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Rays Reset Minds For 2nd Half

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By MARC LANCASTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 18, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Dioner Navarro has been pretty busy since the Rays lost their seventh straight game Sunday in Cleveland, so perhaps it was a bit easier for him to brush aside the way the first half ended.

"It happened so long ago," the All-Star catcher said as the Rays prepared for a Thursday afternoon workout at Tropicana Field.

In baseball terms, Sunday does seem a bit distant, and the general consensus seemed to be that the 31/2 days the Rays spent away from one another was exactly what they needed to refocus.

"I walked in the clubhouse today and I saw a whole different face on all the guys," pitcher James Shields said.

The vibe certainly was more relaxed than was the case during last week's road trip, which saw the pressure cranked up just a bit each day as losses really piled up for the first time this season. As Shields put it Thursday, "we're 0-0 right now," with the most anticipated second half in Rays history beginning tonight against A.J. Burnett and the Blue Jays.

Before a 90-minute workout at the Trop that included defensive drills and batting practice, Manager Joe Maddon addressed the team for about 20 minutes. He said his message focused on reemphasizing the priorities laid out in spring training, but he also took time to remind his team of the opportunity that has presented itself thanks to the Rays' strong first half.

"I just want us to treat this whole situation with the respect that it deserves and understand that we like Tropicana Field being filled, we'd like to keep it filled for many years to come," Maddon said. "To do that, we have to come out and do the right things every day."

Maddon also touched on the need for the Rays to get back to the airtight defense they had played earlier this season and improve upon their 19-25 road record. The Rays' struggles away from home also were mentioned as an area to address by several players.

"To get to where we want to be, we have to be able to win on the road and win in some tough ballparks to play in," said B.J. Upton.

The other second-half area of improvement on various minds was the need for the offense to improve. Maddon said he made a point to tell his hitters not to get too down on themselves, noting how many frontline pitchers the team faced in the first half.

But those in the thick of it know more will be expected of them after the break.

"I'd say we probably need to pick up our offense a little bit," said Carl Crawford. "Everybody's been waiting for us to hit, and we've shown signs of being good hitters at times and then we just kind of fade off a little bit. So, the second half, hopefully we can pick it up on the offensive end a little bit better. I still don't understand why it didn't happen in the first half."

They should have some time to get everything sorted out, but of course nothing would help like reeling off another successful homestand to get things rolling.

"I feel like this All-Star break came at a good time," said Scott Kazmir. "We needed it to kind of relax and get away from the game a little bit and regroup. I think now we're ready to go back and get after it, finish off strong."

And even though they say their memories of the skid that preceded the break are distant as can be, there was some sense that those seven games provided a helpful reminder to a team that is still growing accustomed to success.

"It was a wake-up call a little bit," said Crawford, "just to let us know that we're a good team but we've still got a long way to go."

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

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