By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, September 4, 2011

GAINESVILLE — Any questions about QB John Brantley's ability to run Florida's new pro-style offense should be put to rest following Saturday's 41-3 win over Florida Atlantic, coach Will Muschamp believes.

Brantley was 21-of-30 for 229 yards, two interceptions and one touchdown. But more important, Muschamp said Sunday, was the way he managed the game and commanded the offense.

"I'm just very pleased with how he directed the offense, got us in the right runs, got us in the right protections, took the ball to the right spots," Muschamp said. "Certainly, we've got some things to clean up. But for a first ball game, first offense, new scheme, all the newness to everything we're doing, very pleased with the performance."

Muschamp's greatest disappointment? The Gators weren't tested enough.

"We certainly didn't face, maybe, as much adversity as I would have wanted to," he said. "I would have liked to have had more adversity, to have us handle those situations."

INJURY UPDATE: CB Jeremy Brown (knee), WR Robert Clark (hamstring) and WR Omarius Hines (hamstring) did not dress. Hines and Clark are probable to questionable for this week. Brown will be evaluated this week.

DYNAMIC DUO: The Florida offensive line generated praise, particularly with Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey rushing for 105 and 79 yards, respectively. LT Xavier Nixon said the two make it easy to shine.

"They are very versatile players, and they make things happen," Nixon said. "When you get them in tandem together, it's a beautiful thing."

IN DEFENSE OF NO. 2: Leading into Saturday, Muschamp said he didn't expect backup QB Jeff Driskel to play. But with Brantley battling a lower back issue, Driskel played briefly in the first half, throwing an interception, and one series late in the game. He was 4-of-6 for 42 yards.

Muschamp said Driskel's playing time was not related to Brantley.

"We've got to prepare, and we needed to get Jeff to get those snaps," he said. "He's earned the right to be the backup quarterback at Florida. John is our starter. There is no issue.

"I just look at the big picture. It's a long season. I didn't want to just throw him out there in Week 2 and he hadn't taken any snaps and the game's still hanging in the balance."

ORANGE VS. BLUE: Muschamp said the decision to wear orange jerseys wasn't based on his desire to relive the days when he attended games as a child. "Our seniors wanted to wear orange," Muschamp said. "It had nothing to do with me. Our main home uniform is still the blue jersey."

Antonya English can be reached at englissh@sptimes.com. Check out her blog at tampabay.com/blogs/gators.

By Robert McCue, Times Correspondent
Sunday, September 4, 2011

What's hot: Inshore, the summer doldrums will continue the next few weeks. The ratio of darkness to light will increase over the same period of time. The first cool front is likely as well. It will take both of these natural variables to spark the start of fall fishing.

Mangrove snapper fishing will peak this month. Accessible by land or boat, snapper can be found near virtually any piece of structure that includes rock piles, reefs, docks, bridge pilings, channel edges and riprap.

Pro tip: The key to catching inshore snapper is finding good tidal movement and keeping your gear as stealth as possible. Fish with live shrimp or sardines on No. 1 hooks, 15-pound leader and just enough weight to reach the bottom.

Robert McCue can be reached toll-free at 1-800-833-0489 or via www.GiantTarpon.com.

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Padres 7, Rockies 2

SAN DIEGO — Jeremy Hermida and Will Venable drove in three runs each, and San Diego snapped a nine-game skid. Hermida had an RBI single in the first and a two-run single in the third as the Padres won for the first time since 7-5 at San Francisco on Aug. 23. Venable tripled with the bases loaded in a four-run eighth. Mat Latos pitched seven strong innings.

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Mets 6, Nationals 3

WASHINGTON — Willie Harris had a pinch-hit two-run single, highlighting a four-run rally in the sixth inning that lifted New York and spoiled what was likely Livan Hernandez's final game with Washington. Hernandez started the Nationals home opener in 2005.

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Marlins 5, Phillies 4

14 innings

MIAMI — Mike Cameron drove in the winner with a two-out bases-loaded walk for Florida, which rallied for the second straight game.

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Braves 4, Dodgers 3

ATLANTA — Martin Prado hit a walkoff single as Atlanta snapped Los Angeles' six-game winning streak and avoided its first three-game sweep this season. Jose Costanza hit a one-out single off Blake Hawksworth in the ninth. He moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Prado's liner inside the leftfield line.

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Yankees 9, Blue Jays 3

NEW YORK — Derek Jeter tied a career high with five RBIs, CC Sabathia earned his 19th win and New York polished off a three-game sweep. Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher homered for the AL East leaders to help Sabathia win his seventh straight start against Toronto. MVP candidate Jose Bautista went 0-for-3 vs. Sabathia and is 0-for-18 with eight strikeouts against him this season.

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Indians 9, Royals 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Shelley Duncan had a career-high five RBIs on two homers into the gusting wind, and Asdrubal Cabrera returned after missing a game with a knee bruise to drive in two runs for Cleveland. Duncan hit a three-run homer in the sixth and a two-run shot in the eighth to help the Indians (70-67) surpass last season's win total.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Angels 4, Twins 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Joel Pineiro posted his first victory in almost two months and Bobby Abreu homered for Los Angeles in the rubber game. Pineiro, making his third start since a brief demotion to the bullpen, was 0-3 with a 10.30 ERA in six starts since beating the Mariners 9-3 on July 9 at Angel Stadium. Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells added insurance runs with RBI singles in the eighth inning as the Angels remained 3½ behind the Rangers in the AL West.

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Best debut

The best thing about the start of the college football season is the return of ESPN's College GameDay, the finest pregame show in the history of sports television. Host Chris Fowler and analyst Kirk Herbstreit are, by leaps and bounds, the strongest part of the show, but a new guy showed lots of promise Saturday in his debut.

Former Georgia linebacker David Pollack was on air only for a few minutes, but he was relaxed, smooth and confident in his delivery and well worth listening to, as well. Hopefully, GameDay will tap into Pollack a little more in future shows.

Best coverage

Saturday's USF-Notre Dame game, which featured two weather delays totaling nearly three hours, could have been a television nightmare for NBC. Instead, it turned out to be a shining moment for NBC Sports.

For starters, a quirk in NBC's scheduling actually turned out in its favor. Notre Dame football is usually produced by Rob Hyland and called by Tom Hammond. But Hyland and Hammond were in South Korea for the track and field world championships.

That meant producer Tommy Roy filled for Hyland and no sports producer is more accustomed to weather delays than Roy. That's because Roy's primary responsibility at NBC is producing golf, which often has weather delays. Meantime, Dan Hicks, normally seen hosting NBC's golf coverage, was filling in for Hammond. And no play-by-play announcer is more used to filling time during weather delays than Hicks.

Another star Saturday was sideline reporter Alex Flanagan. For those who think sideline reporters are unnecessary, Flanagan proved otherwise Saturday, especially in her interview with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick. We learned the teams were getting nutrition through food and drink, and that no one was allowed to watch video of the first half. That's good stuff.

Later, Hicks and color analyst Mike Mayock interviewed Big East officiating head Terry McAulay, who explained the various rules associated with weather delays. Throughout, NBC showed weather maps with the impending storms.

The only thing viewers might quibble with was NBC moving the end of the game to Versus, but even that was understandable. NBC had invested a lot of time, money and energy for Saturday night's debut of "Family Movie Night" and certainly didn't want a family movie ending at midnight.

All in all, it was a bad day and night for Notre Dame, but a great one for USF and NBC.

Worst silence

Because ESPN's College GameDay is so great, it makes it that much more disappointing when it drops the ball. This past offseason was one of the most tumultuous in college football history with conference shifts and major scandals hitting Ohio State, Miami and North Carolina. College GameDay has become the show of record for college football. While it briefly addressed teams possibly leaving the Big 12 and recapped the problems at Ohio State, it really didn't delve into those topics, especially the scandals, during Saturday's 2011 debut.

Host Chris Fowler, top, and analyst Kirk Herbstreit are two of the strongest voices when it comes to college football. Fans want their opinions, their analysis, their perspective. What makes GameDay so good is that it is so thorough, but not addressing college football at an obvious crossroads left a hole in Saturday's show.

Most interesting point

During the Rays Live pregame show Sunday, analyst Brian Anderson pointed out how outfielder B.J. Upton struggled this season when trade rumors were their strongest.

Anderson mentioned how Upton went into a 5-for-52 slump just before the July 31 trade deadline and then went in a 5-for-36 hole the last two weeks in August when he was eligible to be involved in a waiver deal. But, in between, he played well and then drove in five runs Saturday night.

Not a bad theory and worth throwing out there. Then again, Upton is hitting .222 a year after hitting .237 and two years after hitting .241. So the problem might go a little beyond trade rumors.

Three things I liked on TV this weekend

1. NBC's coverage of the PGA, especially Jimmy Roberts' feature on the Folds of Honor Foundation, a golf foundation that provides scholarship money for children and spouses of military men and women killed or disabled while serving.

2. ESPN's College GameDay feature on Alabama long snapper Carson Tinker, who was badly injured and lost his girlfriend in the Alabama tornado outbreak in April.

3. Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit calling the LSU-Oregon game Saturday night. I never get tired of those two together on a broadcast.

Three things I didn't like on TV this weekend

1. No Mike Lupica on ESPN's Sports Reporters for the second week in a row. Like him or not, Lupica is the Reggie Jackson of that show — the straw that stirs the drink.

2. You know, 99 times out of a 100, I don't mind Rays TV announcers Dewayne Staats and Brian Anderson getting silly and going well off topic. Sunday was, for some reason, time No. 100.

3. Local high school football games on TV are okay, but national games? We already get like 48 college games a weekend, do we really need high school games, too?

Three things that popped into my head

1. Maybe Notre Dame's Brian Kelly is a good coach and he might even be a nice guy. But did you see how much he yells? He makes Bob Knight look like Leo Buscaglia.

2. Boise State fans will point to the win over Georgia as proof the Broncos can play with the big boys. Hey, Boise is good, but you can't brag too loudly about beating the seventh or eighth best team in the SEC.

3. Best part about Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova getting knocked out of the U.S. Open? We don't have to hear them screaming on every point. Seriously, their matches have become unwatchable because of it.

St. Petersburg Times staff writer Tom Jones looks back at the best and worst from a weekend of televised sports.

Best lines

One of the better TV moments of the weekend came during Saturday's dramatic U.S. Open tennis match between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka. Late in a grueling second set, Williams went all-out for a shot and ended up doing a full split, which CBS smartly showed from several angles. "That hurts just looking at it,'' CBS analyst John McEnroe said. "If I tried that, I'd be out for a year.'' McEnroe thought about that and decided he wouldn't miss a year: "Make that 'life.' '' It really was a splendid match as Williams won 6-1, 7-6 (7-5). Azarenka was seeded fourth and only faced Williams in the third round because Williams hasn't played a full schedule this season and is seeded 28th. She remains, of course, one of the top players in the world. As the two pounded it back and forth during the second set, CBS's Mary Carillo said: "This is why it's such a great pity that this is a first-week match. This deserves to be have been played in the second week.'' That's one way to look at it. Another way is that U.S. Open fans got a great match to watch in the middle weekend instead of, possibly, missing it on a weekday or weeknight in the second week.

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Rangers 11, Red Sox 4

BOSTON — Josh Hamilton capped a seven-run sixth inning with a bases-loaded triple and Matt Harrison had a solid start for Texas. Ian Kinsler homered, drove in three runs and made a stellar defensive play for the AL West-leading Rangers, who took two of three. Boston went 4-5 on its homestand.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Rays vs. Rangers

When/where: 1:10 today; Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Starting pitchers:

RAYS:

RH James Shields (13-10, 2.84)

RANGERS:

RH Scott Feldman (1-0, 2.86)

Watch for …

Going the distance: Shields has won his past two starts, including eight shutout innings against the Rangers last week. He's is 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA in seven career starts against Texas.

Great Scott: Feldman, stepping in for struggling Alexi Ogando, is coming off two strong outings, including six shutout innings against the Rays last week. He is 4-1, 1.41 in nine appearances (four starts) against Tampa Bay.

Prediction of the day

The Rays held their fantasy football draft after Sunday's game, and there was plenty of trash talk and trade discussions leading up to it. C Kelly Shoppach, right, the defending champ who proudly had last season's trophy and a shirt reading "Champ" with No. 1 up in his locker, predicts a repeat: "It's over already. Champ stays the champ."

For the birds

RF Matt Joyce was a bit surprised to see pigeons flocking by the Rays bullpen mound around the rightfield line during the middle innings. "I thought that was pretty funny," Joyce said. "I didn't have any seeds or anything to give them. It's one of baseball's weird quirks, and makes the game fun."

Number of the day

13

Complete games for the Rays this season, a club record (12 in 2002). Only the Phillies have more complete games this season (15).

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, September 4, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — OF Matt Joyce knows that baseball is a game of "ups and downs."

He has certainly seen both in his All-Star season, from his red-hot start when he peaked at .377 to watching his batting average dip back to .273.

But Joyce appears to be getting into a comfort zone recently, partly a product of getting better pitches while up in the order and accepting his walks with a solid approach.

Joyce, who had a sacrifice fly and solo homer Sunday — his first in his past 12 games — is batting .355 with seven extra-base hits over his past 14 games.

"I definitely feel a lot better," Joyce said.

Manager Joe Maddon said he has wanted to move Joyce up in the lineup so that he could get more pitches to hit than he saw from the seven hole, and he hit cleanup Sunday.

"I feel like there's definitely more opportunities with runners on base," Joyce said. "I definitely feel comfortable there, I like hitting in the middle of the order. But again, he's the manager and he makes the decisions."

Maddon feels Joyce, who is batting .282, is showing better pitch selection, and it has shown with five walks of his 44 this season in the past five games.

"He looks better," Maddon said. "We'll see where it takes us. For him to finish strong, he has a shot to bring his batting average up to a pretty solid number by the end of the year. It is solid, but it could be really good by the end of the season if we get him hot again."

LINING UP: Ben Zobrist missed his second straight game due to a nagging neck injury. But Maddon said Zobrist is feeling better, and he hopes he'll be close to 100 percent today and back in the lineup against the Rangers.

CF B.J. Upton was out of the lineup after racking up five RBIs in Saturday's win. Maddon said it was a planned day off, based upon this week's schedule, and he wanted to stick with it "regardless of what he had done (Saturday)."

PRICE CHECK: RHP James Shields, who has arguably one of the best changeups in the game, said he and LHP David Price have been working hard over the past month on Price's changeup, and it has paid off big-time.

Price said he finally found a grip he likes, best described as a modified circle change, and has the confidence to throw it more often. "I got that feel for it right now, that's what I've been looking for about 26 years," he quipped.

Price said his start in Toronto, when he struck out a club-record 14, showed him how much better he can be with the addition of the pitch. In previous seasons, Price threw a changeup "maybe three-four times a month." Against the Blue Jays, he threw about 20.

"I was using the inside part of the plate very well with my two-seam (fastball) and now I'm able to throw my changeup away, and they didn't have a whole lot of good swings on it," he said.

Shields said the two would just tinker with the pitch while playing catch.

Said Shields: "He's got one of the most electric arms in the big leagues, and I think by him adding his changeup and him throwing his cut fastball is really making him a dynamic pitcher. He's kind of stepped up his game to a whole other level."

HOT CORNER: Though 3B Evan Longoria racked up three errors in a series for the first time in his career, and has four in his past six games, Maddon isn't concerned about the two-time Gold Glover.

Maddon said that Longoria has been good on plays where he comes in and goes to his left, as he showed in Sunday's game. It's the balls that are deep at third where Maddon says he's "maybe not getting his feet working well enough to make the throw."

"Overall, I'll take it," Maddon said of Longoria's defense. "That just seems to be the spot that is the more difficult throw for him this year."

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

BALTIMORE — Will Power had a masterful drive on a tough street course Sunday to win the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix, tightening the IndyCar points chase with three races left.

Power deftly negotiated bumpy roads on a circuit around Camden Yards to earn his sixth win of 2011, a career high.

"I'm just exhausted, but that was a championship run," said Power, who pulled within five points (507-502) of three-time series champ Dario Franchitti.

Oriol Servia was second, 10.2096 seconds back, with Tony Kanaan third and Franchitti fourth. Kanaan started 27th in a backup after a wreck in morning practice.

Servia and Kanaan made their final stops during a long yellow-flag period. Power had enough of a lead after the restart that he made his final pit stop and still came out ahead of Servia.

"It feels like one of my best wins," Power said.

NHRA: Antron Brown led after the fifth and final round of Top Fuel qualifying at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis with a run of 3.818 seconds at 322.96 mph. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also led their classes for today's eliminations.

EAST BAY RACEWAY: Bryan Bernhardt won the Late Model feature Saturday in Gibsonton.

Times staff
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Lee Roy Selmon's death leaves a lot of sadness in the community. Share your thoughts or condolences in the comments section of this story. We may put some of them in Monday's paper.

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Athletics 8, Mariners 5

OAKLAND, Calif. — David DeJesus and Ryan Sweeney drove in two runs each, Hideki Matsui doubled three times and Oakland completed a three-game sweep. Kurt Suzuki, Brandon Allen and Josh Willingham also drove in runs as the A's won their third straight following a five-game losing streak. Trevor Cahill improved to 1-4 with a 6.46 ERA over his past seven starts.

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

BALTIMORE — In spite of everything Miami's football program has gone through this summer, the Hurricanes won't be bringing a woe-is-us attitude into tonight's game against Maryland.

Eight players were suspended, including incumbent starting quarterback Jacory Harris and standout linebacker Sean Spence, for taking improper benefits from a booster. The Hurricanes will be decidedly short-handed in their first game under coach Al Golden.

And they're okay with it.

"There hasn't been any complaining. There hasn't been any excuses. There's been a next-man-in mentality," said Golden, who spent the previous five seasons as Temple's coach.

"I feel badly for the guys who can't play. But it's an incredible opportunity for guys who maybe haven't played as much or are on the young side to step up and make a statement on an incredible stage."

Best of all for the Hurricanes, it's a chance to play football instead of talking about sanctions and suspensions.

"We're looking very forward to this," junior running back Mike James said. "I can't explain it. We've been waiting for this time since they put the countdown clock in the locker room. It's an 8:02 kickoff, and I'll be ready to go."

It's not as if Miami is suddenly scrambling.

"We had a little bit of foresight when this thing first happened that we might have to alter some plans and do some things, which gave us some time to start to think about, 'If this, then that,' " defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio said. "We started to get some guys reps early enough on, so I think it's going to help us."

The Hurricanes know about playing without their first-string quarterback. Harris missed last season's game against Maryland because of a concussion. His backup, Stephen Morris, threw a touchdown pass with 37 seconds left to give Miami a 26-20 win.

The sophomore will start this time, too. And Jordan Futch will replace Spence, the senior considered by many analysts to be the best player on Miami's defense.

"Sean's an incredible talent," Futch, a senior, said. "That's the hardest part, trying to fill his shoes. He's been coaching me up real good, getting me prepared for this game."

Futch and the defense will try to duplicate their performance last year against the Terrapins. Sophomore Danny O'Brien went 9-for-28 for 134 yards with a touchdown and interception.

"He's going to come out and try to kick our behinds," Futch said. "He's going to be fired up."

The Terrapins know better than to believe their task will be easier because of the Hurricanes' off-field problems.

"I know it's tough down there," junior defensive lineman Joe Vellano said. "But they're going to come ready to play. Obviously, it's a distraction. But we're just focused on us."

Times wires
Sunday, September 4, 2011

Track and field

Bolt, Jamaica win 4x100 gold in world record

DAEGU, South Korea — In a whirlwind week, Usain Bolt turned the biggest disappointment of his career into another golden show capped with a world record.

After opening with a false start in the 100 final last week, Bolt produced the amazing in his closing race of the world championships — anchoring Jamaica to a world record in the 4x100-meter relay Sunday.

"I said, 'Why not give my all.' I kept saying: 'I can do this. I can do this,' " he said.

One day after winning gold in the 200, Bolt crossed the line for a time of 37.04 seconds (previous 37.10) — the only world record in nine days of competition. He got all the help he needed from his teammates — Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Yohan Blake.

"This record was a great achievement," Bolt said. "I finished the championships on a good note, so I'm proud of myself."

American Allyson Felix added another gold to bring her collection of titles to a women's record eight over four championships. She ran the second leg of the winning 4x100 relay.

And with Christian Taylor and Will Claye, former NCAA champions at Florida, winning gold and bronze in the triple jump, it left the United States at the top of medal standings with 12 gold and 25 overall. Russia was second with nine gold and 19 medals overall.

"It's about time. That is what I would say," Taylor said of the American success. "The U.S. definitely represented and showed the world we are the best team."

Et cetera

Basketball: France (4-0) outscored Italy 31-17 in the fourth quarter despite playing without Spurs star Tony Parker (left thigh) to win 91-84 and advance to the second round of the European championship in Siauliai, Lithuania. Defending champion Spain (4-0), Serbia (4-0), Germany (2-2), Russia (4-0) and Slovenia (4-0) advanced as well.

Cycling: Spain's Juan Jose Cobo took over the lead in the Spanish Vuelta from Britain's Bradley Wiggins after winning a grueling mountain stage to Alto De L'Angliru, finishing the 88-mile mountain course in 4 hours, 1 minute, 56 seconds. Christopher Froome is second overall at 20 seconds behind, and Wiggins dropped to third overall at 46 seconds back.

Horses: Grace Hall edged favored Judy the Beauty by 1¾ lengths in the 120th running of the $250,000 Spinaway Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Grace Hall ran 7 furlongs in 1:23.74.

Soccer: Two-time world player of the year Ronaldinho will play his first game for Brazil in 10 months when the team takes on Ghana in an international friendly today in London. Brazil coach Mano Menezes recalled Ronaldinho, 31, who hopes to play in the 2014 World Cup on home soil. … Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere said his nagging ankle problem will keep him out for at least another two months.

WNBA: Angel McCoughtry scored 19 and host Atlanta clinched a playoff spot with a 73-52 win over Tulsa (3-28). Atlanta (18-14) has won 10 of 13 games. … Tina Charles had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead visiting Connecticut (20-12) to a 79-48 win over Washington (6-26). … Maya Moore scored 19 and Minnesota (25-7) won 86-68 at New York (18-14).

Times wires

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, September 4, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — If any opponent is a believer in Rays right-hander Jeremy Hellickson's rookie of the year candidacy, it's likely the Orioles.

Hellickson has been at his best against Baltimore this season, and that included Sunday, when he breezed through a complete game four-hitter in an 8-1 win in front of 15,790 at Tropicana Field, helping the Rays pull within eight games of the wild card-leading Red Sox.

Hellickson needed just 97 pitches in his second complete game, with the other one coming against — you guessed it — the Orioles on May 14. He's 3-0 with a 0.72 ERA in three home starts against Baltimore this season.

"We shouldn't feel like we're the only team that he's picking on," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He's pitched well against a lot of people."

That's why manager Joe Maddon believes Hellickson (12-10), who leads all qualifying American League rookies in ERA (2.90) and innings (1641/3), deserves to be "heavily" considered for the rookie honor, noting he has done so in the rigors of the AL East and with little run support. In nine of Hellickson's 10 losses, the Rays scored one run or none while he was on the mound.

"A little bit of luck, he's got 15 wins, and then he's probably the lock — he's the shoo-in at that point just because of that," Maddon said. "I know there are several guys having good years, but to match that doing it here the way he's done it, I just think it speaks a little more loudly."

The soft-spoken Hellickson, 24, said he had command of all his pitches, attacking hitters early in the count. Though he tied a season low with one strikeout, he walked none for just the second time in his career.

Hellickson regretted just one "bad" changeup to Adam Jones in the fifth, which resulted in a solo homer that broke up his no-hitter. He otherwise cruised in throwing just 76 pitches through eight innings.

"He kept us mixed up all day," Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds said.

And the Rays (76-63) offense finally backed Hellickson up. Sean Rodriguez ripped a two-out, two-run homer in the second. Matt Joyce added a sacrifice fly and solo homer. But Maddon said the biggest hit came off the bat of shortstop Reid Brignac, who cleared the bases with a two-out double in the third to make it 6-0.

Brignac fell behind 0-and-2 to veteran Jeremy Guthrie but battled and said he finally "found a little more barrel," hitting the ball over Jones, who was playing in shallow centerfield. It was just the fourth extra-base hit of the season for Brignac, who lost his first starting job due to offensive struggles but equaled his RBI total from his previous 41 home games (three) with one swing.

Brignac said his mid-July demotion to Triple-A Durham helped him grow up a little bit, and he has now hit safely in four of his past five starts. "It does feel good to have some successful games and be productive," he said.

With the Rays likely to limit Hellickson's innings to around 180, he may have only a few starts left to make his case for rookie of the year. But to some, he needs to convince no one.

"We love what we have in the kid," Johnny Damon said. "He's going to be a star in this league, as long as we can score him some runs."

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com.