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Hinske Replaces Floyd On Roster

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By MARC LANCASTER

mlancaster@tampatrib.com

Published: October 27, 2008

PHILADELPHIA - When Cliff Floyd tweaked his right shoulder diving into second base in the fourth inning of Game 2, he figured the soreness he felt was just another in a string of bumps and bruises all season that would fade away.

As the pain kept him from sleeping Friday night, though, Floyd had an inkling something more serious might be happening. He went so far as to give Eric Hinske a heads-up that he might want to get a bit more locked in with the pregame preparation he had been doing even though he wasn't on the active roster, just in case.

Finally, Saturday night, the Rays determined it was time to make a change. Before Sunday's game, they got approval from Major League Baseball to replace Floyd with Hinske, ending the veteran designated hitter's World Series.

Rays orthopedist Koco Eaton had to consult with an MLB doctor, and the Rays will have Floyd undergo an MRI when they return to St. Petersburg. They will submit the results to MLB to complete the paperwork.

The Rays were fortunate to have Hinske as a fallback, and he hit a solo home run pinch-hitting for Andy Sonnanstine in the fifth inning of Game 4.

Hinske was a significant contributor during the regular season, but he hadn't appeared in the playoffs. He was active for the division series but did not play and was bumped off the active roster for the ALCS and World Series when the Rays decided to go with 11 pitchers.

"To be able to replace Floyd with a guy that hit 20 home runs speaks to the depth we have," said Executive Vice President Andrew Friedman. "With the way everything's gone this year, Hinske may just come in and help us win a game."

Though Hinske hadn't seen live pitching since Sept. 28 at Detroit, when he hit a three-run homer in the regular-season finale, he has maintained his usual batting practice routine and continued to participate in fielding drills.

"You know that you have no chance to get in the game that day, for sure," Hinske said. "But you've got to be professional about the situation. There's always a chance, like right now."

FAIR ENOUGH

The question hadn't even been asked yet, and the answer already was out of Evan Longoria's mouth.

"It wasn't going foul," he said during batting practice Sunday.

Apparently, he already had heard enough second-guessing of whether he could have done anything to defend the Carlos Ruiz chopper that ended Game 3 early Sunday morning. Both following the game and prior to Game 4, the consensus seemed to be that the ball was going to stay fair, and even though Longoria claimed he hadn't watched a replay of the play, he didn't think there was anything else he could have done.

"I'd be lying to you if I didn't say I thought about it going foul," he said. "But we've done our groundballs and watched how the ball rolls on this field and it wasn't going foul. And for me to just stand there and let the ball roll and stay fair would have been a whole heck of a lot worse than me trying to make a play and throw it over his head."

HOW LOW WILL HE GO?

Joe Maddon went with a five-man infield for the third time this season in Game 3 and said he wouldn't hesitate to do it again in a similar situation. In fact, he said he could envision using one outfielder and six infielders at the end of a game with groundball specialist Chad Bradford on the mound.

"You could really shore up a side of the field, like you could have four guys on one side with Bradford pitching and have one outfielder," Maddon said. "I would not be opposed to trying that if it's the right hitter, the right situation. ... Whatever it takes to win the game."

ZOBRIST BACK FOR MORE

Ben Zobrist started one game in right field during the regular season, but he has now started there twice in the World Series. Even though the Rays had groomed Zobrist as a super-utility player since spring training, you wouldn't have gotten very good odds from Maddon then that the former shortstop would be in this position now.

"Probably negative two percent," Maddon said. "We never even thought about it then. The fact that he's come along so far with his hitting is the big issue. He's just become a much better hitter, and also power-wise. He's played himself into his role, and he's made himself into a very interesting player for the years to come."

Marc Lancaster

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