The Skinny: The Tampa Bay Rays finished April with a winning record for the first time in franchise history. They ended the month with an 8-1 victory over the first place Baltimore Orioles. These two teams are now tied for first in the AL East.
The Pitching: The Rays got another great performance out of a starting pitcher, tonight it was Andy Sonnanstine’s turn. Sonnanstine went 8 innings, giving up the lone Baltimore run while striking out five hitters. Sonnanstine lowered his ERA to 4.42 in the win and improved his record on the season to 4-1. Kurt Birkins appeared in mop-up duty, pitching a scoreless 9th inning to end the game.
The Hitting: This game was actually pretty close up until the seventh inning. Heading into the 7th the Rays held a slim 3-1 lead. They put up a five spot in the 7th to put the game well out of reach. In the fourth with the game tied at one, Eric Hinske hit a two run homer to put the Rays up for the rest of the game. All five runs in the 7th inning were scored on RBI singles. Along with his home run, Hinske also walked three times. BJ Upton and Dioner Navarro each had two hits for the Rays.
What’s Next?: These two teams will play the rubber game of this series tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Matt Garza will start for the Rays as he looks to get on track this season. Game time is 12:35pm.
