Upton's recent run continues with blast

Why not hot-hitting SS Jason Bartlett in the lead-off spot instead of CF B.J. Upton?

Upton offered an answer himself Friday night with a 3-for-5 performance that included a walk-off home run in the Rays' come-from-behind 8-7 victory against the Indians.

Manager Joe Maddon reiterated earlier Friday he's not making a switch, saying he sees Upton coming on and likes Bartlett where he is.

Upton, after a delayed start this season because of November shoulder surgery, entered Friday's game batting .172 with no home runs, four RBIs, nine stolen bases and an on-base percentage of just .281.

But he has shown flashes of late, including a three-hit game Wednesday at Baltimore and his best game of the season Friday.

Upton led the Rays in on-base percentage last year at .383.

He drew a team-high 97 walks and finished second in the AL in stolen bases with 44, so his lead-off credentials are unquestioned.

There's also the added dimension of power that his 24 home runs in 2007 and seven in the 2008 postseason appear to promise.

It's just that he's only now getting going.

Bartlett, meanwhile, entered Friday batting .363 with nine stolen bases and a .403 on-base percentage while hitting seventh, eighth or ninth in 27 of his 36 starts. 2B Akinori Iwamura, who batted lead-off most of last year, had a .341 on-base percentage.

Maddon believes Upton will reach his career on-base percentage of nearly 40 percent and thinks Upton and Carl Crawford in the Nos. 1 and 2 spots will be a potent combination.

"The biggest concern I would have is if B.J. was upset with himself to the point where he was down on himself," Maddon said. "If he's not, I'm not going to get down on him."

Crawford returns

LF Carl Crawford returned to the lineup after missing a start with a bruised right shoulder. He picked up where he left off as one of the AL's hottest players, getting two hits and his 23rd and 24th stolen bases through the seventh inning.

"Everything is feeling better," said Crawford, who jammed the shoulder on a diving catch Wednesday in Baltimore. "I got it heated up, got in the room with the trainers and feel nice and loose."

Angle correction

RHP Joe Nelson blamed his recent difficulty on being up with his pitches and said he is working on a mechanical adjustment.

After being a dependable option for Maddon through early May (he had a 2.38 ERA on May 2), the reliever had pitched to a 16.62 ERA (41/3 innings, eight earned runs) in his previous six appearances entering Friday.

That included four runs allowed in two-thirds of an inning in the Rays' 11-7 loss to the Indians on Thursday.

"It's got to be fixed, because I don't have the stuff to get away with missing up," Nelson said. "It's frustrating because at this point in my career, I should be able to make adjustments on the fly."

Stable starter

After getting ineffective starting pitching three of the past four nights, the Rays could use a strong outing tonight from RHP Matt Garza.

That isn't hard to envision, because Garza has been the staff's most dependable. He's 3-2 with a starters-best 3.56 ERA, and opponents are batting .185 against him - second-best in the AL.

One thing Garza hasn't done is beat the Indians. He's 0-3 with a 6.12 ERA against them, despite 31 strikeouts in 25 innings.

"He's been very consistent," Maddon said of Garza this season. "Stuff-wise, I think his is among the best in all the major leagues."

Tony Fabrizio