Major League Baseball

Alex Cobb goes 7 innings, Rays beat slumping Reds

Published Apr. 12, 2014 3:50 p.m. ET

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CINCINNATI -- Alex Cobb went seven innings on Saturday, extending Tampa Bay's run of solid starting pitching, and James Loney homered for a 1-0 victory over the slumping Cincinnati Reds.

The Rays came into the interleague series with a 1-8 mark against Cincinnati. They've taken the first two games with shutdown pitching and just enough offense.

Cobb (1-1) pitched seven shutout inning against Texas on Sunday but got a no-decision. He kept the scoreless streak going Saturday, limiting Cincinnati's struggling lineup to four hits without walking a batter.

Grant Balfour, who fanned Brayan Pena with the bases loaded to end Friday night's game, got three outs for his fourth save in as many chances, finishing off the four-hitter.

Loney led off the second inning with his first homer against Alfredo Simon (1-1), who matched his career high with eight innings and allowed only five hits.

Cincinnati stranded a pair at third base and had runners thrown out at third and home, extending its run of wasteful offense. The Reds have lost all four of their series this season, falling to 3-8 for the first time since 1995, when they won the NL Central.

The Rays opened the series with a 2-1 win Friday night, when David Price took a shutout into the ninth before Joey Votto homered with one out. Rays starters have thrown at least seven shutout innings four times in the last six games.

It was Tampa Bay's second shutout of the season, and the second time the Reds have been shut out. The Reds also were blanked 1-0 by the Cardinals on opening day.

Both managers changed their lineups, looking for some runs.

The Rays have scored only nine in their last six games, but managed to win three of them because of the impressive pitching. The Reds have scored 28 runs all season, second-fewest in the National League.

Rays manager Joe Maddon stocked his lineup with left-handers against Simon. Reds manager Bryan Price moved Votto from third to second in the batting order, the first time he'd batted second since 2008.

Neither move made much of a difference. Nice defense by both teams also kept it close.

Votto led off the fourth with a ground-rule double. Kevin Kiermaier threw out Votto at the plate as he tried to score on Brandon Phillips' single to center. Phillips went to second on the play and was thrown out trying to steal third.

The Reds wasted another chance in the sixth, when Zack Cozart was hit by a pitch and advanced on a wild pitch and a sacrifice. Billy Hamilton hit a shallow fly and Votto grounded out.

NOTES: LHP Erik Bedard will be added to the Rays' roster Sunday when LHP Cesar Ramos moves from the bullpen to the rotation, taking the place of injured Matt Moore. Ramos will make his fourth career start. Reds LHP Tony Cingrani makes his first career appearance against the Rays. .. Kiermaier, called up from Triple-A on Friday, went 0 for 3. ... Reds RHP Mat Latos had an MRI on his pitching forearm. It bothered him during a throwing session the previous day. Latos is trying to recover from surgery to repair torn knee cartilage on Feb. 14.

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Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay

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