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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- These ninth-inning rallies are habit
forming.
Russ Johnson singled home the winning run in the ninth inning
and Steve Trachsel pitched his second complete game of the season
as the Devil Rays beat the Anaheim Angels 2-1 Thursday night.
"It's fun," Trachsel said after the Devil Rays' beat the Angels in their final at-bat for the second straight day. "But we definitely don't want
to make a habit of it."
On Wednesday, Fred McGriff hit a two-homer in a three-run ninth
as the Devil Rays beat Anaheim 3-2.
"These last two games have been clutch, and that's what you
want," said Johnson, acquired from Houston on May 27. "They had a
snowball going here for a while ... where the losing keeps going
and going and going. Now the snowball is starting to change and
roll the other way."
John Flaherty opened the bottom of the ninth with a single off
Shigetoshi Hasegawa (5-2). Steve Cox reached on second baseman Adam
Kennedy's error as pinch-runner Miguel Cairo took second.
Cairo stole third when shortstop Benji Gil failed to cover the
base as the Angels set up a bunt defense.
"That's a big play, but the story of the game was we're not
swinging the bats," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We're
wasting some real good efforts from our starting pitchers and
that's the way it goes sometimes."
Bobby Smith was walked intentionally, loading the bases with no
outs. Johnson, mired in 0-for-13, then lined a 1-2 pitch over Gil's
head into left-center field.
"I'm just glad we won. That's the main thing," Johnson said.
"It's always fun to come up in a situation like that -- that's what
you always want to do if you're a baseball player. I was looking
forward to the challenge."
Trachsel (5-5), who pitched a six-hitter, won back-to-back
decisions for the first time since consecutive 1-0 victories over
Boston and the New York Yankees last month.
"It's about time we got to have some fun because it's been a
tough year," Trachsel said.
The right-hander got a complete game win May 6 over Boston's
Pedro Martinez. Five days later Trachsel (5-6) worked seven shutout
innings and beat the Yankees' Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez.
The Devil Rays recorded back-to-back complete games for the the
first time since starting play in 1998. On Wednesday, Albie Lopez
went the distance for the first time in almost six years.
Anaheim's Jarrod Washburn allowed one run and two hits in seven
innings. He struck out four, but walked six. During his past two
starts -- covering 14 innings -- the left-hander has given up two
runs and seven hits.
"It was a good game tonight, but Trachsel outpitched us,"
Washburn said. "That's saying something, to keep our offense in
check."
Tampa Bay's Bubba Trammell broke a scoreless tie with a solo
homer in the sixth inning. Trammell's seventh homer of the season
traveled an estimated 415 feet and struck an overhanging catwalk
about 110 feet above the playing surface.
The Angels tied it 1-1 on Troy Glaus' run-scoring groundout in
the seventh.
The Angels failed to capitalize on scoring chances in the third
and fourth innings.
Darin Erstad was thrown out by right fielder Jose Guillen when
he tried to score from second on Scott Spiezio's two-out single in
the third.
Although Erstad appeared safe on TV replays, Scioscia did not
blame the call by umpire Mark Wegner for the loss.
"I thought he missed the call. We don't hang our hat on
umpires' calls," Scioscia said. "We didn't swing the bats. We're
not going to pin this loss on an umpire's call. If you're going to
be a championship caliber club, you overcome bad breaks."
In the fourth, Mo Vaughn was left stranded after a leadoff
double.
Despite five walks, the only Tampa Bay player to reach second
through five innings was Smith. His two-out double in the second
was the only hit by the Devil Rays over the first five innings.
Game notes
Tampa Bay has won three straight series for the first time
since last August and has won 7 of 10. ... Devil Rays LF Greg
Vaughn was a late scratch with soreness in his right hamstring. He
aggravated a previous injury Wednesday night. ... Angels CF Garret
Anderson snapped an 0-for-13 slump with a seventh-inning double.
... Trachsel made his 200th career start.
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Baseball Scoreboard
Anaheim Clubhouse
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
RECAPS
Chi. White Sox 12
NY Yankees 3
Tampa Bay 2
Anaheim 1
Baltimore 10
Texas 1
Seattle 12
Minnesota 5
Colorado 5
Houston 4
Pittsburgh 2
Atlanta 0
Los Angeles 4
Arizona 0
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