Rain gives respite to weary bullpen

© St. Petersburg Times
published April 12, 2003

NEW YORK -- The Devil Rays got Friday night off because of steady rain, and the rest will do them good, especially in the bullpen.

The postponement means they will have all their relievers available for today's scheduled game at 1:05. They'll even have an extra reliever as Jorge Sosa, who was scheduled to start Sunday in place of injured Jim Parque, will go back to the bullpen until he's needed to start April 19.

The rest and reinforcements are important because the bullpen has been used heavily in the first 10 games. The relievers have pitched nearly as many innings (48 2/3) as the starters (49 1/3), and with better results: a 4-2 record and 4.80 ERA for the bullpen, 0-4, 8.57 for the rotation.

"This will help us bullpenwise, no question about it," manager Lou Piniella said. "This will settle it down a little bit. We'll have a full complement, plus we'll have a long guy."

Joe Kennedy will start today and Victor Zambrano on Sunday against the Yankees, with Nick Bierbrodt, Steve Parris and Kennedy facing the Red Sox in Boston.

A LONG JUNE: Friday's game will be made up June 17 as the first game of a day-night doubleheader, with 1:05 and 7:05 starts.

That will make for a long week for the Rays, who finish a homestand June 15, then head to Cooperstown, N.Y., to play the Hall of Fame exhibition at 2 p.m. June 16, then start what now will be a seven-game, six-day road trip to New York and Florida, all in the midst of playing 20 straight days.

WALK THIS WAY: Rookie Rocco Baldelli is off to a great start, hitting in each of the first 10 games, posting a .370 average and driving in seven.

But there are some areas of at least slight concern, specifically a major league-high 15 strikeouts and zero walks in 50 plate appearances.

"He's doing well right now," Piniella said. "He has a 10-game hitting streak, he's got some big hits for us and I'm glad to see him familiarize himself with playing centerfield in the big leagues, getting better jumps and doing a much better job.

"If he wants to hit .330 all year and not get any walks, that's fine with me."

Baldelli's 17 hits are the most by a rookie through 10 games since Delino DeShields had 18 for Montreal in 1990.

Baldelli also tied Brent Abernathy's team mark by hitting in the first 10 games of his big-league career. Since 1990, there have been two longer such streaks, 16 by Colorado's Juan Pierre in 2000 and 12 by Montreal's Ryan McGuire in 1997.

21 SKIDDOO: Between them, 21-year-old outfielders Carl Crawford and Baldelli have 34 hits. How unusual is that? In the Yankees' 101-year history, they have had only two 21-year-old (or younger) teammates get that many hits over an entire season, Mickey Mantle and Andy Carey in 1953 and Tony Kubek and Bobby Richardson in 1957.

BOOM-BOOM REY: The Rays acquired Rey Ordonez for his defensive prowess, but 10 games into the season he has been more of an offensive player.

Ordonez leads the team with nine RBIs (more than he ever has had for an entire April) and is hitting .316, the best start of his career.

"He's done a nice job offensively," Piniella said. "Now if we can ever get him to the point where he's a little more selective at home plate. ... He's got a fairly compact strike zone, but he expands it."

Defensively?

He leads the team with three errors.

MISCELLANY: Left-handed reliever John Rocker, who signed a minor-league contract Thursday, is scheduled to report to extended spring training camp today at the Naimoli Complex. ... The 58 runs in the first 10 games are the most in club history. ... Piniella is 56-56 managing against the Yankees. ... Aubrey Huff is scheduled for his first outdoor start in rightfield today.