Sizemore exits after HBP, is day to day

ST. PETERSBURG -- Things went from bad to worse for Grady Sizemore on Saturday night as he pinch-hit in the eighth inning of the Rays' 2-1 loss to the Orioles.

Sizemore narrowly missed hitting a game-tying home run when he drove the first offering he saw from Baltimore submariner Darren O'Day just outside the right-field foul pole. One pitch later, the veteran outfielder was forced to leave the game when he took an O'Day slider off the left knee.

Sizemore was listed as day to day after the game, but he assured reporters that he would be ready to go on Sunday.

"It's frustrating that I didn't get the home run, but we got a run on base. [Rays' manager Kevin Cash] told me I'd be coming out either way, so it wasn't a huge loss," Sizemore said.

When asked if O'Day's unique delivery presented a formidable challenge, particularly as a pinch-hitter, Sizemore was quick to point out that coming off the bench is never an easy task.

"Any time you're pinch-hitting, it's hard," he said. "You're on the bench, you haven't really seen anything else, you're kind of cold, so you've got to find your rhythm quickly. It doesn't really matter who you face, it's going to be a tough at-bat."

Sizemore was replaced on the basepaths by rookie Mikie Mahtook, who became involved in the most controversial play of the game when he was forced to return to first base after an apparent steal of second, with home-plate umpire Dale Scott ruling that Evan Longoria had interfered with the throw from Orioles' catcher Matt Wieters.

Weiters would nab Mahtook on a steal attempt on the ensuing pitch, with Logan Forsythe in the box, to end the inning -- and with it, the last Rays' scoring opportunity of the night.