ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena intend to redeem themselves.
Shut down in Game 1 of the World Series, Tampa Bay’s hard-hitting trio expects to learn from their frustrating offensive performances during a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night.
“Every time we lose, we have a 30-minute memory,” Longoria said. “We soak it in, understand it and move on to tomorrow.”
Game 2 is Thursday night at Tropicana Field.
And, the Rays sure could use the big bats Longoria, Upton and Pena wielded in helping Tampa Bay beat the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox to capture the AL pennant in their first-ever postseason appearance.
Against the Phils, they were a combined 0-for-12 with five strikeouts and two double plays.
The players scoffed at the notion that the young Rays struggled under the pressure of being on baseball’s biggest stage.
Pitching – not nerves – was the difference, Longoria said.
No. 1 starter or a September call-up. If a guy is hitting the corners and getting the ball where he wants, it’s going to be difficult to hit,” Longoria said.
“You get one at-bat in spring training against a guy who’s been an ace the whole year and it’s going to be difficult.”
In defense of Longoria, Upton and Pena, the entire lineup struggled against Phillies starter Cole Hamels.
But after combining for 16 home runs and 34 RBIs in 11 AL playoff games, they’ve created expectations normally reserved for more experienced players – especially in October.
“They’re great hitters and they have a lot of power. It’s everything you can do to just make sure you keep those guys off balance,” Phillies closer Brad Lidge said. “That’s what you’re trying to do when you pitch. Keep hitters off balance.”
Cowbell-clanging fans rose to their feet in anticipation every time the Rays’ top hitters strolled to the plate. Each time they settled back into their seats a little more deflated.
Starting pitcher Scott Kazmir settled down after giving up three early runs to give the Rays six solid innings, but the offense couldn’t bail him out. Hamels had a lot to do with that, limiting Tampa Bay to five hits in seven innings.
the left-hander, with Carl Crawford hitting a fourth-inning homer and Ben Zobrist adding a third-inning single.
“The thing was he didn’t make any mistakes,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He didn’t even hang any changeups. They were pretty much where he wanted to throw them. More power to him. He had a great game.”
Upton has been hot in the playoffs after struggling at the plate much of the year, in part because of an injured shoulder. He has 15 postseason RBIs, four shy of the major league record set by David Ortiz in 2004.
“I don’t feel we were trying too hard,” Longoria said of Upton and himself. “Good pitching is going to beat good hitting every time. That’s all there is to it.”
Upton, whose seven homers ties Troy Glaus for the most by an AL player in a single postseason, grounded into two double plays, once with the bases loaded and Tampa Bay trailing 2-0 in the third.
Like Longoria, he attributed his rough night at the plate to Hamels.
“We knew it was going to be a tight series,” said Upton, who contributed the defensive play of the game for Tampa Bay in the second inning, when Shane Victorino tried to score on a flyout to center and was thrown out at the plate.
Longoria’s six postseason homers are a record for a major league rookie, however he struck out twice and finished 0-for-4 after Lidge fanned him in the ninth.
myself or my teammates, but we have to come in the next game and bounce back,” Longoria said. “We’ve been resilient all year, and it’s time to show we can do it again.”
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