Rays hope to reverse fortunes in early road test

By EDUARDO A. ENCINA
Published April 9, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - It's time for the Rays to test the road.

One week into the season, manager Joe Maddon is confident his team can reverse last season's free fall on the road. The Rays were 20-61 away from Tropicana Field and tied for the fewest road wins after the All-Star break.

"We could have won all three here, and they could have won all three," Maddon said Sunday after a 6-3 loss to Toronto. "If we just play the way we did here, I'll be very satisfied. We'll win some games on the road. If we keep playing like this, we will keep winning games, no matter whether it's here or on the road.

"I just want to make sure we maintain the same approach to the day. If we do that, we will play well."

The Rays split two games in New York to open the season. With tonight's opener of a three-game series in Texas, the Rays embark on their first significant trip - seven games in seven days.

And they will receive an early test on the road. In April, 15 of their 26 games are away from home.

With three games in Texas and four in Minnesota, the Rays are heading to two places where they haven't traditionally played will. They were 0-7 at those venues last season. The Rays have won just three of their past 15 at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, and they have lost nine straight at the Metrodome, dating to June 3, 2004.

"Even though we maybe haven't won in these places in the past, I look at these games the same way," centerfielder Rocco Baldelli said. "These teams are going to be ready to play. They're going to be playing at home. Both of those teams like playing at home, so we have to be ready, too."

From July 1 last season, the Rays were 3-33 on the road. They led in 20 of those losses, and eight losses were decided by one run. Six were by two runs, and six were by three.

"I really don't have a reason why we didn't win last year," Baldelli said. "I thought we should have won last year on the road a lot more than we did. I'm not doing anything different on the road. We just need to figure out how to win."

Eduardo A. Encina can be reached at eencina@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 9, 2007, 07:52:54]