Major League Baseball
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Tampa Bay 7, Cleveland 6
When: 1:05 PM ET, Sunday, July 8, 2012
Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
Temperature: 79°
Umpires: Home - Jerry Meals, 1B - Gary Darling, 2B - Paul Emmel, 3B - Scott Barry
Attendance: 19163

Rays 7, Indians 6:
Ben Zobrist's RBI single capped a three-run rally in the ninth inning as Tampa Bay salvaged a four-game series split in Cleveland.

Tampa Bay stormed back from a 6-4 deficit in the top of the final frame against Indians closer Chris Perez (0-2). Will Rhymes cut the Indians' lead to one with a one-out solo homer and, after Elliot Johnson singled, Carlos Peña tied the game with a triple to center field. Peña scored the winning run when Zobrist knocked a 2-0 pitch into right field for a base hit.

Fernando Rodney worked around a pair of hits in the ninth inning to save it for Joel Peralta (1-3), who got his first win of the year despite giving up a solo homer to Shin-Soo Choo in the eighth inning.

Casey Kotchman got the Indians on the board with an RBI single in the second inning and added another in the fifth. In between, he hit a fourth-inning solo homer off Tampa Bay starter James Shields.

Defensive mistakes hurt both sides. The Indians scored runs in the third inning on errors by Shields and third baseman Jeff Keppinger, and the Rays took advantage of a miscue by Cleveland shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera in the sixth, cutting into a 5-0 deficit with two-out, two-run doubles by Luke Scott and Desmond Jennings.

Cleveland starter Zach McAllister gave up four unearned runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking three. Shields went seven innings for the Rays, allowing five runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out five. Four of the runs he yielded were earned.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
The blown save by Perez was his first since April 5. He had converted 24 straight chances. ... In his last four starts, Shields has given up 18 runs and 41 hits over 26 2/3 innings. He has allowed at least 10 hits in three of those outings. ... Cleveland had won McAllister's previous four home starts this season. ... Keppinger's error was the 22nd by a Rays third baseman this year, the most in the major leagues at that position. Tampa Bay has used eight different players at third in 2012.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Tampa Bay   Cleveland
James Shields Player Zach McAllister
No Decision W/L No Decision
7.0 IP 5.2
5 Strikeouts 8
10 Hits 4
5.14 ERA 0.00
Hitting
Tampa Bay   Cleveland
Carlos PenaPlayer Michael Brantley
2 Hits 3
1 RBI 0
0 HR 0
4 TB 4
.400 Avg .750
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Tampa Bay 9 1 17 .243 12 15 7 4 1 2
Cleveland 13 2 23 .325 18 6 4 2 1 1