Carlos Pena's 4 RBIs pace Rays' rout of Twins

[September 20, 2008]  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Carlos Pena homered and drove in four runs -- with help from a replay reversal -- and the Tampa Bay Rays routed the Minnesota Twins 11-1 on Friday night to close in on clinching the first playoff berth in franchise history.

The AL East leaders moved within one win of wrapping up at least a wild-card spot, with Pena's fourth-inning homer coming on the first reversal produced by baseball's instant replay system. Tampa Bay remained 1 1/2 games ahead of second-place Boston in the division.

The Rays can earn a postseason berth for the first time in their 11 seasons by winning one of two remaining games in this series against Minnesota, which began the night trailing the first-place Chicago White Sox by 1 1/2 games in the AL Central.

Edwin Jackson (12-11) allowed one run and seven hits in 7 2-3 innings. Minnesota avoided a shutout with Joe Mauer's sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

Pena's drive to right field off Boof Bonser appeared to be touched by a fan before bouncing off the top of the fence. First base umpire Mike DiMuro signaled fan interference, and Pena stopped at second base for a two-run double.

The umpires huddled immediately and decided to look at the video for the third test of the system since Aug. 28, when baseball allowed umpires to begin using it to determine boundary calls.

The crowd of 28,306 broke into cheers when the umpires returned to the field after a delay of 4 minutes, 10 seconds, and crew chief Gerry Davis signaled home run, giving Pena a three-run shot that made it 9-0.

The first use of the replay system came at Tropicana Field on Sept. 3, when video confirmed a long home run by Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees against the Rays. An on-field call also was upheld on Sept. 9, when Hunter Pence's drive off the top of the right-field wall was confirmed as a double during a game between Houston and Pittsburgh.

Pena also drew a walk with the bases loaded in the second inning and finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Evan Longoria drove in three with a double in the first off Nick Blackburn (10-10), a sacrifice fly in the second and a fielder's choice in the sixth.

Minnesota's starting pitching continues to struggle. A night after Glen Perkins allowed five runs in two-thirds of an inning in a game the Twins rallied to win 11-8, Blackburn gave up six runs and six hits in 1 1-3 innings.

During this stretch in which the Twins have lost five of six, only one starting pitcher has gone more than 4 2-3 innings. In a start last Sunday in Baltimore, Blackburn yielded six runs, including four homers, in four innings.

Jackson, meanwhile, won for the first time since Aug. 28. He had been 0-3 with a 10.95 ERA in three September starts after going 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA in August.

The right-hander limited the Twins to singles by Mauer, Justin Morneau and Delmon Young until the sixth, when Denard Span and Alexi Casilla singled ahead of Mauer's sacrifice fly that made it 9-1.

Notes: Mauer is 13-for-33 during an eight-game hitting streak. ... Rays CF B.J. Upton, out since Sept. 8 with a strained left quadriceps, ran the bases before the game and could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday. ... Perkins, who has allowed seven homers in four September starts, will skip his scheduled turn against Chicago next week. His next start will come during next weekend's series against Kansas City. ... LHP David Price and OF Fernando Perez were honored before the game as the Rays' minor league pitcher and player of the year, respectively. ... Pena's 31st homer was his 17th since the All-Star break.

[Associated Press; By FRED GOODALL]

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