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Gomes Drops Suspension Appeal, Adds Job Title

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 8, 2008

ARLINGTON, Texas - Jonny Gomes had a new job title beginning Saturday night.

"I'll just be the assistant video coordinator," he said.

It's not that Rays video coordinator Chico Fernandez needs the help. Gomes just won't have anything to do during games for the balance of this road trip after dropping his appeal of the five-game suspension handed down Friday by Major League Baseball.

He'll next be eligible to play Friday against the Marlins but in the meantime cannot be in uniform or in the dugout when the game is going on.

Gomes already knows the drill; he served a one-game suspension April 4 in New York for his role in the Rays' spring training brawl with the Yankees, and he figured his status as a two-time offender wouldn't help his argument for a reduced penalty this time around.

"I don't think I had a very good case to appeal," Gomes said.

The start of Gomes' suspension opens a stretch that could see the Rays play 12 straight games short-handed. Carl Crawford still must serve four games and Akinori Iwamura three for their roles in the Fenway Park melee, though there is still a possibility each could see his suspension reduced, and only one position player can be suspended at a time.

That means nearly two weeks of juggling for Manager Joe Maddon, who also has to find a way to fill out his starting rotation with James Shields and Edwin Jackson facing bans of their own.

Shields will start Tuesday in Anaheim and plans to drop his appeal the following day and serve his six-game suspension. The Rays should be able to navigate that stretch without needing another starter because they have off days coming up Thursday and the following Monday. But they will likely need someone (probably Jason Hammel) to fill in for a night when Jackson sits out for five games.

Maddon said the Rays are working through three or four different scenarios for how things might fall, but they're playing it by ear because they don't know exactly when each player will be out, pending the various appeals.

PARK-ADJUSTED: Home has been very good to Scott Kazmir this season, as he is 4-0 with an absurd 0.35 ERA in four starts at Tropicana Field.

It's tough to beat those numbers, but the job Kazmir did in holding Texas to two runs in eight innings Friday night at Rangers Ballpark was quite a feat. The season-high four home runs Rays batters produced in the series opener were testament to how the park plays in the summer heat.

"The ball flies here," said Kazmir. "It's crazy."

No doubt it's far different than the controlled environment of the Trop, but Maddon believes Kazmir's style is well-suited to handling the challenge presented by Texas' home park.

"Listen, this is not an easy place to pitch," said Maddon. "I've always believed under these circumstances a power pitcher can still come out well because he misses bats or makes people mis-hit the ball and it's not as easy to just drive something against him. And furthermore, when you combine his power with the command that he had Friday, that made him even more difficult."

NOTEWORTHY: LHP David Price surrendered his first runs as a professional Saturday, allowing three of them (and 11 hits) in 51/3 innings against Sarasota. The outing bumped Price's ERA from 0.00 to 1.16 in four career starts. ... DH Cliff Floyd and C Dioner Navarro got Saturday off but will be back in the lineup this afternoon.

Marc Lancaster

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