Flaherty ready but says Hall will return

ST. PETERSBURG -- With Toby Hall's demotion to Triple-A Durham, John Flaherty took over Tuesday as the Rays starting catcher. Though the 34-year-old is eager to play more than one or two games a week, he understands the move doesn't change his role in the team's future.

"I'm probably going to be getting more playing time, but in the same regard, things haven't changed in that Toby is going to be the guy of the future," said Flaherty, whose start was his 14th this season. "When he gets himself straightened out in Triple A, whether confidence-wise or in some mechanical adjustments, he'll get himself back up here and he'll be the guy. In that sense, things really haven't changed: I'm holding the fort until Toby's ready to go."

Flaherty did more than hold the fort Tuesday, hitting a grand slam to leftfield in the third to give the Rays a 5-0 lead. Flaherty's first home run of the season nearly doubled his RBI total with a single swing: He had five in his past 46 at-bats. The slam was the second of his major-league career, following one against the Marlins in July 1996.

Before the game, Flaherty said he has been comfortable with his role as a veteran paired with one of baseball's top young catchers, a role that has been easier because of a good working relationship he has had with Hall the past four seasons.

"It's been known for some time that I was going to be the guy to help him into the big leagues, and it's never been a problem," Flaherty said.

FIND THAT GLOVE: With Aubrey Huff slated as the regular DH, Greg Vaughn will shift to leftfield, where he has played seven times this season.

"I enjoy playing outfield," Vaughn said. "You've got something to do. You can't think about hitting 24/7. You know you've got to go out there and take away as many hits as you can."

The move could be good news for Vaughn's .125 average. Last season, he batted .216 in 70 games as DH and .260 in 53 games in leftfield.

PRIORITY NO. 1: Right-hander Tanyon Sturtze makes his 11th start tonight against Seattle, but he still is seeking his first win. Sturtze said what bothers him isn't personally missing out on wins but the Rays' 2-8 record in his starts. Last season, Tampa Bay went 15-12 when Sturtze pitched.

"As long as the team wins, I don't think it's frustrating for me," said Sturtze, who had two wins at the end of May last season and finished with 11. "I always want to get a W in the column, and it's when we don't do that on the days I pitch that I get frustrated. It can go either way. I could be 4-0, or like I am right now, 0-5."

TAKE A SWING: With the first batch of interleague games 10 days away, Rays pitchers made their 2002 batting practice debut in anticipation of a stretch of nine games without a DH June 14-23.

"I was a little jittery," said starter Paul Wilson, the most-experienced of the Rays pitchers with 50 career at-bats and a lifetime .080 average. "It's something we don't do worth a (lick), but I'm looking forward to it. We'll see if we can get our bunts in, and anything else we do is a bonus."

Wilson has one career home run, but the Rays pitcher with the best career average is Joe Kennedy, whose 1-for-4 (.250) line is better than Ryan Rupe (.125), Sturtze (.111) or Wilson Alvarez (.103). Asked which pitcher he would turn to as a last-resort pinch-hitter, manager Hal McRae astutely responded rookie reliever Jorge Sosa, who was a position player from 1995-2000 before switching last season. Sosa carried a .222 average in the minors with 11 career home runs.

THIS AND THAT: After missing five games with a bruised left thumb, outfielder Ben Grieve returned to the lineup. Grieve singled to right-centerfield and stole second in the second inning, then followed with a bases-loaded walk in the third. ... Oakland will start former Rays pitcher Cory Lidle at the Trop for Friday's 7:15 p.m. game. ... Tampa Bay pitchers Steve Kent (3.04) and Travis Harper (3.27) have ERAs in the top five among AL rookies.