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Huff still seeking groove as starter

By BRUCE LOWITT and MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- It has been two weeks since Aubrey Huff became the Rays starting third baseman following the release of Vinny Castilla. So far, manager Hal McRae said, "He's doing about as well as we expected him to do.

"He's an offensive player now and he should get better defensively," McRae said. "He's swinging the bat okay and we're not concerned with that. He's worked hard to improve his defense and he seems to be on the right track. You don't really try to evaluate a guy like him because you know he's going to be out there."

Until Wednesday night, Huff was less than pleased with his offense. He went into the game batting .208 but had seven hits in his past 18 at-bats. "Seven quiet ones, all singles," he said. "I can't seem to find a groove, but it's early."

He found it in a hurry with two doubles, one a looper down the leftfield line, and three runs scored.

"Sometimes in this game something like that might get you out of (a slump). Hopefully it does," Huff said. "It's not to the point where I feel I'm right on top of it. It's not like the aggressive swings I took last year."

What pleased Huff as much as the doubles was his double-play grounder in the eighth inning. "That last swing, believe it or not, was the hardest-hit ball I hit all night and that felt great, so I take that as a positive."

HEADED TO ORLANDO?: Left-hander Wilson Alvarez, out all season (and all of 2000) with a partially torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder that required surgery last season, is scheduled to make his seventh rehabilitation start at 1 p.m. today at the Phillies extended spring training camp at the Carpenter Complex, 651 Old Coachman Road in Clearwater.

In his six starts, Alvarez has an 0.69 ERA, allowing two earned runs on 19 hits in 26 innings while striking out 25.

"Hopefully I'm pitching in spring league for the last time," he said. "If everything goes right hopefully I'll move up to Double A (with the Orlando Rays)." TEXAS BROADCASTER HOSPITALIZED: Bill Jones, 41, a Rangers TV broadcaster since 1977, was jogging Wednesday when he experienced chest pains that didn't subside for several hours. He was hospitalized overnight at Bayfront Medical Center.

ONCE AROUND THE BASES: Damian Rolls hit his first major-league home run, barely, in the seventh inning for the Rays' final run. The ball just cleared the leftfield wall and bounced back onto the field.

Did he think it was gone when ht hit it? "I still don't think it was gone," Rolls said. "I kept digging until I saw the umpire signal and then I went into my trot. I figured, 'Let them sort it out later; I'm going to do my trot.' "

ETC: When Rolls was thrown out trying to steal second in the first inning, it ended his streak of eight successful steals, one shy of the club record set last season by ex-Ray Miguel Cairo. ... Brian Rose's two innings of work was his third poor start since he entered the rotation, and he may be pitching his way out of it. McRae said that the No. 5 position may be opening up and that Jeff Wallace could be a contender. Wallace has never started in the majors. ... Aaron Myette's third start for the Rangers, in place of Ryan Glynn who was scratched because of a stomach virus, was his longest of the season.

Tonight: Rangers at Rays, 7:15

WHERE: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg.

TV/RADIO: Ch. 32; WFLA-AM 970, WLCC-AM 760 (Spanish).

TICKETS: Available at the Tropicana Field box office, Ticketmaster outlets and Devil Rays Dugout stores at WestShore Plaza and the Brandown TownCenter. Tickets also can be purchased by phone at (727) 898-RAYS or (813) 282-RAYS.

INFO: Call 1-888-FAN-RAYS

The pitchers

TANYON STURTZE: Sturtze (1-3, 5.91) makes his fourth start since replacing Ryan Rupe in the rotation. His most recent was his roughest as a Ray, nine runs on nine hits and two walks in 42/3 innings of an 18-2 loss to Detroit. The Rays had been 7-0 in his starts since last season.

RICK HELLING: Helling (1-6, 7.33) is 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA in his past five starts since getting his only win, April 22 vs. Oakland. He got no decision Saturday in a 6-5 loss to Toronto. He is 5-3 in eight appearances vs. the Rays, 4-1 with a 2.65 ERA in five starts at Tropicana Field.

Outta leftfield

Second baseman Damian Rolls has made two bare-handed catches of behind-the-base tosses from shortstop Andy Sheets out of necessity and fired to first to turn sparkling double plays. Manager Hal McRae doesn't begrudge Rolls his bare-handed plays, observing wryly: "I'm trying to let him relax and play, but eventually he'll drop one. Sort of like playing in traffic. You keep doing it, you're going to get hurt."

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