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Kiermaier, Ramirez lift Rays past Braves and back over .500 (w/video)

 
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (13) doubles in the second inning of the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Tampa Bay Rays in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Tuesday, August 11, 2015.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (13) doubles in the second inning of the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Tampa Bay Rays in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Tuesday, August 11, 2015.
Published Aug. 12, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG — Kevin Kiermaier first started to get encouraged sitting in his Tampa apartment Monday night, able to pick up a bat and grip it for the first time since bruising his right thumb in Saturday's game. By Tuesday morning he felt confident enough to text back Rays manager Kevin Cash and tell him he was a go for the lineup, determined that if pain was the only issue, he was playing.

But even through batting practice, Kiermaier wasn't sure. He had a rubber ring around his thumb under his batting glove, and some more padding on the outside. To accommodate the bulk, he left his usual Victus bat in the rack and switched to a thinner-handled Old Hickory Albert Pujols model.

Kiermaier's first two at-bats against Atlanta's Williams Perez, he felt he was a little late, flying out and grounding into a double play. By the third at-bat, he was ready, and it showed.

Kiermaier's homer with two outs in the seventh delivered the game's only runs in a brisk 2-0 win over the Braves that pushed the Rays back over .500, at 57-56, for the first time since July 18.

"It was just a great feeling running those bases," Kiermaier said. "I didn't feel it too much then."

Erasmo Ramirez was feeling pretty good, too, as he overcame a bit of a shaky start to work into the eighth, retiring 16 straight in a dazzling display of dominance and efficiency. So much so that when he was pulled after allowing a leadoff single in the eighth, he had thrown only 70 pitches.

"I'm super happy we got the win," Ramirez said. "Executing pitches was the big deal for the game today."

Manager Kevin Cash made a couple of interesting decisions.

One was to pull Ramirez when he did, saying he felt "he had definitely done his job at that point" and liked the bullpen matchups better with the tying run at the plate. Ramirez said he was fine with the decision.

"I think it's fairly consistent, that's the way we've gone about it this year and we'll continue to do that," Cash said.

But rather than go to his usual late-inning relievers, Cash opted for Brandon Gomes to finish the eighth then get the first out of the ninth, then lefty Xavier Cedeno, who allowed a single to Nick Markakis before getting A.J. Pierzynski to hit into a game-ending double play for the save. Turns out, the plan was to give All-Star Brad Boxberger, Jake McGee and Steve Geltz an extra day off after a busy weekend.

Defense was part of the win, too. Throws from rightfielder Daniel Nava to second baseman Logan Forsythe to catcher Curt Casali cut down Cameron Maybin at the plate in the first, while third baseman Evan Longoria and Kiermaier also lent a hand.

But the difference, before 15,506 at the Trop, really came down to one swing.

Asdrubal Cabrera, continuing his torrid post-DL streak (.478 in 12 games), singled with one out.

Down 1-and-2 with two outs, Kiermaier was just looking for something to drive and took a good swing at Perez's changeup, getting enough loft and backspin for it to go out, his first homer since June 3.

"I told the guys after the game, 'I don't always hit home runs, but when I do I make them count,' " Kiermaier said.

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Even better that it was the Rays' third straight win and sixth in their past eight, and that they got done fast, just 2:02 for 8½ innings.

"It's always fun winning these pitcher's duels like this and it was like a two-hour game," Kiermaier said. "You couldn't ask for a better game than this."