Sports

WCTV Mobile Web >> Sports

Send Rays beats Marlins 13-4

All fields are required

Back to Home

Rays beats Marlins 13-4

Posted: 8:53 PM Jun 9, 2012
Reporter: AP

MIAMI (AP) -- It has been a rough start to the season for Ben Zobrist. He's hoping a two-homer game will turn things around.

Zobrist drove in four runs Saturday night to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 13-4 victory over the Miami Marlins.

"It's been a long couple of months for me trying to get things going and hopefully this is a sign of good things to come," Zobrist said.

Zobrist went 3 for 3, walked twice, scored four runs, and raised his batting average from .206 to .218.

"He obviously had a great game," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Jose Molina and Elliot Johnson had three RBIs each for the Rays, who have won three straight.

Tampa Bay starter Matt Moore (3-5) struck out nine and allowed four runs in six innings.

"We did an unbelievable job of when we had someone on they were getting in," Moore said. "It was a lot of fun pitching behind stuff like that."

The Marlins have lost the first five games of a nine-game homestand.

"We played terrible," Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said.

Carlos Zambrano (4-4) allowed seven runs in 2 1-3 innings before leaving with lower back stiffness.

Guillen and a trainer tended to Zambrano after he issued a one-out walk in the third. Zambrano was convincing enough to stay in the game despite a 5-0 deficit. Following the visit to the mound, Zambrano immediately surrendered a two-run homer to Zobrist that ended his outing. Zobrist's homer, estimated at 379 feet, hit off the facade of the upper deck in right field.

"I came in today with some discomfort," Zambrano said. "I had it stretched by the trainers. During the game it was aggravated to the point that I couldn't pitch anymore. I should have said something before."

Zobrist connected again to right field in the fifth -- another two-run shot for a 9-0 lead. It was the second multi-home run game of his career. He hit two at Detroit on Sept. 25, 2008.

Tampa Bay scored five runs in the second as the first five batters reached base including Johnson with a two-run single. Desmond Jennings, Molina, and Moore also drove in runs in the inning.

"During the course of a baseball season you're going to do it right sometimes and sometimes you're going to mess it up," Maddon said. "Tonight we didn't mess it up. We got it right."

Justin Ruggiano hit a three-run homer for Miami.