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Percival, Maddon Pleased By Outing

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By ROY CUMMING And MARC LANCASTER The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 28, 2009

FORT MYERS - The stat line wasn't real impressive, but Rays closer Troy Percival and Manager Joe Maddon liked everything else about the back end of Percival's first consecutive outings of the spring Thursday night.

Percival allowed two runs on two walks and a hit during one inning of work against the Tigers in Lakeland, but one of the walks was more or less intentional, and the hit was a well-placed fly ball that became a bases-clearing triple.

"I figured if that was my bad outing for the spring, compared to last year's bad outing we're good," said Percival, who paid for his decision to pitch around Tigers OF Curtis Granderson with a runner on in the eighth.

"Granderson wasn't going to get anything, not after I looked on deck and saw No. 107 coming up," said Percival, who struggled with hamstring problems all of last season and is recovering from offseason back surgery.

No. 107 was actually Will Ryhmes. He went after Percival's first pitch, and his speed helped turn what would normally have been a double into a triple that didn't seem to concern Maddon.

"I was watching Percival's delivery, and he wasn't favoring anything," Maddon said. "His legs, his back looked good. So I was pleased with all of that. When he came off he said 'Nothing bothered me,' and I said 'Great.'"

Percival said Friday he will definitely be ready for the season opener in Boston, which is something the Rays did not anticipate when spring training began last month.

"I truly was prepared to start the season without him," Maddon said. "But to his credit, he's worked very hard to get to this point. Of course we've still got a little ways to go here.

"But I honestly can say he's throwing the ball better this spring than he did last spring, and he ended up with 20-some saves before he got hurt last year."

AKI ON THE MOVE?

Akinori Iwamura made his Rays debut Friday, and as usual he batted first and played second. That combination probably won't change as long as B.J. Upton continues to nurse his shoulder back to health, but when Upton returns, Iwamura can expect to move down a few notches in the batting order.

The Rays plan to bat Upton first, with Carl Crawford second and Evan Longoria third. With Pat Burrell, Carlos Pena, Dioner Navarro and one of the two right-field-playing Gabes - Gross or Kapler - filling the middle spots, Iwamura is likely to spend the season batting seventh, eighth or ninth.

"The addition of Pat Burrell has really created a different vibe in our lineup, but in a good way," Maddon said. "We're really just trying to figure out the best way to stack the names, the way that gives us the best chance to win."

Iwamura said through an interpreter he would prefer to bat leadoff but he will do whatever the team asks him to do.

SHIELDS HIT HARD

RHP James Shields will get one more tuneup before he starts the season opener against the Red Sox. He can only hope it goes better than Friday's start at Hammond Stadium.

After consecutive starts against their Triple-A Rochester affiliate, Shields faced the Twins' big-leaguers, and the result was akin to a prospect pitching out of his league.

"Joe decided to call me up from the minors, but I didn't do much to help my cause for staying here," Shields said after allowing 12 hits - including three homers - and 11 runs in 41/3 innings. "That was pretty much garbage."

Maddon, who hoped to get 105 pitches out of Shields but pulled him after 93, said Shields had good velocity on his pitches but was simply missing his spots.

CC WOWS 'EM

OF Carl Crawford showed off his speed in a unique way in the first inning Friday. After reaching third on a steal attempt on a pop-out to center, Crawford raced back to second, tagged up and safely reached third again.

"That is like running 90 yards on a pop-up to center," Maddon said. "He had the base stolen, first of all, but he had the wherewithall to get back and tag up. It was impressive, Not many guys can do that."

FIRST GLANCE

With the start of the regular season a little more than a week away, Maddon believes it's time to get his regular position players more work.

He'll start today by using what likely will be his Opening-Day lineup. By Monday he plans to start stretching the regulars' workload out to eight or nine innings.

Roy Cummings, Marc Lancaster

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