Maddon gives Upton day off

B.J. Upton had slumped his way out of the leadoff spot and his tailspin only seemed to accelerate when he was dropped to the bottom of the order last week. It was time for him to step back and get his head - and his swing - back in order, and the process began before Tuesday's game.

Upton met in Joe Maddon's office with the manager and hitting coach Steve Henderson to discuss his woes at the plate, and the message was straightforward. The Rays' coaches basically wanted Upton to get out of his own way, and they told him he'd get Wednesday's game off, paired with today's off day for the team, to take a couple steps back and relax.

"Pretty much just the whole conversation was just, let it go - go out and have fun," Upton said. "I guess they could kind of see that the cup had runneth over a little bit."

Since being removed from the leadoff spot in the lineup last Tuesday, Upton has three hits (all singles) in 27 at-bats and has struck out 12 times while walking only twice. That includes a 0-for-3 showing following Tuesday's chat, but he said he felt more confident at the plate in that game than he has in a while.

Stripping away all the adjustments he has made in attempting to regain his form probably helped a bit, and Maddon would like to see that continue. He said he would prefer Upton back off on all the extra hitting he has done lately in an attempt to bust himself out of the slump, noting that he was at his best during the playoffs last season when he cut back on practice and concentrated on games.

"I just think that he's thinking too much," Maddon said. "Here's a young guy that, to me, is much more of a reaction kind of a player who was turning into this mechanical guy and I don't want that. I told him, 'I don't want that from you or for you - I want you to get back to just reacting to situations, see-ball, hit-ball, and defensively do the same thing.' I don't want him to become an overthinker, and I think that's what it's getting to right now."

Maddon also said he never read Upton's comments that he was not pleased to be dropped in the order as being directed at him, and Upton said as much to the manager.

"He was more displeased with himself, he was more embarrassed by himself and what he had been doing, and that's where he was at and I got that," Maddon said. "We talked about that and there was really no issue."

Out of mothballs

Maddon reacted with mock indignation to seeing Angels rookie Trevor Bell take the mound for his big-league debut wearing jersey number 70 - the first Angel to wear it in the regular season since Maddon departed following the 2005 season.

"I immediately started yelling at their dugout when I saw that, and I was pointing up at all the retired numbers and saying, 'It should be up there,'" Maddon said. "I took it for that reason; I thought nobody would ever wear it. That was part of the ploy behind taking number 70. And there it was today."

Farm facts

The Rays' Venezuelan Summer League affiliate won the league championship Wednesday by beating the VSL Pirates 8-2 to capture the best-of-three series after dropping the opener.

Starter Eduar Quinonez held the Pirates hitless in his five innings before the bullpen finished it off. SS Hector Guevara, who doesn't turn 18 until October, went 3-for-5 with a double, homer and five RBIs to lead the Rays' offense.

Odds and ends

C Michel Hernandez cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Durham. RHP John Meloan was claimed off waivers by the Pirates and LHP R.J. Swindle was claimed by the Indians. ... Maddon said RHP Chad Bradford (back tightness) is "much closer" to returning and has an outside chance to do so this weekend. Next week sounds more likely.

Marc Lancaster