Crawford fuels Rays’ 10-4 win
Zack Greinke could appreciate the game Carl Crawford had against him.
Crawford had three hits, three RBI and stole his 49th base of the season, leading the Tampa Bay Rays past the Kansas City Royals 10-4 Monday.
The Rays’ All-Star left fielder went 3-for-3 against Greinke (10-7) after having just one hit in 16 previous at-bats against him.
“He hit a fastball away, a slow curve and changeup down,” Greinke said. “He helped make it look worse than it could have been.”
Willy Aybar hit solo homers from both sides of the plate for the Rays, who won nine of 10 games in the season series with Kansas City. Aybar homered left-handed off Greinke in the fifth and went deep from the right side against Ron Mahay two innings later.
“I’ve had a lot of good luck,” Aybar, who is 4-of-6 against Greinke, said through a translator.
Greinke allowed six runs and 10 hits over five innings, and is 0-4 in six starts since his last win on June 28 at Pittsburgh. He is 0-3 in five career games, including four starts, at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay left-hander Scott Kazmir (6-6) gave up three runs and six hits in six-plus innings. The left-hander was coming off a 6-2 win over CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees last Tuesday.
Royals bench coach John Gibbons filled in for manager Trey Hillman, who left the team after Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Rays to tend to a family matter. Hillman might return Tuesday.
Aybar’s second homer came in a four-run seventh that put Tampa Bay up 10-3. Jason Bartlett, hitting in the leadoff spot because B.J. Upton was rested, knocked in two runs on his third hit, a triple to right-center.
Rays manager Joe Maddon said he might tweak his regular lineup, which could include keeping Bartlett, who is hitting .337, at the top of the lineup. Aybar might get more at-bats at designated hitter with starter Pat Burrell struggling.