Texas manager Ron Washington took the blame for a tough loss.
Evan Longoria hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Rangers 5-4 on Tuesday night after Washington didn't have closer Neftali Feliz ready to go.
With the Rays trailing by a run, Longoria gave Tampa Bay the lead with his two-out drive off Arthur Rhodes (3-3) after Johnny Damon reached on an opposite-field bloop single to left that deflected off the glove of shortstop Elvis Andrus.
"I should have had (Feliz) up after I brought Arthur in," Washington said. "Just in case he didn't get Damon, I should have had him going. I thought about it, but didn't act on it. I'll take the blame for it all."
Andrus said he briefly lost Damon's ball in the roof at Tropicana Field.
"I saw the ball the second time, I was like, 'I really got a chance on it,"' Andrus said. "Went off my glove."
Longoria was back hitting fourth after three games as the leadoff man, a move designed to help him work out of an offensive funk. The Rays' All-Star third baseman went 2 for 3 with a walk Tuesday after getting five hits in 11 at-bats during the previous three games.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
"Throwing a changeup," Rhodes said about Longoria's homer. "Trying to get him to pop up."
Nelson Cruz scored from third on a wild pitch by Joel Peralta (2-3) with two outs in the eighth as the Rangers took a 4-3 lead. Peralta had replaced J.P Howell after the left-hander gave up consecutive singles to begin the inning.
Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce also homered for the Rays.
Joyce, who entered with a major league-best .368 batting average, pulled Tampa Bay even at 3 on a two-out, two-run shot off Texas starter C.J. Wilson in the seventh. Longoria started the inning with an infield single.
"I missed my spot. If I hit my spot, I don't think he's going to do much with it," Wilson said. "I'm really disappointed with myself. I feel like I cost us the game for us. It's frustrating."
Wilson had walked Joyce to load the bases with one out in the second, and then got a double-play grounder from Kelly Shoppach. After the game, Wilson said he probably should have walked Joyce again in the seventh.
Wilson gave up three runs, three hits, four walks and struck out 10 in 6 2-3 innings. He took a one-hitter into the seventh.
The Rangers, who had won in three in a row, went ahead 2-1 during the top of seventh on Ian Kinsler's run-scoring single off Rays' starter Alex Cobb. Michael Young extended the lead later in the inning to 3-1 with an RBI single against Howell.
Adrian Beltre put the Rangers up 1-0 with a third-inning RBI single.
Rodriguez, one day after making three errors at shortstop, tied it at 1 during the third on his second homer this season and first since April 5.
"They answered each time with two outs," Washington said. "It's tough to get two-out RBIs, but they got it."
Wilson struck out five in a row after Rodriguez's shot, and made a barehanded grab on Justin Ruggiano's inning-ending grounder in the fifth. The left-hander was facing Tampa Bay for the first time since allowing two hits over 6 1-3 scoreless innings in Game 2 of last year's ALDS.
Notes: After hitting at least four homers in each of their last three games, the Rangers did not go deep Tuesday. ... Andrus was out of the lineup with a sore left foot, but fouled out to end the eighth as a pinch hitter. ... Washington said a final decision on whether Matt Harrison (index finger blister) will make his next scheduled start Thursday has not been made. The left-hander threw off a bullpen mound Tuesday.
