Rays: A day for unknowns to shine

A day for unknowns to shine

By KEVIN KELLY and MARC TOPKIN

ST. PETERSBURG -- Score one for the "Scrubeenies."

Catcher Yamid Haad got his home run after two near misses. Ryan Freel redeemed himself with a broken-bat single.

And the Rays, who didn't get a hit or baserunner through five innings Monday at Florida Power Park, rallied for a 7-6 win before an announced 1,280.

"We had to get the Scrubeenies in there to score some runs, the hungry guys," manager Hal McRae said. "We got the fat cats out of the game and we scored some runs."

The Rays replaced five starting position players in the seventh inning and trailed until Haad hit a grand slam in the eighth.

Two days earlier, he narrowly missed hitting a game-ending homer against the Braves, and he flew out to the warning track in his first at-bat Monday.

But he didn't miss a 2-and-1 fastball from Jose Santiago that bounced atop and over the leftfield wall to give the Rays a 6-4 lead in the eighth.

"I had a good swing and hit a home run," said Haad, who spent most of last season with Triple-A Nashville in the Pirates farm system. "I was excited because every chance they give me here I have to do something. I'm just try to do the most I can."

The Phillies tied the score in the ninth off Jason Dickson, who wound up getting the win, after Felix Martinez dropped an infield popup by Roberto Zambrano.

Third baseman Jared Sandberg took the blame: "I just called it too early," he said.

Freel, who failed to convert a hit and run in the eighth, came to bat with the bases loaded, one out and Franklin Nunez on the mound in the ninth.

"I'm coming in here to a new team and you really have to do all the little things," said Freel, who opened last season with the Blue Jays. "I just want to open up some eyes again and show them that I can play."

Freel's broken-bat single rainbowed into shallow rightfield, allowing Sandberg to score easily from third.

"He was pumping pretty good," Freel said of Nunez. "He's got a live arm. I was just fortunate to put some wood on it and put it in the right spot."

PITCHING IN: Left-hander Nick Bierbrodt's pitches were a little higher than he would have liked, but otherwise he was pleased with his initial spring outing, allowing one hit over two innings. "It was good enough for me," he said. "I've got a month to get the ball down and over the plate." ... Ryan Rupe, experimenting with several mechanical adjustments to help him keep the ball down, had mixed results, allowing three hits and a walk over two innings. "I still have a long ways to go," he said. "I don't know how to rate this performance; "First Time Out,' I guess."

JUST TALKING: Eric Goldschmidt, the agent for Greg Vaughn, met with general manager Chuck LaMar on Monday but said he didn't expect serious trade talk to develop until close to the July 31 deadline for non-waiver deals. "That's my educated guess," Goldschmidt said. Though Vaughn has a partial no-trade clause, covering about half the teams, Goldschmidt said he told LaMar "we'd look at every team."

MEDICAL REPORT: Bobby Smith still is hobbled by a sprained ankle and will try to play Wednesday. ... Vaughn, out with a sore calf, could make his spring debut Thursday against the Yankees.

MISCELLANY: Ex-Rays Bryan Rekar and Roberto Hernandez are scheduled to pitch for Kansas City on Wednesday at Florida Power Park. ... Dewon Brazelton will speak to members of the Wildwood Little League tonight at Campbell Park. ... Game-time temperature Monday was 51. ... Minor-league camp opens Thursday for pitchers and catchers.