Guillen's homer makes former teammates pay

REDS 4, RAYS 2: Another former Ray, RHP Paul Wilson, earns the victory.

ST. PETERSBURG - He showed his power, cracking the winning home run in the sixth. He showed his mighty arm, cutting down a potential tying run at the plate in the seventh. If there had been a tall building inside Tropicana Field, he would've leaped it in a single bound.

Jose Guillen did everything the Devil Rays thought he could do when they acquired him in 1999. Problem was, Guillen didn't do those things enough to stay in a Rays uniform.

The former Ray haunted the Rays as a member of the Reds in the Cincinnati's 4-2 victory before 12,294 at Tropicana Field.

Guillen's homer in the sixth snapped a tie at 2, and his laser from rightfield to throw out a runner at the plate in the seventh kept the score that way as the Reds handed the Rays their season-high fifth consecutive loss and their eighth in nine games.

"I played angry," Guillen said. "It was like I (went) in there and played at 120 percent to show them something. It's a little bit of hard feelings."

Guillen wasn't the only former Ray to come calling. Reds pitcher Paul Wilson, who started 61 games for the Rays from 2000-02, labored over 52/3 to get the victory.

"I just tried to have a normal game and keep to my game plan," Wilson said. "Obviously I'm human. I know where I'm at, and I know who I am facing. It was a little weird at first."

It showed, as the Rays jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Toby Hall's two-out double in the bottom of the first.

And that looked as if that might be enough, as another pitcher from the past, Jason Standridge, made his first appearance for the Rays since being called up for two days last season. In his second big-league start (his first since Aug. 9, 2001), Standridge pitched effectively, allowing six hits over six innings and striking out four with no walks.

"He went after the hitters, which is what you want to see from young pitchers," Rays manager Lou Piniella said. "I was pleased with what I saw from him."

But Standridge couldn't stay away from the long ball. He allowed three homers, including back to back by Austin Kearns and Aaron Boone in the fourth that tied it. Guillen then put the Reds up for good when he led off the sixth with his 11th of the season.

"I feel like I made three bad pitches," Standridge said, "and I paid for them."

Meantime, the Rays paid for not delivering key hits. The Rays had 12 hits but stranded 14 runners, including three in the ninth. That doesn't include Aubrey Huff, who was thrown out by Guillen after a single to right with two outs in the seventh.

"In that situation you have to send the runner," Guillen said. "I have to make a perfect throw to get that guy out."

And the 14 runners left on base didn't include Travis Lee, who was picked off third in the fourth inning on a call that got third-base coach Tom Foley ejected for arguing.

"The umpire missed the call at third base, and that was a big out," Piniella said. "But, boy, we should've scored more than two runs tonight with the opportunities we had."

All the Rays were missing was a key hit. And, on Tuesday, Jose Guillen.