Tampa got two quick runs in the bottom of the first inning against Mariners starter Hector Noesi. Ben Zobrist walked with one out, and Matt Joyce tripled off the wall in center just over the glove of Michael Saunders. After a Carlos Pena walk, Luke Scott hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Joyce and giving the Rays a quick 2-0 lead. Moore got a double play in the top of the 2^nd, and recorded his third strikeout of the game.

In the top of the 3^rd, Michael Saunders hit a solo home run on the first pitch, a fastball that Moore missed and left inside. Matt Joyce answered Saunders’ blast with a resounding one of his own in the bottom of the 3^rd, making it a 3-1 ball game. No more runs would be scored in the game, as both teams’ pitching was on lockdown. Joyce’s home run was the last hit the Rays would get in the game.

Moore got into some trouble in the 4^th inning; however, he got back to back swinging strikeouts to end the inning, stranding runners on 1^st and 2^nd. Moore mirrored his 4^th inning in the following frame. He got back to back swinging strikeouts to start the inning, then gave up back to back singles before getting Justin Smoak to fly out to center. It was Moore’s last inning, as he ended up spreading seven hits and one walk over five innings, while striking out seven. His command was off the entire day as he experienced tons of difficulty hitting his spots and missed wildly several times, but he fought to hold the Mariners to just one run.

We're still waiting to see Moore at this best. But now he finally has his first win of the season, and hopefully it's just the start. (Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

The Rays reached base twice in the 6^th inning with two walks, but could not get score any insurance runs. Badenhop pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 7^th, and Joel Peralta relieved him in the 8^th. Peralta gave up a two out double to Jesus Montero, his fourth hit of the game, but the Mariners could not drive him home. On a day that Kyle Farnsworth was put on the 60 day DL to allow infielder Will Rhymes to replace Evan Longoria on the 25-man roster, Joe Maddon should count his blessings- Fernando Rodney has been lights out all season. Rodney stuck out the side in the 9^th, recording his 8^th save in as many chances.

Although the Rays’ offense was silenced from the third inning on, they were able to win this game by the bat of Matt Joyce and the bullpen. Joyce went 2-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Desmond Jennings had the teams only other hit. Carlos Pena did reach base twice on two walks; although his average has dipped to .282, his OBP is still a robust .419 on the season. Badenhop had a nice bounce-back performance after giving up 4 earned runs in his last inning pitched. The bullpen only allowed two hits over four innings, striking out five. Moore lowered his ERA to 4.20, but is still struggling to go deep into games. Hopefully that will soon change.

On a day filled with bad news about Longoria and Farnsworth, it was nice for the Rays to pick up a win despite a quiet offense that managed just 3 hits. They look to clinch the four game series again the Mariners tomorrow night at 7:10 as James Shields takes on Blake Beavan.

Hellickson worked  around 2 hits in the first inning, but he got burned in the 2nd. Hellickson made a mistake to Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo in the second inning, throwing a 3-2 cutter with no bite that stayed up in the zone and Olivo drilled it, slamming a solo home run to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead. But the Rays would answer in the bottom of the inning, stringing together a Brandon Allen single, a B.J. Upton double, and a Sean Rodriguez RBI single to tie the game before Hernandez stranded a pair of runners in scoring postion. Evan Longoria singled with 1 out in the 3rd for the Rays, but on a 3-2 pitch to Luke Scott, Scott swung and missed and Longoria was gunned down trying to steal. But that wasn’t the least of the Rays’ problems. Longoria injured his left knee as he slid into the second base bag and exited the game with “left knee soreness” (reported by Marc Topkin and others). The Rays have to hope that he’ll be able to return to action soon.

The Rays had another threat in the 5th. With 2 outs, Ben Zobrist walked and Carlos Pena followed with a long flyball to right-center. The Mariners outfielders could not get it and it bounced on the track. Zobrist was about to score easily. But the ball bounced into the stands, forcing him to head back to 3rd. Evan Longoria would have been the following batter. But instead, the player due up with the player who the Rays put in to replace Longoria, Elliot Johnson. Johnson was retired in a way he would like to forget, on a two-strike bunt attempt that didn’t even come close to being a fair ball, and the foul bunt with two strikes counted as a strikeout to end the inning.

Hellickson wasn’t overpowering on Monday night, allowing 6 hits in his 7 innings of work including the home run to Olivo. But he struck out 7 while walking none, throwing 68 of his 97 pitches for strikes and getting 6 groundouts to 3 flyouts. Hellickson pitched very well and refused to wilt with Hernandez up against him. Jake McGee worked around a hit to pitch a shutout 8th for the Rays.

Hellickson gave the Rays exactly the type of start they needed to eventually come out ahead of Felix Hernandez and the Mariners. (Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

The Rays got one final threat against Hernandez in the 8th as he walked Carlos Pena and Elliot Johnson, but Hernandez got a strikeout and a pop-up to strand them as well. Hernandez went 8 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 9 while walking 4. 71 of his 106 pitches were strikes and 10 of his 13 in-play outs were on groundballs. Although his control wasn’t great, the results were certainly as good as usual for Hernandez. But Hellickson and McGee fought him to a draw.

Fernando Rodney pitched the 9th for the Rays and things got a little dicey. With 1 out, Kyle Seager singled and was pinch-ran for by the speedy Munenori Kawasaki, and Miguel Olivo followed with a single to give the Mariners 1st and 3rd with just one out. Michael Saunders then hit a soft groundball towards the mound as Kawasaki motored home. Rodney fielded and shuffled the ball to Jose Molina, who made contact with Kawasaki before he scored, leading to the “out” call from the umpire. Molina may have in reality only hit Kawasaki with his elbow, not his glove which held the ball, and the Rays may have gotten an enormous break. In any event, Rodney got ex-Ray John Jaso to line out to center to end the inning.

With 1 out in the bottom of the 9th against Tom Wilhelmsen, B.J. Upton hit a tapper between home plate and the mound. Miguel Olivo fielded it and made an athletic leaping throw but the throw was off-line as Upton reached. Olivo landed awkwardly following his throw and injured his groin, causing him to leave the game. The Mariners’ use of John Jaso as a pinch-hitter the last half inning loomed large as the M’s had to take their DH Jesus Montero and move him to catcher, causing the Mariners to lose their DH, replacing Olivo’s spot in the batting order with the pitcher in the game. Wilhelmsen was able to get out of the inning on a double play groundball of the bat of Sean Rodriguez to send the game into extra innings.

In the 10th, Wade Davis worked around a single to pitch a scoreless frame, and a walk did not Wilhelmsen as his shutout inning, including a strikeout of Elliot Johnson for the third out, extended the game into the 11th.

Jesus Montero led off the 11th for the M’s. Davis got behind him 1-0 before leaving a sinker down and mid-out. Montero showed why he was such a highly-touted prospect, flicking his wrists and drilling a long flyball to deep right-center that carried out for a go-ahead home run, the first run in the game since the 2nd inning, to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead. Davis was able to get out of the inning without further damage, with Johnson making a nice barehanded play on a Kawasaki bunt and Davis recording two strikeouts, but the Rays would have to rally off Mariners closer Brandon League in the bottom of the 11th.

Luke Scott put the tying run on quickly for the Rays, lacing an opposite-field double to left-center to begin the inning. Jeff Keppinger pinch-ran for him. Matt Joycecame to the plate and hit a towering flyball to deep right-center but it stayed in the yard, advancing Keppinger to third. Chris Gimenez, who had replaced Molina, came to the plate and hit a sharp groundball but right at third baseman Alex Liddi, turning into a groundout for the inning’s second out. B.J. Upton was the Rays’ final hope. League got behind 1-0. He then left a fastball up and Upton stuck his bat-head out and hit a looping line drive over the head of second baseman Dustin Ackley and into right-center field to tie the game at 2. Sean Rodriguez grounded out to end the inning.

J.P. Howell entered the game for the Rays to pitch the 11th and worked around a walk to Ackley to pitch a scoreless frame. The Rays had another opportunity to walk-off. With 1 out, Ben Zobrist walked and Carlos Pena followed with a line drive single off League to give the Rays 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Up came Elliot Johnson to the plate again, 0 for 2 with a walk in the game after replacing Longoria. And on a 1-0 pitch, Johnson saw a fastball mid-out and on an inside-out swing hit a liner over short into left field. Zobrist rounded third, waved home by Tom Foley. Chone Figgens’ throws to the plate was right on the money, but Zobrist slid in just ahead of the tag as the Rays won the game 3-2, winning in walk-off fashion.

A day of frustration ended in a second. (Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

Howell (1-0) earned the win while League (0-2) took the loss. The Rays battled this one out, with Hellickson and the relief corps giving them gutsy inning, getting out of jams, and after going down in the 2nd and the 11th, the Rays responded with runners in the bottom halves of those two inning before Johnson came through with his game-winning hit in the 12th. It was a satisfying and well-deserved win for the Rays as they moved to 15-8, the best record in the AL East and second only to the Texas Rangers in the American League. The Rays continue their 4-game versus the Mariners with another game tomorrow night as rookie Matt Moore goes for the Rays against Hector Noesi. Hopefully these next three games can be just as exciting- and end with the same result.

Triple-A International League Game 1: Pawtucket Red Sox 2, Durham Bulls 0 (7 innings)

In the minors, when there’s a doubleheader, sometimes the teams mutually agree to make the games seven innings instead of nine. That’s what happened here. In the first game, the seven innings cost the Bulls a chance at a comeback, but saved the bats from some additional frustration.

The Bulls simply could not get anything against Red Sox started Justin Germano, who tossed 6 shutout innings, striking out 5 while walking none and allowing just 3 hits. Former Rays draftee (and former Tiger, Marlin, and Red Sox) Andrew Miller struck out two in a perfect 7th for the save. The Bulls’ 3 hits came from Will Rhymes, who went 1 for 3 with a stolen base, Jesus Feliciano, who went 1 for 3, and Shawn O’Malley, who went 1 for 2. Stephen Vogt‘s slide continued even after he was demoted as he went 0 for 3 to increase his slide to 0 for 16. The Bulls did see some progress from right-hander Chris Archer, who went 5.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, striking out 4 while walking 3 to lower his ERA on the season to… 8.00. He allowed just 2 hits and a walk while striking out 3 in his final 3.1 frames, and on the day he forced 8 groundouts compared to 3 flyouts, a positive development. We know that Archer has electric stuff, and hopefully he’s finally finding his groove.

Game 2: Pawtucket Red Sox 7, Durham Bulls 1 (7 innings)

This one was a frustrating game. The Red Sox started longtime big leaguer Aaron Cook, who is making a case to be the Red Sox’ big league 5th starter, and he made an impressive on this evening. Cook had his sinker working to perfection, allowing 8 hits and walking 2 while striking out just 1 as he went the complete game (7 innings), but forcing 15 groundouts compared to just 2 flyouts. The Bulls got an excellent spot stat from Ryan Reid as he went 3 innings, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 5, and he would be relieved by three ex-big leaguers. Unfortunately, two of the trio could not do the job. Lance Pendleton took the loss, allowing 3 runs in a lone inning and Romulo Sanchez following with an even worse inning, allowing 4 runs, including 3 on a 3-run blast by Red Sox top prospect Will Middlebrooks. But there were a couple positives for the Bulls offensively. Stephen Vogt finally got a hit, two to be exact, as he went 2 for 3, and Reid Brignac (1 for 4) and Brandon Guyer (1 for 3 with a walk) both singled for Durham.

Vogt's confidence must be shattered right now, but hopefully he can get back on track at Durham and work his way back to the big leagues. (Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

These two losses send the Bulls to just 6-13 on the season. These are not the most talented guys in the system, but they have a ton of ex-big leaguers along with a few nice prospects, and with Vogt along with Brignac joining the team, hopefully they’re on the verge of a breakthrough.

Double-A Southern League: Penascola Blue Wahoos (CLE) 10, Montgomery Biscuits 4

This game did not turn out well for the Biscuits, but at least is had a cool pattern. In both the first and ninth innings, the Blue Wahoos scored 4 runs and the Biscuits responded with 1, and the Biscuits got 2 runs in the 6th before Penascola got 2 in the 7th. Kyle Lobstein allowed those four runs in a rough first inning in which he allowed 4 hits and walk. Lobstein rebounded after that to finish with middling numbers for the game as he went 4 innings, allowing 6 runs on 4 hits, striking out 2 while walking 3. He threw 80 pitches, just 43 strikes. While Lobstein and three relievers experienced their struggles, the Biscuits offense did not have that bad of a day. Greg Sexton hit a 9th inning homer as part of a 2 for 4 day, and Chris Sheridan went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Hak-Ju Lee continued to slowly find his form, going 1 for 4 with a single to leadoff the game. This loss takes the Biscuits below .500 at 9-10.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 8, Palm Beach Cardinals 6

If your organization is going to have just one win in a day, you better make it count. The Stone Crabs did just that.

The Stone Crabs jumped out to a lead in the 2nd inning, stringing together a Phil Wunderlich walk, a Mikie Mahtook double, and Riccio Torrez groundout to take a 1-0 lead against Cardinals starter Drew Benes. But the Cardinals tied the game against Enny Romero in the bottom of the inning, with Michael Swinson walking, rehabbing big leaguer Alan Craig singling, and Chris Edmonson driving in Swinson on a single. Charlotte tied it in the 4th when Mahtook singled and scored on a Robby Price single, but the Cardinals scored a run on a Romero wild pitch to retake the lead in the bottom of the frame. Romero went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, striking out 5 while walking 2. He did force 6 groundouts compared to 3 strikeouts.

Benes got into a rhythm following the Price single, retiring 5 in a row. But the quickly came to an end in the 6th when Wunderlich led off the inning with a double. Wunderlich advanced to 3rd on a Mahtook flyout before Benes hit Riccio Torrez with a pitch to end his outing. In came Dean Kiekhefer and things got ugly fast. Price came up with another big hit, doubling to score Wunderlich, and then Mayo Acosta picked a great time for his first home run of the year, slamming a 3-run shot to give Charlotte a 6-3 lead. Eliazer Suero then came in for the Stone Crabs and tossed 2 shutout innings, but apparently 3 was just too much. Suero allowed three quick runs in the 8th on a Patrick Elkins home run, a Geoffrey Klein single, and then a Ronny Gil homer to tie the game at 6 before Chris Rearick came into the game to escape further trouble. But the Stone Crabs had a response in the top of the 9th. Cody Rogers walked to begin the inning before Ty Morrison bunted a single and Hector Guevara bunted the runners to 2nd and 3rd. That took the bat out of slugger Derek Dietrich‘s hands, but Phil Wunderlich was more than ready for his big chance, drilling a 2-run single to give the Stone Crabs an 8-6 lead, and that would be the final. Wunderlich had himself a nice day, going 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Guevara went 3 for 4 with the big sac bunt, Mahtook went 2 for 5 with the double and triple, Robby Price went 2 for 4 with a double, 2 RBI, and a run, and Mayo Acosta had a satisfying season debut, going 1 for 4 with his 3-run jack. The pitching was a little sketchy for the Stone Crabs, but the offense stepped up as Charlotte improved to 8-9 on the year.

Low-A Midwest League: Quad Cities River Bandits (STL) 10, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2

You’re not going to find a bizarre yet completely boring game than this one. In this game, the Hot Rods’ first three hitters in the lineup, Ryan Brett, Drew Vettleson, and Todd Glaesmann, all went 1 for 4 with a double and none of them scored a run nor drove in an RBI. What? But wait, one more thing. In this game, the Hot Rods were blown out thanks to the battery of Cardinals top pitching prospect Tyrell Jenkins and Jesus Montero… time out! Jesus Montero plays in the major for the Seattle Mariners! Oh, you didn’t hear.

M’s have an off-day so they lend Jesus Montero to the Cardinals’ Low-A affiliate for the day and he homers. milb.com/milb/stats/sta…

— Robbie Knopf (@RobbieKnopf) April 24, 2012

Just kidding. There just so happens to be two Jesus Montero’s who are catchers. This Montero is 21 years old and can actually catch (38% CS% in 4+ MiLB seasons). And he also entered this game with just 1 home run in 142 pro games, and that homer came back in 2007 at Foreign Rookie ball. As the Tweet noted, he now has two as he hit a solo blast off of Rays prospect Parker Markel. Montero went 2 for 4 with the homer, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored from the nine-hole. Jenkins, meanwhile, tossed 6 innings of 5-hit, 2 run ball, striking out 2 while walking none. The runs he allowed were on a 2-run blast to Hot Rods catcher Matt Rice, his first home run of the season and 4th as a pro. Jenkins kept his fastball too far up in the zone on the day, posting a 6-8 groundout to flyout ratio, but only Rice could capitalize. Rice had a tough day behind the plate as his pitchers struggled mightily. Markel allowed 6 runs on 8 hits in 4 innings, walking 2 while striking out none. He forced a 7 to 1 groundout to flyout ratio, but when he missed, he got hammered as he allowed 2 home runs, to Montero and Colin Walsh. Reliever Trevor Shull came in and promptly allowed 4 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings before Andrew Bellatti and Stayton Thomas combined for 3 scoreless frames to end the night. The loss dropped the Hot Rods to 12-6 on the season, still tops among Rays affiliates, and hopefully they can laugh this strange game off and get back to their winning ways with their talented roster.