Boos leave Burrell feeling at home

The Mets have a beautiful new home, but Pat Burrell was glad to see - or, rather, hear - Friday that their fans haven't changed a bit.

Burrell was roundly booed when he came to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning of the Rays' first game at Citi Field, a welcome reminiscent of how he was usually greeted at Shea Stadium on frequent visits with the Phillies.

"Love it," Burrell said Saturday. "That's how the game's supposed to be. And they wouldn't have done that if I hadn't done something good against the Mets in the past. That's how it should be. When I came back to the dugout, obviously I struck out and that was a bad at-bat and everything else, but I said, 'Man, I feel like I'm back in Philly - at home!'"

Yes, the intensity and venom are undoubtedly at a higher level in the Northeast for the visitors and home team alike. And Burrell's 42 homers against the Mets in his career with the rival Phillies obviously haven't all faded from the collective memory in Queens.

"That's pretty cool," Burrell said. "I would have liked to get the 43rd Friday night."

Asked if he had ever pondered playing for a New York team, Burrell said he had, but it was nothing more than idle thought. Even after only a couple days in town, though, Burrell's opinion on Citi Field already had firmed up.

"I'm pretty sure it's my favorite ballpark, just aesthetically, to look at," Burrell said. "Obviously the hitters are going to be upset because it's a big ballpark, but in terms of just looking at it, and as a fan, I would think it would be a great place. That carried over, that buzz that Shea Stadium had. There was a buzz there, an energy, that was a special feeling, I thought. I believe that carried over to here.

"There's just something about this place. I don't feel that in Yankee Stadium, but then again, I haven't had many wars there. Although Carl Crawford said Friday night, this place is dead compared to Yankee Stadium. It was the opposite for me, but everyone's different."

Injury updates

Manager Joe Maddon said it isn't a given that LHP Scott Kazmir's start Monday night for Triple-A Durham will be his last rehab appearance before rejoining the Rays, but it is "possible" he could be activated by next weekend.

"We're still pretty much going one at a time with him, keeping an open mind," Maddon said. "But there's no finish line with that; it could be one more in the minors or it could be that would be it. We'll just see what he looks like, see how everything feels, the overall command, the velocity, etc., see if everything looks normal."

As for RHP Chad Bradford, who threw a scoreless inning Saturday for Durham, Maddon said he is slated for back-to-back appearances in the middle of the week and could get one more outing there after that.

Asked about two injured players who have been off the radar lately - LHP Brian Shouse (elbow strain) and C Shawn Riggans (shoulder tendinitis) - Maddon said there was nothing new to report. Both players are in the midst of a long-toss program to rebuild arm strength, and neither is close to a return.

Focusing in

RHP Jeff Niemann takes the mound today for the Rays' final interleague game in a National League park having developed an appreciation for having to hit for himself - even if he isn't very good at it.

"It's a little bit different, but I kind of like it because it creates a separation," he said. "You don't sit there and dwell on the last inning or think about what happened.

"It kind of gives you that mental break between innings."

Niemann has struck out four times in five trips to the plate this season.

Odds and ends

SS Jason Bartlett extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a double in the fifth inning. ... Crawford grounded into a 1-6-3 double play for the second consecutive game, the first time he has been doubled up in back-to-back games since Aug. 15 and 17, 2007. ... The Rays' seventh-round pick, Panola College OF Cody Rogers, signed Friday, according to the Longview (Texas) News-Journal.