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Teammates' Dispute Is Fodder For Discussion

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 10, 2008

ANAHEIM, Calif. - There were no fines, no official reprimands handed down in the wake of the heated dispute between Matt Garza and Dioner Navarro during Sunday's game.

"No, just a lot of conversation," Rays manager Joe Maddon said Monday. "And I'm very satisfied with the conversation."

Though the two principals in the dugout scuffle had yet to sit down together and iron out their differences, no one seemed to anticipate further issues between the two. Maddon said Navarro would catch Garza's next scheduled start Saturday against the Marlins.

"We're all grown-ups, we're men, we know what we've got to do," Navarro said. "I don't have any problem with catching him next time."

Through a team spokesman, Garza declined to speak to reporters Monday, saying his comments from a minute-long interview following Sunday's game would stand.

No further specifics emerged Monday about exactly what led to the angry exchange between pitcher and catcher on the mound that spilled over into the dugout. Rays officials did, however, say that the pitch Rangers No. 9 hitter German Duran hit out to center for a two-run homer was not the problem.

Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey said he hadn't asked either player for a specific account of what happened.

"I'm just interested in kind of cleaning up the fallout from whatever miscommunication there was," he said.

In a big-picture sense, it's fairly clear Garza's expressive behavior on the mound is something the Rays would like to address.

"Just channeling the energy, the emotion, the enthusiasm, all that good stuff, into being a better pitcher versus being so dramatic," is how Hickey described it.

Maddon insists the dispute should be taken as a positive, noting that the Rays "play with a lot of emotion every night."

"A lot of times when you see situations like this, the perception from the outside, obviously, is 'There's something wrong with that team,'" Maddon said. "That's the farthest thing from the truth right now - there's nothing wrong with this team."

DREAM COME TRUE: Evan Longoria always wanted to play at Angel Stadium, and it didn't take him long to make his first game there a memorable one.

The rookie crushed the second pitch he saw from Angels starter Joe Saunders well over the bullpens beyond the left-field fence for the first of three consecutive home runs by the Rays in the second inning Monday night.

Prior to batting practice, the native of Downey, Calif. - about 20 miles up the road - talked about how much it meant for him to have a chance to take the field in a stadium where he used to attend three or four games a year as a fan.

"I've been driving by this place for the past 15 years of my life, just waiting for my chance to get to play here," Longoria said. "I always told myself I'd be there someday. Now that I'm here, it's pretty weird. I'm excited to get out there on the field and hit and stuff."

Longoria left 15 tickets but expected "upwards of 30 or 40" people he knew to attend Monday's game, including his parents and siblings.

NOTEWORTHY: Closer Troy Percival will throw an inning's worth of pitches in a simulated game this afternoon, facing Jonny Gomes and other hitters to be named later in his last tune-up before coming off the disabled list Friday. ... B.J. Upton was the DH and Justin Ruggiano started in center field Monday, just the third time in 64 games this season Upton hasn't started in center. ... Rocco Baldelli went 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly as the DH in an extended spring training game Monday. He'll do it again Wednesday.

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