Phelps has Rays on beam
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Lakeland High School graduate Josh Phelps and his Tampa Bay Devil Rays teammates are putting together a momentum-building homestand.
Phelps hit a two-run homer to lead Tampa Bay to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night, the Devil Rays’ fourth straight win.
The victories, all at home, followed a road trip where Tampa Bay lost 8 of 10 and fell to 3-18 away from Tropicana Field. The Devil Rays, at 16-12, are off to their best start ever at home.
“It’s great for morale,” Phelps said. “You get a taste of success. That’s what every club needs, especially around here where there hasn’t been a whole lot of success in the past. The young players can get a taste of that, and get an idea of how they accomplished it, and recreate it over and over.”
Phelps’ fourth homer in his last seven games put the Devil Rays ahead 5-2 in the seventh. He homered just once in his first 29 games this season.
Jorge Cantu and Alex Sanchez had run-scoring singles during a two-run fifth for the Devil Rays.
Tampa Bay starter Mark Hendrickson (2-2), a former Washington State University basketball and baseball player, gave up two runs and six hits in 52/3 innings.
Raul Ibanez had a two-run double in the eighth for the Mariners, who have lost four straight overall and seven in a row on the road.
“It was a bad game … it was a good game,” Seattle manager Mike Hargrove said. “It was one of those games where you didn’t know whether to strangle people or kiss them.”
Ibanez’s double got Seattle within 5-4. He advanced to third on shortstop Julio Lugo’s throwing error on the play, but was left stranded when Bret Boone flied out against closer Danys Baez.
“When things aren’t going good, you don’t get breaks,” Boone said. “But I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. I believe that good teams make breaks. You’ve got to pull yourself out it and make your own breaks.”
Baez went 11/3 innings for his seventh save in 10 opportunities.
“Another exciting game … another tough game,” Baez said. “We got the win. We’ve got four wins in a row. That’s important for the team. We’re playing great baseball right now and we’re going to be better.”
Boone put Seattle up 1-0 with a run-scoring grounder in the second. The Devil Rays tied it in the fourth on Carl Crawford’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly.
M’s starter Gil Meche (4-3) lasted just 41/3 innings, allowing three runs and four hits. He struck out two and walked five in his 104-pitch outing.
Julio Mateo replaced Meche with runners on the corners and allowed a run-scoring single to Cantu. Sanchez made it 3-1 with his RBI single.
Seattle scored just once – on Richie Sexson’s RBI single to pull within 3-2 – despite getting four hits and a walk in the sixth.