M's walk off with another loss
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 14 years, 3 months AGO
<p>Tampa Bay's Matt Joyce, below, is tagged out by Seattle relief pitcher Dan Cortes while trying to score on a wild pitch during the eighth inning Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays won 8-7.</p>
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Michael Pineda was a bright spot in another dismal day for the Seattle Mariners.
Johnny Damon lost a grand slam to a video review in the seventh inning, then hit a game-ending home run in the ninth that lifted the Tampa Bay Rays over the Mariners 8-7 on Sunday.
Pineda allowed two earned runs and six hits over six innings. The rookie had five strikeouts, giving him 148 over 147 innings this season.
"We had him throwing more change-ups for his development," Seattle catcher Josh Bard said. "Where we're at, we obviously want him to throw that pitch. We feel like when (staff ace Felix) Hernandez started to take off, that was the third pitch that really made him kind of who he was."
Damon connected for a leadoff shot in the ninth on the first pitch from Dan Cortes (0-2), sending his 11th homer of the season into the right-field seats.
"He just left a pitch up," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said.
The Rays trailed 5-4 in the seventh when Damon launched a drive to right-center field. It was first ruled a home run, but the umpires changed the call to a three-run double after 2-minute, 45-second video review.
TV relays showed the reversal was correct and that the ball hit off the top of the wall.
Jamey Wright lasted just one-third of an inning in relief of Pineda, allowing four runs, three walks and one hit during the Rays' four-run seventh.
"A year from now we, probably, send him (Pineda) out for the next inning," Wedge said. "(94 pitches), that was enough for him. It's just where we are and where he is."
After blowing an early four-run lead, Seattle tied it at 7 during the eighth when Wily Mo Pena hit a long two-run homer to center off James Shields.
Casper Wells also homered for the Mariners, who have lost five in a row. Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a third-inning double.
"We were in position to win two of the three games here and ended up losing both late," Wedge said. "We just have to keep plugging."
NOTES: The Mariners have lost 20 of their last 23 road games. ... Wells has 13 RBIs in his last 13 games. ... Seattle SS Brendan Ryan, who returned from a sprained left shoulder joint this weekend, is expected to be in the starting lineup today.