Burrell breaks out of slump with game-winning HR in 11th
Jul/07/09 10:47 PM Filed in:
Pat BurrellST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Struggling slugger Pat Burrell picked an ideal time to pull out of a horrendous slump, hitting a two-run homer in the 11th inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
The AL champions stopped a four-game losing streak that included three losses to rookie pitchers, but hardly pulled out of an offensive funk -- managing just two hits in six innings against Marc Rzepczynski in the 23-year-old lefty's major league debut.
The Rays finished with four hits overall, two after the fourth inning, when Rzepczynski walked three, including Gabe Kapler with the bases loaded, to fall behind 1-0.
Scott Rolen tied it in the eighth with a run-scoring single that extended his career-best hitting streak to 24 games.
Burrell, mired in a 4-for-34 slump, hit his fourth homer of the season connecting off Brandon League (1-4). Dan Wheeler (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win for the Rays, who were outscored 25-7 during their four-game skid.
(espn.com)