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Injuries Become Concern For Rays

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 21, 2008

WINTER HAVEN - The regular season can't arrive soon enough for the Rays. Spring training has become too dangerous.

Already left thin at several positions by a run of injuries during the past two weeks, the Rays lost two key starters in a three-inning span Thursday.

B.J. Upton had to leave the game in the top of the first after being hit by a Paul Byrd fastball just above the back of his left elbow. The initial diagnosis was a bruised triceps and he immediately returned to St. Petersburg to be examined by team orthopedist Koco Eaton.

X-rays on Upton were negative.

Not long after Upton went down, Akinori Iwamura was removed from the game after striking out in the top of the third inning with what was described as "lower back stiffness."

The Rays don't believe either player will be out long. Manager Joe Maddon said he hoped to play Iwamura tonight against the Yankees "unless I find out otherwise."

Upton may not return as quickly, but the Rays don't believe he will be out long.

"I don't think it's anything serious - it just hit him in a bad spot where it's going to swell up quickly, which it did," Maddon said. "He just couldn't get a good feel or grip or close his fist."

Oddly enough, it wasn't long before Upton was injured that the Rays made a late lineup change in an effort to safeguard his health.

Early morning rains left a quagmire in straightaway center field at Chain O'Lakes Park, and the Indians' grounds crew was unable to do much to clean it up using leaf blowers and squeegees.

After a couple of inspections of their lack of progress in drying the area out, Maddon decided less than an hour before the game to move Upton from center field to DH and start Jon Weber in his place. Indians CF Grady Sizemore also was scratched after being in the original lineup.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Two of the runs charged to RHP Jason Hammel on Thursday scored on a homer and the other came across the plate after he was out of the game, so it wasn't as if he got pounded by the Indians' lineup.

But after he needed a whopping 86 pitches to navigate 4 1/3 innings, Hammel (7.64 ERA) acknowledged he wasn't happy with the overall job he has done this spring.

"Honestly, there's other guys that have thrown better than me," he said. "I know I haven't pitched to my potential, and I'm going to, but up to this point I can definitely get better."

MORE INJURY UPDATES: LHP Scott Kazmir (strained elbow) did not throw Thursday and it's unclear whether he will do so today. ... C Shawn Riggans (bruised left hand) traveled with the team to catch in the bullpen and take some swings in the batting cage. Maddon said Riggans should be in the lineup Saturday against Pittsburgh. ... IF Willy Aybar (tight left hamstring) is on the travel roster for tonight's game and Maddon hopes to play him at third base. ... IF/OF Ben Zobrist (broken left thumb) is making progress and the Rays hope to have a better idea about what he can do after he sees the team's doctors Sunday.

IN THE DARK: It's time for the Rays' first and only night game of spring training, and Maddon isn't thrilled about playing under the lights.

"I don't like night games during spring training, quite frankly - I'm not a night-game guy," he said. "I think if you want to play night games you play them right at the very end of spring training as you're leading into the season. At that time I think it makes the most sense, but when you're going for one night game and you're coming back for another week's worth of day games, it really throws your schedule off."

NOTEWORTHY: Jonny Gomes played center field for the final five innings of Thursday's game, his first appearance there this spring. He has never played center in a regular-season major-league game. ... Every healthy position player except C Dioner Navarro is scheduled to travel to Legends Field for tonight's game against the Yankees. Navarro will catch RHP James Shields' start in a minor-league game this afternoon.

Marc Lancaster

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