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Rays Get Scares With Bartlett, Riggans

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By TONY FABRIZIO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 4, 2008

Updated: 08/04/2008 12:40 am

ST. PETERSBURG - In the middle of a dramatic come-from-behind victory Sunday against the Tigers, the Rays saw their postseason hopes flicker when shortstop Jason Bartlett squared to bunt against Fernando Rodney in the bottom of the 10th inning and was hit on the right hand.

X-rays were negative, but Bartlett wore a wrap around his right index finger and said he didn't know about his short-term status. "No fracture; it got the nail pretty good, though," Bartlett said.

If Bartlett can't play against Cleveland tonight, Manager Joe Maddon probably would move Evan Longoria to shortstop and start Willy Aybar at third.

Bartlett is a major cog in the Rays' much-improved defense.

"When he's out there, it has a totally different vibe, feel, scene ... it just has the right look, and when he's not, it doesn't have the same kind of feel," Maddon said.

Bartlett wasn't the Rays' only scare. Shawn Riggans came to the plate to replace Bartlett, and he too was hit - in his right pectoral muscle, inches from his heart, with a 93 mph fastball.

Riggans collapsed with the wind knocked out of him, but after some anxious moments, he bounced up and jogged down to first. Five batters later, he scored the winning run.

"The guy didn't want to hit me; that's just baseball," Riggans said. "He thought I was going to square to bunt, and if I would have, that would have been a great location."

MILLER (ABOUT) TIME: Troy Percival blowing a save for the third time this year wasn't as rare as what followed it. Trever Miller (1-0) received his first decision since Sept. 30, 2006, snapping a major-league record streak of 121 appearances without a decision.

The left-hander had taken the record from former Ray and Sarasota native Bobby Seay, who pitched an inning Sunday for Detroit.

Miller was full of himself afterward, joking about how gas was $2.25 a gallon when his streak started and the real estate downturn could be blamed on him because it has run concurrently.

"I tell you what, I'm going to go home tonight and make some decisions," Miller said. "Cause I told my wife, 'Don't ask me anything.' I haven't had a decision in a year and a half; it's all you. You decide where we're going, what vacations we're taking. Now I'm going to take control. So she'll be happy with that."

RARE FLIGHT: Hard-throwing right-hander Grant Balfour gave up his first major-league home run of the year when Tampa's Gary Sheffield took him deep in the eighth inning. Sheffield's shot also was the first hit against Balfour in 92/3 innings.

"I wasn't thinking that way, but it happened," Balfour said about the eventuality of giving up a home run sooner or later.

Balfour pitched 11/3 innings and retired three of the five batters he faced. He leads all major-league relievers with a .108 opponent average and a 13.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

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