Longoria, Price Lead Rays back to Playoffs with 5-2 Win

(AP) Rays to playoffs again after 5-2 win over Rangers
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas
The first person David Price looked for after pitching the Tampa Bay Rays into the playoffs was third baseman Evan Longoria.

Price yelled after the two locked eyes, and they embraced to start the celebration.

Price, Longoria and the Tampa Bay Rays are going to playoffs again, getting there with a victory in their final regular-season game for the second time in three years. They needed an extra game this time.

Price pitched his fourth complete game this year, Longoria hit a two-run homer and the Rays beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 in the AL wild-card tiebreaker game Monday night, the 163rd game for both teams.

When Price woke up Monday, all he could think about was throwing a complete game, then getting that last out and turning straight to Longoria.

Luckily for manager Joe Maddon and the Rays, they weren’t done in by another blown call in Texas _ though this one did cost them at least one run.

The Rays face another must-win situation Wednesday night at Cleveland in the AL wild-card game, Tampa’s third game in three cities in a four-day stretch. The winner faces Boston in the division series.

Price (10-8), the reigning AL Cy Young winner, had a 10.26 ERA in four previous starts at Rangers Ballpark. He was superb in this one, striking out four and walking one. He picked off two runners while allowing seven hits and throwing 81 of 118 pitches for strikes.

Longoria had three hits, continuing his stellar play in the last game of regular seasons. He is hitting .579 (11 for 19) in those finales with seven homers and 10 RBIs, according to STATS.

Texas had won seven in a row, needing every one just to force the majors’ first wild-card tiebreaker since 2007.

Even with the return of All-Star slugger Nelson Cruz from his 50-game drug suspension, the Rangers missed a chance to get to the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

Cruz, who had 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 108 games before his suspension, was 0 for 4 with a strikeout while hitting sixth as the designated hitter. His groundout to shortstop ended the game.

The Rays had runners at first and second with two outs in the seventh when Delmon Young, who put the Rays ahead to stay with a sacrifice fly in the first, hit a soft flyball.

Center fielder Leonys Martin made a running, diving attempt for a catch. Replays showed clearly that the ball bounced into Martin’s glove; third base umpire Ron Kulpa, looking at the play from the side, ruled it an inning-ending catch.

Young rounded first base with his arms spread out signaling safe. Maddon went out to talk to Kulpa, though the conversation didn’t appear heated.

When the Rays played at Texas on April 8, their 5-4 loss ended when plate umpire Marty Foster called a third strike against Ben Zobrist on a pitch low and outside. The ump later admitted the 2-2 curveball wasn’t a strike and he wouldn’t call that pitch a strike if he could do it again. The Texas win and closer Joe Nathan’s 300th career save stood.

Maddon said after that game that such calls “can’t be made in a Major League Baseball game.” The Rays still had a runner on base and Longoria on deck when Zobrist was called out.

MLB intends to use expanded video review next year.

The Rangers had beaten Tampa Bay in the AL division series in 2010 and 2011 on way to their only two World Series. It was the second year in a row their season ended in a do-or-die game at home _ they lost to Baltimore in the first AL wild-card game last October.

In 2011, the Rays had to overcome a nine-game deficit the final month of the season and were down seven runs in their 162nd game. They got to the playoffs after Longoria’s game-ending homer in the 12th inning to beat the New York Yankees.

The first four hitters in the game against rookie left-hander Martin Perez (10-6) combined for three singles and a walk, and yet the Rays still didn’t have a run.

Desmond Jennings, in his first start in more than a week after left hamstring tightness, hit the game’s first pitch down the left-field line. He was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a double when Craig Gentry made a strong throw.

Will Myers walked on four pitches. consecutive singles by Ben Zobrist and Longoria loaded the bases and Young hit a sacrifice fly.

Jennings had a leadoff walk in the third, and there were two outs before Longoria hit a drive to right-center that landed in the Rangers bullpen.

After Martin struck out Zobrist to start the sixth, the eighth consecutive batter he retired, Alexi Ogando gave up a double to Longoria, who scored on a double by pinch-hitter David DeJesus.

Elvis Andrus walked on four pitches in the first, but was picked off by Price. Ian Kinsler had an RBI single in the third, but was caught stealing after straying off the base and drawing a throw.

NOTES: Tampa added a run in the ninth when Sam Fuld was at second base, when he took off for third base. Reliever Tanner Scheppers threw wildly to third base, allowing Fuld to score. … Andrus had a stolen base in the sixth, giving the Rangers a steal in a club-record 13 games in a row.