ST. PETERSBURG - Chuck LaMar is adamant his Tampa Bay Devil Rays are better than this.
They will prove it soon, the general manager said, prove themselves clearly better than their worst-in-baseball 9-22 record after Tuesday night's loss to Texas.
"I think people are sincerely disgusted with the way we have started," LaMar said during a lively State-of-the-Rays conversation in the dugout as the team took batting practice. "It's been a team effort, starting with me and working all the way down.
"This is a better baseball team. We're going to win more games."
LaMar said only Carl Crawford (.293 average), Julio Lugo (.274) and Tino Martinez (.288) are hitting up to expectations. He pointed to Aubrey Huff (.205), Robert Fick (.167) and Jose Cruz (.198) as underperformers.
"There's been three, four, five games that have gotten away from us," LaMar said. "You're not going to win the way we're hitting. The Huffs, the Ficks, the Cruzes, they are going to hit."
In the dugout opposite LaMar were the Rangers, baseball's surprising young team that is hitting the cover off the ball (MLB-best .299 average) while the Rays are baseball's foundering young team. Again.
Unlike past seasons, though, LaMar said the Rays have legitimate expectations for 2004.
"This is self-induced; this is brought on by ourselves," said LaMar, who praised the Rays' effort while criticizing the results. "That's why there's truly hope."
LaMar said he feels less pressure than in the past to hustle hot prospects such as B.J. Upton and Delmon Young to the majors.
"When you talk about the big names (in the minor-league system), we need to stay the course," he said.
He expects to do some "fine-tuning" but make no major transactions. Asked if maybe a good tantrum by a key player might help ignite the offense, LaMar said a couple of good at-bats would be much more helpful.
"Throwing food and tables and bats isn't the answer; (the answer is) right over there at home plate," LaMar said. "If one of them breaks loose, if that happens, the rest of them look around and say, "That's not as hard as we thought it was."'
Manager Lou Piniella concurred.
"It's been an ugly start," Piniella said. "This is not what we expected. It's going to get better."
ROLLS BACK IN: Less than a week after being sent to Durham when Midre Cummings was called up, Damian Rolls was back with the Rays on Tuesday, as if he never had left.
"It felt like the All-Star break," Rolls said. "I haven't even had a chance to wash clothes ... from the Baltimore-Chicago-Boston trip (in April)."
Rolls played three games in Durham, going 3-for-11 with a home run.
"The first night water was above our ankles and they still made us play," Rolls said.
Rolls was in a great mood until the reason for his rapid recall was mentioned: the season-ending torn left Achilles' tendon sustained by Eduardo Perez.
"It was a sick feeling," Rolls said.
BIG LOSS: LaMar lamented the injury to Perez, who was signed in the offseason as much for his persona as his baseball ability.
"It might seem (strange) to say he's a tremendous influence in the clubhouse because we've won just nine games, but he's a tremendous influence in the clubhouse," LaMar said. "It's a tough loss."
Perez is scheduled for surgery today.
MISCELLANY: The sale of 48 percent of the team to New York investor Stuart Sternberg is expected to be completed today. ... Crawford tied the Orioles' Brian Roberts for the AL lead with his 15th steal. ... Lugo's error in the eighth snapped a personal 16-game errorless streak and was the Rays' first in seven games at the Trop. ... Right-hander Doug Waechter's 122 pitches were a career high. ... From last week's start against the Rays through the sixth Tuesday, Rangers starter Ryan Drese held Tampa Bay scoreless for 112/3 innings. ... Young is hitting .424 (14-of-33) in May at Class A Charleston.
