Zambrano Struggles As Marlins Lose 11-0 To Rays
ST. PETERSBURG (AP) — About the only good news for the Miami Marlins is Carlos Zambrano is healthy.
Zambrano was knocked out in the third inning Friday night and the Marlins managed just one hit in an 11-0 loss to Matt Moore and the Tampa Bay Rays.
"Not pitching, not hitting equal ... bad (loss)," Miami manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Last week we had the best ballclub in baseball. This week we've got the worst club in baseball."
Ben Zobrist homered and Desmond Jennings drove in four runs in support of Moore (4-5), who gave up a first-inning single and walked three in seven innings. He struck out eight before being replaced by Burke Badenhop after throwing 107 pitches.
Badenhop worked the eighth and Brandon Gomes finished the second one-hitter at Tropicana Field in three days. The Mets' R.A. Dickey beat Tampa Bay 9-1 on Wednesday night, limiting the Rays to an infield single in the first.
Jennings, Jose Lobaton and B.J. Upton each drove in a run in the second against Zambrano, who issued six walks and allowed four runs and three hits in two-plus innings. Will Rhymes had a pair of RBI singles for the Rays, who outscored the Marlins 22-7 during last week's three-game sweep.
"Offense? We still have that?" Guillen said with a smile. "I don't remember seeing a team struggle from the first to ninth hitter. We try. I don't know if we try too hard."
Zambrano (4-5) walked three and allowed seven runs in 2 1-3 innings against the Rays last Saturday in Miami, eventually departing due to lower back stiffness. He threw 46 pitches in the second Friday night and exited after giving up a leadoff single to Ben Zobrist and walking Carlos Pena to begin the third. The right-hander threw 78 pitches in his shortest outing of the season.
"Back is all right," Zambrano said. "Just a bad outing. I was wild. This one is on me. I still believe in this ballclub. I still believe in myself."
The Marlins, swept by the Rays last weekend in Miami and coming off a 1-8 homestand, played without third baseman Hanley Ramirez, who was hit in the nose by a ball while taking batting practice in an indoor cage. His replacement, Donovan Solano, had the only hit off Moore, a clean single to left-center with one out in the first.
"He's fine," Guillen said of Ramirez. "He's got something slight, a little bit broke. The doctor says he can play."
Tampa Bay has won eight straight against its intrastate rivals dating to May 2011, its longest streak ever against an NL opponent. Moore beat the Marlins and Zambrano for the second time in six days.
The Rays were coming off a rough series against the Mets, when they were outscored 29-9 while allowing at least nine runs in each of the three games. The sputtering Marlins offense couldn't extend that pattern against Moore, who has won three straight decisions following a four-game losing streak.
Moore fanned Austin Kearns, Gaby Sanchez and John Buck after Justin Ruggiano drew a leadoff walk in the second. Miami wasted another leadoff walk when Omar Infante popped out and Ruggiano grounded into an inning-ending double play in the fourth.
Solano was the only runner to get beyond first base for Miami. He moved to second when Moore walked Giancarlo Stanton, then scooted to third when Logan Morrison grounded into a force play.
Moore struck out Infante to escape the first-inning jam.
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