Burrell finally past injury

Now showing some of the power the Rays signed him for, DH Pat Burrell conceded the neck strain that bothered him during the first half was a major factor in his slow start.

Burrell has tried not to use the injury as an excuse - he was on the disabled list from May 11 to June 11 after if flared up in late April - but when asked directly about it, he said the ailment caused him to develop some bad habits.

Manager Joe Maddon said the explanation is probably on the mark.

"When you're protecting something like that, I think you can develop a bad habit," he said. "You don't realize you're doing it. All of a sudden you wake up one day and your neck hurts and your swing is different."

Burrell is still hitting .237 for the year and .225 (20-for-89) since coming off the DL. But since June 12, he has hit four of his five home runs and had 15 of his 32 RBIs.

He hit a walk-off home run against Toronto at home July 7 and had a two-run shot in the Rays' 8-7 victory against the Royals on Friday night. In Tampa Bay's 4-2 victory Saturday night, he drove in the tying run with an eighth-inning double.

Maddon said he sees a more comfortable swing.

"He's using his hands a lot better," he said. "I don't see as much of a push of the bat through the strike zone. I'm seeing the bat head snapping through the zone. And I do believe the neck was a big issue in regard to that."

Burrell has taken extra hitting in recent weeks, but he emphasizes he hasn't tried to force the issue.

"Through the years, I've done everything from doing too much to overthinking everything," he said. "It's the quality, not the quantity. You try to get into a good position to hit and try to groove your swing to where you want it to be. That doesn't necessarily take 200 swings."

Long, quick trip

By the time he went to bed after Friday night's game, RHP Grant Balfour had been up for 34 consecutive hours.

The native of Sydney, Australia, returned to his homeland during the All-Star break for his grandfather's funeral. He crossed the international date line in each direction and spent some 40 hours on planes and more than six hours in the Los Angeles airport.

He said he was close to his grandfather, Ken Holden, whose services were Wednesday.

"They're good people, my grandparents," he said. "They traveled all over to watch me play. They went to Hawaii when I was younger and to the continental States when I played Under-18s. They came to Yankee Stadium to see me pitch. They've been everywhere, you know?"

Also notable

Willy Aybar started at second for Ben Zobrist on Saturday night, and Zobrist started in right. Maddon said Aybar needs at-bats if the Rays are going to count on him pinch-hitting. ... C Dioner Navarro is starting every other day through Monday while Maddon evaluates his health after the hard foul he took to the facemask July 11. Michel Hernandez started Saturday, and Navarro is set to catch today. ... RHP Matt Garza said he mostly relaxed during the All-Star break and he's ready to get his second half started today. About Garza, Maddon said, "We know there's a dominant run in this guy, not only this year, but in years to come." ... Rehabbing LHP Brian Shouse could be less than a week away from returning. Maddon wants him to reach the point at Triple-A Durham where he can pitch on consecutive days. ... C Shawn Riggins played in his fourth game at Single-A Charlotte on Friday and had two hits as the DH. ... RHP Wade Davis (8-6, 3.33 ERA) has allowed 10 runs in his last two starts (13 innings).