Shift aimed at sparking Castilla

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 17, 2000

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- The Devil Rays want to see the old Vinny Castilla at the plate. So they tried something new Tuesday.

Castilla was moved to No. 2 in the batting order for the eighth time in his career and the first since June 11, 1994. He has played 846 games since last hitting No. 2.

"I've thought about this for a while," manager Larry Rothschild said. "We need to get Vinny going."

The experiment got off to a rough start Tuesday with Castilla going 0-for-5. He is 1-for-19 in his past six games and his batting average has dropped to .216.

The idea is that the No. 2 hitter will see more fastballs if the leadoff hitter gets on in front of him. Castilla is considered one of the best fastball hitters in the majors.

He missed the first couple of weeks of the season with a strained muscle in his abdomen and never has gotten on track.

"Sometimes a change can help a guy get going. Hopefully this will work for me," Castilla said. "There are some days when I feel good at the plate and other days I feel lost. It's gotten very frustrating for me."

Rothschild was working with Castilla on his batting mechanics before Monday's game.

"He's been off a little mechanically," Rothschild said. "It's not a major flaw or anything like that, but he's been diving into the ball a little. His head has been moving and when your head moves, the ball moves, and it makes it tough to hit."

The No. 2 hitter often is called upon to bunt or execute the hit-and-run. Rothschild said he might do that on occasion but usually will let Castilla swing away.

WHITE WASH: Minutes after Monday night's game ended, reliever Rick White was in the clubhouse watching the videotape of the three-run, game-winning homer he gave up to Ivan Rodriguez.

"I want to come in right away when it's fresh in my mind and see what went wrong," White said. "I'd rather beat myself up about it right after the game and get it out of the way, rather than take it back to the hotel and think about it all night long and the next day."

White decided the slider he threw to Rodriguez was slightly off target, but mostly it was a case of a good hitter doing his job. White was more upset about walking Chad Curtis and giving up a single to Luis Alicea before Rodriguez's at-bat.

The Rays were concerned that White still might have been feeling the effects of barehanding a hard-hit grounder by Jason McDonald to lead off the inning. White said his hand was tingling, but he did not think it impacted his pitching. It was not until after the game that he was told his fastball lost 2-3 mph the first few batters he faced after McDonald.

CLOSE CALLS: With an 8-8 record, Tampa Bay has played more one-run games than any team in the majors.

"I look at it like we're being battle-tested," Rothschild said. "There's still some good things happening. We've battled through some adversity, we just haven't been successful yet."

MINOR REPORT: Now that Jose Guillen has moved up to the Devil Rays, Bobby Smith has taken over the International League lead in home runs with 10 and RBI with 32. Billy Taylor picked up his league-leading 10th save Monday night.

WAIT AND SEE: Rothschild has not decided on a starter for Sunday's game in Seattle. It is Dave Eiland's turn in the rotation, but the Rays skipped Eiland the last time they had a day off so Steve Trachsel could pitch on his normal four days of rest.

Rothschild said the way the bullpen is used in the next couple of games could be a factor. If the bullpen is stretched out, Eiland could be used in relief.

REHAB NEWS: Ryan Rupe, who has been on the disabled list at Triple-A Durham with a sore shoulder, is scheduled to begin throwing again today. ... Jim Mecir, out for more than two weeks with a biceps problem, is expected to pitch in an extended spring game Thursday.

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