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 Canseco hits 27th HR Boggs collects 1,000th RBI in Devil Rays' 4-3 victory
Posted: Sunday June 20, 1999 12:06 AM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Jose Canseco gave Tampa Bay a big lift and Bryan Rekar gave the Devil Rays' depleted pitching rotation much-needed innings. Canseco hit his major league-leading 27th homer and Rekar had his longest outing of the season as Tampa Bay defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Saturday night. Wade Boggs added his 1,000th career RBI for Tampa Bay, which won for just the fifth time in 25 games. "We needed it and everybody knows it," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "Rekar came up big tonight." Before the game, Tampa Bay placed right-hander Mickey Callaway on the 15-day disabled list with tightness in his left hamstring. The Devil Rays have put a major league-high 17 players on the DL, including seven pitchers. Canseco, on the other hand, feels as strong as ever. He has homered in 13 consecutive series to tie Roger Maris for the second-longest streak ever in the American League. Maris homered in 13 straight in 1961 and Mark McGwire homered in 20 straight for Oakland in 1996. "I'm healthy," Canseco said when asked why he is hitting so well -- .309 this year as opposed to .237 for Toronto last season. "It's also a little bit of luck. A lot of my line drives are falling in." Canseco missed 12 games in June and July last year, but still hit 46 homers. Rekar did not allow a runner past second base until the eighth when he gave up Marty Cordova's RBI single and Corey Koskie's two-run homer to bring Minnesota within 4-3. Rekar allowed nine hits, while striking out five and walking none. Canseco hit a solo shot in the first inning on a 3-1 fastball from Brad Radke (5-6). The 374-foot line drive to right gave him eight more homers than any Devil Ray hit last year. He has homered in 16 of his last 32 starts. "He's not missing fastballs, that's for sure," Radke said of Canseco. "He's up there hacking. He doesn't get cheated." "Brad challenged him. Jose won that battle," Twins manager Tom Kelly said. Radke allowed three runs and seven hits, while striking out seven and walking two. Tampa Bay added a run in the third on Dave Martinez's sacrifice fly. The Devil Rays made it 3-0 in the fourth when Miguel Cairo hit a ground-rule double with runners on first and second. Roberto Hernandez got the final four outs for his 19th save in 20 chances. The Devil Rays made it 4-0 in the eighth on consecutive doubles by Bubba Trammell and Boggs off Benj Sampson. Jacque Jones led off the bottom of the eighth with a single off Rekar and moved to second on a bunt. Cordova singled up the middle and Koskie followed with his sixth homer. Notes: Sammy Sosa homered in 15 consecutive series last season, the second longest streak in major league history. ... Canseco struck out twice and is now tied with Dwight Evans for 11th on the career list with 1,697. ... Tampa Bay recalled LHP Alan Newman from Class AAA Durham to replace Callaway, who left Friday night's game after his 10th pitch in the first inning. ... The Devil Rays have made errors in 18 of their last 20 games. They have allowed 60 unearned runs, seven more than last season -- 53 was the fewest ever by a first-year expansion team. ... For Father's Day on Sunday all dads will get into the Twins-Devil Rays game for free. ... Jones has now hit safely in 7-of-9 games since being recalled from Salt Lake. ... Koskie is 21-for-50 (.420) over the last 15 games.
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