Rays 9, Indians 2
CLEVELAND -- The hardest part for Tampa Bay was waiting for the rain to finally stop. Once it did, the Rays belted three home runs, two by James Loney, and four pitchers combined on a one-hitter in a 9-2 victory over Cleveland in a game that started Friday night and ended at 2:53 a.m. ET Saturday.
Both Cleveland runs were unearned.
The game was halted three times in the first two innings. The three delays lasted 1 hour 57 minutes, 13 minutes and 2 hours, 39 minutes.
Once the rain stopped, the Rays started hitting, and the Indians did almost no hitting at all. Loney belted a two-run homer in the third inning and added a solo homer in the eighth.
Cleveland's only hit was an RBI double by Ryan Raburn off reliever Josh Lueke in the fifth. The Indians sent the minimum three batters to the plate in seven of the other eight innings.
The rains resulted in both starting pitchers leaving by the second inning, so the game turned into a battle of the bullpens, which Tampa Bay won handily.
Rays relievers Jamey Wright, Lueke and Cesar Ramos combined with starter Matt Moore on the one-hitter.
The game got off to a disjointed start because of three separate rain delays in the first two innings that totaled 4 hours, 49 minutes. The bottom of the second inning began at 12:16 a.m. ET.
Neither starting pitcher, Moore nor Cleveland's Corey Kluber, returned after the third rain delay. Moore pitched one scoreless inning, retiring all three batters he faced. Kluber pitched two hitless innings, striking out three.
After the third rain delay, the Rays came out swinging against Indians left-hander Scott Barnes. Tampa Bay scored five runs and had four hits, two of them home runs, in the top of the third.
Joyce hit a three-run homer, his 10th home run of the season, and Loney belted his sixth homer, also a two-run shot, as the Rays took a 5-0 lead.
Wright replaced Moore after the rain delay and retired the first nine batters he faced. A sacrifice fly by Yan Gomes and an RBI double by Raburn, Cleveland's first hit of the game, cut the Rays' lead to 5-2 after five innings.
NOTES: RHP Chris Archer is scheduled to be added to the roster and will make his first start for Tampa Bay on Saturday. Archer will be the eighth different starter the Rays have used in their last 17 games. ... After making his major league debut on Thursday night in Miami, RHP Alex Colome was optioned to Class AAA Durham on Friday and the Rays recalled LHP Jeff Beliveau. ... Raburn, who left Thursday's game with a strained calf, was in the starting lineup on Friday. ... Gomes, the Indians' backup catcher, has thrown out 62 percent of attempted base stealers (8 of 13).
