Mallex Smith drove in the only run in the 13th./JEFFREY S. KING
Tuesday, 4 a.m.
He can bring you to your feet. And he can bring your hands to your head.
He is Mallex Smith, a baseball player who should be sponsored by Tums. No one goes from first to third the way Smith does, and no one goes from a routine fly to an adventure as quickly. Smith is your basic great sports car who spends too much time in the shop.
This time, however, Smith led his Rays to a 1-0, 13-inning victory over the Oakland As. It was his single in the top of the 13th that drove in Johnny Fields with the game's only run and made a terrific pitching performance hold up.
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
Venters got his first save since 2011./CARMEN MANDATO
"For Mallex to come up in that spot was big for us," Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "We’ve talked bout how he can energize us in so many ways. It was a huge hit for Mallex, a huge hit for the dugout."
The Rays are now 26-26 on the season. They try to get on the right side of .500 tonight. Tampa Bay is 10-4 in its last 14 games.
Sucre played well in the Rays' victory./CARMEN MANDATO
Chris Archer went the first six innings, and allowed only four hits and no runs. Matt Andriese added three shutout innings, and Johnny Venerss got his first save since August of 2011 in the game.
An unsung hero? How about catcher Jesus Sucre, who cut down the lead runner after a bunt with two on and no one out in the ninth? Sucre threw a runner out, blocked three pitches and had two hits.
"(It meant) a lot given that he took a ball off the facemask in the first or second inning," Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "It rang his bell pretty good. He toughed it out and stayed in there. He did a really nice job."
Archer was dominant in the first six innings./CARMEN MANDATO
In all, the Rays used six pitchers for the seven-hit shutout. The As were on their fifth pitcher before Chris Hatcher gave up Smith's single.
"The pitchers were outstanding," Cash said. "We won the game because of them. You’re going to get into those games where you have to win 1-0 or 2-1. Today we did."
The Rays play the second game of their series against Oakland today. Blake Snell will pitch against Daniel Gossett at 10:10 p.m.
Andriese threw three scoreless innings./CARMEN MANDATO
{ 0 comments… read it below or Subscriptions }