Rays rookie Price outpitches veteran Jays star Halladay
The Tampa Bay Rays offer a simple explanation for their success against Roy Halladay.
Some pretty good pitching of their own.
"In order to beat Roy Halladay, you have to pitch well, period," manager Joe Maddon said yesterday after the AL champions beat the Toronto ace, 3-2, in St. Petersburg, Fla., their second victory over the five-time All-Star in 11 days.
"There's no secret. You don't beat him up, you don't hit a bunch of homers, you don't get a lot of hits. There's not a lot of things you can do against him," Maddon added. "He only permits so much to happen."
Rookie lefthander David Price pitched six strong innings, and Carlos Pena snapped a fifth-inning tie with a two-run double to help Tampa Bay complete a three-game sweep.
Probably because of Price and Halladay, no home runs were hit at Tropicana Field for the first time this season. It had been the only park in the majors with a homer in each game.
Price (3-3), rebounding from the shortest start of his career, allowed one run and six hits in six innings. The 23-year-old was rocked for six runs in 1 1/3 innings of a loss at Texas last weekend.
The No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft had called his outing against the Rangers embarrassing.
Like every team, the Rays compile lots of data on opposing batters and share it with pitchers before games. Maddon asked pitching coach Jim Hickey to not go over the reports with Price, saying there are certain moments when you really want to walk away from it and just permit your instincts" to take over.
Halladay (10-3) pitched for the first time since Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said he's willing to listen to trade offers for the five-time All-Star. He allowed three runs and nine hits in seven innings.
In other games:
* At Boston, Mark Teahen and Willie Bloomquist each had three hits, while Alberto Callaspo had a pair of RBI doubles as the Kansas City Royals knocked the Red Sox out of sole possession of first place in the AL East with an 8-6 win.
* At Minneapolis, Mark Teixeira ended a 23-game homerless drought with a fifth-inning shot, and the New York Yankees completed a season sweep of the Twins with a 6-4 victory. It was his 21st homer of the season and first in 96 at-bats.
Mariano Rivera earned his 23rd save for the Yankees, who have won eight straight on the road and beat the Twins all seven times they met this season.
* At Chicago, Kelly Shoppach hit a grand slam and had a career-high five RBI, and the Cleveland Indians beat the White Sox, 10-8.
* At Seattle, Franklin Gutierrez' three-run homer in the eighth inning lifted the Mariners over the Texas Rangers, 3-1.
Noteworthy
* Former major leaguer Jim Leyritz burst into tears in court in Florida after learning a postponement would keep him in jail for at least another weekend as he awaits trial on a DUI manslaughter charge.
The 45-year-old former Yankees star has been jailed since he was charged last week with domestic battery against his ex-wife, which was considered a probation violation.
His manslaughter trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 14. Authorities said Leyritz was drunk when he ran a red light in his sport utility vehicle and caused the crash that killed 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch in December 2007 in Fort Lauderdale. Veitch also had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit, investigators said.
* William Reedy, who was convicted of drunken driving in a crash that killed former manager Billy Martin, died in Michigan of pancreatic cancer at age 72. *
