Stephen Vogt hit a two-run walkoff homerun in the tenth inning to help the Tampa Bay Rays edge the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1, Friday in Port Charlotte.
Vogt took a high 1-1 pitch to deep right field, scoring Rich Thompson on the play as well. Thompson was pinch running after Cole Figueroa drew a two out walk. Vogt finished the day 1-for-2 at the plate.
Philadelphia took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning after Domonic Brown hit a lead-off single. Brown advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt and a fielders choice. Carlos Ruiz drove Brown in on a one-out single to right field.
Rays starter Matt Moore was able to settle down after a tough second inning. He threw 85 pitches over the course of five innings – 57 of those for strikes – and had seven strikeouts. Moore now carries a 0-2 record this spring with a 4.97 ERA and 12 K’s. This shouldn’t be a concern for the team as Moore finished last spring with a 4.50 ERA in 10 innings of work.
Tampa tied the contest at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh off of a first-pitch homerun for Shelley Duncan. Duncan was 1-3 on the day and is now the Rays' team leader in homeruns this spring with 3.
The Rays bullpen dominated today, allowing only one hit over the course of five innings. Brandon Gomes earned the win after throwing three strikeouts in the perfect ninth and tenth innings. Joel Peralta, Kyle Farnsworth, Jamey Wright also threw perfect innings in relief.
Rays infielder Ryan Roberts had a tough day at the plate going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He has been working on improving his swing this spring.
Tampa finished with 6 hits and left eight runners on base.
The Rays face the Red Sox tomorrow at 1:05 PM at Charlotte Sports Park as Roberto Hernandez goes head-to-head with Alfredo Aceves.
Beyond the Fences:
- 65 players, coaches and staff ditched their locks today and went bald to raise awareness for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. 19 fans also participated in the head shaving with the team, according to a tweet from @TBTimes_Rays. Phillies third baseman, Michael Young, also joined in the festivities after his three at-bats in the game. Bravo Michael!
- You can still donate to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation by visiting http://www.pcfcutforacure.org or texting "Cut" to 50555 to make a $10 donation. "Fortune Favors the Bald" shirts are also available for $15.99 at all Rays Team Stores, with all proceeds benefitting the PCF.
- Rock your high-socks & lace up those PF Flyers as you head on down to the Port Charlotte Wal-mart (1900 Murdock Circle) to meet Chris Archer tonight from 5-6 PM. @ChrisArcher42 tweeted yesterday that he is currently reading The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav, so if you’ve read it, let him know! He’s not one to shy away from a book discussion!
- Team USA lost to Puerto Rico 4-3 last night, eliminating USA from the World Baseball Classic Tournament. Ben Zobrist forced a run home on a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning, but USA's rally was halted when Royals Eric Hosmer grounded out to second. Puerto Rico will face the Dominican Republic team today at 1 PM in Marlins stadium to determine the matchups for the semifinals in San Francisco.
- Mets 3B David Wright was examined by team doctors yesterday who diagnosed him with an intercostal strain, leaving Wright's status for opening day unknown.
- He said yes! After two straight days of rejections from players such as Chipper Jones and Derrek Lee, the Yankees have signed outfield Brennan Boesch. Boesch is expected to battle for a position in the outfield while Curtis Granderson continues to recover from a right forearm fracture.