Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
April 16, 2000
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7, Detroit Tigers 6
DETROIT (AP) - Mike DiFelice hit a go-ahead single in a three-run ninth inning as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Detroit Tigers 7-6 Sunday. Dean Palmer's three-run homer gave Detroit a 6-1 lead in the third, but Gerald Williams closed the gap with a three-run shot in the seventh. The Devil Rays then rallied in the ninth off Todd Jones (0-1). Vinny Castilla tied the score with a bases-loaded, two-run single, and DiFelice followed with the go-ahead hit. The loss dropped the Tigers to 3-3 in their first homestand at Comerica Park. The blown save was Jones' first in four chances this season. Roberto Hernandez (1-1) allowed one hit in 1 1/3 innings. Three Tampa Bay relievers combined for four shutout innings.
April 15, 2000
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7, Detroit Tigers 0
DETROIT (AP) - Dwight Gooden, debuting for his hometown team, pitched six shutout innings for his first win since last July 28 as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 7-0 Saturday. Gooden (1-0), a Tampa native, was obtained Thursday in a trade with Houston. Gooden mixed his fastball and curveball and kept the Tigers off-balance, holding them to four hits. Jim Mecir and Jeff Sparks finished the six-hit shutout. Jeff Weaver (0-1), who often lacked run support last season, made his first start of the year and allowed four runs -- three earned -- and eight hits in seven innings, with six strikeouts. The Devil Rays broke the game open with a five-run eighth featuring Greg Vaughn's two-run double and RBI singles from Miguel Cairo and Vinny Castilla.
April 14, 2000
Detroit Tigers 10, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5
DETROIT (AP) - Juan Gonzalez hit the first home run in Comerica Park history and Tony Clark also homered for the Detroit Tigers in a 10-5 win Friday night over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Gonzalez's three-run homer in the third was the first in four games at the Tigers' new home. Of the 13 other major league ballparks that opened since 1989, none took more than three games for its first long ball. The Tigers have won two straight for the first time this season and three of their first four at Comerica Park. C.J. Nitkowski (1-2) allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings. Gerald Williams hit a three-run homer for Detroit. The Devil Rays lost for the sixth time in their last seven games. Ryan Rupe (0-2) allowed eight runs and eight hits, including two homers, in 4 1/3 innings.
April 13, 2000
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6, Chicago White Sox 5 (12)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Greg Vaughn's RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning gave the Tampa Bay Devil Rays a 6-5 victory Thursday over the Chicago White Sox, snapping a five-game losing streak. Vaughn's line drive to left off Tanyon Sturtze (0-1) drove in Kevin Stocker from second base. The Devil Rays' bullpen held Chicago scoreless over the last seven innings keeping Tampa Bay in the game. Jim Mecir (2-0), the fifth Devil Rays pitcher, got the win. The White Sox took a 5-4 lead into the ninth. But closer Bob Howry couldn't finish off the Devil Rays, who loaded the bases with one out on two singles, a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk. Gerald Williams grounded into a force play, driving in a run to send the game into extra innings.
Devil Rays acquire Gooden from Astros
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Dwight Gooden is coming home.
Desperate for starting pitching, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
acquired the 35-year-old right-hander from the Houston Astros for
cash Thursday. Now, they'll find out if he can help them out of a
tough situation. "I'm definitely overjoyed. ... It still hasn't
really sunk in yet," Gooden said by telephone from Houston. "I
guess once I put the uniform on, I'll know it's official."
Gooden, who grew up in Tampa and lives in St. Petersburg during
the offseason, will join the Devil Rays on Saturday and start
that day's game at Detroit. He made one start for Houston this
season, but was not involved in the decision April 8 after
allowing four runs and six hits in four innings against
Philadelphia. A four-time All-Star, Gooden has won 188 games and
amassed 2,239 strikeouts over 15 seasons with the Mets, Yankees,
Indians and Astros.
Devil Rays option Wheeler, recall Lidle
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays optioned
rookie right-hander Dan Wheeler to Triple-A Durham on Thursday
and recalled pitcher Cory Lidle from the minor league affiliate.
Wheeler, 22, made two starts after earning a job in the rotation
in spring training, going 0-1 with a 9.31 ERA. Lidle, a
28-year-old right-hander, made one start for Durham, allowing
four runs in four innings of a loss to Columbus. He was 0-1 with
an 18.00 ERA in four appearances for the Devil Rays during spring
training.
April 12, 2000
Chicago White Sox 7, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - James Baldwin struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings, then left after he was hit by a line drive as the Chicago White Sox beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 7-1, Wednesday night. In his career at Tropicana Field, Baldwin is 4-0, allowing five earned runs in 27 innings. Baldwin (2-0) allowed one run and five hits. He was struck in the rib cage by Greg Vaughn's line drive in the sixth, fell down and rolled onto his stomach. After he was examined for three minutes on the mound, Baldwin was helped to his feet and walked off the field under his own power. Magglio Ordonez, in a 4-for-24 slide coming in, was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. Ray Durham was 3-for-5 with an RBI triple. Dan Wheeler (0-1) took the loss.
Devil Rays fire pitching coach Williams
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The struggling Tampa Bay Devil Rays
fired pitching coach Rick Williams on Wednesday, but manager
Larry Rothschild's job is not in jeopardy. "Larry Rothschild is
in no danger ... Larry Rothschild is the manager we hired not
only for the short term and I think he's the right guy for the
long term," Tampa Bay general manager Chuck LaMar said. "Nothing
over the past 2 1/2 years has changed that. If anything, I feel
stronger about that." Williams was replaced by 69-year old Bill
Fischer, the pitching coach for Atlanta's Triple-A team at
Richmond of the International League. The move came after Tampa
Bay's 2-6 start. Going into Wednesday, the Devil Rays allowed 50
runs in four games. Williams was hired as the Devil Rays' first
pitching coach on Nov. 18, 1997. He is the son of former major
league manager Dick Williams.
April 11, 2000
Chicago White Sox 13, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The Chicago White Sox hit four home runs, including consecutive shots by Chris Singleton and Carlos Lee in the fifth inning, to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 13-6 on Tuesday night. Singleton hit a two-run homer that put Chicago up 6-5, and Lee followed with a solo shot that extended his hitting streak to eight games. Ray Durham hit a leadoff homer and Paul Konerko, who went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, had a two-run inside-the-park homer in the first for the White Sox. Konerko also had a two-run double during a four-run eighth. Jose Canseco and Greg Vaughn homered for the Devil Rays, who have dropped six of their past seven games. White Sox starter Jim Parque (1-1) gave up five runs -- three earned -- and six hits in five innings. Esteban Yan (0-1) allowed seven runs in five innings.
D-Rays activate Castilla from disabled list
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Third baseman Vinny Castilla was activated
Tuesday from the 15-day disabled list by Tampa Bay, which
designated third baseman Herbert Perry for assignment. The move
allowed Tampa Bay to have all four of its sluggers -- Castilla,
Greg Vaughn, Jose Canseco and Fred McGriff -- in the starting
lineup for the first time. It did nothing to help as the Devil
Rays were blown out 13-6 by the Chicago White Sox. Castilla was
0-for-4 but did score a run. "We finally get to see him play, and
have the lineup we've waited to see," Tampa Bay manager Larry
Rothschild said before the game. "I'm glad to have him back,
obviously, and now it's just keeping him healthy. He hasn't
missed a whole lot of games in his career, so maybe this is it."
Castilla, acquired from Colorado in an offseason trade, had been
sidelined by a strained left ribcage muscle.
Devil Rays react to spoof story by moving newspaper racks
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - A newspaper's lighthearted spoof
offering suggestions for casting of a planned movie about Tampa
Bay Devil Rays pitcher Jim Morris didn't leave team officials
laughing. Instead, five St. Petersburg Times newspaper racks were
moved from the fan concourse at Tropicana Field to a loading dock
area last Sunday, an act the Times said violated a multimillion
dollar marketing agreement with the team. George Rahdert, a
lawyer for the newspaper, sent a letter to the team stating the
Times' position that moving the newspaper racks and denying Times
carriers access to the stadium violated a marketing agreement.
Devil Rays managing general partner Vince Naimoli apparently was
unhappy the spoof, featuring photographs of "lighthearted
suggestions" for casting for the film, paired him with actor
James Gandolfini, who plays a mob boss in the HBO series "The
Sopranos."
April 9, 2000
Cleveland Indians 17, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Kenny Lofton and Omar Vizquel drove in nine runs as the Indians beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 17-4 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep. Vizquel, who had a grand slam Friday night, knocked in five runs. Roberto Alomar, David Justice and Manny Ramierz added two-run homers for the Indians, who improved to 4-2 during a season-opening nine-game road trip. Ramirez's 421-foot homer to center off Dave Eiland in the seventh inning was the 200th of his career. Indians starter Bartolo Colon (2-0) allowed one run and five hits in six innings. He struck out nine and walked five. The Devil Rays, who were outscored 37-13 in the series, have dropped five of their past six games. The Indians jumped on Tampa Bay starter Ryan Rupe (0-1) for five runs in the second inning.
April 8, 2000
Cleveland Indians 6, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Cleveland Indians right-hander Dave Burba beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-4 Saturday, despite giving up a pair of homers to Greg Vaughn -- one of them the third-longest in the brief history of Tropicana Field. Burba (1-0) was helped by Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome, who smacked the 199th home runs of their careers five pitches apart. The sluggers remained tied for sixth on Cleveland's career list, connecting off right-hander Steve Trachsel (1-1) with two outs in the fifth inning to give the Indians a 6-1 lead. Travis Fryman also had a two-run double off Trachsel, giving him five RBIs in the series. Vaughn homered twice and drove in four runs, including a 462-foot solo blast to deep left center. Steve Karsay got the save.
Devil Rays place Guzman on DL; recall Sparks
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays placed
pitcher Juan Guzman on the 15-day disabled list because of
tightness in his right shoulder and recalled reliever Jeff Sparks
from Triple-A Durham on Saturday. Manager Larry Rothschild said
an MRI examination to determine the extent of Guzman's injury was
inconclusive. The right-hander allowed eight runs on seven hits
in 1 2/3 innings against the Cleveland Indians Friday night, his
shortest non-injury outing in five years. Guzman, who signed a
two-year, $12.5 million contract in January, missed two weeks of
spring training because of soreness in the shoulder. Sparks, a
right-handed reliever, was optioned to Durham on March 21. He
appeared in one game there, striking out four in two innings. He
struck out four, walked three and gave up one hit in 2 1/3
innings of a 6-4 loss to the Indians Saturday.
April 7, 2000
Cleveland Indians 14, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Omar Vizquel hit his fourth career grand slam, and Jim Thome and David Justice also homered during Cleveland's nine-run second inning as the Indians routed Tampa Bay 14-5 Friday night. Travis Fryman added a three-run double for the Indians, 3-for-4 with 10 RBIs when batting with the bases loaded. Six of those runs came off Juan Guzman (0-1) in the second when Cleveland sent 12 batters to the plate. Jaret Wright (1-0) limited the Devil Rays to three doubles, including a pair by Jose Canseco, and two runs in five innings. He struck out four and walked six before being replaced by Bobby Witt, who allowed Bubba Trammell's pinch homer in the sixth. Wright allowed Canseco's RBI double in the first inning, then didn't give up another hit until the fifth when Canseco doubled.
Devil Rays retire Boggs' No. 12
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - No one will wear No. 12 for the Tampa
Bay Devil Rays again. The team, in just its third season of play,
retired Wade Boggs' jersey before Friday night's home opener
against the Cleveland Indians. The five-time AL batting champion
also threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and his children
unveiled his uniform number, affixed to a wall above the
right-field stands. "It means a great deal ... It's probably the
greatest honor that an organization can bestow on a player. I
have to thank the Devil Rays for that moment," said Boggs, who
grew up in nearby Tampa and became the 23rd member of the
3,000-hit club when he homered off Cleveland's Chris Haney last
Aug. 7 at Tropicana Field. Boggs, 41, also hit the first home run
in Devil Rays' history, hitting a solo shot off Detroit's Justin
Thompson in Tampa Bay's inaugural game in 1998.
Guillen joins Devil Rays; McCracken sent to Durham
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Three-time AL All-Star Ozzie Guillen
joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Friday and outfielder Quinton
McCracken, the team's most valuable player two years ago, was
optioned to Triple-A Durham. Guillen, released by the Atlanta
Braves on March 31, signed a one-year contract Wednesday as a
backup for shortstop Kevin Stocker. But Guillen's presence was
overshadowed when Omar Vizquel hit his fourth career grand slam,
and Jim Thome and David Justice also homered during Cleveland's
nine-run second inning as the Indians routed Tampa Bay, 14-5.
Second baseman Miguel Cairo surrendered his No. 13 jersey so that
the 15-year veteran can wear the same uniform number he's had
most of his career. McCracken missed most of last season because
of a knee injury, hitting .250 with one homer and 18 RBIs in 40
games. He was voted the Devil Rays' MVP in 1998.
Guzman headed for DL after Devil Rays debut
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Juan Guzman felt tightness in his
right shoulder during his debut with Tampa Bay and will be placed
on the 15-day disabled list. Guzman allowed eight runs on seven
hits in 1 2-3 innings of a 14-5 loss to Cleveland on Friday
night. The Indians scored nine runs in the second when Omar
Vizquel hit a grand slam and Jim Thome followed with a solo homer
off the right-hander. "This isn't the type of pitcher he is.
There's something wrong," manager Larry Rothschild said. "It's
more tightness and a feeling of things not being right. He's not
the type of guy who is going to say something. He's going to
pitch through it." Guzman, who signed with the Devil Rays as a
free agent in January, missed two weeks of spring training
because of soreness in the shoulder.
April 6, 2000
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7, Minnesota Twins 6
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Miguel Cairo had a career-best five RBIs, including the game-winning single off Hector Carrasco in the ninth that lifted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays past the Minnesota Twins 7-6 Thursday. Cairo's ninth-inning single drove in pinch-runner Tony Graffanino from third. Graffanino had run for Herbert Perry, who reached on a two-base error by third baseman Denny Hocking after Greg Vaughn's leadoff homer against Travis Miller tied the game at 6. Cairo also had a two-run double and a two-run triple. Reliever Jim Mecir (1-0) got the victory despite surrendering a two-run single to Ron Coomer to give the Twins a 6-5 lead in the seventh. Roberto Hernandez pitched the ninth for his first save. Carrasco (1-1) took the loss.
April 5, 2000
Minnesota Twins 10, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Matt Lawton's three-run homer off Rick White with nobody out in the ninth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins to a 10-7 victory over the stunned Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Wednesday night. Lawton's first homer capped a comeback that began with the Twins down 7-1 with just six outs to go. White (0-1) gave up singles to Todd Walker and Cristian Guzman before Lawton's 417-foot shot to right field made a winner of Eddie Guardado (1-0), who struck out two in one inning of work. Esteban Yan scattered three hits in seven innings and left his bullpen a 7-1 lead that it frittered away in the eighth. Yan gave up an unearned run, walked one and struck out three. The Devil Rays were cruising with a 7-1 lead before the bullpen surrendered six runs in the eighth.
Devil Rays sign Ozzie Guillen
(AP) - Ozzie Guillen, released by Atlanta last week, signed a
one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Wednesday and
will join the team for a weekend series against the Cleveland
Indians. Guillen, a three-time AL All-Star, is a .264 career
hitter who's played 14 seasons with the Braves, Chicago White Sox
and Baltimore Orioles. He was the AL Rookie of the Year with the
White Sox in 1985. The Devil Rays also announced that third
baseman Bobby Smith cleared waivers and was assigned outright to
Triple-A Durham. Shortstop Felix Martinez was claimed from the
Philadelphia Phillies and assigned to Durham. Shortstop Rafael
Bournigal was released, and infielder Damian Rolls was
transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled
list.
April 4, 2000
Minnesota Twins 6, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Minnesota Twins rallied for two runs in the ninth inning against Roberto Hernandez to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-5 on Tuesday night. Last year, Minnesota was just 1-87 when trailing after eight innings. Minnesota's Jacque Jones went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and scored on Torii Hunter's two-run double. Minnesota tied the score at 5-5 on a two-base error by second baseman Miguel Cairo on Todd Walker's grounder, followed by Cristian Guzman's RBI double. After Matt Lawton fouled out, David Ortiz capped the rally with an RBI single to beat Hernandez (0-1), who converted 43-of-47 save chances last year. Tampa wasted a career-high five RBIs by John Flaherty, who had a three-run homer and a two-run double. Hector Carrasco (1-0), the Twins' fourth pitcher, retired the lone batter he faced.
April 3, 2000
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7, Minnesota Twins 0
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Charlie Brown threw out the first pitch, then Brad Radke really got his socks knocked off. Gerald Williams homered on the game's first pitch and Fred McGriff hit a grand slam as Steve Trachsel and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-0, Monday night. Williams went 3-for-3 off the Twins' ace, who will subjected to trade rumors all season after turning down a $24 million offer and cutting off negotiations with the club that won a major league-low 63 games last year. Trachsel, who joined the Devil Rays in January after nine seasons in the Chicago Cubs organization, gave up five hits in seven shutout innings with no walks and seven strikeouts after losing a major league-high 18 games last season.
April 1, 2000
Castilla, Guillen, Rekar on disabled list
(AP) - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays placed third baseman Vinny
Castilla, outfielder Jose Guillen, and right-hander Bryan Rekar
on the disabled list Saturday. Castilla was put on the 15-day
disabled list retroactive to March 25 with a strained muscle in
his rib cage. Guillen was placed on the 15-day disabled list
retroactive to March 28 with right shoulder tendinitis. Rekar has
a strained groin. Castilla has been hurt most of the spring and
last played March 14. He was acquired by the Devil Rays from
Colorado in a four-team offseason trade. He will be eligible to
come off the disabled list April 9. Guillen has been bothered by
what he said is an extremely sore shoulder for more than a week.
The team also reassigned catcher Pat Borders to minor-league
camp, and called up right-hander Dave Eiland and Jim Morris from
Triple-A Durham.