Game 38: May 17, 1999 (L: 13-3)
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Commentary (by me)

Ugh.  After the second inning, I started watching the Stars game as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins game.   I'm going tonight to game two - they had better not have a fiasco like this three nights in a row.

I feel bad for Burkett.  I like him.  I always have.  It appears that unless lightning strikes, he's done after this year. 

Commentary (by Jim Meeks)

Let's cut to the meat of the matter. This game can easily be summed up by this part of the boxscore:

Pitcher        ip h r  er bb so hr era(game) era(year) 
Burkett (L,0-3) 4 8 12 12 5  2  3  27.00     13.24 

John Burkett set a new Ranger record for most earned runs in a game, erasing Bobby Witt's previous record of 11.

Rusty Greer popped a 2-run homer in the first and that's about all Texas could muster. Rusty now has 36 RBI's and he might be having his best season ever.

Game Recap

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (TICKER) -- John Flaherty homered twice and had a career-high five RBI as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat up on the beleaguered Texas Rangers' pitching staff, 13-3, for their third straight win.

Jose Canseco and Fred McGriff also homered for the Devil Rays, who collected 15 hits and built an early 10-run lead against John Burkett. After watching the Baltimore Orioles batter his team on Sunday, 16-5, Rangers manager Johnny Oates left Burkett on the mound and he broke his own club record by allowing 12 earned runs.

"Losses like this take a toll on you. It can't go on like this very long," Oates said. "When they put more runs on the board in the second inning, and then you get down seven, you've got to let him pitch awhile. We just can't keep digging holes like this."

Rookie Ryan Rupe (1-1) did not need all the support but earned his first major league win, limiting Texas to three runs and four hits in seven innings with three walks and four strikeouts.

"It is much easier to pitch when you have the lead. It helps when we score 13 runs," said Rupe, a 24-year-old righthander. "I just tried to keep them away from the big inning. They have a good hitting ballclub. I thought I had it the last couple of starts. It was nice to have the big lead, but I still had to throw strikes after that."

Flaherty capped a four-run first inning with a two-run homer and added a three-run blast to finish off a five-run fourth. It was his fifth career multi-homer game and first since May 1, 1997 as a member of the San Diego Padres.

"The ball seemed to be carrying well tonight," Flaherty said. "The first one I hit just got over the wall. But the second one felt pretty good."

Canseco victimized his former team for the 34th time, connecting off Burkett for a three-run shot in the second that made it 7-2. Only Reggie Jackson has hit more home runs (45) against Texas than Canseco, who moved into a tie with Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. for the major league lead with his 14th of the year.

McGriff finished off Tampa Bay's impressive power display with a solo homer in the sixth against rookie Ryan Glynn. The veteran slugger extended his own record by homering in his 35th different stadium.

"Lots of good things tonight, Rupe getting the win and the way he pitched tonight was great. The way we swung the bats was good to see," said Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild.

Burkett (0-3), whose ERA jumped from 9.00 to 13.24, surrendered 12 runs and eight hits in four innings with five walks and two strikeouts. Charlie Hough also gave up 12 runs for Texas at Toronto on August 16, 1986, but four of those were unearned.

"I really don't know what to say at this point," Burkett said. "I don't have anybody to blame but myself. I felt fine, but there's nothing that resembles me as a pitcher. It was just horrible."

Rusty Greer homered for the fourth time in six games, taking Rupe over the right-center field fence in the bottom of the first to trim Texas' deficit to 4-2. Lee Stevens doubled in the fifth and scored the Rangers' other run on rookie Kelly Dransfeldt's groundout.

Photos
(Click on any of them for a larger image

Ranger "pitcher" John Burkett, in probably his last season with the Rangers	Another double play against the Rangers - we lead the majors in hitting into them	DRays starting pitcher Bryan Rupe	Jose Canseco after a monster 3 run homer to left field	4 year old fan Rodney Walker getting his hat signed by DRays starting pitcher Bryan Rupe

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
TAMPA BAY           4  3  0   5  0  1   0  0  0    13 15  0
TEXAS               2  0  0   0  1  0   0  0  0     3  6  1   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  TAM - RYAN RUPE, SCOTT ALDRED (8TH), RICK WHITE
                  (9TH) AND JOHN FLAHERTY
            TEX - JOHN BURKETT, RYAN GLYNN (5TH), MIKE VENAFRO
                  (7TH) AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ, GREGG ZAUN (8TH)

             WP - RYAN RUPE (1-1)
             LP - JOHN BURKETT (0-3)
           SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS:  TAM - JOHN FLAHERTY (6) OFF BURKETT IN THE 1ST, 1 ON
                  JOSE CANSECO (14) OFF BURKETT IN THE 2ND, 2 ON
                  JOHN FLAHERTY (7) OFF BURKETT IN THE 4TH, 2 ON
                  FRED MCGRIFF (12) OFF GLYNN IN THE 6TH, 0 ON
            TEX - RUSTY GREER (6) OFF RUPE IN THE 1ST, 1 ON

     TIME:  2:42     ATT:  29,946

PROBABLES:  TAM - ROLANDO ARROJO (1-4, 6.69)
            TEX - MIKE MORGAN (6-2, 4.67)



Box Score
TAMPA BAY (13) AT TEXAS (3) - FINAL

TAMPA BAY              ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Q Mccracken cf          5  2  2  1   1  1   3  .258
Da Martinez rf          3  3  2  0   2  1   1  .317
Canseco dh              3  3  2  3   2  1   2  .296
Mcgriff 1b              4  2  2  3   0  0   1  .339
 Ledesma 3b             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .267
Perry 3b-1b             4  0  1  1   0  0   2  .361
Flaherty c              4  2  2  5   1  1   3  .267
Clyburn lf              5  0  0  0   0  1   2  .205
Cairo 2b                5  0  1  0   0  0   1  .288
Stocker ss              5  1  3  0   0  1   0  .322

Totals                 38 13 15 13   6  6  15

BATTING: 2B - Mcgriff (10, Burkett); Q Mccracken (4, Burkett).
HR - Flaherty 2 (7, 1st inning off Burkett 1 on, 2 out, 4th inning
off Burkett 2 on, 2 out); Canseco (14, 2nd inning off Burkett 2 on,
2 out); Mcgriff (12, 6th inning off Glynn 0 on, 0 out). SF - Mcgriff.
RBI - Mcgriff 3 (29), Perry (10), Flaherty 5 (26), Canseco 3 (32),
Q Mccracken (15). 2-out RBI - Flaherty 5, Canseco 3. Runners left
in scoring position, 2 out - Canseco 1. GIDP - Clyburn, Flaherty,
Q Mccracken. Team LOB - 6.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (Perry-Cairo-Mcgriff, Cairo-Stocker-Mcgriff).

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
T Goodwin cf            3  1  0  0   1  2   1  .227
Mclemore 2b             4  0  0  0   0  0   1  .318
Greer lf                4  1  1  2   0  0   1  .306
I Rodriguez c           3  0  2  0   0  0   0  .318
 Zaun c                 1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .190
R Palmeiro dh           4  0  0  0   0  1   2  .354
Zeile 3b                3  0  0  0   0  0   1  .246
 Alicea 3b              1  0  1  0   0  0   0  .178
L Stevens 1b            1  1  1  0   2  0   0  .328
 Shave 1b               1  0  0  0   0  0   1  .346
R Kelly rf              3  0  0  0   0  0   2  .356
Dransfeldt ss           3  0  1  1   0  1   0  .208

Totals                 31  3  6  3   3  4   9

BATTING: 2B - L Stevens (11, Rupe); Alicea (3, R White). HR -
Greer (6, 1st inning off Rupe 1 on, 1 out). RBI - Greer 2 (36),
Dransfeldt (5). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - Zeile 1,
Shave 1. GIDP - R Kelly, R Palmeiro. Team LOB - 4.

BASERUNNING: SB - T Goodwin (19, 2nd base off Rupe/Flaherty);
I Rodriguez (11, 2nd base off Rupe/Flaherty).

FIELDING: E - T Goodwin (2, bobble). DP: 3 (Dransfeldt-Mclemore-L Stevens,
Dransfeldt-Mclemore-Shave, Alicea-Mclemore-Shave).

TAMPA BAY                    ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Rupe (W, 1-1)                 7       4   3   3   3   4   1   4.82
Aldred                        1       1   0   0   0   0   0   1.80
R White                       1       1   0   0   0   0   0   5.09

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Burkett (L, 0-3)              4       8  12  12   5   2   3  13.24
Glynn                         2 1/3   4   1   1   1   3   1  10.80
Venafro                       2 2/3   3   0   0   0   1   0   3.86

HBP - Perry (by Venafro).  Pitches-strikes: Burkett 96-55; Glynn
50-27; Venafro 28-18; Rupe 97-58; Aldred 13-7; R White 11-8.
Ground balls-fly balls: Burkett 6-4; Glynn 4-0; Venafro 6-1;
Rupe 8-9; Aldred 3-0; R White 2-1.  Batters faced: Burkett 25;
Glynn 11; Venafro 10; Rupe 26; Aldred 4; R White 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Al Clark. 1B--Larry Young. 2B--Tim Tschida.
3B--Rick Reed.
T--2:42.  Att--29,946.   Weather: 65 degrees, overcast.   Wind: 6 mph,
right to left.

Game Log

Tampa Bay Starting Lineups -- Quinton Mccracken CF, Dave Martinez RF, Jose Canseco DH, Fred Mcgriff 1B, Herbert Perry 3B, John Flaherty C, Danny Clyburn LF, Miguel Cairo 2B, Kevin Stocker SS, Ryan Rupe RHP.

Texas Starting Lineups -- Tom Goodwin CF, Mark Mclemore 2B, Rusty Greer LF, Ivan Rodriguez C, Rafael Palmeiro DH, Todd Zeile 3B, Lee Stevens 1B, Roberto Kelly RF, Kelly Dransfeldt SS, John Burkett RHP.

Umpires -- Clark (HP), Young (1B), Tschida (2B), Reed (3B).

Gametime Weather: 65 degrees, Overcast, wind right to left at 6 mph.

TAMPA BAY 1ST: Q Mccracken struck out looking. Da Martinez singled to center. Canseco walked, Da Martinez to second. Mcgriff doubled to left, Da Martinez scored, Canseco to third. Perry grounded out to first, Canseco scored, Mcgriff to third. Flaherty homered to left, Mcgriff scored. Clyburn struck out looking. (4 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 4, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 1ST: T Goodwin walked. T Goodwin stole second. Mclemore grounded out to shortstop, T Goodwin to third. Greer homered to right center, T Goodwin scored. I Rodriguez singled to right. I Rodriguez stole second. R Palmeiro struck out swinging. Zeile popped out to shallow right. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 4, TEXAS 2.

TAMPA BAY 2ND: Cairo grounded out to third. Stocker grounded out to shortstop. Q Mccracken walked. Da Martinez singled to center, Q Mccracken to third. Canseco homered to left, Q Mccracken and Da Martinez scored. Mcgriff flied out to center. (3 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 7, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 2ND: L Stevens walked. R Kelly grounded into double play, third to second to first, L Stevens out at second. Dransfeldt struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 7, TEXAS 2.

TAMPA BAY 3RD: Perry grounded out to third. Flaherty walked. Clyburn grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Flaherty out at second. Cairo flied out to shallow right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 7, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 3RD: T Goodwin struck out looking. Mclemore flied out to left. Greer grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 7, TEXAS 2.

TAMPA BAY 4TH: Stocker singled to center. Stocker to second on center fielder T Goodwin's fielding error. Q Mccracken doubled to right, Stocker scored. Da Martinez walked. Canseco walked, Q Mccracken to third, Da Martinez to second. Mcgriff hit sacrifice fly to right, Q Mccracken scored, Da Martinez to third. Perry popped out to shallow right. Flaherty homered to left, Da Martinez and Canseco scored. Clyburn grounded out to shortstop. (5 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 12, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 4TH: I Rodriguez singled to right. R Palmeiro grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, I Rodriguez out at second. Zeile popped out to shallow center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 12, TEXAS 2.

TAMPA BAY 5TH: Ryan Glynn relieved John Burkett. Cairo grounded out to shortstop. Stocker struck out swinging. Q Mccracken singled to center. Da Martinez walked, Q Mccracken to second. Canseco struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 12, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 5TH: L Stevens doubled to deep right center. R Kelly lined out to center, L Stevens to third. Dransfeldt grounded out to shortstop, L Stevens scored. T Goodwin struck out looking. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 12, TEXAS 3.

TAMPA BAY 6TH: Mcgriff homered to right center. Perry reached on infield single. Flaherty struck out looking. Clyburn grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Perry out at second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 13, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 6TH: Mclemore lined out to left. Greer grounded out to shortstop. I Rodriguez flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 13, TEXAS 3.

TAMPA BAY 7TH: Cairo grounded out to second. Stocker singled to center. Mike Venafro relieved Ryan Glynn. Q Mccracken flied out to right. Da Martinez struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 13, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 7TH: R Palmeiro lined out to shortstop. Zeile flied out to left. L Stevens walked. R Kelly fouled out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 13, TEXAS 3.

TAMPA BAY 8TH: Zaun catching. Alicea at third. Shave at first. Canseco singled to center. Mcgriff grounded out to first, Canseco to second. Perry hit by pitch. Flaherty grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Perry out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 13, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 8TH: Scott Aldred relieved Ryan Rupe. Dransfeldt reached on infield single. T Goodwin grounded into fielder's choice to second, Dransfeldt out at second. Mclemore grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, T Goodwin out at second. Greer grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 13, TEXAS 3.

TAMPA BAY 9TH: Clyburn grounded out to shortstop. Cairo singled to center. Stocker singled to right, Cairo to second. Q Mccracken grounded into double play, third to second to first, Stocker out at second. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 13, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 9TH: Rick White relieved Scott Aldred. Perry at first. Ledesma at third. Zaun grounded out to third. R Palmeiro lined out to left. Alicea doubled to right. Shave grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 13, TEXAS 3.