LAKELAND – They played on and on and on and on, and when it was over, the Tampa Bay Rays were 4-0, off to their best-ever spring start and owners of the best record in baseball.
The Rays outlasted the Detroit Tigers on Monday at Joker Marchant Stadium, winning 10-9 in a 4 hour, 4 minute affair that included 31 hits and needed 13 pitchers, including seven from the Rays.
“That’s one of the longest spring training games I’ve been involved with,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “You stick around that long you want to win.”
A two-out double in the ninth inning by left fielder John Rodriguez scored Eric Hinske with the winning run.
Andy Sonnanstine pitched a perfect ninth to record the save.
It wasn’t a good day for Rays pitching.
Pitch counts were high. They combined to walk nine batters.
Four pitchers – starter Matt Garza and relievers Chad Orvella, Jake McGee and Chris Mason – were lifted in the middle of an inning.
Maddon had to use Sonnanstine in the ninth even though Sonnanstine was scheduled to follow Edwin Jackson against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday at Al Lang.
Orvella struggles
Chad Orvella’s grip on a bullpen spot took a big hit when he allowed four runs on five hits.
The big blow was a three-run homer by Marcus Thames in the fourth inning that put the Tigers ahead 6-2. What made it more damaging was the Rays had just tied the score in the top of the inning.
Orvella’s spring line reads: 2 1/3 innings, four runs, six hits and an ERA of 15.43.
Long Ball
The Rays hit their first two home runs of the spring.
The first was a blast by Jonny Gomes that landed almost at the top of the grass berm behind the left field fence in the sixth inning that started a two-run rally and allowed the Rays to tie the score at 6-6.
Andy Cannizaro hit a two-run homer in the seventh to give the Rays an 8-6 lead, which they would increase to 9-6 before the inning was over.
But the Rays bullpen failed and a three-run homer by Wilkin Ramirez off Chris Mason tied the score at 9-9.
No Delmon
The Twins travel to St. Petersburg on Tuesday to play the Rays, but Delmon Young will not make the trip.
Young, who finished second in the rookie of the year voting after last season, was traded on Nov. 28 along with infielder Brendan Harris for pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett.
Healing fast
Infielder Joel Guzman’s left ring finger, which he bruised Sunday when he was hit by a pitch against the Pirates, gave him little trouble Monday when he took batting practice at Al Lang.
In fact, Guzman swung the bat well, according to Maddon.
“That might lend itself to getting hit on his finger a little more often,” Maddon joked.
Percy will pitch … eventually
Closer Troy Percival will make his Rays debut sometime this week, but Maddon wasn’t sure when.
Percival needs only eight or nine appearances to get ready for the season, which is low by the standards of most relief pitchers.
“He’s not on a normal schedule, because he’s not normal,” Maddon said.
This & That
Rocco Baldelli is still on schedule to be the designated hitter against the Twins on Tuesday … Catcher Dioner Navarro made his first start of the spring and even beat out a grounder to second … David Price (left shoulder tightness) threw so well in the bullpen Sunday that he might pitch Wednesday against the Astros at Al Lang … Still no sign of Juan Salas, who is being held up in his native Dominican Republic because of visa problems … Jason Hammel is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the Astros. The Astros are scheduled to pitch Runelvys Hernandez.
- Roger Mooney, Herald Staff Writer
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