Game 148: Sep 17, 1999 (L: 7-5)
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My Commentary

I was at this game, due to tickets I picked up in exchange for the rainout a week or so ago.  First thing..

I HATE FRIGGIN' CRICKETS!   

They were all over the place.  It was actually kind of gross, tell you the truth.   They were hopping around, making nuisances of themselves, and it got to the point where I was spending more time looking for crickets than at the game, which I didn't care for.  I hate this time of year because of this.  Weather is starting to cool down, but out come the crickets.  :(

There was some cool pre-game stuff.  This was Latin American night at the Ballpark, and the Rangers had dancers out in the concourse, which were nice to watch (they were mostly kids or teenagers).  There was a very cool pre-game ceremony where Luis Mayoral (Rangers Spanish radio announcer) gave awards to all the Latin American players on both the Rangers and the Devil Rays.  Furthermore, for the first inning, Mayoral was following Chuck Morgan's player announcements with a Spanish version.  It was very cool to hear Mayoral announce the Latin names in Spanish.  Had a much more "Spanish sounding" feel to it.  It was very cool.

I don't know if anyone from the Rangers will see this, but I wanted to say I very much enjoyed this kind of thing.  These little added extras make it very cool to attend games in person.

As for the game itself, it can be summed up pretty easily with two things:  Home run ball, & missed opportunities.   We left fourteen men on base thought the game.  There wasn't an inning where we didn't have at least one hit, and most innings had people in scoring position.  The bottom of the eighth was the worst, because we left the bases loaded.   Lee Stevens struck out swinging three straight innings in a row, which is never good.  The wind did keep several balls inside the park that probably normally would have gone out.

However, the Devil Rays hit a few, including one by Canseco (there's a shock).  However, their catcher (John Flaherty) hit two home runs, and only missed a third by a few feet due to a spectacular catch by Tom Goodwin.  All but one of Tampa Bay's runs came as the result of one of their home runs.  It was not a good night for us, but we didn't get blown out.

It's really our own fault - 14 men left on base!

-- Joe Siegler

Game Recap

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (TICKER) -- John Flaherty homered twice and Jose Canseco's two-run blast against his former team proved to be the difference as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays topped the Texas Rangers, 7-5.

Flaherty and Canseco combined to drive in all seven runs for the Devil Rays, who won for only the third time in 12 games.

Flaherty smacked a solo shot off starter Rick Helling (13-9) in the second inning and reached Helling again for a three-run homer in the seventh, giving Tampa Bay a 5-3 lead. It was the fifth career multi-homer game for Flaherty, whose 13 round-trippers this season match a career high.

"There's something about this place for me. I had some success and it's a fun place for me to come," said Flaherty, who also homered twice at Texas on May 17. "There are certain parks for certain players. It's almost like you talk yourself into good swings when you come to a place you like."

Dave Martinez opened the eighth with a bunt single and Canseco, who played for the Rangers from 1992-94, hit rookie Jeff Zimmerman's next pitch into the left-field bleachers for his 33rd home run. It became the victory margin after Texas scored twice in the bottom half.

But Roberto Hernandez got the last four outs to become the 20th pitcher in American League history to record 40 saves in a season. He nailed down the win for Alan Newman (2-2), who retired the only batter he faced in the sixth.

The Rangers banged out 16 hits, including at least one in each inning, but 14 were singles and Texas left 14 runners. Ivan Rodriguez went 4-for-5 with two RBI to extend his hitting streak to 13 games for the Rangers, who had won three straight.

"We had runners all over the basepaths. A big hit could have made it a different game," Texas manager Johnny Oates said. "The hitters have done their job all year. Tonight, it goes back to me. If I do my job, we probably win the game."

Tampa Bay staked rookie starter Dan Wheeler to a 2-0 lead, but Royce Clayton doubled in Roberto Kelly in the fourth to get Texas on the board and the Rangers took the lead in the sixth.

Dave Eiland replaced Wheeler to start the inning and got two quick outs. But Clayton and Tom Goodwin singled and Clayton came around to score when first baseman Fred McGriff fielded his infield hit and threw wildly for an error. Rodriguez followed with an RBI single to make it 3-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, Goodwin and Mark McLemore drew one-out walks against Albie Lopez, who surrendered a run-scoring single to Rodriguez. Norm Charlton came on and retired Rafael Palmeiro on a flyout to shallow right. Hernandez gave up an infield hit to Juan Gonzalez, and McLemore scored on third baseman Bobby Smith's throwing error.

After Todd Zeile walked, Lee Stevens struck out to end the inning.

"Roberto pitched well again in big situations," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "I don't really like bringing him in in the eighth inning. But he probably needed the work tonight. I was taking my shot by bringing him in against Gonzalez. If we hadn't gone through these slumps this season, there is no telling what Roberto could do." 

"The 39th was bigger than the 40th for me. It would have meant more if we were in a position like Texas is in, where
we're fighting for something," Hernandez added. "Texas has a tough lineup. If you want to be the best, you have to fac  the best and take your best shot."

Helling surrendered five runs and six hits over six innings and lost his second straight start after winning seven straight decisions.

"It doesn't matter if it's a first-place team or a last-place team, you're pitching in the big leagues. I'm just making bad pitches," he said. "I'm making too many mistakes my last few times out. Physically, I feel better than I have felt all year. I haven't been as sharp as I was in that early stretch. I've definitely been aggressive. I just fall behind in the count early."

Recap #2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- John Flaherty and Jose Canseco feel right at home at The Ballpark in Arlington.

Flaherty had a two-homer game in Texas for the second time this season and Canseco hit his 13th career homer at The Ballpark as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays ended their seven-game losing streak against Texas with a 7-5 victory Friday night.

"There's something about this place," said Flaherty, who also had two homers on the road against the Rangers on May 17. "It's just a fun place for me to come to. There are certain places where you see the ball well, where it carries well. When I come here, I can almost talk myself into having a good night."

Flaherty's three-run blast in the seventh gave the Devil Rays the lead for good and Canseco added a two-run shot in the eighth. Flaherty also had a solo homer in the second for the fifth multi-homer game of his career and matched a career high with his 13th homer.

Canseco is tied with Toronto's Carlos Delgado and Tino Martinez of the New York Yankees for the most homers by a Rangers opponent at The Ballpark in Arlington.

"The ball carries well here," said Canseco, who has 38 career homers against Texas, second all-time behind Reggie Jackson's 45. "It's just been a good place for me to hit."

Tampa Bay won for the third time in 12 games.

The AL West-leading Rangers lost despite outhitting Tampa Bay 16-13. Texas had won three in a row.

"This is a tough team to pitch to," said Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild. "We gave up some hits but I thought we battled them pretty well."

Roberto Hernandez struck out Lee Stevens in the eighth with the bases loaded, then pitched the ninth for his 40th save. He converted his 19th straight chance and became the 20th AL reliever in history to record 40 saves in a season.

"Had we not gone through these slumps, there's no telling how many saves he might have had," Rothschild said. "And he hasn't had that many one-inning saves. I don't like using him in the eighth but tonight he was rested so I felt I could do it. It (40 saves) is a great accomplishment, and hopefully he's got more coming."

Hernandez would rather be in a pennant race than piling up saves for a non-contender.

"I've never had a chance for 40 before, but it would be better if we were playing for something," Hernandez said.

It was a frustrating night for the Rangers, who left 14 runners on base.

"We had a lot of opportunities in the first five innings and even late in the game with the bases loaded, but we weren't able to break it open offensively tonight," Rangers manager Johnny Oates said.

Texas had taken a 3-2 lead in the sixth on Ivan Rodriguez's RBI single. Fred McGriff and Herbert Perry opened the Tampa Bay seventh with singles off Rick Helling (13-9) and Flaherty followed with his second homer of the game.

Al Newman (2-2) got the third out in the sixth to pick up the victory.

In the eighth, Dave Martinez singled off Jeff Zimmerman and Canseco hit his 33rd homer for a 7-3 lead.

Rodriguez, who went 4-for-5, had an RBI single in the eighth to make it 7-4. Juan Gonzalez followed with a two-out infield single off Hernandez, with Mark McLemore scoring on third baseman Bobby Smith's throwing error.

Tampa Bay rookie starter Dan Wheeler gave up one run in five innings but failed to get his first major league win. Wheeler left with a 2-1 lead despite allowing nine baserunners.

The Devil Rays got a run in the first on Canseco's RBI double, and Flaherty's solo homer leading off the second made it 2-0.

Texas got a run in the fourth on consecutive fourth-inning doubles by Roberto Kelly and Royce Clayton.

The Rangers scored the tying run in the sixth with the help of a throwing error by McGriff at first base.

GAME NOTES: The Devil Rays won their 64th game of the season, one more than last year's total. ... Rodriguez has a 13-game hitting streak. He's driven in 16 runs over that span. ... Gonzalez had hits in four straight at-bats over two games before grounding into a double play in the fifth. ... Helling had won seven of his previous eight decisions. 

Photos
(Click on any of them for a larger image)

Dave Martinez scores in the first	Miguel Cairo is out at first	Royce Clayton about to tag out Bubba Trammell at second

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
TAMPA BAY           1  1  0   0  0  0   3  2  0     7 13  2
TEXAS               0  0  0   1  0  2   0  2  0     5 16  0   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  TAM - DAN WHEELER, DAVE EILAND (6TH), ALAN NEWMAN
                  (6TH), ALBIE LOPEZ (7TH), NORM CHARLTON (8TH),
                  ROBERTO HERNANDEZ (8TH) AND JOHN FLAHERTY
            TEX - RICK HELLING, JEFF ZIMMERMAN (7TH), DANNY
                  PATTERSON (9TH), MIKE MUNOZ (9TH), DANNY KOLB
                  (9TH) AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ

             WP - ALAN NEWMAN (2-2)
             LP - RICK HELLING (13-9)
           SAVE - ROBERTO HERNANDEZ (40)

HOME RUNS:  TAM - JOHN FLAHERTY (12) OFF HELLING IN THE 2ND, 0 ON
                  JOHN FLAHERTY (13) OFF HELLING IN THE 7TH, 2 ON
                  JOSE CANSECO (33) OFF JE ZIMMERMAN IN THE 8TH, 1 ON
            TEX - NONE

     TIME:  3:08     ATT:  33,695

PROBABLES:  TAM - BOBBY WITT (7-13, 5.90)
            TEX - AARON SELE (16-8, 4.96)

Box Score
TAMPA BAY (7) AT TEXAS (5) - FINAL

TAMPA BAY              ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Cairo 2b                5  0  2  0   0  0   1  .301
Da Martinez cf          4  2  1  0   1  0   2  .284
Canseco dh              5  1  3  3   0  1   0  .281
Mcgriff 1b              3  1  1  0   1  1   1  .316
 Sorrento pr-1b         1  0  0  0   0  1   2  .234
Perry 3b                4  1  1  0   0  0   2  .270
 B Smith 3b             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .176
Flaherty c              4  2  3  4   0  0   0  .285
Lowery lf               4  0  0  0   0  2   2  .288
Trammell rf             3  0  1  0   1  0   2  .282
Ledesma ss              4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .266

Totals                 37  7 13  7   3  6  13

BATTING: 2B - Canseco (15, Helling). HR - Flaherty 2 (13, 2nd inning
off Helling 0 on, 0 out, 7th inning off Helling 2 on, 0 out); Canseco
(33, 8th inning off Je Zimmerman 1 on, 0 out). RBI - Canseco 3 (87),
Flaherty 4 (69). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - Perry 1,
Trammell 1, Sorrento 1. Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: CS - Trammell (2, 2nd base by Helling/I Rodriguez).
Picked off - Cairo (1st base, Helling).

FIELDING: E - Mcgriff (13, throw); B Smith (10, throw).
DP: 1 (Ledesma-Cairo-Mcgriff).

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Mclemore 2b             4  1  1  0   2  0   2  .277
I Rodriguez c           5  0  4  2   0  0   1  .332
R Palmeiro dh           5  0  1  0   0  0   6  .335
J Gonzalez rf           5  0  3  0   0  0   1  .317
Zeile 3b                4  0  1  0   1  1   5  .296
L Stevens 1b            5  0  1  0   0  3   4  .282
R Kelly lf              5  1  1  0   0  2   2  .315
Clayton ss              5  1  3  1   0  0   0  .278
T Goodwin cf            4  2  1  0   1  0   2  .247

Totals                 42  5 16  3   4  6  23

BATTING: 2B - R Kelly (16, Wheeler); Clayton (18, Wheeler).
RBI - Clayton (44), I Rodriguez 2 (105). 2-out RBI - I Rodriguez.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - Zeile 3, T Goodwin 1,
Mclemore 1, R Palmeiro 1, L Stevens 2. GIDP - J Gonzalez.
Team LOB - 14.

FIELDING: Outfield assists - T Goodwin (Ledesma at 2nd base).

TAMPA BAY                    ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Wheeler                       5       8   1   1   1   2   0   5.49
Eiland (BS, 1)                  2/3   4   2   2   0   1   0   5.38
Newman (W, 2-2)                 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   8.03
A Lopez (H, 9)                1 1/3   2   2   1   2   1   0   5.27
Charlton (H, 15)                1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   3.66
R Hernandez (S, 40)           1 1/3   2   0   0   1   2   0   3.04

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Helling (L, 13-9)             6       6   5   5   3   4   2   4.71
Je Zimmerman                  2       5   2   2   0   1   1   2.13
D Patterson                     1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   5.30
M Munoz                         1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   3.73
Kolb                            1/3   1   0   0   0   1   0   4.28

Helling pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

Pitches-strikes: Helling 95-53; Je Zimmerman 29-20; D Patterson
6-3; M Munoz 2-1; Kolb 12-9; Wheeler 75-51; Eiland 13-10; Newman
3-2; A Lopez 36-21; Charlton 3-1; R Hernandez 28-16.  Ground balls-
fly balls: Helling 2-9; Je Zimmerman 0-5; D Patterson 1-0; M Munoz
1-0; Kolb 0-0; Wheeler 5-8; Eiland 0-1; Newman 0-1; A Lopez 2-1;
Charlton 0-1; R Hernandez 1-1.  Batters faced: Helling 24;
Je Zimmerman 11; D Patterson 2; M Munoz 1; Kolb 2; Wheeler 23;
Eiland 6; Newman 1; A Lopez 8; Charlton 1; R Hernandez 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Mike Reilly. 1B--Chuck Meriwether. 2B--Laz Diaz.
3B--Jim Mckean.
T--3:08.  Att--33,695.   Weather: 88 degrees, clear.   Wind: 7 mph,
left to right.

AL       TAMPA BAY AT TEXAS
         NOTE:  TEXAS' IVAN RODRIGUEZ SINGLED IN THE FIRST INNING TO
                EXTEND HIS HITTING STREAK TO 13 GAMES.

Game Log

Tampa Bay Starting Lineups -- Miguel Cairo 2B, Dave Martinez CF, Jose Canseco DH, Fred Mcgriff 1B, Herbert Perry 3B, John Flaherty C, Terrell Lowery LF, Bubba Trammell RF, Aaron Ledesma SS, Dan Wheeler RHP.

Texas Starting Lineups -- Mark Mclemore 2B, Ivan Rodriguez C, Rafael Palmeiro DH, Juan Gonzalez RF, Todd Zeile 3B, Lee Stevens 1B, Roberto Kelly LF, Royce Clayton SS, Tom Goodwin CF, Rick Helling RHP.

Umpires -- Reilly (HP), C Meriwether (1B), Diaz (2B), Mckean (3B).

Gametime Weather: 88 degrees, Clear, wind left to right at 7 mph.

TAMPA BAY 1ST: Cairo flied out to center. Da Martinez walked. Canseco doubled to left, Da Martinez scored. Mcgriff struck out swinging. Perry flied out to deep center. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 1ST: Mclemore lined out to right. I Rodriguez reached on infield single. R Palmeiro flied out to left. J Gonzalez singled to center, I Rodriguez to third. Zeile grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 1, TEXAS 0.

TAMPA BAY 2ND: Flaherty homered to left. Lowery grounded out to shortstop. Trammell flied out to deep left. Ledesma singled to center, Ledesma out stretching at second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 2ND: L Stevens singled to center. R Kelly struck out looking. Clayton grounded out to pitcher, L Stevens to second. T Goodwin lined out to shallow left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 0.

TAMPA BAY 3RD: Cairo singled to center. Da Martinez popped out to shortstop. Cairo picked off at first, pitcher to first. Canseco flied out to right. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 3RD: Mclemore walked. I Rodriguez flied out to right center. R Palmeiro flied out to deep left. J Gonzalez singled to left, Mclemore to second. Zeile struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 0.

TAMPA BAY 4TH: Mcgriff flied out to deep center. Perry flied out to right. Flaherty flied out to left center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 4TH: L Stevens flied out to center. R Kelly doubled to deep center. Clayton doubled to deep left center, R Kelly scored. T Goodwin grounded out to first, Clayton to third. Mclemore fouled out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 1.

TAMPA BAY 5TH: Lowery struck out swinging. Trammell walked. Trammell caught stealing, catcher to shortstop. Ledesma struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 5TH: I Rodriguez reached on infield single. R Palmeiro singled to right, I Rodriguez to second. J Gonzalez grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, R Palmeiro out at second, I Rodriguez to third. Zeile flied out to center. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 1.

TAMPA BAY 6TH: Cairo grounded out to shortstop. Da Martinez lined out to right. Canseco struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 6TH: Dave Eiland relieved Dan Wheeler. L Stevens struck out swinging. R Kelly lined out to pitcher. Clayton singled to left. T Goodwin reached on infield single, Clayton to second. Mclemore reached on infield single, Clayton to third, T Goodwin to second. Clayton scored, T Goodwin to third on 1st baseman Mcgriff's throwing error. I Rodriguez singled to right, T Goodwin scored, Mclemore to third. Alan Newman relieved Dave Eiland. R Palmeiro flied out to deep right. (2 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 2, TEXAS 3.

TAMPA BAY 7TH: Mcgriff walked. Perry singled to left, Mcgriff to second. Flaherty homered to left, Mcgriff and Perry scored. Jeff Zimmerman relieved Rick Helling. Lowery flied out to center. Trammell singled to left. Ledesma lined out to third. Cairo popped out to second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 5, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 7TH: Albie Lopez relieved Alan Newman. J Gonzalez flied out to right. Zeile singled to left. L Stevens struck out swinging. R Kelly grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 5, TEXAS 3.

TAMPA BAY 8TH: Da Martinez reached on bunt single to third. Canseco homered to left, Da Martinez scored. Mcgriff singled to left. Sorrento ran for Mcgriff. Perry flied out to right. Flaherty singled to shallow right, Sorrento to second. Lowery struck out looking. Trammell flied out to center. (2 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 7, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 8TH: B Smith at third. Sorrento at first. Clayton grounded out to second. T Goodwin walked. Mclemore walked, T Goodwin to second. I Rodriguez singled to left, T Goodwin scored, Mclemore to second. Norm Charlton relieved Albie Lopez. R Palmeiro popped out to shallow right. Roberto Hernandez relieved Norm Charlton. J Gonzalez reached on infield single, Mclemore to third, I Rodriguez to second. Mclemore scored, I Rodriguez to third, J Gonzalez to second on 3rd baseman B Smith's throwing error. Zeile walked. L Stevens struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 7, TEXAS 5.

TAMPA BAY 9TH: Danny Patterson relieved Jeff Zimmerman. Ledesma grounded out to third. Cairo singled to shallow right. Mike Munoz relieved Danny Patterson. Da Martinez grounded into fielder's choice to second, Cairo out at second. Danny Kolb relieved Mike Munoz. Canseco singled to left, Da Martinez to second. Sorrento struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 7, TEXAS 5.

TEXAS 9TH: R Kelly struck out swinging. Clayton singled to right. T Goodwin flied out to right. Mclemore grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Clayton out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 7, TEXAS 5.