But if Lowe looked like something out of King's "Creepshow," Zambrano rolled out of "Creepshow II."
In one of the ugliest displays of control in recent memory, Zambrano walked nine batters (the most by a starter in Tampa Bay history) and plunked another to allow the Sox to crawl back into contention, 7-6. Zambrano, who was left by manager Lou Piniella to stew in his own mediocrity, wound up firing 132 pitches (only 68 for strikes) before he mercifully was lifted with two outs in the fifth.
With both teams reeling at the hands of their own bedeviled starters, the Rays ultimately outlasted the Sox, 9-6, before 12,401 at Tropicana Field on a night to forget, if possible. Lowe and his mates had little choice but to try as they prepared for a long flight home.
"You can keep playing or retire," Lowe said. "That's basically the only ways you can go. You've got to keep finding ways to get better."
The Sox lost for the first time in six games against the Rays this season as they finished their weeklong swing through Toronto and Tampa Bay with a record of 4-3.
"We didn't play that great, but we were in every single ballgame," Johnny Damon said. "We're definitely happy about that. We're in good shape right now."
If only Lowe could say the same. His disaster unfolded in strange fashion, since he met his pregame goal of throwing first-pitch strikes and avoiding the walks that have plagued him much of the season. He threw his first pitch for a strike to the first 11 batters and 13 of 15 overall. And he walked none. But once the Rays began rolling, he was unable to recover as his ERA rose to a horrific 6.02.
"Seven hits in a row, that's not real conducive to having a good inning, obviously," manager Terry Francona said. "I think, at times, he's searching, like a hitter that's been in a slump a little bit and tries to get too many hits."
