Rays hold Marlins to 1 hit in 11-0 rout
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rookie Matt Moore and two relievers combined on a one-hitter Friday night, helping the Tampa Bay Rays snap a three-game losing streak with an 11-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Ben Zobrist homered and Desmond Jennings drove in four runs in support of Moore (4-5), who gave up a first-inning single and walked three in seven innings. The hard-throwing left-hander struck out eight before being replaced by Burke Badenhop after throwing 107 pitches.
Badenhop worked the eighth and Brandon Gomes finished the second one-hitter at Tropicana Field in three days. The Mets’ R.A. Dickey beat Tampa Bay 9-1 on Wednesday night, limiting the Rays to an infield single in the first.
The Marlins, swept by the Rays last weekend in Miami and coming off a 1-8 homestand, played without third baseman Hanley Ramirez, who was hit in the nose by a ball while taking batting practice in an indoor cage. His replacement, Donovan Solano, had the only hit off Moore, a clean single to left-center with one out in the first.
Tampa Bay has won eight straight against its intrastate rivals dating to May 2011, its longest streak ever against an NL opponent. Moore beat the Marlins and Carlos Zambrano (4-5) for the second time in six days.
Jennings, Jose Lobaton and B.J. Upton each drove in a run during the second inning against Zambrano, who issued six walks and allowed four runs and three hits in two-plus innings. Will Rhymes had a pair of RBI singles for the Rays, who outscored the Marlins 22-7 during last week’s three-game sweep.
Zambrano walked three and allowed seven runs in 2 1-3 innings against the Rays last Saturday in Miami, eventually departing due to lower back stiffness. He threw 46 pitches in the second Friday night and exited after giving up a leadoff single to Ben Zobrist and walking Carlos Pena to begin the third. The right-hander threw 78 pitches in his shortest outing of the season.
Rhymes drove in the final run charged to Zambrano with a two-out single off Chad Gaudin in the third. Zobrist homered in the fifth before Rhymes added another RBI single to make it 6-0.
The Rays were coming off a rough series against the Mets, when they were outscored 29-9 while allowing at least nine runs in each of the three games. The sputtering Marlins offense couldn’t extend that pattern against Moore, who has won three straight decisions following a four-game losing streak.
Moore fanned Austin Kearns, Gaby Sanchez and John Buck after Justin Ruggiano drew a leadoff walk in the second. Miami wasted another leadoff walk when Omar Infante popped out and Ruggiano grounded into an inning-ending double play in the fourth.
Solano was the only runner to get beyond first base for Miami. He moved to second when Moore walked Giancarlo Stanton, then scooted to third when Logan Morrison grounded into a force play.
Moore struck out Infante to escape the first-inning jam.
NOTES: Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen expects Ramirez to return to the lineup on Saturday. ... Zobrist had his fifth consecutive multihit game, matching a career best. ... Rays DH Hideki Matsui has been taking grounders at first. Manager Joe Maddon said it’s being done to give him an additional in-game option. ... The Marlins recalled OF Scott Cousins from Triple-A New Orleans. ... Tampa Bay recalled Gomes from Triple-A Durham.