Kennedy pushing to improve each time

ST. PETERSBURG -- He spent last season trying to impress those who brought him to the big leagues.

Shouldering increased personal standards, pitcher Joe Kennedy now is trying to prove something to himself with each start.

"You've got to go out there thinking that they can't hit you," Kennedy said. "Right now I feel pretty good. I'm just going right at people."

Except for home runs by Derek Jeter in the third and Jason Giambi in the seventh Thursday, the left-hander was solid in his seventh start of the season.

"He was very strong, the sharpest he's been," manager Hal McRae said. "It starts to show what he's capable of doing."

Kennedy struck out a career-high 10 over seven innings. A Rays pitcher had not struck out 10 in 327 games, since Steve Trachsel against the Red Sox on May 6, 2000, at Fenway Park.

"When you get ahead (in the count) the ball is in your court," Kennedy said. "You get those guys guessing a little bit and you can get away with some pitches and throw some quality pitches for strike three."

Kennedy lowered his ERA to 3.53, tops among Rays starters. He has not allowed more than four earned runs or walked more than four in any start this season.

PEP TALK: Greg Vaughn was summoned to general manager Chuck LaMar's office before the game for what both sides said was a positive conversation.

LaMar said he told Vaughn that though he is taking the brunt of the public criticism, he shouldn't feel sole responsibility for the team's woes, and the organization appreciated the way Vaughn has handled his struggles in the clubhouse and has continued to compete.

"I told him the only way he was going to get out of this was to keep playing and get on a roll, and he will get on a roll," LaMar said.

Vaughn is expected to play leftfield tonight after not starting the past two games with a major-league low .107 batting average.

"He told me to keep my head up and don't be so hard on myself on taking all the responsibility," Vaughn said. "And he told me to keep swinging."

OSCAR WORTHY: Credit good acting by second baseman Brent Abernathy for a quick end to the eighth.

With Jeter on first, Bernie Williams hit a high-bouncing ground ball to second. Jeter brushed by Abernathy, and the second baseman tumbled wildly onto the infield turf.

"Basically he did what you're supposed to do," Jeter said.

Second-base umpire Mike Reilly ruled Jeter and Williams out because of interference on a potential double-play ball.

"No question it was interference," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "But there's no way a high chopper is going to be a double play."

RULING REVERSAL: Moments after home-plate umpire Jerry Meals ruled Vaughn wasn't hit by a pitch in the eighth inning, McRae was arguing the call.

"We had evidence," McRae said. "The swelling (on Vaughn's hand) indicated where he was hit. If he doesn't swell, I don't know what we were going to do."

Because of the reversal, Vaughn and the Rays were 90 feet from a tie score when Ben Grieve grounded out to second to end the inning.

SIGN OF THE TIMES: ESPN.com's Peter Gammons says the Rays' issues with the Red Sox include baserunners at second telling the batters what pitches were coming.

"The Rays may have been upset for what they thought was sign-stealing," Gammons wrote, "but they had a meeting at the end of the weekend to discuss how they should adopt the practice."

ODDS AND ENDS: As part of Major League Baseball's program supporting breast cancer awareness on Mother's Day, pink chairs will be placed in both bullpens Sunday. ... The Rays of Hope Foundation donated $20,000 to the Tampa and St. Petersburg RBI youth leagues. The RBI Regional Tournament from July 12-14 will be played at the Ray Naimoli Complex.