ST. PETERSBURG - It's understandable if the Devil Rays feel as if they're in a time warp.
They went halfway around the world and back in less than a week for a season-opening two-game series against the Yankees in Tokyo.
They went from the casualness of spring training to the intensity of two sold-out regular-season games and back to spring training mode.
But come Tuesday, it will be time to be serious.
The Rays re-open the season at Tropicana Field against the Yankees, and they hope the bad times are behind them and good times are (finally) ahead.
Having had money to spend for the first time in years, the Rays thought they had a successful offseason, making a number of cost-efficient additions they believe have made them a lot better.
"The best Devil Rays team we've had," general manager Chuck LaMar said.
It's obvious the Rays are better. Scouts, opponents and other observers throughout baseball acknowledge that. But that doesn't automatically mean they'll have a much better record than last season's 63-99 mark.
The competition in the AL East is brutal. The massive roster overhaul requires some transition time. And there are still some areas that team officials are working - even as you read this - to improve.
At the start of spring training Feb. 15, we posed 10 major questions. Seven weeks later, there are still some that don't have answers.
Q : Okay, so what is the biggest unknown they face?
A: As expected, it turned out to be the makeup of the starting rotation. What wasn't expected was that they still don't really know.
For now, the Rays are going with a four-man rotation. Victor Zambrano is the ace, but the other three - Paul Abbott, Jeremi Gonzalez, and Mark Hendrickson - haven't done enough to distinguish themselves. Gonzalez has dropped back to the pack.
As a result, the Rays are likely to shuffle the order, and perhaps the roster, quite a bit. When they need another starter in late April - or, depending on how things go, possibly before - Rob Bell, Dewon Brazelton and Doug Waechter will be among the leading candidates at Triple A, and Damian Moss still may be in the bullpen.
Q : What about the bullpen?
A: With the starting pitching unsettled, manager Lou Piniella is expecting a lot from his bullpen. Lance Carter and new closer Danys Baez should be an effective end-of-game combo, and Trever Miller has been a successful left-handed specialist.
The key will be getting to them. Middle men Chad Gaudin and Jorge Sosa pitched well enough in the spring to displace a couple of incumbents. For now, the other two relievers are left-handers John Halama, who has had success in a relief role with a 2.85 career ERA as opposed to 4.93 as a starter, and Moss, who has not.
Q : How's the middle infield?
A: Better. When Rey Sanchez was signed, the Rays said he likely would play shortstop and Julio Lugo would move to second. But Piniella decided to keep Lugo at shortstop and put Sanchez at second, where he played regularly in 2002 for Boston.
Sanchez is smooth at either spot, but needs his rest. Lugo is a bit more erratic, and much more comfortable at short. Piniella preferred the stability of having Lugo at short almost every day, and so far he's gotten solid play. When Sanchez does need a break, or if/when he slides over to spell Lugo, Geoff Blum is likely to step in at second.
Q : Any other position battles?
A: It took until the Rays got to Japan, but Piniella finally named Damian Rolls the starter at third over Blum. Both are likely to play, given that Blum can hit from the left side. Otherwise, the best battle has been Robert Fick's effort to get on the field. Fick doesn't have a starting position (though he can play catcher, first, left, right and DH), but was their most productive spring hitter. Piniella hinted that he'd be willing to try just about anything to get him in the lineup.
Q : Say again, why is Fred McGriff here?
A: Basically the Rays did McGriff a favor. The 40-year-old Tampa native, nine homers short of 500, couldn't find a job, so the Rays let him come to camp so he could show scouts he was healthy and then gave him the opportunity to keep working out at their minor-league complex. But unless the Rays create an open spot for him or another team steps up soon to sign him, McGriff may have to face the reality of retiring.
Q : Is there anyone who could be this year's Rocco Baldelli, making the jump from the minors with a strong spring?
A: Outfielder Joey Gathright, who many say is the fastest player in pro ball, seemed to have a chance. But the Rays surprisingly sent him out in the first cut so he could get at-bats at the minor-league facility, then chose to instead add outfielder/infielder Charles Gipson because of his versatility. Gathright was impressive in limited action in Tokyo and is likely to be back this season.
Q : How much further along is Baldelli, and Carl Crawford for that matter?
A: Both are way ahead of the game since they know a lot more about what they need to do, and shouldn't do, to get through a full major-league season. The two 22-year-olds are in better shape, have a keener idea of what pitchers are trying to do to them, and know what areas of their game need work, such as strike zone knowledge and plate discipline and, in Baldelli's case, defense. To combat the fatigue both showed at times last season, Piniella plans to rest them more, maybe once a week.
Q : What's the batting order going to look like?
A: What day is it? Piniella loves to tinker anyway, and with this team he has to maximize the favorable matchups when he gets them. Crawford, the defending AL stolen base champ, will be at the top, but the rest of the pieces may be shuffled regularly. In Japan, Rolls was second, Baldelli third, Aubrey Huff fourth, Jose Cruz fifth, Tino Martinez sixth, Lugo seventh, Toby Hall eighth and Sanchez ninth.
Q : Is Josh Hamilton going to come to spring training?
A: Not this year. Maybe never. Hamilton was on a 30-day suspension for multiple violations of baseball's drug program when the punishment was extended for the season. By the time he is eligible to be reinstated next spring, it will have been more than 21/2 years since he last played. Rays officials, who paid him a $3.96-million bonus, say they have not given up on the outfielder some say was more talented than Baldelli and Crawford.
Q : We've heard all about the new players, but who's likely to have the most impact?
A: Probably Cruz or Baez. Cruz, who has had a 30-homer, 30-steal season and won a Gold Glove, led the Rays with six spring homers and showed an amazing arm. Baez, with the potential to be a 40-save power closer, seemed comfortable in the spring knowing that was his role. Both have to have solid, if not spectacular, seasons for the Rays to be successful.
