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Alvarez hoping rust from DL has passed

TORONTO -- For the first five innings of their game against the Blue Jays on April 14, the Rays beheld the kind of pitcher Wilson Alvarez could be when healthy.

The left-hander, who missed two seasons because of a partially torn rotator cuff, retired the first six batters he faced. He allowed one run before he threw a pitch to Carlos Delgado in the sixth and pulled a muscle in his rib cage.

He was placed on the disabled list the next day and has made one start since, against the A's on Friday.

"I was a little rusty," said Alvarez, who allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings against Oakland and starts tonight. "I made some pitches that I could get away with in the minor leagues, but not here.

"I need to get ahead. When they see a guy coming off the DL they're not swinging that much. They're just waiting there to see what I've got. I need to get ahead first and work more on location."

Pitching coach Jackie Brown would like to see Alvarez trust his pitches and throw more strikes to get ahead of batters.

"I'd like to see him do everything that he did well last game," Brown said.

"I thought he threw as well as he's thrown all year, velocity-wise. He just tried to nibble too much."

DECISIONMAKER: Chris Gomez's decision to continue from high school to college undoubtedly affected his position in the 1989 amateur draft, but it's a move he doesn't regret.

The Angels selected him in the 37th round of the '89 draft in case he decided against going to Loyola-Marymount.

"I felt I wasn't ready, more mentally than anything else," he said. "It's been my dream to be a major-league baseball player but I didn't even give it really a shot to get going.

"I figured I wanted to go to college, mature a little more and see what happens after that.

Gomez became an All-American at Long Beach State before the Tigers picked him in the third round of the '92 draft. He made his major-league debut with Detroit the next season.

"I'm glad I did it," he said, "because it worked out perfectly."

COMEBACK TRAIL: Pitcher Nick Bierbrodt's journey back to the majors begins today when he throws six innings or 85 pitches, whichever comes first, for Class A Charleston against Greensboro.

The left-hander has had months of bullpen work and made three extended spring training starts after experiencing a sudden loss of control during spring training. He allowed 11 runs, walked 12, threw 5 wild pitches and hit 3 batters in 12/3 innings before being pulled off the mound.

MAKING AN APPEARANCE: Pitcher Tanyon Sturtze, who lost his seventh straight game Monday, was one of four guests on the Canadian television talk show Off the Record.

The show, which was taped and aired Tuesday, is similar to Politically Incorrect but with athletes.

Sturtze appeared with Steve Klein, a guitarist for the Florida punk rock band New Found Glory, improv actor Jen Goodhue and Canadian actor Thea Andrews, who has hosted the shows Cooking for Love and Guys TV.

MINOR MATTERS: Double-A Orlando pitcher Nathan Ruhl and first baseman Josh Pressley will play in the Southern League All-Star Game on June 19.

Charleston third baseman Edgar Gonzalez was named Rays minor-league player of the month, batting .394 with 12 doubles and 17 RBIs. Charleston pitchers Austin Coose and Mark Malaska were co-pitchers of the month. Coose was 1-0 with a 0.57 ERA and four saves; Malaska went 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA in six starts for Bakersfield.

AT HOME: Third-base coach Tom Foley remained in Orlando to be with his father, who is ill. Foley is not expected to rejoin the team until it returns for Friday's home game. Bench coach Billy Hatcher filled in again Tuesday.

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