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Sunday, Aug. 6 1:15pm ET
Vaughn homers in third straight game | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Not even a sore shoulder could slow down Greg Vaughn. Vaughn and Jose Guillen hit two-run homers in the third inning Sunday, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays went on to beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-4. Both homers off Mike Mussina were preceded by walks. Vaughn homered in all three games of the series. "By no means are we satisfied," Vaughn said. "We've got to keep going. We've got a lot of baseball to play, and we've got to continue to play better." It was the sixth time -- and first since last Sept. 7-9 -- that Vaughn has homered in three consecutive games. The homer was also his team-best 20th, marking the seventh time Vaughn has reached 20. "He comes ready to play every day," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "There is no question of motivation with Greg Vaughn." Vaughn, who strained his right shoulder at Kansas City a week ago, aggravated the injury making a throw. He is to be evaluated Monday before the start of a four game series against the Minnesota Twins. "There's no question in my own mind I'm playing," Vaughn said. "I don't know where I'll be, but I'm playing." Baltimore closed to 5-4 on Chris Richard's two-run homer in the fourth. Richard, who went 3-for-4, also drove in a run with a second-inning grounder. Mussina (7-11), who gave up seven runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings, lost for the fourth time in five starts and matched his career high for losses in one season. He went 19-11 in 1996. In his previous outing, Mussina pitched a one-hit shutout against Minnesota. "I think you could tell after the first two or three hitters he didn't have his best stuff," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. "It happens. He couldn't locate his pitches. He had trouble getting his breaking ball over consistently." Tampa Bay starter Ryan Rupe (4-4) allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings. "Rupe probably didn't pitch as well as he wanted to, but he pitched effectively and their bullpen came in and was solid," Mussina said. "I just didn't pitch very well. That's the difference in the game. You need your whole staff to come out and bring a complete effort. That's why they won." Cory Lidle, recalled by the Devil Rays from Triple-A Durham before the game, followed Rupe with three scoreless innings. The right-hander allowed a leadoff double to Richard in the sixth, but escaped trouble when second baseman Miguel Cairo made a leaping catch to take a single away from Brady Anderson. "I didn't bring him up to give me a stomach cramp," Rothschild joked. "Overall, he did a very good job." Anderson left after seven innings with a sore foot. The problem is not considered serious. Roberto Hernandez got three outs for his 21st save in 27 chances. During the three game series, which included two extra-innings games, the Devil Rays' bullpen allowed three runs in 21 1/3 innings. Melvin Mora had a first-inning solo homer for the Orioles. Vaughn's RBI double tied it in the bottom of the inning. The homers by Mora and Richard were their first in the American League. Cairo, who went 3-for-4 with two steals, extended the Tampa Bay lead to 6-4 with an RBI double in the seventh. Fred McGriff added a sacrifice fly off B.J. Ryan later in the inning. Game notesMussina had allowed just six homers in his previous 13 starts. ... Tampa Bay DH Jose Canseco struck out in the third inning and has fanned 1,830 times in his career. ... Guillen has nine hits in his past 17 at-bats. ... Orioles DH Albert Belle was 0-for-9 against Rupe before singling in the fifth inning. ... Baltimore CF Luis Matos, the No. 9 hitter, was hit twice by pitches. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Baltimore Clubhouse Tampa Bay Clubhouse RECAPS Kansas City 3 Boston 1
Tampa Bay 7
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