ARLINGTON, Texas - Nick Bierbrodt was happy to see some of his former Devil Rays teammates on Monday. He'd be even happier to be pitching against them when they come back to Texas in August.
Since the Rays let him go in June, Bierbrodt spent last season with Cleveland (in the majors and minors) and spring training with Boston but appears to have found a home with Texas, working his way back into shape.
Bierbrodt struggled last season as he tried to come back from the physical injuries and mental scars of being shot and missing the 2002 season. The Rangers are taking it slow with him, having him work out with the major-league staff, including pitching coach Orel Hershiser and bullpen coach Mark Connor (who was his first coach when both were with Arizona), with plans to send him to extended spring training this weekend then to Double A. Bierbrodt, looking stronger and heavier than he did with the Rays, said the Texas coaches corrected a couple of mechanical flaws, and he is throwing as well as ever.
"I could pitch right now in the big leagues," he said. "I just have to build up my pitch count."
He said the Rays showed some interest when he was a free agent last winter, but he didn't think going back was a good idea: "It wasn't the right place at the right time."
Bierbrodt, displaying his typical quirky sense of humor, said he enjoyed seeing the Rays he knew but the visit did bring back some memories.
Chad Gaudin, for example, was a teammate at Class A Charleston (S.C.) when Bierbrodt suffered life-threatening injuries in a late-night incident at a fast-food drive-through. "The last time I saw him was the night I got shot," Bierbrodt said.
ROUGH NIGHT: Rocco Baldelli was limited to DH duties Monday because of an extremely stiff neck. Baldelli said he must have slept wrong because he had no problem during Sunday's game or on the flight to Texas.
"I sleep propped up watching TV a lot," Baldelli said. "Maybe I should starting turning the TV off and going to sleep."
SECOND SHIFT: Damian Rolls has been doing extensive work at second base, but there are no plans - at least not yet - to move him there.
Rolls played 42 games at second in 2001 but has made only two appearances there since, playing third base and outfield. "It's coming back (to me), but it's more difficult than I thought it would be," Rolls said. "Every (play) is behind me."
Manager Lou Piniella said Geoff Blum has been doing "a nice job" at second in place of Rey Sanchez.
PITCHING IN: Piniella liked what he saw from Mark Hendrickson on Sunday, enough that he plans - for now - to stick with the current rotation: Paul Abbott, Victor Zambrano, Doug Waechter, Jeremi Gonzalez and Hendrickson.
That, more or less, is the group with whom the Rays started the season, though not exactly in that order.
"We made pretty close to the right choices coming out of spring training," Piniella said. "It took a couple zigzags to get there."
SCRATCH THAT: After Alfonso Soriano's first-inning blast, the Rays have given up home runs in 14 consecutive games. Further research by the PR staff found that was not, however, a team record as reported last week. The Rays gave up homers in 17 straight games in September 2002. ... A scoring change from Sunday's game gave the Rays a double steal by Blum and Jose Cruz on what was an unsuccessful pickoff attempt by the A's.
MISCELLANY: The Rays had given up three homers in the first inning once: Ryan Rupe against Anaheim on July 26, 2001. ... Piniella's uncle, 81-year-old Victor, a native of Tampa, died on Saturday. ... The Rangers are leaning toward starting Ryan Drese on three days' rest in the series finale Wednesday. ... The Rays will go at least 26 games into the season without back-to-back wins; only five teams in the past 25 years went longer. ... The Rays have added Volvo as a sponsor, with plans for an in-stadium vehicle display and a ride-and-drive day in the Tropicana Field parking lots. ... The last time the Rangers had the best record in baseball this late in a season was 1989.
