Game 1: HISTORY IS MADE!
They did it! The Rays beat Boston to win their 27th straight game, breaking the MLB record set 135 years ago by the New York Giants. Perhaps even more amazing is this is a team that started off 1-7 and hasn't lost since. It looked like it would be a romp when they went up 8-2 in the 5th inning but starter Jimmy Bernal and reliever Mel Mejia couldn't hold the lead and Boston forced extra innings. And it was a rookie who was the hero as Jon McGovern, who earlier in the game hit his first MLB homer, delivered a 2-run single for the winning runs. And of course Steve Talbott had to make it interesting, putting two on with two out in the bottom of the 10th leaving Steve Kay to come in and close the door, preserving history.
Game 2: After spending a month putting together the longest win streak in MLB history, the Rays could be forgiven for having a letdown. And it sure looked that way when Boston took leads of 6-1 and 9-5. But this Tampa Bay team doesn't know when to quit and they came back with a 7-run 7th inning to take a 12-10 victory and extend their record win streak to 28. That 7-run inning came courtesy of two big hits: first Dantel Chinchilla's bases-clearing double and then after the bases were re-loaded, Jon Morales' grand slam (#7). Dave Rose had a rough start (4 5 3 3 5 4) and the bullpen was even rougher before Steve Ravin (1-0) settled things down with a couple of scoreless innings and Willie Navarro went the final 1 2/3 for his first save despite allowing a run.
Game 3: The Rays were up against an old friend in Tampa Bay career win leader Greg Bookhart but he would not be the one to stop their streak as a 7-4 triumph meant it was 29 wins on the trot as the English would say. Bookhart left a 3-3 game after 5 before Luis Barela drilled a solo homer in the 6th (#13) to put the Rays ahead to stay as he was 3-5 with 2 RBI on the day. Also having another big game was Jon McGovern, who doubled and tripled among his 3 hits and drove in a pair as well. Rex Bransington couldn't hold an early 3-1 lead and finished 4 5 3 3 3 8, Mel Mejia (1-0) got the win pitching the 5th, and Steve Talbott managed a 2-inning save, his 10th.
Game 4: All good things, as they say, and the Rays' MLB-record win streak was halted before it could reach 30 as Boston blanked them 6-0. Red Sox pitching turned the Tampa Bay bats to sawdust today permitting only a pair of singles and although Chad Winger (3-2) pitched well at 5.1 4 2 2 2 7 before the pen let it get out of hand, it wasn't going to be enough.
Team record: 30-8. The Yankees did lose a game in all this and the teams were tied in first for a couple of days, but the loss in the finale while New York was idle dropped the Rays 1/2 game back. No worry though as they'll have an immediate chance to do something about it as the Yankees visit Publix Park again for 3 games.