Upbeat Cantu returns to fill injury void

By GREG AUMAN
Published April 25, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG -- A little bit humbled, a little bit motivated, Jorge Cantu is back with the Devil Rays.

"I'm going to have the same approach I had in Durham: stay positive," Cantu said. "I'll try to help the team as long as I can. I've been doing it for the last three years, and I'm not stopping now."

Cantu, 25, who reluctantly reported to Triple-A Durham three weeks ago after losing his spot on the Rays' roster, was recalled Tuesday when 3B Akinori Iwamura went on the disabled list for at least a month with a strained oblique.

"Nobody's happy when they're sent to Durham, especially after they've been in the big leagues for a while," manager Joe Maddon said. "I have to say this: Jorge went down there with the right attitude; he's been working very hard. When he left, he didn't burn any bridges."

Cantu, who arrived during the second inning Tuesday and did not play, was batting .267 at Durham with no home runs and eight RBIs in 75 at-bats. The Rays' team MVP in 2005, he had played primarily second base but also third and short in three seasons with the Rays, but will play exclusively at first base and as designated hitter, especially against left-handers, Maddon said.

"I'm comfortable (at first). I've played really good down there at first," Cantu said. "I covered all that I need to know about first, and I'm here, ready to go. The bottom line, it's good to be back. I missed it."

Tuesday's move was the Rays' first roster move of the season, making them the last major-league team to change its roster. This time a year ago, the Rays had used a league-high 32 players, including 16 pitchers.

"We feel like we're in a pretty fortunate position to suffer an injury like we did and be able to bring up a guy who hit 28 home runs and 117 RBIs (in 2005)," executive vice president Andrew Friedman said.

HAPPY CAMPER: Reliever Shawn Camp struck out 3B Alex Rodriguez during a one-hit inning of relief, getting past baseball's hottest hitter for the second day in a row for his sixth straight scoreless outing, a stretch that has lowered his ERA from 15.63 to 5.14.

"Early in the season, in those situations, I wasn't getting it done," Camp said. "I was constantly behind in the count and giving pitches to hit."

Getting Rodriguez out with the bases loaded Monday will give Camp confidence in similar situations later this season.

"He's not a guy you really want to face in situations any time," Camp said. "He's who I had to face, and I made the most of it."

Camp came in with a 6-3 lead in the eighth Tuesday and struck out Rodriguez, but LF Hideki Matsui's RBI single allowed an inherited runner to score.

"Camper's sinker is back, and that's the biggest difference," Maddon said. "He's throwing that real lead-pipe sinker. It's dropping off the table, and he's much more aggressive with it, and of course his confidence is rising."

THIS AND THAT: Two key Yankees hit streaks came to an end Tuesday. SS Derek Jeter, who left the game after being hit by a pitch in the first inning, had hit in 12 straight games, and Rodriguez, who went 0-for-3 with a walk, had hits in all 18 games before Tuesday.

[Last modified April 25, 2007, 02:24:19]