Hendrickson's gem gives D-Rays sweep of fading Angels

St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Mark Hendrickson delivered 7 2/3 sparkling innings, Aubrey Huff belted a homer, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays quieted the LA Angels of Anaheim, 2-1, to complete a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field. Hendrickson (8-7) allowed a run on just five hits for Tampa Bay, which has won three in a row and improved to 27-15 since the All-Star break. "I made pitches when I had to, and the defense made plays to help me out," Hendrickson said. A two-run blast by Huff in the second inning provided the Devil Rays' only scoring. Jarrod Washburn (7-8) was the tough-luck loser for the Angels, who have dropped four straight and tumbled out of first place in the AL West -- a half- game behind Oakland. They are also a half-game behind the Yankees for the American League wild card lead. Washburn went seven strong innings, surrendering two runs on five hits while striking out five. Danys Baez earned his 31st save with a scoreless ninth. Orlando Cabrera homered for Los Angeles' lone run. The Devil Rays got two quick runs in the second inning when Huff drilled a homer to right after Eduardo Perez was hit by a pitch. "I went up there (thinking), if he throws a fastball I'll swing," Huff said. "I got a fastball and fouled it back. I had a good swing so I wasn't expecting him to come back with the same pitch. I was fortunate to get a little bit under his slider." The Angels, who only had five baserunners all day, got on the board in the sixth on Cabrera's homer to left. Game Notes This was Tampa Bay's first-ever sweep of the Angels...For the first time ever, the D'Rays have won nine games on a homestand...They have hit 34 home runs this month, the most of any month in franchise history...This was the shortest game of the season at Tropicana Field (2 hours, 6 minutes)...Garrett Anderson has 643 extra-base hits in his career, tying Tim Salmon for the Angels' franchise record.

Source: http://www.wtev.com/