"Of all the decisions Rays manager Joe Maddon had to make Sunday afternoon, and he made a lot of decisions during a long afternoon at the ball yard, the biggest was really no decision at all.

Trailing by a run in the eighth inning, bases loaded, two outs and a right-hander on the mound, Maddon called for Matt Joyce to bat for Sean Rodriguez.

Never mind that in doing so, Maddon used the last position player on the bench, and, having already switched catchers, took his emergency third catcher out of the game.

Never mind that if Joyce didn't come through, a pitcher would have to bat in the ninth with the Rays trailing.

"Joyce, be ready," bench coach Dave Martinez yelled in the dugout as B.J. Upton batted with two outs and Joyce said he reached for his batting helmet, batting gloves and, of course, his bat.

After Upton walked to load the bases and set up the big moment, Joyce stepped to the plate against Mark Melancon and drove a two-run double into the right-field corner that put the Rays ahead of the Astros for good in a game they eventually won 14-10.

"You got to do it," Evan Longoria said. "In the situation like that where the game is tight and you got a chance to win the game, you really can't save a guy like (Joyce) the way he's been swinging the bat. I think it would be the wrong move to leave him on the bench, and if we don't get another opportunity to score, what good is he sitting on the bench."

Joyce's hit was one of many big hits Sunday at Minute Maid Park. In fact it was one of 33 by the two teams, including a combined 18 extra-base hits — the most in 14 years of Rays baseball.

Included were eight extra-base hits by the Rays — a pair of home runs by Longoria and another by B.J. Upton, his third in as many games off Astros pitching, and doubles by Longoria, Elliot Johnson, Ben Zobrist, Casey Kotchman and, of course, Joyce."