As the Indians and Rays began their Thursday matinee, Justin Masterson was one of baseball’s biggest early-season surprises. The tall right-hander boasted a 5-0 record, and his 5 victories nearly equaled the 6 he earned a year ago. However, Masterson struggled mightily on this day, resulting in a tough loss for both he and the Tribe.
Tampa’s 4-run 2nd inning proved to be the difference in the ballgame. Reid Brignac hit a 2-run double, and Sam Fuld, a 2-run single.
Masterson and the Indians never recovered from that early onslaught.
An Elliot Johnson RBI bunt single in the top of the 6th pushed another Rays’ tally across the plate, and it signaled the end of Masterson’s poor start. Justin was yanked after 5 2/3 innings, having allowed 5 earned runs on 8 base-knocks.
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| The Indians failed to overcome Masterson's rough outing |
The Rays did not experience any problems in regards to their starting pitcher. James Shields limited the Indians to 2 runs in 7 frames, and the changeup specialist picked up the W.
Facing a 5-0 deficit, Cleveland began to battle back in the last of the 6th. Asdrubal Cabrera blasted a solo home run, and Orlando Cabrera swatted a RBI double. O-Cab, though, was picked off at 2nd base to end the rally. It was Shields’ 2nd pick-off of the afternoon.
Asdrubal’s solid day continued in the 8th as the Indians’ shortstop tripled and scored the Tribe’s 3rd run.
Evan Longoria’s 2-run double in the 9th sealed Cleveland’s fate. The 2-bagger extended the Rays’ advantage to 4, and, despite Shelley Duncan’s RBI single in the bottom of the 9th, Tampa triumphed.
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