Maybe he doesn't want to jinx anything. Maybe he is just quiet. Whatever the reasons, B.J. Upton doesn't seem comfortable talking about his hot streak at the plate.
The Devil Rays shortstop went 9-for-19 in the five games he played on the seven-game road trip and is on a seven-game hitting streak (12-for-27) that has raised his average from .100 to .351.
Upton spoke cryptically of feeling more comfortable and making "a little bit of an adjustment."
Pressed a little harder, though, he said, "I got a little bit closer to the plate. I don't feel like I have to jump at the ball."
Upton credited hitting coach Lee Elia with making the change. But Elia said he didn't tinker with mechanics as much as talk with a 19-year-old who has played just 10 major-league games.
"Something I said might have been a little more profound to him than it was to me," Elia said.
Whatever it is, manager Lou Piniella is pleased.
"He's settling in," he said of Upton. "Let the kid play."
BALDELLI RESULTS TODAY: Rocco Baldelli, on the 15-day disabled list with an injured right thigh, had an MRI exam Monday. Team spokesman Rick Vaughn said team orthopedic physician Koco Eaton was in surgery and will not see the results until today.
NO TIME OFF: Aubrey Huff said he is most proud of the 393 consecutive games he has played since May 28, 2002, when he was called up from the minors. That's the second-longest streak in the majors behind the 710 put up by Baltimore's Miguel Tejada.
The key? "A lot of luck," Huff said. "I remember a night in Baltimore I had food poisoning. I was throwing up all night. I woke up at 2 that day and wondered whether I was going to go to the field, and it just went away. So you never know what's going to happen."
Huff, who plays first and third base and designated hitter, said he makes sure he takes the vitamins available in the trainer's room.
"But even when you do that, it still hurts," Huff said. "It's a long season. You're constantly moving your legs. I was walking to the mall (recently) and I had to take a 10-minute break just to sit down and relax. The season gets to you, man. It's long. You have to find any way that you can to get through it."
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: To Rays special assistant Don Zimmer and wife Soot, who Monday celebrated 53 years together. It was a real baseball wedding, too, celebrated at home plate before a minor-league game at Dunn Field in Elmira, N.Y.
Zimmer said 7,500 people were in the stands.
"They went wild," Zimmer said of the ovation for his wife and him. "I know I've had 10,000 people say to me, "I was at your wedding.' Somebody is lying."
For Zimmer, the memory is sweet.
"It was good," he said.
DALE VS. ROCCO: One of the most intriguing episodes of the road trip was the competition between Baldelli and Red Sox third-base coach Dale Sveum. Baldelli threw out consecutive runners at home in the fifth inning Thursday, a week after nabbing another runner Sveum waved home.
Sveum was cheered sarcastically by Fenway's fans in Thursday's sixth inning when he held up David McCarty at third with the ball in Baldelli's hands.
"They were both perfect throws to home," Sveum said. "If the throws are 2 feet to the left or right, we're not having this conversation."
Baldelli said throwing out runners at home "is one of the most fun things you can do out there."
As for Sveum, Baldelli said, "If he keeps sending guys, I have to keep throwing them out. It's not a big deal to me."
HURRICANE RELIEF: The Rays will accept monetary donations and goods and supplies during each of the six games of the homestand against the Angels and A's. Collection points will be at Gates 1, 4 and 5 at Tropicana Field and will open two hours before the first pitch. The United Way of Tampa Bay will coordinate distribution of funds. For information about what goods to donate, call (727) 825-3242.
