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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- The Detroit Tigers are on a roll.
Damion Easley hit a solo homer in the 10th inning Monday night
as the Tigers extended their winning streak to four by beating the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-4.
"Guys are starting to believe," Tigers manager Phil Garner
said after his team's seventh win in eight games.
|  | | Detroit's Damion Easley slams the game-winning home run in the 10th inning Monday. |
Easley hit a 440-foot drive onto the roof of a restaurant in
center field with two outs off Roberto Hernandez (2-3).
"I can't say that I know I had that much in me," Easley said.
"I think he supplied a lot of it. He's a power pitcher and I don't
think he's going to get beat with anything other than his best
pitch. He challenged me and I was fortunate enough to meet it at
the right time."
The homer was the sixth Hernandez allowed this season, matching
his total for 1998 and 1999 combined. He wouldn't speak with
reporters after the game.
"He's pitched great. He made one bad pitch," Devil Rays
manager Larry Rothschild said.
Easley's fourth homer of the year stopped a 2-for-15 slump.
"That ball was tattooed," Garner said. "He hit that ball a
long way."
Danny Patterson (3-1) worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the
ninth. Todd Jones got the three outs for his AL-leading 24th save
in 25 chances, striking out the side after allowing a runner to
reach second.
The Devil Rays, at 32-48, are off to their worst start after 80
games. Tampa Bay, in its third season, went 1-for-11 with runners
in scoring position and lost for the sixth time in eight games.
"Nobody wants to lose," said Rothschild, who met with general
manager Chuck LaMar for approximately 15 minutes after the game.
"Timely hitting, and the game is over. It comes down to that, and
it just didn't happen tonight."
Detroit played without sluggers Juan Gonzalez (sore left foot)
and Tony Clark (back spasms). Garner said both are day to day.
Tampa Bay third baseman Vinny Castilla (lower back inflammation)
returned after missing 17 games and went 0-for-5. Devil Rays left
fielder Greg Vaughn (right hamstring strain) is expected to be
activated from the DL on Tuesday.
Rich Becker's sacrifice fly put the Tigers up 1-0 in the third.
Bubba Trammell's two-run double gave Tampa Bay the lead in the
bottom half.
Detroit went back ahead 3-2 in the fourth on Deivi Cruz's
two-run double. The Devil Rays countered again in the bottom half
when Mike DiFelice hit a two-run homer.
DiFelice has seven hits in his last 13 at-bats, including three
homers.
Dean Palmer drew the Tigers even at 4 with a fifth-inning
single.
Detroit starter Willie Blair went five innings, allowing four
runs and six hits. In three career outings against the Devil Rays,
Blair has given up 13 runs in 8 1-3 innings.
Tampa Bay's Esteban Yan, nearly dropped from the rotation after
allowing 12 runs over five-plus innings in his previous two starts,
gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings. The right-hander
worked exclusively from the stretch position.
Game
notes
Tigers LF Bobby Higginson remained in the game after
crashing over a low wall down the left-field line in the third
inning chasing Fred McGriff's foul ball. ... Gerald Williams
(strained left hip flexor) was the Tampa Bay designated hitter
after missing the past seven games. ... Cruz has 13 RBIs in the
past 14 games. ... Former major league pitchers Elden Auker and
Virgil Trucks threw out ceremonial first pitches. ... Monday's
attendance was 15,709. The Devil Rays averaged 33,144 during a
three-game weekend series against the two-time defending World
Series champion New York Yankees.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 6
Baltimore 4
Detroit 5
Tampa Bay 4
Chi. White Sox 14
Kansas City 10
Boston 11
Minnesota 8
Texas 8
Oakland 3
Seattle 8
Anaheim 6
Chicago Cubs 3
Pittsburgh 0
Cincinnati 3
Arizona 2
Florida 2
NY Mets 0
Montreal 17
Atlanta 1
Philadelphia 5
Milwaukee 3
Colorado 3
San Diego 1
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