ST. PETERSBURG - Randall Simon refused to use them as excuses, but there are some pretty good reasons he struggled this season.
The first baseman/DH was with his mom in February when she died of complications of a stroke. He also had a hamstring problem. The result: a .194 average in 61 games with the Pirates with three homers and 14 RBIs.
"This is a fresh start for me," said Simon, who was released Sunday and signed Friday with Tampa Bay. "It's been kind of tough this year."
Simon is the youngest of 11 children and said Lucila, 71 when she died in her native Curacao, "meant everything to me. It's always tough to lose the best thing in your life."
But Simon said "God has given me the strength to go on. That's part of life. You have to put it behind you."
He also put behind him last season's bizarre episode in which he used a bat to bop a girl, playfully, he said, wearing an Italian sausage costume during a sausage race in Milwaukee. Simon was suspended three days and fined $2,000. Reports at the time said he was fined by the city of Milwaukee $432 for disorderly conduct.
"A long time ago," Simon said.
Manager Lou Piniella believes Simon, 29, can add pop to the lineup. The left-hander hit .301 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs for the 2002 Tigers.
Piniella said he will use Simon mainly off the bench and as a DH, though he could play some first base against right-handed pitching.
"I don't know why he struggled in Pittsburgh, but we always liked his bat," Piniella said. "Hopefully he can help us win some ballgames the last five weeks. He's capable."
"Whatever has happened, I put it behind me," Simon said. "The most important thing is to come here and help this team win."
HUFF'S STREAK: If Aubrey Huff cannot play today, it will snap his consecutive-game streak at 398, the second longest in the majors behind the 715 of Baltimore's Miguel Tejada.
"You guys care about that more than I do," Huff told reporters. "If it happens, it happens. Nothing you can do."
Huff, who leads the Rays with 22 home runs and 80 RBIs, said his back spasm occurred on the last hard step he took running out his first-inning grounder.
"It was just like somebody shot me or stabbed me in the back," he said.
Huff said he would take some "groovy" medicine given him by the trainers and try to sleep on his back in an attempt to play today. "We'll see what happens," he said.
WAECHTER, MCCLUNG UPDATE: Piniella said righty Doug Waechter likely will be called up from Triple-A Durham in September. Seth McClung will stay in the minors.
Piniella said McClung likely has thrown enough pitches rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, so staying at Durham, whose regular season ends Sept. 6, "might be the most prudent thing.
"The best thing to do might be to get him some rest. Build up some arm strength over the winter and he comes to spring training ready to go."
Waechter (strained finger tendon) pitched six innings Saturday and allowed three runs on five hits, including two homers.
ROUGH NIGHT: Rays outfielder Carl Crawford admitted he should have watched the ball more closely as he broke to second on Huff's first-inning grounder. And he should not have hesitated breaking for home on Jose Cruz's grounder to third in the sixth.
"On the basepaths it seemed like everything was going wrong that possibly could," he said.
Crawford redeemed himself with a diving catch in the eighth of Bobby Crosby's sinking liner, one batter after diving at but missing Bobby Kielty's liner that went for a double.
"He plays hard," Piniella said. "The kid plays with some passion and he plays to win."
PITCH COUNT: Thirty-three of the first 88 pitches thrown by A's starter Barry Zito were to Tino Martinez, who had at-bats of 14, 10 and nine pitches.
