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2 Huge Innings Turn Game Into Laugher For Rays

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By MARC LANCASTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 5, 2008

NEW YORK - Shawn Riggans was doing his homework when duty called Friday night.

Scheduled to make his first appearance of the season today, the Rays' backup catcher was sitting at the far end of the dugout taking notes on the Yankees' hitters when the second inning ended.

Just then, Dioner Navarro slipped and fell on the wet stairs while coming back into the dugout, slicing open two fingers on his throwing hand in a freak accident that will cost him at least two weeks.

Pressed into service, Riggans responded with a pinch-hit, three-run double in the top of the third that propelled the Rays to the first of two huge offensive innings in what became a 13-4 rout.

Between that drive to right-center that knocked Yankees starter Ian Kennedy from the game and shepherding the Rays' pitching staff through six hitless innings to close the game, it was quite a season debut for Riggans.

"We're a day early," he noted. "Better than a day late, you know what I mean?"

It was just in time for the Rays, and Riggans will get a chance to settle in behind the plate, as the news on Navarro was not good.

It was unclear how Navarro hurt his hand - Rays manager Joe Maddon said he thought the catcher's fingers got caught in the net that runs across the front of the dugout, while Riggans heard it was a piece of metal on the edge of the steps - but he will be out for a while.

Navarro was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where he was checked out by William Levine and given a total of 12 stitches. He was already at the hotel when the Rays announced following the game they had put him on the 15-day disabled list.

The Rays had pulled veteran catcher Mike DiFelice from Durham's game in the fifth inning after Navarro got hurt, and after the game they purchased his contract. The Rays cleared a 40-man roster spot for DiFelice by putting reliever Juan Salas, who still has not officially reported to camp, on the restricted list.

DiFelice is expected to join the team in time for today's game, but Riggans will be the starter for the time being. He impressed those around him with his work Friday.

"I didn't expect all that, because it's a cold night, he's sitting at the other end of the bench," Maddon said. "For no reason, the catcher gets hurt and he's got to jump into the action, and he does and does a really good job."

It started at the plate for Riggans. The Rays held a 2-0 lead with one out in the third when Kennedy began to come apart. He had walked two of the previous three hitters, and the bases were loaded when Riggans came to the plate.

Guessing, correctly, that he would get a fastball on a 3-1 count, Riggans lined a double to the wall in right-center to clear the bases and put the Rays up 5-0. With that swing, he doubled his career RBI total; he entered the game with three in 39 major-league at-bats.

He came in to score on an Eric Hinske double, then it was on to the second part of his job - getting in sync with Sonnanstine. It took a while, between the right-hander sitting through a nine-batter top of the third and having to adjust midstream to a new catcher.

For the only time in his six innings Friday, Sonnanstine found himself straying up in the strike zone in the third inning, and the Yankees jumped on him. It took a while, but he and Riggans eventually were able to make the adjustment, just in time to keep Sonnanstine in the game - long reliever J.P. Howell was up in the bullpen at one point in the inning.

Once Sonnanstine and Riggans had a chance to sit down and formulate a game plan after that inning, they cruised. Sonnanstine was perfect in his final three innings, allowing just one ball out of the infield as he kept the Yankees from making another run at him.

"Yankee Stadium's a different animal," Sonnanstine said. "Any time you give up a few runs it can get out of hand pretty quick. I felt like as long as I can give my team a chance to win, I did my job."

He did, indeed, picking up the victory in his first start this year as the Rays made it a laugher with a seven-run eighth inning highlighted by a monstrous Carlos Pena three-run homer.

Reporter Marc Lancaster can be reached at (813) 259-7227 or mlancaster@tampatrib.com.

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