Piniella Returns To Trop With First-Place Cubs

ST. PETERSBURG - When the Rays' 2008 schedule was released last fall, the series that begins tonight was the one that jumped off the page for just about everyone.

The Chicago Cubs' first trip to Tropicana Field would have captured the imagination of local baseball fans regardless, but the Cubs, led by Tampa native and former Rays manager Lou Piniella, bumped expectations to another level.

Those factors undoubtedly will contribute to larger crowds and a more energetic atmosphere than usual for a midweek series. As far as those in the home clubhouse are concerned, though, the next three nights represent another challenge in a seemingly endless string.

The Cubs roll into town sporting baseball's best record at 45-25. They will be the fourth division leader the Rays have faced in their past six series, following the White Sox, Red Sox and Angels. Tampa Bay has faced an opponent with a losing record in just two of the past 28 games - the Rangers on June 7 (31-32) and 8 (31-33).

"You kind of need a break every once in a while and it's just not happening, because when we're going from our division, heck, we're going to the National League and playing the top teams in there," said Cliff Floyd.

With that in mind, the Rays might as well keep doing what they have been doing, said tonight's starting pitcher.

"It's not like we haven't faced all the first-place guys anyway, so we're not going to approach it any different," Scott Kazmir said.

The left-hander even can see an advantage in his situation. He never has pitched against the Cubs before and has faced only two of their batters, Reed Johnson and Mark DeRosa.

"I like it just because they haven't seen me, really, so maybe I can catch them off-guard a little bit," Kazmir said.

The Rays' other starters in the series, Andy Sonnanstine and James Shields, will try to take the same tack. Neither has faced the Cubs, and Johnson, a former Blue Jay, is the only Chicago hitter who has seen both of them firsthand.

Then again, the Cubs haven't had much trouble getting the job done against anyone this season. They have a .283 team batting average, best in the game, and only the Rangers have scored more runs.

On the other side, their pitchers have a collective 3.61 ERA, best in the NL, and are tied for second in the majors in strikeouts.

They have been fantastic at Wrigley Field, their 29-8 home record trailing only Boston's. Despite a 16-17 mark away from the Friendly Confines, they took two of three at Toronto over the weekend.

"We all know they're playing good baseball - the world knows," said Floyd, a Chicago native and former Cub. "If we don't play good baseball, we're going to get beat. They're winning on the road and at home, so it's not like they go on the road and say, 'OK we can come back .500.' They're trying to win everything."

It doesn't hurt that the Cubs have a century's worth of motivation on their backs as they gun for their first World Series title since 1908.

"It's been 100 years waiting," Floyd said. "I played there last year, I know."

All of the fine work the Cubs have done to this point quickly will be forgotten if they endure another October collapse. But it's difficult to quibble with the results to this point.

The same could be said about the Rays, another one of the six teams in the game already to have reached 40 wins. Their worthiness once again will be tested over the next three evenings, but as Manager Joe Maddon looked ahead after Sunday's loss to the Marlins, he could boil down his feelings about the Cubs' visit to three words:

"Bring 'em on."