St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Edwin Jackson recorded his first career no-hitter as Arizona topped Tampa Bay, 1-0, in the opener of a three-game interleague set from Tropicana Field.
In Progress: Diamondbacks’ Edwin Jackson Carries No-Hitter (And Many-Walker) Into 8th
It wasn't a classic performance by Jackson, who held his former team hitless despite walking eight and hitting a batter. He threw 149 pitches and struck out six for the second no-hit game in Diamondbacks franchise history.
Only Randy Johnson -- who hurled a perfect game -- had accomplished the feat previously for Arizona, on May 18, 2004 at Atlanta.
"No. This isn't the first time that I've pitched against Tampa since I've been traded," Jackson said when asked if facing the Rays entered his mind at all. "It's one of those things where you can't get emotions get in the way. You have to stay within your abilities and stay within the game."
The effort was preserved when Carlos Pena's grounder to second with one out in the eighth was booted by Stephen Drew and ruled an error, before Matt Joyce popped out. Then, with B.J. Upton at the plate, pinch-runner Carl Crawford was thrown out trying to steal second.
In the ninth, Jackson started by striking out Upton looking. Hank Blalock was retired on a soft fly to left, but pinch-hitter Willy Aybar walked on four pitches.
Jason Bartlett was retired on a grounder to Drew for the final out.
“It’s just one of those things where you have to be mentally tough. If you’re going to lose, you’re going to lose fighting,” Jackson admitted of his rarely quiet innings during the memorable outing. “There was a chance that I could give up a hit, a home run or even a game-winning home run. You have to go out there and be a competitor. You have to go out thinking you’re gonna win.”
Jackson (5-6) turned in his second nine-inning start of the season, following a no-decision during a 1-0 loss in 14 frames at Los Angeles on June 2.
Adam LaRoche’s second-inning homer was the lone run for Arizona, which snapped a two-game slide.
Jeff Niemann (6-2) was the hard-luck loser despite scattering six hits and a run with eight strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings.
Tampa Bay, which has dropped seven of its last nine games, was no-hit for the third time in less than a calendar year. Mark Buehrle of the White Sox turned in a 5-0 perfect-game victory on July 23, 2009 in Chicago, and Dallas Braden also hurled a perfect game in a 4-0 Athletics triumph in Oakland on May 9.
The Diamondbacks got all the offense they needed when LaRoche launched a one- out solo shot to right for a 1-0 game. From there, it was up to Jackson’s will to survive his own problems.
He was able to work out of trouble in the first with runners on the corners and two outs, then stranded two more in the second.
Tampa loaded the bases in the third with nobody out after Ben Zobrist walked and stole second, Evan Longoria walked and Pena also drew a base on balls. The home team came up empty after Joyce flied out, Upton grounded into a fielder's choice at home and Blalock bounced out to second.
“To come back from that and be able to finish as strong as he did...he finished on a lot of adrenaline,” said D-Backs manager A.J. Hinch of that crucial early frame.
Following quiet fourth and fifth frames, Jackson plunked Upton in the sixth but again skirted disaster by stranding him on second after Blalock grounded out and Sean Rodriguez struck out.
Bartlett, John Jaso and Zobrist went down in order in the seventh, and Longoria's fly to right started the eighth.
This was the fourth no-hit game in the majors this season...Ubaldo Jimenez of Colorado blanked Atlanta on April 17 and Roy Halladay from the Phillies turned in a perfect game against the Marlins on May 29...Jackson, who pitched for Tampa Bay from 2006-08, threw 79 strikes to offset the fact that his eight walks were a career high...Niemann threw 106 pitches, 64 for strikes...LaRoche's homer was his 11th of the season...Arizona has won three of the last four meetings, dating back to June, 2007...Tampa Bay also wound up on the receiving end of a no-hit game on April 27, 2002 at Boston, when Derek Lowe won by a 10-0 count.
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