Rays back in 1st place

Upton and Rodriguez hit three-run homers to help Niemann reach double digits in wins.
By TONY FABRIZIO
afabrizio@tampatrib.com
ST. PETERSBURG - Time and time again on their march to the 2008 American League pennant, the Rays used gritty starting pitching and the long ball to win important games.
They rediscovered that combination Tuesday night, and they used it to take sole possession of first place in the AL East for the first time since June 12.
Sean Rodriguez and B.J. Upton each hit a three-run home run, and nfl jersey
Jeff Niemann reached double-digit wins in a 6-4 victory against the Twins in front of 18,261 fans at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay won for the 10th time in 11 games and improved to 8-1 in its homestand against three playoff-contending teams. With the Yankees losing to Toronto 8-2, the Rays took a one-game lead in the division with a majors-best record of 67-39.
"Obviously, it's nice," Manager Joe Maddon said. "I'm looking at the scoreboard, and I knew the Yankees had lost. Probably a lot of the other guys did, too.
"We want to be in first place. We want to win the division. Of course we want to get to the playoffs, but we want to win the division first. We had been there for a long period of time this year, and now we're back up there."
The final inning was more adventurous than the Rays are accustomed to when Rafael Soriano is pitching, but with help from his defense, the closer earned his 31st save.
After Soriano dropped what would have been a game-ending throw to first from second baseman Rodriguez, who was playing in shallow right field against pinch-hitter Jim Thome, Joe Mauer singled to drive in Denard Span and cut the Rays' lead to 6-4.
Delmon Young came up as the go-ahead run and hit a grounder to short. Jason Bartlett threw a bullet to first to barely get Young for the final out.
Niemann (10-3) had more hits allowed (eight) than innings pitched (seven), but he battled and gave his team a chance to win. He gave up single runs in the first, third and seventh, with the latter coming on a solo home run by Drew Butera.
"He's still not as sharp as he had been, but I'm probably nitpicking," Maddon said of 49ers jersey
Niemann, who improved to 5-2 with a 2.85 ERA in 12 starts at home. "He only gave up, what, three runs after seven innings? That's a pretty good start."
The Twins got one run in the opening frame against Niemann, who gave up two in the first inning of his previous start - a 7-4 win against the Tigers last Wednesday.
Speedy Tampa Catholic grad Span opened with a soft double to left, and reigning AL MVP Mauer, who didn't play in Monday's series opener, singled up the middle to make it 1-0.
But the Rays came back quickly against Brian Duensing, a lefty who replaced struggling Nick Blackburn in the rotation late last month and entered the night 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA.
Carl Crawford walked, Evan Longoria singled on a line drive to left and, with two outs, Rodriguez squared up on a 1-2 change-up and sent it over the wall just right of the 404-foot mark in center
"It was supposed to be a change-up, and he just left it up," Rodriguez said of Duensing's pitch.
Minnesota got one run back in the third inning on Mauer's second RBI single and tied the game at 3 in the seventh on Butera's lead-off solo home run.
The Rays, as they have for more than a month, kept coming.
In the bottom of the seventh, reliever Matt Guerrier walked pinch-hitters John Jaso and Matt Joyce, and Upton hit a 2-0 pitch from Guerrier 397 feet over the left-field wall.
It was the second time this season the Rays have had two three-run homers in a game, with the other coming on April 14 at Baltimore, when Upton and Carlos Peña did it.
"How about us hitting two three-run home runs tonight," Maddon said. "Very unusual for us, although we've been doing a little of that lately."
Reporter Tony Fabrizio can be reached at (813) 259-7994.
Photo credit: Staff photo by CHRIS URSO
Photo: Sean Rodriguez is congratulated by Evan Longoria after his three-run Saints jersey
homer in the first.
Photo credit: Staff photo by CHRIS URSO
Photo: B.J. Upton rounds the bases after hitting the winning three-run home run in the seventh inning.