Floyd Hoping To Get Chance

ANAHEIM, Calif. - DH Cliff Floyd was absent from the Rays' starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game Tuesday.

While no one has suggested Floyd is 100 percent healthy, he said Tuesday he is "feeling good enough" to start. But Rays manager Joe Maddon has decided to keep his veteran slugger on the bench and ride the hot hand of Willy Aybar, with the young switch-hitter playing first base again Tuesday while Eric Hinske served as the DH.

"Things are going pretty nicely right now, and we're just going to stick with it," Maddon said.

In a side-by-side comparison, the numbers clearly come down in favor of keeping Aybar in the lineup. He entered Tuesday on a five-game hitting streak, going 7-for-17 with three doubles and a homer during that stretch while striking out only once.

Floyd, on the other hand, was 1-for-12 with six strikeouts on the current road trip and hadn't played since going 0-for-4 with a walk Friday in Texas.

"They're going with the hot bat, and I don't blame them," Floyd said. "We're winning."

Floyd said Maddon has been "very up-front" with him about the situation. He also repeatedly said winning is his priority.

"Do I think I can help us win? I bet everybody in here would say the same thing - you'd better say that," Floyd said.

Aside from Aybar's impressive play of late, roster management has played some part in Maddon's decision to use the lineups he has in recent days. With Jonny Gomes suspended, the Rays already are down to 24 players. If Floyd started a game and couldn't finish it for whatever reason, that would limit the in-game options even further.

Floyd said he didn't want to leave the team short-handed in such a situation and acknowledged that Aybar's ability to hit from both sides of the plate eliminated the need for lefty-righty substitutions late in the game. That said, Floyd obviously would prefer to be in the lineup and expects to be there for the long haul.

"I see myself getting back in there," he said, "because I'm supposed to be the DH here and I'm supposed to help this team win, and I look forward to doing it."

CONQUERING HERO: Not surprisingly, Evan Longoria had quite a crowd awaiting him when he left Angel Stadium following Monday's game. Considering he went 3-for-4 with a pair of homers, a double and a walk and became the first Rays rookie to score four runs in a game, everyone was in a pretty good mood.

"Yeah, they were really excited," Longoria said Tuesday.

A bit worn out by all the attention, Longoria chatted with the group for a while before heading off to a late dinner with some of his friends.

He had another sizable group of supporters on hand Tuesday night and expects more of the same today as the Rays wrap up their only trip to Southern California this season.

PERCIVAL GOOD TO GO: Closer Troy Percival threw about 30 pitches in a simulated game Tuesday afternoon, with Gomes providing the sole opposition in the batter's box because - in Percival's words - "nobody else showed up."

Aside from that slight, Percival said he felt fine and his manager concurred.

"He's right on target to be activated when we get back home," Maddon said.

DRAFT SIGNINGS: The Rays announced the signing of six picks from this year's draft: OF Brian Bryles (12th round), RHP Jason McEachern (13th), OF Jason Appel (22nd), LHP Marquis Fleming (24th), LHP Michael Jarman (26th) and RHP James Bagley (35th).

Negotiations are ongoing with first-rounder Tim Beckham, but the parties aren't believed to be close to a deal. That's not a surprise, as only one first-round pick has signed so far, with Toronto inking 17th overall selection David Cooper on Tuesday.

Marc Lancaster