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HOUSTON -- Down by a run with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon wrestled with whether to send up his last remaining position player as a pinch-hitter. wholesale jerseys . Maddon did it and quickly knew hed made the right decision. Evan Longoria homered twice and drove in five runs and Matt Joyce delivered a go-ahead, pinch-hit double Sunday that sent the Rays over the Houston Astros 14-10 for a three-game sweep. "If I have a chance to really think about it, its pretty easy," Maddon said. "When everything is rushing through your head ... theres all these different thoughts. But at the end of the day the one thought that is overriding was, the bases are loaded, two outs, this is your best chance to win the game right there. And thats what I went with." Joyce didnt think Maddon was going to use him there. "I didnt have my batting gloves on because I didnt expect to hit for (Sean Rodriguez) because I kind of expected to hit for a pitcher in a later inning," Joyce said. " B.J. Upton homered for the third straight day and tied a season high with four RBIs for the Rays, who have won four in a row to improve to a season-high 10 games over .500. Longoria came within a triple of the cycle and had his first multi-homer game since 2009 -- one of his homers was initially ruled a single until the call was overturned after a video replay review. Longoria had eight hits, including three home runs, and 10 RBIs in the series while going without batting gloves for the first time since his rookie season. With the way hes hitting, he may never put on the gloves again. "I dont know, I feel pretty good right now," he said. "Its all in the way my swings feeling and it just so happens that it started happening without the batting gloves. So Im just going to continue until either my hands go or Ive got to change it up again." Joyces two-out, two-run double put the Rays ahead 9-8. Casey Kotchman followed with a two-run single. With all their position players on the bench used, Tampa Bay sent Saturdays starting pitcher, Wade Davis, to bat as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. He got his first career hit on a single to right field to make him the first pitcher in Rays history to get a hit as a pinch-hitter. He was later thrown out at home in a collision that shook up catcher Carlos Corporan. Longoria then hit a three-run homer with two outs to give the Rays a four-run lead. The Astros had taken an 8-7 lead in this wild, back-and-forth game on a solo homer by Jeff Keppinger off J.P. Howell (1-1) in the seventh. "After the fourth inning, I felt like we had already been through nine innings," Houston manager Brad Mills said. "I know it was a long game anyway, but it seemed like the fourth inning almost felt like the ninth." Tampa Bay used 21 players in the interleague matchup. Maddon enjoys games in National League parks because it gives more players a chance to get involved and he likes the unique challenges of managing them. "National League games are a blast," he said. "They really challenge you mentally. Its a totally different game than the American (League). Theres no comparison mentally to the thoughts that you go through on a nightly basis in a National League game compared to an American League game. Not even close." Matt Downs hit a two-run homer off Joel Peralta in the eighth inning to get Houston within 11-10. Reliever Adam Russell gave up a single to Clint Barmes before a sacrifice bunt and a double play ended the inning. "It was a pretty exciting game, and they are fun to play like that when they are close," Barmes said. "In these types of games, you are never out of it. Both sides swung the bat really well. It is just tough coming up on the short end." Houston reliever Wilton Lopez (1-4) took the loss. Uptons homer gave the Rays a 3-0 lead in the first. He drove in another run in the third to end the three-game series with seven RBIs. Longorias first homer was a two-run shot and came in the sixth. The ball, which bounced off the hands of a fan in the first row of the Crawford Boxes, was originally ruled in play and he was thrown out at second. The call was changed following the replay, and that made the score 7-7. Rays starter Jeff Niemann, who is from Houston and played at Rice, allowed seven hits and five runs in his second game since coming off the disabled list with a back injury. Niemann singled on a grounder in the second for his first career hit. He became the first Tampa Bay pitcher to get a hit this season after the staff entered Sundays game 0 for 19. Houston starter J.A. Happ yielded nine hits and five runs in five innings. NOTES: Houstons Carlos Lee has three triples this season to tie a career-high from 2001 with the White Sox. ... The Rays return home on Monday after playing 30 of their last 47 games on the road. ... Upton had hit just one homer in the previous 30 games before this series. NFL Jerseys Cyber Monday Deals . In his first start since being called up, Atlantas winningest pitcher in 2011 allowed one run on three hits and shut down the hot-hitting Boston Red Sox, leading the Braves to a 4-1 win on Friday night. Cheap Houston Texans Jerseys . So while the players are wowing the crowds at Scotiabank Place in Saturdays Skills Competition and Sundays All-Star Game, the cell phone bills of NHL GMs are likely going to spike in the next 31 days. http://www.goodcheapjerseys.com/Nhl-jerseys_Boston...ns-jers ey/ . -- Former AL MVP Miguel Tejada has made the Kansas City Royals opening-day roster as a utility infielder. nfl jerseys china . The Goldeyes lost 7-4 to the Sioux Falls Pheasants Friday night before 2,714 fans at Sioux Falls Stadium. wholesale nfl jerseys . -- Ervin Santana plans to give the ball from his 100th career win to his mother.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The Netherlands limited Canada to just 93 runs in posting a 42-run victory in the first match for both teams in World Twenty20 cricket qualifying Tuesday. After winning the toss, the third-seeded Dutch compiled 135 runs at the expense of six wickets in their 20 overs. Canada started well with Junaid Siddiqui bowling opener Michael Swart with his sixth delivery, leaving the Dutch at 1-7. But Tom Copper and Alexei Kervezee started finding their groove, each hitting 29 The Dutch then removed the sixth-seeded Canadians for 93 runs in 16.4 overs. Canada lost its first five wickets for 26 runs before Jimmy Hansra led Canada and Baidwan steadied the ship. Hansra led Canada with 30 while Baidwan added 21. Canada collapsed after both men exited. Dutch all-rounder Mudassar Bukhari was named man of the match after taking a pair of wickets and scoring 28 runs. Canada is one of 16 ICC associate and affiliate countries in the United Arab Emirates looking to fill the two remaining berths at the Twenty20 World Cup this fall in Sri Lanka. The Canadian players wore black ribbons as a tribute to the late Cliff Cox, former vice-president of Cricket Canada and Canadian captain. Earlier, NNamibia upset Ireland by four runs and defending champion Afghanistan beat Papua New Guinea by six wickets. Cheap Chicago White Sox Jerseys. . Uganda defeated the United States by four wickets and Italy recorded a comfortable nine-wicket win over Oman. Louis Van der Westhuizen spearheaded Namibia by scoring 34 in a handy total of 160-8. He then captured 2-37 to restrict Ireland, which at No. 2 is seeded five places higher than the Namibians, to 156-9. "Everything needs to improve from tomorrow as we are not where we need to be in every aspect of our game for this event," Ireland coach Phil Simmons said. Mohammad Nabi hit 52 to pace Afghanistan in its 113-4 innings. "Being the defending champions, we should have won it a bit more comfortably," Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan said. "No disrespect to PNG, they are a good side. But as the wicket was playing and the bowling wasnt that difficult, we should have got the win quicker." Scotland posted the days best total of 178-7, with opening batsman Calum Macleod hitting 55 and Kyle Coetzer scoring 46 at a rapid pace. Kenya was bowled out for 164 despite Collins Obuya striking 50 and Alex Obanda scoring an entertaining 35 off 17 balls. ' ' '
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