|
 Sands' pinch-hit two-run homer off of Brian Matusz in the bottom
of the eighth inning helped lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-4 victory
over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
On Sunday it was Sands' pinch-hit RBI single that gave the Rays a
4-3 victory over the Houston Astros.
"I'm not sure if I'd say I'm a good pinch hitter," Sands said. "I
don't know the stats, but I wouldn't say so. It was all pretty new
to me when I did it with the Dodgers briefly. But I've picked up
some things and I would like to say I've gotten a little better at
it. The main thing is just trying to stay mentally prepared."
It was Sands' first home run since Sept. 20, 2011, when he was with
the Los Angeles Dodgers.
 "Whenever you get behind the count against the professional hitter
it's not a good thing," Matusz said. "I followed it with a fastball
down the middle and he made a good swing on it. I needed to make a
pitch and I didn't, and we lost the ball game." The Orioles had tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the eighth inning
when designated hitter Nelson Cruz reached on an infield single with
the bases loaded, scoring right fielder Nick Markakis with one out.
Rays reliever Jake McGee recovered to strike out shortstop J.J.
Hardy and retire pinch hitter Steve Pearce on a grounder to end the
inning. Orioles reliever Darren O'Day, who had walked third baseman Evan
Longoria prior to Sands' homer, was credited with the loss. Sands'
blast gave the Rays a 5-3 lead after eight.
"Both Brian and Darren and our other guys have gotten big outs in
those situations this season," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter.
"They made some good pitches but Tampa made some nice swings."
The Orioles pulled within one in the top of the ninth when pinch
hitter Delmon Young hit a solo homer off of right-hander Juan Carlos
Oviedo with one out. However, Oviedo recovered to retire Markakis
and third baseman Manny Machado to record his first save of the
season.
"We won a really tough game yesterday, we won a really tough game
here tonight," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "When you start
believing you're going to win games late, that's a good feeling to
get. That's when you start getting good again."
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Rays starter Jake Odorizzi was cruising through the first five
innings, yielding just one hit and enjoying a 3-0 lead when things
turned sour quickly. He gave up a leadoff double to Markakis and a
two-run homer to Adam Jones with one out in the sixth. That ended
his night on the mound.
"He was able to hit that one pretty far," Odorizzi said. "I would
assume it went pretty far. I didn't turn around to look at it
because I knew it was gone. It was an unfortunate result to close
the day."
Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen gave up three runs and six hits over 6
2/3 innings in the no decision.
The Rays got on the scoreboard early when shortstop Yunel Escobar
hit a home run well over the 370-foot sign in left-center in the
first inning.
The long ball served the Rays well again in the bottom of the fourth
when catcher Ryan Hanigan hit a two-run blast down the left-field
line that scored designated James Loney and extended the lead to
3-0.
Meanwhile, Odorizzi was having one of his best outings of the
season. He found a little trouble in the top of the second after
giving up an infield hit to Hardy and walking left fielder David
Lough following an 11-pitch battle, but a strikeout of second
baseman Ryan Flaherty ended the inning.
NOTES: Orioles C Matt Wieters will undergo Tommy John surgery on his
right elbow and miss the remainder of the season. Wieters had been
on the disabled list since May 11. ...Orioles RHP Miguel Gonzalez is
expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list and start
Tuesday's game. He is 3-3 with a 3.55 ERA in nine career starts
against the Rays. ...A patch of padding was replaced with fencing in
left-center field at Tropicana Field so fans can watch the game from
the field level view. Rays 3B Evan Longoria hit a first-inning
double into the fenced area. ...Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson is
scheduled to make his third rehab start Tuesday for Triple-A Durham
at Louisville.
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