Winn's hits are not enough

PADRES 9, RAYS 6: As team squanders 4-0 led, the outfielder keeps producing in leadoff spot.

By KEVIN KELLY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 10, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- The search for a leadoff hitter ended with Randy Winn on Sunday.

But other issues remained unresolved: like how the Rays could squander such an offensive blessing as four runs on 22 pitches in the first inning against the Padres.

The answer in a 9-6 loss against San Diego could be gleaned from Paul Wilson's worst outing of the season and spotty defensive performances from those playing behind him.

"I thought we had something working," manager Hal McRae said. "Then we sort of shot ourselves in the foot. We didn't pick each other up after we made mistakes."

Winn certainly did his part to help, in front of 13,286 fans.

Batting leadoff for the fifth time this season, the Rays centerfielder enjoyed one of the most prolific days for a Rays batter in the club's brief history.

Winn went 4-for-5 with three doubles, one homer and two RBIs, prompting talk afterward that he might be the current favorite to represent the Rays at the All-Star Game next month.

"We have a ways to go," McRae said. "Things change. Ten days from now it might be someone else. I guess 10 to 15 days ago we would've said (Steve) Cox. Right now you say Randy. So I don't know."

Winn set a club record with the four extra-base hits, tied a career high and club record with four hits, tied a career high with three doubles and became the fifth Rays player to get 10 total bases in a game.

All on his 28th birthday.

"I've felt very comfortable at the plate lately," said Winn, who led off the first with a home run. "I'm trying to get a hit, get an RBI, get on base in my next at-bat or make the next play. At the end of the year that's the time I can sit back and (think) about what I've done."

Searching for and experimenting with leadoff hitters all season, McRae tried Winn at the top spot against the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

"He seems more relaxed," McRae said. "He's patient, not chasing as many balls, especially the high fastballs he chased a lot. He's very patient and that's what the leadoff spot requires."

The team leader with 33 RBIs, Winn has thrived in the role and is batting .520 with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 3 stolen bases and no strikeouts in the leadoff spot.

"He's doing everything he's supposed to do as the guy at the top of the order," second baseman Brent Abernathy said. "He's getting on base, he's moving the ball around the field and he's stealing some bases putting himself in scoring position. He looks real comfortable right now and he's hitting the ball to all parts of the field."

Winn gave the Rays a 1-0 lead with a homer to right off Padres starter Bobby Jones in the first and Aubrey Huff made it 4-0 with a three-run homer.

"Any time you get the lead you want to go out there and shut those guys down," Wilson said.

Arguably the most reliable starter on the Rays staff of late, Wilson allowed four runs in the second inning.

The Padres' No. 9 hitter, Julius Matos, hit a three-run homer to tie it. It was his first major-league homer and the second time in three games the No. 9 hitter in the San Diego order had hit a crucial homer.

"It's pretty amazing," Matos said.

An error by Huff kept that inning alive and one by shortstop Jason Smith did the same in the Padres' two-run fourth.

Wilson, who pitched a complete-game loss against Toronto on Tuesday, was pulled with one on and nobody out in the fifth. He allowed four earned runs on eight hits and three homers in his shortest outing since May 31, 2001.

"I didn't do my job today," Wilson said. "I didn't pitch and these guys in the clubhouse deserved better than that today. That's for sure."

The Rays scored one run each in the fourth (a single by leftfielder Greg Vaughn) and sixth (double by Winn). Tampa Bay cut the lead to 7-6 before Rays pitchers Steve Kent and Travis Harper allowed runs in the seventh and eighth.

Tampa Bay has dropped eight of 10, and is 29-44 overall in interleague play.

"I thought we played well offensively," McRae said. "We did a lot of good things from the offensive end. But defensively we didn't help ourselves and pitching-wise we didn't help ourselves."