Garza tosses 1-hitter, Rays top Marlins for sweep

Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Garza pitches against the Florida Marlins in the fifth inning of an interleague baseball game in Miami, Thursday, June 26, 2008. The Rays won 6-1. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

MIAMI—Matt Garza pitched a one-hitter, allowing only Hanley Ramirez's home run leading off the seventh inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Florida Marlins 6-1 Thursday to complete a three-game sweep.

Garza (6-4) struck out 10 and walked one in his first complete game in 38 major league starts. He faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings on a humid afternoon in Miami, where weekday day games are unusual.

Jeremy Hermida was the first player to reach base for the Marlins, drawing a one-out walk in the fourth inning. Hermida got Jorge Cantu to ground into a double play.

Ramirez's line-drive homer was the only hard-hit ball for Florida, which was broke bats and popped up bloopers against the fast-working Garza. Tampa Bay is among four teams that has never thrown a no-hitter, joined by the New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies.

Evan Longoria homered and had three hits for the Devil Rays, who swept their Sunshine State rival for just the second time. Shawn Riggans had three RBIs.

Mark Hendrickson (7-6) allowed five runs, five hits and five walks in 4 2-3 innings. Hendrickson, Florida's opening-day starter, is 0-4 in six starts since beating San Francisco on May 25.

Riggans hit a sacrifice fly in the second to put Tampa Bay ahead and made it 5-0 with a two-run double in the fifth. Longoria homered in the fourth, and Akinori Iwamura hit an RBI infield single later in the inning after Hendrickson walked the bases loaded.

Ben Zobrist homered leading off the eighth against Doug Waechter.

Notes:@ James Shields pitched a one-hitter for Tampa Bay against the Los Angeles Angels on May 9 ... The Rays won the season series 4-2 ... The Marlins have gone 5-10 in interleague play this season and will have only their third losing season against the AL. The Marlins are 110-91 in interleague play, best among NL teams.