ARLINGTON, Texas — OF Fernando Perez said he wasn't surprised at all when he was given the sign for a squeeze bunt in the ninth inning Sunday.
But it caught the Rangers off guard and resulted in the Rays scoring the go-ahead run in their 7-6 come-from-behind victory.
With runners on first and third and one out, Perez — hitting from the left side — dragged a first-pitch fastball from Rangers RHP Neftali Feliz down the first-base line. "It was absolutely perfect," manager Joe Maddon said. 1B Hank Blalock fielded it and tagged out Perez, but Evan Longoria scored.
"It was a perfect situation," Perez said. "It's Joe Maddon baseball, works every time. It was brilliant."
It was the second squeeze bunt of the game (the Rangers also used one), and apparently unstoppable.
"There's nothing we could do to defend that play," 2B Ian Kinsler said. "He's a really good bunter. You're hoping he either pops it up, fouls it off or misses it."
STAFF STAYING? Maddon said he plans to meet individually early next week with his coaching staff, and though they're all at the end of their contracts, he doesn't anticipate any changes as of now.
Maddon said he and executive VP Andrew Friedman have already talked about it, and they'll set up times to chat with each of the coaches and get it done before Maddon leaves for California on Oct. 8. Maddon spent several years working on a one-year contract and remembered one year waiting until Thanksgiving before finding out if he would be bench coach for the Angels, so he knows how tough it can be.
"I know what it's like," Maddon said. "But part of the positive side is that coaches know that's the way it is and that's the way it works and it's always going to work that way. It's just an uncomfortable moment that we can rectify very quickly."
WHITE OUT: The Rays laughed afterward about a misunderstanding that led LHP David Price to have to wash his left arm off before starting the fourth inning. Price said he was using a substance that is supposed to help prevent him from sweating, but he put too much on, "so my arm was white." He made umpire Paul Nauert aware earlier in the game that it wasn't an illegal substance: "He said, 'That's fine.' " But Price said first-base umpire Joe West asked him to wipe it off.
Joked Maddon: "We'll have to probably come up with the list of legitimate foreign substances and those that may not be xenophobic."
BULLPEN BLUES: Throughout their season series, the Rangers bullpen had dominated the Rays so much, it appeared as if Mariano Rivera was pitching every time a Texas reliever stepped on the mound.
That all changed in surprising fashion Sunday, as the Rays picked up as many hits (five) against Rangers relievers as they had combined in their first eight meetings. The Rays were 5-for-77 (.065) against the Texas bullpen before Sunday, when they went 5-for-8 with three walks.
"They've thrown so well, this is the first time they kind of broke down a little bit and left some balls up in the zone," Ben Zobrist said. "They've been keeping the ball in great spots all year against us. Finally, today, they just left some balls in places where we could get some hits."
MISCELLANY: Maddon said CF B.J. Upton, who was in visible pain after getting hit in the left foot with a pitch in the eighth, is fine; the ball just hit the spot not covered by his protective padding, and it was "stiff" for a bit. … . Rays minor-league OF Jon Weber had a key RBI single during a six-run, two-out rally in the seventh as Team USA beat Cuba 10-6 Sunday in Nettuno, Italy, to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
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