‘07 Rays take 2 of 3 from ‘86 M’s

9/13-9/14 - Tropicana Field
GAME 1 - Mariners 7, Devil Rays 3
Milt Wilcox fought off father time for 5 2/3 innings of 2 run ball before handing it off to Mike Trujillo who went the final 3 1/3.  With the score tied 2-2 after 5 the M's took the lead for good with a solo run in the 6th courtesy of a suicide squeeze bunt by Spike Owen, which scored Danny Tartabull who had two doubles on the day and miraculously only struck out once.  Seattle would score 2 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to put the game out of reach.

GAME 2 - Devil Rays 6, Mariners 2
Tampa scored all the runs that they would need over the first 3 innings.  A Carlos Pena 2 run shot in the first broke the ice and a breakout 4 run inning in the 3rd put the game out of reach.  Scott Kazmir (3-1, 2.76) was the beneficiary of his team's offensive explosion.  Michael Moore (2-3, 3.47) was the generous hurler who took the loss for the M's who managed just 5 hits.  Pena's homer was his 7th of the season.

9/15 - Kingdome
GAME 3 - Devil Rays 6, Mariners 4 (13 inn)
Down 4-3 and facing their final 3 outs the M's finally got to Tampa reliever A. Reyes, who had pitched 2 scoreless innings to that point.  Jim "don't call me Elvis" Presley grounded out to third to lead off the inning.  Alvin Davis, pinch hitting for Spike Owen, doubled to right and moved to 3rd on a Scott Bradley single.  Ninth place hitter Harold Reynolds hit a pop up to center that was medium length, but Davis chose to test his arm and when all the dust settled he was called safe and the game was tied.  The game headed toward extra innings and neither team could score.  Tampa threatened in the 12th with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, but Carlos Pena fanned and Delmon Young popped up to short to end the threat.  The 13th inning would see J. Wilson double home B.J. Upton who walked and stole second.  B. Harris would then single Wilson home for the second run of the inning off of Michael Young, who had pitched 3 scoreless innings to that point in relief.  Wheeler, who got the final 2 outs in the 12th would pitch a perfect 13th to notch the win.