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Hamstring Injury Lands Percival Back On DL

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 2, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - As the latest breakdown of his left hamstring Monday night demonstrated, Troy Percival and the Rays' training staff are about out of ways to patch up the veteran closer on a day-to-day basis.

"We're just fighting an uphill battle," Percival said before Tuesday's game. "We can only tape it so tight; we've been taping it, taping it, taping it and I'm not getting much better."

Percival admitted after leaving Monday's game one out short of completion that his hamstring now bothers him to some degree every time he takes the mound. Now that he has reached that point, a lengthy period of rest and treatment would seem the only true solution and the Rays went that route Tuesday.

Percival was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season, giving him 21/2 weeks to get his hamstring back on track before he would be eligible for activation by the first game after the All-Star break.

The Rays recalled RHP Mitch Talbot from Durham to take Percival's spot on the roster, but end-of-game duties likely will be shared by some combination of Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell and Trever Miller.

"It's just the way it is; we'll just have to try to make it work somehow," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "But I do have a lot of confidence in a lot of different guys to get the last out."

Talbot will be limited to long relief and mop-up duties as he gets his first taste of the majors. The 24-year-old was acquired from Houston two years ago in the Aubrey Huff trade and has been a starter throughout his career. He's 7-6 with a 4.41 ERA in 17 starts for the Bulls this season.

He likely will be here only until Al Reyes is ready to return from the DL, which is expected to be sometime early next week. Talbot got the call over LHP Kurt Birkins, who has been with the Rays already this season. RHP Juan Salas might have been the choice instead but he is on Durham's DL with a minor arm problem.

LONG TIME COMING: It had been so long since Cliff Floyd last started a game, it almost felt like he had been on the disabled list. Floyd was in the lineup Tuesday for the first time since June 22 after serving strictly as a pinch hitter in the Rays' games at National League parks, and he acknowledged it was tough to stay sharp over that kind of stretch.

"But we all know how it is," Floyd said. "If there's one person who does understand the role, it's me. I'm just trying to do the best I can to make sure that I help us, keep my focus on knowing I can play, and keep positive instead of saying it's been a long time or hoping they don't expect much or stuff like that. You've got to stay positive about the whole thing."

BACK TO NORMAL: The end of Rays' series of suspensions and Carlos Pena's return from the DL mean the lineup is truly at full strength for the first time in nearly a month.

That's good news for everyone but Willy Aybar and Gabe Gross, both of whom now figure to lose a good chunk of the playing time they had enjoyed.

"They both did a great job, given opportunities, so I'd like to keep these guys somehow solvent in regard to getting them out there on occasion," Maddon said. "I don't know the answer yet, but I do know that I'm very confident in them and I want to keep them going. After having built up all these games and all these at-bats, I don't want to just throw them away."

EYES ON: The opening game of the Rays-Red Sox series scored big for Rays TV.

The broadcast drew an average rating of 8.5 on WXPX in Tampa, according to the team, with a peak of 12.8 in the 10 p.m. hour - the highest peak rating in franchise history. In that final hour, the game was the highest-rated program in the Tampa market.

FARM FACTS: Montgomery will be well-represented in the Southern League All-Star Game. RHP Wade Davis, LHP James Houser, OF Rashad Eldridge, C John Jaso and DH Gabriel Martinez made the South Division team for the July 14 game at Zebulon, N.C.

LHP Jake McGee, who will undergo season-ending elbow surgery next week, also was named to the squad.

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