”
Upton apologized before the game for a “mental lapse” on the bases Monday night when he was thrown out at second base on what should have been a routine double, saying he didn’t want to become a distraction for the Rays.
He was just happy to get some support Tuesday night from his manager, who in the past two weeks has benched the 23-year-old for two games and part of a third for not hustling.
Santana retired 11 straight before walking Pena with two outs in the fourth. Jason Bartlett doubled down the line in left for the first hit with one out in the sixth.
Reference: www.sterlingtiffany.com
