Wilson out to show what he has learned

© St. Petersburg Times
published May 24, 2002

SEATTLE -- Remember his last start in Oakland? How could Paul Wilson forget?

Battered by the A's, knocked out of the game after two innings and then dumped from the rotation, he sat in front of his locker May 31 looking like a beaten man.

He spent most of the next two months in the bullpen, trying to find some way to fix what was wrong, then re-emerged as one of the league's most consistent starters. He went 6-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 12 starts after rejoining the rotation and is 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA this season.

He returns to start in Oakland tonight a changed man, a markedly improved pitcher armed with a different attitude and a fresh perspective. But also with a good memory.

"I think you have to take the same attitude with every team, but I know what they did to me last year," Wilson said. "I can't lie to you and say I don't think about that, and there's a little extra ummph there, but that's exactly what I've been trying to stay away from, getting too emotional as far as ups and downs. "If I get bombed (tonight) does it mean I've taken 10 steps back? No. And if I throw a shutout does that mean I've come full circle? No. I'm just going to continue doing what I've been doing, which is giving this team a chance to win."

CATCHING SWAP: Toby Hall is eager to return to the lineup tonight after nearly a week off. "Can't wait," he said.

Hall left the game May 17 after taking a foul ball off his right thumb, and manager Hal McRae decided to give him additional days off to work on his defensive fundamentals with coach Glenn Ezell.

Asked if he had improved during the sessions, Hall said: "I guess so. We'll see at the end of the year how my progress report is."

Veteran John Flaherty played well in Hall's place, leading the Rays to four wins in the five games, but McRae said Hall will be behind the plate tonight "win, lose or draw, rain or shine."

Flaherty hit .333 during the week, and the pitchers had a 2.66 ERA with him behind the plate.

"When I get in there I'm hoping the pitcher throws well and gives our team a chance to win at the end," Flaherty said. "I played five in a row and felt like we did that. It was nice to play. It was fun, that's for sure."

CHIPPING IN: The auction of Seattle reliever Jeff Nelson's bone chips ended Thursday with a winning bid of $1,000, which was matched by the sponsoring radio station. The chips are likely to be in the news again, however; the winning bidder is planning to reauction them.

LOCAL YOKEL: Washington native Jared Sandberg gave his 40-plus friends and relatives something to cheer about, hitting an upper-deck home run in the second inning.

"I try to play on an even keel, but it was kind of hard for me to keep back a smile," Sandberg said. "It was definitely exciting to come back and play before that many fans."

Sandberg got back his home run ball, in exchange for an autographed bat and ball. "An easy price to pay," he said.

MINOR MATTERS: Gerardo Garcia, the 22-year-old right-hander purchased this spring from the Mexico City Tigers, was the third Rays minor-leaguer to pitch a no-hitter, joining Jason Standridge (June 28, 1999) and Doug Waechter (Aug. 10, 2000). ... Josh Hamilton homered in consecutive games for Class A Bakersfield.

MISCELLANY: McRae said he'd consider giving reliever Jorge Sosa a chance to start. ... The Rays were on a season-high four-game winning streak while the Mariners had lost a season-high four straight. ... John Olerud's eighth-inning homer was the first surrendered by the Rays in 34-plus innings.