D-Rays notes.....

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Bierbrodt anxious to return to mound
By MARC TOPKIN and KEVIN KELLY
? St. Petersburg Times
published April 13, 2002


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ST. PETERSBURG -- Nick Bierbrodt said he is throwing well enough to start facing hitters again.

The Rays have taken things slowly with Bierbrodt since he suddenly lost his control in a March 8 exhibition game, having him work on drills and limiting his pitching to bullpen sessions.

Bierbrodt said Friday he is ready to accelerate the program, at least to throwing batting practice and moving on to pitching in minor-league games.

"I know they want to take it slow, but I'm not too happy with their slowness," Bierbrodt said. "I feel I'm back to where it was before it happened. I'm not going to throw the ball behind anyone. I'm not going to kill anyone."

The Rays told Bierbrodt he will be reevaluated when they return from Detroit on Friday. Until then he'll continue to throw off the bullpen mound, trying to simulate game conditions.

"I pretend hitters are in the box," Bierbrodt said. "I'm throwing a no-hitter right now."

WHAT A NIGHT: A good night's sleep might have helped the Rays forget about the 12-run debacle in the sixth inning Thursday against the Orioles, but they didn't get one after arriving home around 3:30 a.m.

"It's laugh or go crazy," pitching coach Jackie Brown said. "It was ugly. There's no other way to say it. It was ugly. I'd never seen that many runs scored in one inning."

Relievers Travis Phelps, Jesus Colome and Steve Kent took much of the blame for the team-record 12 runs, one shy of the big-league record for sixth-inning runs, though they had help as the Rays bungled several fielding plays in turning a 6-3 lead into a 15-6 loss.

Brown said the Rays haven't lost any confidence in Phelps or Colome.

"Those things are going to happen to you," he said. "You're supposed to learn from them. It should make you a better player."

DOWN IS GOOD: After watching video of his first two disappointing starts, Tanyon Sturtze determined his primary problem was leaving too many pitches up in the strike zone.

"I've just got to get the ball down," Sturtze said. "The location on the plate hasn't been bad, but the pitches have been up."

Sturtze said the discomfort he felt in his right shoulder last week is gone.

"My bullpen (session on Wednesday) went fine and I haven't had any problems," he said. "It shouldn't be an issue."

THANKS: Brian Cooper pitched 31/3 innings for the Jays, allowing six runs on eight hits, and after the game he was sent to the minors. With two days off next week the Jays called up Pasqual Coco to join the bullpen. ... Justin Miller was the winner in his big-league debut.

NUMBERS GAME: The teams threw 386 pitches, 200 by the Rays. ... The 29 runs the Rays allowed in two nights were one shy of the team record. They gave up 30 in consecutive games against the Indians and White Sox in April 2000. The 34 hits allowed were two shy of the record from May 2001 against Detroit. The seven consecutive hits allowed by the Rays in the third were one shy of the team record. ... The Rays got a season-high 14 hits.

MINOR MATTERS: Top outfield prospect Josh Hamilton, who missed most of last season with a sore back, started his season at Class A Bakersfield in a big way Thursday, going 4-for-5. ... Rocco Baldelli was activated off the Bakersfield disabled list. ... Durham's Carl Crawford's hitting streak ended at seven games, 16 dating to last season. ... Shortstop Jace Brewer is off to a .406 start at Bakersfield.

 

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Kennedy creating his own problems
By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
? St. Petersburg Times
published April 12, 2002


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BALTIMORE -- What will be remembered about Thursday's game is how it ended.

But Joe Kennedy wasn't all that pleased with how it started.

The 22-year-old left-hander had a second straight unimpressive start, leaving after five innings and 94 pitches.

"The Yankees game and this game I put myself into too many jams, too much trouble," Kennedy said. "It seems like every inning I've pitched there are guys in scoring position. You can't play that way up here."

Kennedy, who had trouble in the cold weather at Yankee Stadium last week, had problems from the start on a night at Camden Yards that felt much colder than the announced game-time temperature of 65 degrees.

He allowed the first three batters to reach, leading to a run in the first. The next inning he fielded Jay Gibbons' easy grounder, then nonchalantly threw high and wide of first, pulling Steve Cox off the base.

When the Rays handed him a 6-1 lead, he nearly handed it back. Kennedy allowed a run in the fourth, then another in the fifth, and struck out Gibbons with two on to get out of the inning.

After two starts, he is 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA, having allowed 23 baserunners in 10 innings.

"Once I'm able to get things under control and get things going and not put myself in these situations, it will be a lot better," Kennedy said.

HOMER HAPPY: When Ben Grieve hit a towering home run in the second inning, it was noteworthy for several reasons.

It was the Rays' first homer in a week, covering 149 at-bats. It was Grieve's second homer in eight games, one more than he hit last April on his way to a career-low 11. It also extended an odd trend: Of the six hits Grieve has in 25 at-bats off Baltimore's Sidney Ponson, four have been home runs.

UP AND DOWN: As long as Ryan Rupe keeps the ball down, things should be looking up. He pitched seven shutout innings in his season-opening start against Detroit and did a good job keeping the ball down.

"He stayed in the bottom half of the strike zone," pitching coach Jackie Brown said. "That tells me he was trusting his stuff. If he keeps his sinker down, he's going to get a lot of ground balls. And when a pitcher stays down, when he comes up it's by design, not by accident."

Tonight, Rupe, on seven days' rest, faces a Blue Jays team that has rung up 20 runs and 28 hits against the Yankees in its past two games.

HOMEBOYS: The Rays play 19 of their next 29 at the Trop, but don't expect to hear much from manager Hal McRae about a homefield advantage. "You lose 100 games, the advantage goes to the opposition," he said. "You don't have any."

IMPRESSIVE COMPANY: Since the 2001 All-Star break, right-hander Paul Wilson has a 2.20 ERA, third in the majors. Only Montreal's Javier Vazquez (1.75) and Arizona's Randy Johnson (2.03) have been better.

WELCOME BACK: Josh Hamilton, who missed most of last season and the first week of this one with back problems, was scheduled to be activated by Class A Bakersfield Thursday night. ... Durham outfielder Carl Crawford has a 16-game hitting streak, going back to the last nine games of 2001.

 

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Clear mind helps Grieve hit well
The rightfielder already has hit four home runs this year after his worst season.
By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

? St. Petersburg Times
published April 13, 2002


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ST. PETERSBURG -- Ben Grieve is trying to keep it simple this year.

So far, it's working pretty well.

Grieve hit two home runs Friday, giving him four in the first nine games of the season.

Last year -- in the worst offensive season of his career -- he hit only 11 and didn't hit his fourth until June12, in the Rays' 63rd game.

Grieve believes he was trying too many things last year and trying too hard to correct possible flaws in his mechanics.

This year, he's trying to make his swing the thing.

"I'm not constantly trying to work on stuff, not worrying about it as much," he said.

That means he doesn't spend nearly as much time in the batting cage during games, nor does he replay the previous at-bat over and over in his head while waiting for his next chance.

"There's definitely less thought," he said. "That's hard to do sometimes because you want to be at your best.

"And if you're not, you want to find out why. But sometimes, a better option is not worrying about it a lot."

After averaging 24 homers and 93 RBI in his first three full big-league seasons for Oakland, Grieve didn't adjust well to the move to Tampa Bay.

He was part of a three-way trade that sent closer Roberto Hernandez to Kansas City and starter Cory Lidle to Oakland.

Manager Hal McRae said he noticed a different attitude when Grieve reported in February.

"I thought he was more relaxed going all the way back to spring training, and I think that's the difference in Ben now and Ben last year," McRae said. "It's just the fact that he's comfortable in this environment now. He's putting his ability into play.

"And I felt that during the spring."

There has been a carryover to his trips to the plate as well.

"I feel better than I did last year," Grieve said.

"I'm more comfortable, getting better swings. And maybe a little more patient. Everything's a little more comfortable than at this point last year."

A good start is unusual for Grieve, who never has been much of an April power hitter.

Entering this season, he had a .240 average in April, his lowest of any month, and eight April home runs. His four home runs match his April high, which he hit in 2000. This morning, He is hitting .303 with four homers and seven RBIs.

"For 30 at-bats or whatever, this is probably the best start to a season that I've had," Grieve said. "It's not great or anything. It's not like I'm leading the league or anything, but it's better than I usually do."

Grieve said he didn't think the quick start had anything to do with being dropped to sixth in the batting order. "In our lineup, I don't think you get any better pitches hitting a certain spot in the order," he said.

There is another difference, however.

Grieve switched bats this season, now using a maple model produced by a new company, D-Bat, that a friend started.

The burnt orange color is named after him, the Grieve Finish.

"I hope it's more that the bat," Grieve said. "I'd like to think it has something to do with what I'm doing."

 

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BLUE JAYS AT RAYS

BLUE JAYS AT RAYS

Rays extra
By Times staff reports
? St. Petersburg Times
published April 13, 2002


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TONIGHT: BLUE JAYS AT RAYS
WHEN/WHERE: 6:15; Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg.
PITCHERS: Blue Jays -- RHP Luke Prokopec (0-1, 31.50); Rays -- RHP Tanyon Sturtze (0-1, 8.49).
TV/RADIO: Fox Sports Net; WFLA-AM 970.
WORTH NOTING: Sturtze has never started against Toronto. ... Prokopec is an Australian who came up in the Dodgers organization. ... Gates open at 4:15, allowing fans to see the final 30 minutes of Rays batting practice. ... There will be a blood drive in the first- and third-base food courts.