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Garza Dominates, And Rays Hang On In Ninth To Down Jays

POSTED: 10:27 pm EDT July 19, 2008

(Sports Network) - Matt Garza was nearly unhittable over 7 2/3 shutout innings, Evan Longoria hit the first grand slam of his career and the Tampa Bay Rays barely avoided a collapse in the ninth inning to hold on for a 6-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the second installment of a three-game set at Tropicana Field.

Garza (8-5) allowed just two hits, striking out six and walking none. The Rays have rebounded after the All-Star break, winning two straight after ending the first half on a seven-game slide. Cliff Floyd belted a solo homer, while Carlos Pena knocked in a run and scored a run.

"Matt was spectacular again today," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "Really good command of his fastball. Some really good hooks. Primarily pitched with his fastball and I really liked that a lot. He's been wonderful. His mound demeanor has been spectacular. He's been really good about maintaining his composure."

Marco Scutaro went 2-for-4 and knocked in two runs for the Blue Jays, who have lost three of four overall. Rod Barajas and Lyle Overbay drove in a run apiece, while Joe Inglett doubled and scored.

Roy Halladay (11-7) was brilliant through five innings before imploding in the sixth. Halladay was charged with five runs on eight hits, striking out six and walking three as he had a three-start win streak snapped.

Neither team could amass any offense until the sixth, when Tampa Bay finally broke through. A single by Ben Zobrist and infield hits from Akinori Iwamura and Carl Crawford loaded the bases with nobody out before Pena plated the game's first run with a soft single to left. One out later, Longoria blew the game wide open, cranking a 3-2 cutter into the seats in left for a grand slam to give the Rays a 5-0 lead.

"Definitely one of my prouder at-bats," Longoria said. "He was making some tough pitches. Even just to get a hit of that guy, to have my first grand slam off him is special."

Garza continued to dominate, retiring 12 straight at one point, and Floyd's leadoff blast off Brandon League extended the lead to 6-0 in the eighth.

"I was just trying to match (Halladay) out for out," Garza said. "I'm making my pitches when I need to. You just try to match him. Set your offense out as quickly as possible."

Trever Miller came on in the ninth for Tampa and ran into trouble when Lind reached on an error to start the inning, and Inglett followed with a double. Al Reyes relieved Miller, but Scutaro greeted him with a two-run single. Alex Rios popped out, but after Stairs drilled a ground-rule double to right, Reyes was lifted in favor of Dan Wheeler.

Rod Barajas plated Scutaro with a groundout and Overbay ripped an RBI double to right to pull the Jays within two, but Wheeler averted disaster by retiring Scott Rolen on a pop-up to pick up his fourth save.

Game Notes

Longoria's homer was his 17th of the season...Miller and Reyes were each charged with two runs in the ninth, though only one of Miller's was earned...League hit Dioner Navarro and Zobrist on consecutive pitches in the eighth and was ejected by plate umpire Mike DiMuro...The Rays send Edwin Jackson (5-6) to the mound on Sunday to try and complete the sweep against John Parrish (1-0).


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