Rays eliminate Tribe
CLEVELAND — As champagne bottles were being carried into Tampa Bay’s boisterous celebration, equipment bags were hustled out of the clubhouse and loaded onto carts before being taken to the airport.
Another airport. Another trip. Another city.
The Rays aren’t done traveling. Their October road show rolls on.
Boston bound.
Alex Cobb and three relievers combined to shut out Cleveland and silence a raucous sellout crowd that hung on every pitch Wednesday night as Tampa Bay set up a division series showdown with the Red Sox by beating the Indians 4-0 in the AL wild-card game. In the past four days, the Rays have won in Toronto, Texas and Cleveland, a had-to-have, three-game sweep that tested Tampa unlike any series this season.
“That’s three different venues, three difficult venues,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “All in enemy territory. I’m so proud of our guys.”
Cobb, sidelined for 50 games earlier this season after being hit in the head by a line drive, quieted one of the few sellout crowds at Progressive Field this season and ended the Indians’ unexpected postseason abruptly.
Delmon Young homered in the third inning off rookie Danny Salazar and Desmond Jennings hit a two-run double as the Rays advanced to face the AL East champion Red Sox in the best-of-five division series starting Friday at Fenway Park.
Boston went 12-7 against Tampa Bay and Maddon knows his team is facing a daunting challenge.
“We probably hit .207 against them,” he said. “They pitched really pitched well against us. We just did not swing the bats well, and that speaks to their pitching. They have a really good pitching staff. They have a great starting staff. They have a tremendous bullpen. I do anticipate a lot of the same in the playoffs as we continue.”
The Rays have been on the road since Sept. 24, when they opened a three-game series in New York. Then it was off to Toronto, where they lost two games to the Blue Jays before winning the regular-season finale to force a one-game tiebreaker with the Rangers.
