Game 1: It was the Kevin Kerstetter show once again as the lefty pitched his first career MLB shutout, a 3-hitter against Cleveland as the Rays won 5-0. Kerstetter took a no-hitter into the 7th before .321-hitting Juan Sanchez led off the inning with a single. He wasn't even in any trouble until the 9th, when he loaded the bases with 2 out but got Jose Escobar to fly out. Kerstetter walked 2 and struck out 9 in the 113-pitch gem and is now 17-0, 2.17 and he finally qualifies for the ERA lead ahead of Texas's Victor Presas at 2.33. The offense didn't get a lot of hits but made them count by putting them out of the park. Omar Rodriguez hit a 2-run shot (#26) in the 3rd and Jaiden Hardaway followed later in the inning with #23 to make it 3-0. Bo Angeac added #22 in the 8th after a run scored on a wild pitch to give Kerstetter the cushion he needed to stay in during the 9th.
From the league office:
Seemed like kind of a front-loaded month for Ayala, who's been relatively quiet over the last couple of weeks.
September 1: Recalled OF Jeremy Glasson and P Willie Bertone from AAA Durham.
September roster expansion is upon us, and Bertone was brilliant at Durham (0.70 ERA in 25 innings with a 10/39 BB/K ratio), while Glasson is the guy we acquired from Seattle at the deadline who probably doesn't have a real future with us but will provide another bat off the bench.
Game 2: The Rays got some late-inning thunder to take a 4-3 win over Cleveland at Publix Park. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the 8th, Omar Rodriguez came through with a 2-run blast (#27) to give them the win after he had earlier singled in a run. He and Bo Angeac had given them a first-inning 2-0 lead but Cleveland chipped away at Nate Schultz until they took the lead off him in the 7th as the righty finished 6.1 7 3 3 3 6. Mike Wherry got him out of the inning and then pitched the 8th, picking up his 6th win of the season thanks to O-Rod. Kikuo Kawase pitched around a leadoff walk and got a couple of whiffs for save #33.
Game 3: There was no Game 3 as it was rained out. Cleveland will come back to town on September 17 to make it up.
Team record: 109-28. Next up: Baltimore comes in for 3, but two of them are a doubleheader on Tuesday.