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Percival Sharp In Return

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 21, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Disaster hasn't befallen the Rays during either of Troy Percival's stints on the disabled list this season with left hamstring problems, but they would just as soon keep their closer on the active roster for the balance of the season.

In coming off the 15-day DL before Sunday's game, Percival sounded far more confident that his leg will be able to hold up over the long haul this time around.

"Can I go out and give you a guarantee that something else ain't going to go? I wouldn't do that," Percival said. "But I'll tell you right now, it feels 10 times better than it did the last time coming off the DL."

While it was Percival's hamstring that was hurting him, the problem actually stemmed from his back.

"So we started treating the back and doing a lot more back exercises and it seemed to calm that nerve down that was shooting down into my leg," Percival said. "We seem to have the nerve under control pretty good. They got me some medication, gave me a shot - a lot of stuff we didn't do last time that we did this time, so there is a reason why it feels better this time."

Percival said he has been going all-out, from cardio workouts lasting more than 30 minutes to running 7 miles an hour on a treadmill, with no repercussions. The 38-year-old has said his arm feels as good as it has in a long time; he just needed a solid base underneath him. It sounds like he has it now, and the scoreless inning he pitched Sunday backed that up.

"The mechanics were a little bit off there once I got a little bit of adrenaline going, but I was still able to throw my fastball where I wanted it," Percival said. "I needed to see some hitters in a live situation and I feel confident now that I can go out there and do what I need to do."

GLOVER TO DL: The Rays made room for Percival on the roster by placing reliever Gary Glover on the 15-day DL with a strained left calf.

The move is retroactive to July 11, the day after Glover surrendered seven runs in two-thirds of an inning in a 13-2 loss at Cleveland. Glover, who already has spent time on the DL this season with shoulder tendinitis, said his calf stiffened up on him in Cleveland and he hasn't been able to work it out since then.

"I tried to throw off the mound the last couple days and it's still just real tender on landing and I wasn't going to be able to go, I don't think, with 100 percent," he said. "I felt I might jeopardize something in my arm by compensating and not landing properly. I didn't want to take a chance at that and the trainers didn't want to take a chance at that, either."

The timing was fortuitous for Glover and the Rays, as he would have been the odd man out either way upon Percival's return. Now, rather than cutting him loose, the Rays can give Glover a couple of weeks to heal up and perhaps slot in somewhere in the bullpen down the road.

KAZ IS BACK: After a few extra days to rest following his early-morning All-Star Game appearance, Scott Kazmir will be back on the mound tonight.

Though he hasn't started since the first-half finale in Cleveland, Kazmir said he doesn't feel like his routine has been knocked out of whack.

"It doesn't feel like I'm rusty or anything like that, because I've been throwing pretty much every day," he said Sunday.

Better still is that Kazmir has been able to keep his arm fresh while clearing his head a bit. Following his loss against the Indians, the lefty volunteered that he wasn't feeling all that confident about his pitch selection even as he was delivering the ball.

Kazmir said the break he has had should be a big help in getting past that.

"I felt like I needed to hit the 'reset' button a little bit," he said.

FARM FACTS: RHP Neal Frontz, who had 19 saves in 20 chances for Vero Beach while posting a 1.38 ERA, was promoted to Montgomery.

Marc Lancaster

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