Aybar pushes Rays past Angels

ST. PETERSBURG - Forget the East, the Rays are the best team in the American League.

Period.

No-hit for 51/3 innings, Tampa Bay scored three runs against Los Angeles Angels relievers in the eighth inning to take a 4-2 victory Tuesday night in front of 15,902 fans at Tropicana Field.

The Rays, 6-2 against Los Angeles this season, go for their second straight three-game sweep of the A.L. West leading Angels at the Trop tonight.

Atop the East for 69 days, six more days than second-place Boston, Tampa Bay (77-48) leapfrogged the Angels (76-48) for A.L. supremacy.

"It means we're starting to do things in the right way," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, who was not around to see the thrilling finish.

The hero on this night? None other than Willy Aybar.

Playing third base for injured rookie Evan Longoria, Aybar broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run single to cap the winning rally after a bases loaded walk to Carlos Pena knotted it.

"Willy was like, 'I'm picking him up,' and he did," said Rays DH Cliff Floyd, who struck out for the fourth time prior to Aybar's at-bat.

Jason Bartlett lined an 0-1 pitch just inside the third base line for a double for the first hit off Ervin Santana. Akinori Iwamura followed by reaching on an infield single to put runners on the corners.

Maligned B.J. Upton, who struck out his first two at-bats, hit a chopper toward first. Mark Teixeira looked to the plate, and then flipped late to Santana covering first base.

Upton dipped his shoulder toward second, was tagged by second baseman Howie Kendrick and called out by first base umpire Jerry Meals.

"I didn't see it," Upton said. "And I don't want to see it."

Maddon bolted from the dugout. Before long, but after making his point, he was ejected.

"Clearly, B.J. did nothing wrong," Maddon said.

"He had my back," Upton said. "It showed me a lot."

The highlight reel began recording early. After James Shields walked leadoff hitter Chone Figgins, Bartlett snared a liner behind second base and fired to double Figgins off first.

Then right fielder Gabe Gross went up on the right field wall to take extra bases away from Teixeira.

After Vladimir Guerrero homered to open the second, Shields permitted three more hits in the inning.

But the defense rose again.

Attempting to score from second base on the third hit, Torii Hunter was gunned down at the plate by Upton.

"That was probably the best throw I've ever seen," Shields said.

Now 8-1 at home, Shields (11-7) worked eight innings. After the homer, he allowed only Garrett Anderson's run-scoring double that stretched his hitting streak to 22 games.

Shields later gained revenge, getting Anderson to ground out with runners on first and second to end the eighth.

"If we can keep it close, we can win it late," Maddon said.