| SEASON | CAREER |
| W7 | 79 |
| L4 | 67 |
| G14 | 199 |
| IP92.0 | 1319.0 |
| BB30 | 312 |
| SO86 | 1113 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W2 | 45 |
| L7 | 37 |
| G15 | 142 |
| IP63.0 | 661.0 |
| BB23 | 193 |
| SO40 | 315 |
Once again, the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays are hoping to play baseball after a rainy night at Citizens Bank Park.
The stakes are far lower this time, and the Phillies have altered their pitching plans for Saturday's opener of this three-game set in the Rays' first visit to Philadelphia since the 2008 World Series.
Friday's scheduled opener was finally postponed after these teams sat through a 2-hour, 48-minute rain delay. It brought back memories of the World Series four years ago, when the Phillies' clinching victory in Game 5 had to be completed two days after it began.
"It seems like there's always a strange occurrence when we come here," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "It's uncanny."
The situation was different this time since the teams never took the field. They will play a day-night doubleheader Sunday.
"(Umpire) Jim Joyce did the right thing," Maddon said. "We would've preferred to get the game in, but it wasn't going to happen."
Philadelphia (33-38) was set to start Cliff Lee on Friday, but the winless left-hander will likely pitch Sunday instead. Kyle Kendrick (2-7, 5.29 ERA) will get the ball Saturday.
Kendrick fell to 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in his last three outings after allowing six runs over 6 1-3 innings last Sunday in a 6-2 defeat at Toronto.
The right-hander is 0-2 with an 8.68 ERA in five career interleague home starts. He has never faced the Rays.
Tampa Bay (38-31) will stick with James Shields (7-4, 3.72). He warmed up for his scheduled start Friday but does not believe that will hinder him one day later.
"Absolutely, I'm good to go," Shields said. "I warmed up like I was going into the game. Then I shut it down a little when it started to rain harder."
The right-hander has allowed four runs - one earned - and 13 hits over 14 innings in his last two starts, both against Miami. He had recorded an 8.18 ERA in losing his previous two outings.
Shields last faced Philadelphia in Game 2 of the 2008 World Series, throwing 5 2-3 scoreless innings in Tampa Bay's lone victory.
The following June, the Rays took two of three from the Phillies at home, improving to 10-3 in the last 13 regular-season matchups.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had kept Shane Victorino out of Friday's lineup. The center fielder is batting .252 on the season, but has six hits in his last 16 at-bats and could play Saturday.
Tampa Bay made some roster moves Friday, placing outfielder Matt Joyce on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique strain. Jeff Keppinger , a .295 hitter, was reinstated from the DL after missing 29 games with a broken right big toe.
Reliever Joel Peralta has dropped his appeal and will begin serving his eight-game suspension for using a foreign substance on his glove in Tuesday's 5-4 victory at Washington.
The Rays have dropped six of nine while the Phillies are losers of 13 of 18.
AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPS
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Jeff Keppinger | 6 | .167 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .334 | .167 |
| Carlos Pena | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Cole Hamels | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Hunter Pence | 4 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Juan Pierre | 14 | .214 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .214 | .428 | .214 |
| Placido Polanco | 17 | .471 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .471 | 1.412 | .941 |
| Jimmy Rollins | 3 | .333 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | 1.000 | .667 |
| Brian Schneider | 2 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | 1.000 | .500 |
| Jim Thome | 24 | .333 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | .407 | .865 | .458 |
| Ty Wigginton | 12 | .417 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | .462 | 1.379 | .917 |
 Tampa Bay Rays |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| June 20, 2012 | Matt Joyce | 15-Day DL | Strained left oblique |
| June 17, 2012 | Matt Joyce | Day-to-Day | Flu |
| June 15, 2012 | Jeremy Hellickson | 15-Day DL | Right shoulder fatigue |
| June 14, 2012 | Luke Scott | Day-to-Day | Mid-back spasms |
| June 12, 2012 | Ben Zobrist | Day-to-Day | Bruised right hand |
| June 09, 2012 | Luke Scott | 15-Day DL | Mid-back spasms |
 Philadelphia Phillies |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| June 07, 2012 | Freddy Galvis | 15-Day DL | Lower back strain |
| June 05, 2012 | Placido Polanco | Day-to-Day | Left game - left index finger laceration |
| June 02, 2012 | Jose Contreras | 60-Day DL | Torn UCL, right elbow - out for season |
| May 28, 2012 | Roy Halladay | 15-Day DL | Right latissimus dorsi strain |
| May 16, 2012 | Placido Polanco | Day-to-Day | Left knee contusion |
| May 12, 2012 | Vance Worley | 15-Day DL | Right elbow inflammation |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Jim Thome knows the routine. Hit a game-ending homer, circle the bases, get mobbed by teammates.
It never gets old.
Thome hit a pinch home run leading off the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Tampa Bay Rays 7-6 on Saturday after Jonathan Papelbon blew his first save in 18 chances this season.
Thome connected off Jake McGee (2-2) for home run No. 609, tying Sammy Sosa for seventh place on baseball's career list. It was the 13th time he did it to end a game.
"You never forget them," Thome said. "These are moments you never know how long you'll have them."
Juan Pierre and Jimmy Rollins also homered for the Phillies, helping manager Charlie Manuel earn his 900th career win.
"To do that for him, it was special for sure," said Thome, who is very close to Manuel.
In the first meeting at Citizens Bank Park between this teams since Philadelphia won the 2008 World Series, the Phillies rallied from a 3-0 deficit against James Shields with homers from their Nos. 1-2 hitters. But Papelbon couldn't hold the lead.
Thome then came through to lead the five-time defending NL East champions out of last place for the first time since May 4. He hit a high drive to left field, jogged around the bases to a rousing ovation and got a cream pie in the face from Shane Victorino afterward on the field.
"That felt great," Thome said. "They put whipped cream instead of shaving cream so that was nice."
Tampa Bay's Jeff Keppinger was 5 for 5 with three RBIs in his first game after he missed 29 because of a broken toe.
Papelbon (2-2) allowed his first earned runs in a save situation this season. He walked Jose Lobaton with two outs to extend the game. Keppinger followed with an RBI single. Then, Brooks Conrad ripped a run-scoring single to right to tie it. Conrad was 3 for 41 before that hit.
"I've got to do a better job," Papelbon said.
Papelbon said he told Thome in the on-deck circle that he would give him $5,000 if he hit a homer. Papelbon said he wrote the check in the clubhouse.
"That was a huge pickup by Jim Thome ," Papelbon said. "I couldn't be happier for anybody in the clubhouse."
Shields, who beat the Phillies in Game 2 of the `08 Series for Tampa Bay's only win, allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings. Since starting 5-0, Shields is 2-4 with a 4.69 ERA.
Tampa Bay has lost three straight.
"Tip your hat to Thome. He hit a 96 mph fastball off a left-hander and they beat us," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
The 41-year-old Thome was 0 for 12 as a pinch-hitter before his at-bat. He batted .333 with four homers and 14 RBIs in nine games as a designated hitter during interleague play earlier this month.
Shields fanned the first two batters in the fourth before getting in trouble. Pinch-hitter Mike Fontenot and Rollins hit consecutive singles. That brought up Pierre, who hadn't gone deep in 366 at-bats, dating to Aug. 16 with the Chicago White Sox. Pierre lined career homer No. 17 over the right-field fence, and strutted down the line with a finger pointed in the air.
Pierre reached on a two-base error, hustling his way to second base in the seventh. Carlos Ruiz looped an RBI single to right off Brandon Gomes to make it 6-3.
The Rays loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth against Antonio Bastardo , but only got one run on an RBI single by Sean Rodriguez .
Kendrick got Philadelphia started in the third with a leadoff walk. Rollins followed with a drive that hooked inside the right-field foul line to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Phillies had runners on first and third with one out, but couldn't push across the tying run. Ty Wigginton struck out and Placido Polanco flied out.
Kendrick allowed three runs and six hits in four innings, striking out six. He is 1-3 with a 7.36 ERA in five starts since shutting out St. Louis on May 26.
Kendrick retired the first four batters before unraveling with one out in the second. He allowed a single to Ben Zobrist and walked Lobaton. Keppinger followed with a two-run double down the left-field line. He advanced to third on a throwing error by second baseman Michael Martinez and scored on Shields' groundout for a 3-0 Rays lead.
Notes: Pierre was 2 for 4 with three RBIs, two runs and two stolen bases. He also made a sliding catch in left field. ... Phillies RHP Mike Stutes will have arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Tuesday. Dr. Lewis Yocum will perform the operation. ... Rays RHP Todd Farnsworth (right elbow strain) is scheduled to make his first back-to-back rehab appearances on Sunday and Monday. ... Shields struck out seven. ... Ruiz was hit by a pitch for the major league-leading 12th time. ... The Phillies had their 255th straight sellout, including postseason play. ... The Phillies will send Cole Hamels (10-3, 3.25) and Cliff Lee (0-3, 3.48) to the mound in their day/night doubleheader Sunday. David Price (9-4, 3.08) will pitch the first game for Tampa Bay. The Game 2 starter is undecided.
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Rob Maaddi can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/RobMaaddi
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Tampa Bay Rays