TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Regular Lineup Will Close The Season

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 16, 2007

SEATTLE - Thirteen games remain in the Devil Rays' season, and it sounds as if what amounts to their regular lineup will stay intact through at least the next three full series.

Manager Joe Maddon was able to rest 3B Akinori Iwamura, SS Josh Wilson and 2B Brendan Harris for a game apiece during the first two days of the Mariners series while also involuntarily losing LF Carl Crawford to suspension. That probably will be the end of the down time for the Rays' starters until perhaps the final weekend of the season.

'Pretty much,' Maddon said. 'I want them to play through this series, through the Angels, and then we'll have the day off and then we have the New York and Boston group. When we get to Toronto we might switch it up a bit.'

Everything is of course subject to change based on injury or a particular player beginning to show signs of fatigue, but Maddon feels good about where his group stands even after 5 1/2 months of grinding.

'They still look fresh to me, and I'm really watching them closely,' Maddon said. 'I think we're in pretty good shape right now, mentally and physically.'

As a whole, the Rays don't seem to be dealing with too many nagging injuries, but as Crawford pointed out, any number of aches and pains accumulate every September.

'This time of the year, you never feel good,' he said. 'I had two days off and it don't even feel like it, just because this time of the year everything on your body hurts. You just have to find a way to deal with it.'

Some Rays players have had heavier workloads this year than they're accustomed to, which also can force some adjustments late in the season. Iwamura played 146-game regular seasons in Japan, and players like Wilson and Harris are getting far more time on the field than they ever have in the majors.

'It's been more of a grind than I expected,' Harris admitted, 'but I think I've been able to hang in there and withstand it and I feel like I'll be able to make it the rest of the way.'

MORE HELP ON WAY: The Rays will have two more pitchers on their roster when they open their series at Anaheim Monday night.

LHPs J.P. Howell and Jeff Ridgway were told after Durham's season ended Saturday night that they were on their way to the majors - Ridgway for the first time.

The 27-year-old reliever will join Jon Switzer to give the Rays two lefties in the bullpen. Howell figures to get at least one start in the final two weeks as the Rays continue to keep a tight rein on their top two starters, Scott Kazmir and James Shields.

Those two will get two more starts each, leaving a hole to be filled on the final day of the season, Sept. 30. Shields would be in line to start that day against Toronto, but he already has 215 innings under his belt this season.

Maddon said Shields and Kazmir would be limited to right around 100 pitches per start the rest of the way.

FARM FACTS: Richmond had to sweep a doubleheader from Durham Saturday to take the Governor's Cup title, and that's exactly what the Braves did.

Richmond beat the Bulls 6-2 in the first game and 7-2 in the nightcap, rallying from a 2-1 series deficit to deny the Rays' top affiliate its first International League title since 2003. The Bulls' bullpen was victimized in the first game, but starter Mitch Talbot was responsible for most of the damage in the deciding contest. He allowed eight hits, two walks and five runs in 2 1/3 innings before being replaced by Howell.

Montgomery also fell short in its chance to take the title Saturday. The Biscuits, ahead 2-1 in the Southern League championship series, lost 4-1 at Huntsville. The final game will be played today.

VALUABLE SOUVENIR: Now that Iwamura has the bat that was confiscated from him in New York back in his possession, he plans to make it a keepsake.

His interpreter, Masa Koyanagi, said Iwamura hopes to have Yankees manager Joe Torre - who asked for the bat to be inspected - autograph it when New York comes to Tropicana Field next week.

Marc Lancaster

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT