Kazmir tosses six scoreless in another Rays win over Yankees
Posted: Thu May 15 7:35 PM
St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Scott Kazmir was brilliant through six innings, as the Tampa Bay Rays took 3-of-4 from the New York Yankees with a 5-2 victory at Tropicana Field.
On the heels of a brand new contract extension, Kazmir (2-1) gave up just three hits and three walks, while striking out three batters for the Rays, who have won seven of their last eight contests. The Rays announced on Wednesday that Kazmir had agreed to a four-year pact that guarantees the 24-year-old standout $28.5 million over the first three seasons and includes a club option for 2012. He led the American League with 239 strikeouts last season and represented Tampa Bay in the All-Star Game in 2006.
"He's (Kazmir) going to keep getting better as he gets more comfortable," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "He competed and battled really well. He hasn't hit his rhythm yet and that's the exciting part."
Troy Percival recorded his 10th save of the year with a perfect ninth.
Shawn Riggans hit a two-run home run and scored twice, and Akinori Iwamura added a solo homer. Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton accounted for an RBI apiece in the victory.
Derek Jeter went 2-for-4 with an RBI and recorded the 2,400th hit of his career for the Yankees, who failed to score more than two runs in any of the contests in the four-game set. Melky Cabrera also went 2-for-4 and knocked the other New York run in.
Ian Kennedy (0-3) absorbed the loss after he was touched for five runs on five hits in five innings of work. Kennedy saw his earned run average jump to 8.48. LaTroy Hawkins, Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez combined to throw three innings of perfect ball.
Tampa Bay jumped on top in the first, as Iwamura led off with a home run just inside the right field foul pole. The shot was the first homer Kennedy allowed to a lefty in his career; he had not allowed a long-ball in 81 southpaw at- bats before the blast.
The Rays loaded the bases in the third as Riggans led off with a single, Ben Zobrist was hit by a pitch and Iwamura worked a walk. Crawford belted a sac fly to left field, and Tampa Bay took a 2-0 advantage.
Eric Hinske worked a two-out double in the fourth, and Riggans followed with a homer over the fence in left, as the Rays were sitting on a 4-0 cushion.
"I made two bad pitches," Kennedy said. "I wanted to get inside on Hinske, actually for a ball, and left the ball over the plate and the next ball was a hung slider."
The Rays made it 5-0 in the fifth. Iwamura doubled to lead off the frame, moved to third when Crawford flied out to center and touched home on Upton's sac fly.
The Yankees got on the board in the seventh. Robinson Cano singled off reliever Gary Glover to begin the frame, and two batters later, Jose Molina made it first and second with a single. Damon flied out, but Cabrera singled up the middle to plate Cano. Jeter kept the rally going with an RBI single up the middle, and New York had pulled within 5-2 by the middle of the seventh.
Percival came on in the ninth for Tampa Bay and caught Bobby Abreu looking, got Molina swinging and induced Johnny Damon to fly out to left to end the game. Game Notes
New York had won five of the eight encounters between these AL East foes so far this season and was 7-3 over its last 10 games at Tropicana Field before Thursday's game...The Rays outlined plans Thursday for a 34,000-seat waterfront ballpark. The retractable-roof ballpark will open for the 2012 season if approved by the City Council, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners and St. Petersburg residents...Attendance was 19,976.
