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Maddon Juggles Lineup

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By MARC LANCASTER

mlancaster@tampatrib.com

Published: October 28, 2008

Updated: 10/28/2008 12:44 am

PHILADELPHIA - It says plenty about the way the Rays have hit in the World Series that when Joe Maddon looked to move a hot hitter up in the lineup for Game 5, he went with a guy batting .267.

At 4-for-15, Carl Crawford has been about as productive a hitter as Tampa Bay has had through the first four games, and he returned to the second spot in the order Monday night. B.J. Upton dropped down to third in the lineup and the horribly slumping Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria each slid a spot to fourth and fifth, respectively.

With his two premier power hitters sitting at 0-for-29 with 15 strikeouts in the World Series, Maddon felt compelled to try to shake things up a bit.

"We'll see if Carl can get up there and set it up a little bit and unfreeze Longo and Carlos a bit," Maddon said. "Just see if it makes a difference or not. It's just a minor adjustment; we'll see if it has any impact."

The changes weren't radical; Crawford spent the majority of the season hitting second and Longoria did the same in the fifth spot, while Pena started 58 games batting in the cleanup spot during the regular season.

"I just wanted to do something, just to clear their minds a little bit," Maddon said. "It was more to give them a different outlook on the day, that's all."

Crawford said he understood the reason for the change but wanted to make sure he didn't overdo it as the Rays look for an answer.

"I'm just going to play my game, try not to do too much," Crawford said. "Maddon is just trying to switch it up and we understand that we want to try to get something going real quick. It's an elimination game right now."

Whatever happens with the new look, it can't get much worse for the Rays offensively. They hit an abysmal .187 as a team through the first four games, going 23-for-123, while drawing just nine walks and striking out 31 times.

DOWN AND DIRTY?

Manager Joe Maddon seemed surprised Monday that anyone had noticed his conversation with home-plate umpire Tom Hallion after the second inning of Game 4, when he inquired about a dark smudge on Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton's cap.

When asked about it in the postgame news conference, he acknowledged he had asked Hallion to keep an eye out for anything fishy, but nothing further came of it.

"I thought we handled it in a very professional manner yesterday," Maddon said before Monday's game. "I don't think we made a big issue about it. I didn't even bring it up to the media; I was asked about it."

Blanton explained to reporters after the game that the smudge was a result of the dirt they use to rub up baseballs and invited anyone who wanted to check his cap. Asked Monday if he bought Blanton's explanation, Maddon paused for a long time before answering.

"I don't think so," he said carefully. "That's very unusual. How many guys have that mark on their hat?"

WAIT AND SEE

Cliff Floyd has been consistent in saying he plans to wait until a month or two into the offseason - perhaps December - before deciding whether to play in 2009.

Being diagnosed this week with a slightly torn labrum in his right shoulder might end up making the decision for him.

"I'm not going to have any more surgeries," Floyd said following Game 4.

That doesn't necessarily mean he won't be able to play. Given an offseason to rehab his shoulder, it might heal on its own. Either way, Floyd will have some time to ponder his next move.

LACKING IN BROTHERLY LOVE

Friends and family of the Rays' players and coaches reportedly had been the recipients of all sorts of verbal abuse from some Phillies fans during games at Citizens Bank Park, but Manager Joe Maddon said he heard the scene wasn't as bad for Game 4 as it had been the previous day. Nonetheless, he said, he couldn't comprehend the need for people to heckle his 7-year-old granddaughter, for instance.

"The cussing at little girls is really bizarre to me," Maddon said.

Marc Lancaster

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