Loss avoided, this time

RAYS 8, ROYALS 6: Aubrey Huff's three RBIs help end a two-game skid.

By KEVIN KELLY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 19, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- Trouble was more than one pitch, or home run, away for the Rays on Sunday.

Sure, reliever Wilson Alvarez gave up the obligatory ninth-inning homer against the Royals, starting pitcher Tanyon Sturtze walked two runs home and hot-hitting infielder Andy Sheets was helped off the field with a bruised shin after a late-game collision.

But everything turned out fine for the Rays, who gladly took an 8-6 win, blemishes, bruises and all in front of 10,607 at Tropicana Field.

"I think we all needed it," said Sturtze, who won for the first time since June 26 against Toronto. "The whole team needed a W."

After two nights in which they blew wins in the ninth inning, prompting a shakeup in the bullpen, the Rays overcame an initially shaky effort by Sturtze and capitalized on enough mistakes by Royals pitchers to give Alvarez plenty of room to maneuver through the final two innings.

"We pulled one out ... finally," first baseman Aubrey Huff said.

One of the hottest hitters in the majors, Huff hit a home run in the first inning, tying a club record with his sixth this month, and drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a single in the sixth to make it 5-4 Rays.

Since July 19, Huff is batting .372 with 15 multi-hit games since July 19.

"I wouldn't play this game if it wasn't for hitting," Huff said. "I love to do that. The confidence level at the plate is big for me.

"If I go up there and have no confidence, I feel beat already. You might as well hang it up, throw the bat in the rack and give up. I think going up there and having a little swagger helps a little bit."

Sturtze is trying to regain a similar swagger in the final weeks of an otherwise dreadful season.

The right-hander, the 2001 team MVP and this year's opening day starter, had one win through his first 25 starts and led the AL in hits, walks and runs allowed entering Sunday.

"I want to put together some good stats at the end of the year and show people that these really aren't my numbers," said Sturtze, who allowed four runs on five hits and struck out seven.

His only hiccup against the Royals was a 42-pitch third inning during which the Royals scored four times, erasing a 3-0 Rays lead, thanks to four hits and three consecutive walks.

Sturtze then cruised until coming out after the seventh inning. He retired nine in a row and 11 of his last 12.

"He settled down, put up some zeros after that (third inning)," Rays manager Hal McRae said. "He didn't lose it, settled down, put up some zeros and we scored runs."

McRae rearranged his pieces in the bullpen after Saturday's 12-inning loss, stripping Esteban Yan of the closer's role after two blown saves in favor of a closer-by-committee approach.

Jesus Colome was optioned to Triple-A Durham before Sunday's game and replaced by Lee Gardner, who was called up. Along with Gardner and Travis Harper, Alvarez will see the bulk of his appearances late.

"I'm going to really try (to) avoid using a lot of pitchers out of the pen, try to avoid seeing what you've got down there," McRae said. "I'm not looking to use three or four pitchers a night. That's not the way you've got to do this."

Since moving to the bullpen earlier this season, Alvarez has adjusted well. The left-hander has a 4.21 ERA with 11 strikeouts, three walks and one save in four relief appearances.

"I want to do the best I can for this team," he said. "I won't be here next year so the last few weeks I want to do the best I can. ... This is still new for me."

Alvarez came on in the eighth with the Rays ahead 8-4. He struck out four of the 10 batters he faced and allowed a two-run homer to designated hitter Mike Sweeney with two outs in the ninth.

"He pitched well and he's a veteran who knows how to pitch," McRae said. "Any time we can get him into a ballgame when we have a chance to win, I'll try and do that."

Depending on the status of negotiations between the player's union and owners, there's a chance Sunday's game could have been the last at Tropicana Field this season if there's an extended work stoppage.

The union set an Aug. 30 strike date last week and the Rays are on the road for the next 14 days.

"If the strike happens, the strike happens," Sturtze said. "We're not thinking about it. We're just thinking about winning baseball games. Because we need a couple more wins."