By MARC TOPKIN, TOM JONES
Published March 15, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Similar to spring weather, Lou Piniella's pitching plans can go from clear to cloudy and back in a matter of hours.
By the end of Sunday's game, the competition for the remaining jobs seemed to be as muddled as ever.
And Piniella couldn't have been much happier.
"What's really amazing, and it's good to see, is that we're starting to get some competition here for the starting rotation and in the bullpen. It's developing in earnest," he said.
"The pitching depth is pleasing to me, and it's making decisions tougher. It really is. I'm pleased with the way our pitching is coming along."
Incumbents Victor Zambrano and Jeremi Gonzalez are in the top two slots of the rotation for now, though Piniella made a point of saying Sunday he would like to see them pitch better than they have this spring.
Piniella has endorsed left-hander Mark Hendrickson and rookie right-hander Doug Waechter, who had a solid showing Sunday, for two other spots. That appears - and that's appears - to leave Paul Abbott, Damian Moss and Dewon Brazelton the top candidates for the other opening, a decision Piniella said may not be made until the Rays get to Japan for their final exhibitions.
The bullpen also is crowded. Jorge Sosa pitched three scoreless innings Sunday, giving him five for the spring, with six strikeouts. Veteran Todd Jones and Jesus Colome also had strong outings. Other candidates for open spots include Chad Gaudin, Travis Harper and Mike Williams.
GAME DETAILS: The Rays rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Detroit 11-3. ... Jose Cruz started a four-run rally in the fifth with a bunt single and hit a three-run homer in the seventh. ... The Rays scored six runs on two-out hits. ... Ex-Ray Esteban Yan, competing for the No.5 spot in the Detroit rotation, allowed one hit over three scoreless innings.
LEARNING PROCESS: Waechter made what Chuck Hernandez called an "inexperience mistake" on the second of two homers he allowed in the second inning - a two-out blast by Carlos Guillen.
"I didn't think of the situation," Waechter said. "A lot of times a left-hander will just turn on it and see where he can hit it, especially with two outs. That pitch was more to get ahead of a hitter instead of concentrating on down and away, on the spot where I wanted to place it. It was a lack of concentration on one pitch, and it will hurt you."
Piniella was pleased with what he saw from Waechter overall.
"He didn't hurt himself," Piniella said. "I like the way he went out and threw the ball and competed."
ROLLS-ING ALONG: Damian Rolls drove in four runs and went 3-for-5 to raise his average to a sizzling .478, but he doesn't consider himself ahead in the competition for the third-base job.
"That's just my mentality," Rolls said. "You can never show too much. Today's over, and once I leave this clubhouse it's all about tomorrow. My biggest thing is consistency. That's my main goal."
The Rays went into the spring with Rolls and Geoff Blum (hitting .235) competing for the third-base job with the possibility they would end up in a platoon, and nonroster veteran Fernando Tatis (.308) appears to have made it a three-way competition. ... Blum started at second, where he could be used as the primary backup to Rey Sanchez.
B GAME: The Rays beat the Tigers 3-0 Sunday morning in eight innings at the Naimoli complex. Moss and John Halama pitched three innings each, and Ken Cloude and Williams each pitched an inning.
Robert Fick led the offense by going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, but it was a bigger day for him defensively. He caught for the first time since the 2001 season.
"I loved it," Fick said. "I had a great time back there, and I felt comfortable."
No rust?
"Nah," Fick said, "but it was a little early in the morning."
Jason Maxwell went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Tatis drove in the other run.
MISCELLANY: Tuesday's game with the Yankees is sold out. ... The annual meeting with union officials is Tuesday morning. ... Sunday's crowd of 5,509 was the Rays' largest of the spring and included walk-up sales of 2,012.
