Jaso's growth a good sign for the Rays

Today marks the one month anniversary of catcher John Jaso's promotion to the big leagues, a move necessitated by C Kelly Shoppach's right knee injury and subsequent surgery.

Jaso started his 13th game of the season in Wednesday afternoon's 4-3 win against the Angels and was 1-for-4, which dropped his average to .341.

His work behind the plate has been solid, and he earned some major points with his teammates when he sought out RHP Grant Balfour after Monday's 5-4, 11-inning loss and took the blame for not blocking a slider in the dirt which allowed the winning run to move to third and went on Balfour's record as a wild pitch.

"I wanted him to know that was my fault, and that he can still throw the pitch again and I will block it," Jaso said.

Rays manager Joe Maddon saw that as another growth moment in Jaso's rapid development.

"That shows me he belongs," Maddon said.

But for how long?

Maddon said Shoppach's rehab is moving along without any hitches and is on scheduled to return in early June.

"(Jaso has) made everything interesting," Maddon said, "but when Shopp's ready to come back, Shopp will come back."

Meaning Jaso is likely headed back to Triple A Durham where he will continue to develop.

"It's a nice problem to have," Maddon said. "At the beginning of the year we were concerned about the catching in general, and with what Jaso's done and (Nevin) Ashley in Double A and with what (Jose) Lobaton has done at Triple A, the catching is a little more thicker, which we really absolutely need."

Offense getting perky

The Rays responded to Sunday's perfect game by batting a combined .313 against the Angels.

RF Ben Zobrist doubled home a run in the first inning giving him doubles in consecutive at-bats since he doubled and scored in the ninth inning of Tuesday's win. Zorilla is still looking for his first homer of the year.

LF Carl Crawford had two more hits, including a bunt single in the first inning, to give him five hits in his last two games after having just one in his past four.

3B Evan Longoria had one hit, a double in the sixth to give him six doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs in his last 13 games.

The K-squad

The Rays did strikeout a season-high 14 times Wednesday, as Angels starter RHP Jered Weaver recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts.

"That's who we are," Maddon said.

The Rays have fanned at least six times in six of the 11 games played this month. They are 3-3 in those games.

The Pat Burrell Front

DH Pat Burrell was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Wednesday's win, dropping his average to .212. Maddon chose to pinch-hit Willy Aybar for Burrell in the eighth inning with 1B Carlos Peña on second base and right-hander Kevin Jepsen on the mound.

Aybar normally bats only against lefties, but Maddon said Jepsen did not provide a good match-up for Burrell.

"I just felt we had a better chance right there (with Aybar)," Maddon said. "I definitely thought that was a big run to get."

They didn't get the run, though. Aybar bounced out to first.

The Hank Blalock Front

Rays VP Andrew Friedman wouldn't comment on the comments by Hank Blalock's agent Scott Boras that his client has drawn some interest from major league teams and could activate his opt-out clause from the minor league contract he signed in March.

Blalock was batting .366 for the Durham Bulls.

Howell to take another step Friday

LHP J.P. Howell is scheduled to throw live batting practice before Friday's game with the Mariners. If that goes well, Howell will throw a simulated game Tuesday.

"If everything goes well, we'll set up a scheduled time for him to go out and throw in actual (minor league) games," Maddon said.

Howell is still on schedule to return at the end of this month.

Zoby looked good at 1B

Ben Zobrist received high marks for his work at first base Tuesday night, though both he and Maddon admitted he wasn't really tested.

Zobrist started so 1B Carlos Peña could take a day off, though Peña entered the game in the eighth as a defensive replacement. Still, expect to see more of Zobrist at first base as the option over DH Willy Aybar when Peña needs a day off.

"We had been talking about that for a while," Maddon said. "This permits us to use Reid (Brignac) and (Shawn) Rodriguez and the other guys we want to use on defense. Quite frankly, Willy is at the end of the defensive list."

Home again, but not for long

After an off day today, the Rays begin a quick five-game homestand Friday with a weekend series with the Mariners and games Monday and Tuesday against the Indians before heading back on the road for a quick five-game trip.

The Rays will take the field Friday with a very rare stat: a better winning percentage on the road than at home.

"It's really ridiculous," Maddon said. "We've actually played better on the road than at home. Don't really have a solid reason."

The Rays return with another rare stat: a winning West Coast road trip.

"We talked about getting off to a good start, and part of that was to play better on the road and we've done that. That's vital," Maddon said.

Farmhands win monthly awards

Infielder Henry Wrigley of the Charlotte Stone Crabs and righthander Shane Dyer of the Bowling Green Hot Rods captured Player of the Month awards from their respective leagues.

Wrigley hit .373 during the month of April, good for second among all teams in the Rays organization. He tallied 28 hits, including 5 doubles, a triple, and 4 home runs-second-most in the Florida State League in the month. His 14 RBI led Charlotte.

Dyer made 5 starts for the Hot Rods in April and finished with a 1-2 record to ago along with a 1.55 ERA. He notched a 7-inning complete game shutout against Lake County (4/25). The righty allowed just 5 earned runs and 3 walks in the month to go along with 20 strikeouts in 29 innings.

Odds and ends

RF Matt Joyce will begin hitting once his right elbow has improved enough to where he can throw the ball 90 feet ...The Rays entered Wednesday's game having scored a major league high 105 runs and allowed an American League low 101. The plus-85 differential is the fourth-highest since the start of the expansion era in 1961 ... LHP David Price's quality start Wednesday was the 16th by the Rays, which ties the Cardinals for the most in the majors ... Tuesday's 7-2 win was the 13th time the Rays have won by five or more runs.