Rekar, Guillen power Rays

Starter continues run of solid outings and shortstop homers in 4-1 win over Tigers.

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 6, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- Things had been going terribly. The Devil Rays had lost four straight, and one more defeat would have erased all the good they had accomplished in June, dropping them back to a season-low 18 games under .500.

They needed something, anything, to get them going. A good start by Bryan Rekar was, well, a good start. But a two-run home run by light-hitting reserve infielder Ozzie Guillen made the difference as the Rays beat the Tigers 4-1 on Wednesday before an announced 14,934 at Tropicana Field.

"Am I surprised? Everyone's surprised," Guillen said. "I don't try to hit home runs. This was the first time in my career I played offense. My defense didn't work too good tonight."

The two errors he made at shortstop were tolerable in exchange for what else the 36-year-old high-energy veteran brought.

"You know when he's in there, some good things are going to happen," catcher Mike DiFelice said.

The night wasn't all good news, however. Second baseman Bobby Smith injured his right knee in a first-base collision while driving in the Rays' first run and will be out at least 6-8 weeks.

For the seventh straight time, Rekar pitched pretty well, allowing seven hits over 61/3 with no walks. For the first time since June 1, he was rewarded with a victory. During that span, he is 2-1 with a 2.98 ERA, and the Rays have won six of the games.

"He stepped up," manager Larry Rothschild said. "Coming off four straight losses, he went right out there. In a game like tonight, the first inning is an important inning, and he went right after them. He had a real good slider, which he's had lately, and I think that's made all the difference for him. He's throwing real well. He's got good movement down, and he's getting ground balls, he's been aggressive going after hitters, and he's working at a faster pace."

There's a couple of other things, too. Rekar said he is pitching with more confidence and less trepidation, not nearly as concerned that one bad start could send him back to the bullpen or Triple A. "It's a lot better feeling," he said.

And he has something of a good luck charm, outfitting 69-year-old pitching coach Bill Fisher with a T-shirt depicting The Simpsons, one of Rekar's favorites.

The Tigers scored first, on Damion Easley's second-inning homer. The Rays tied it in the third, breaking a 17-inning scoreless streak but losing Smith.

They had runners on first and third when Smith grounded sharply to third and went hard to first, colliding with Detroit's Robert Fick as Gerald Williams scored on the hard-earned infield single.

Fick and Smith left the game -- Fick with a separated right shoulder, Smith with what he said was a torn ligament in his right knee -- and could be out until September.

The Rays went on to load the bases but got no more runs that inning. Nor did they get any the next when they had runners on second and third with no outs and failed to hit the ball out of the infield.

DiFelice drew a one-out walk in the sixth, and Guillen drove an 0-and-1 pitch from Jeff Weaver into the rightfield seats. It was his second homer of the season, matching his total from 1998-99, and his 28th in 6,640 major-league at-bats.

The pitch?

"Slider," Guillen said. "I can't hit fastballs anymore; I'm too old. They throw too hard now."

Guillen, it is believed, was joking. But that is the kind of perspective he brings, and that is the kind of attitude the Rays need. "He loves to play," Rothschild said. "You can see he has fun."

With Felix Martinez on the bench a day after failing to run out a ground ball, Guillen was in the lineup at shortstop for the first time since May 25 and for the first time anywhere in a week.

"I picked this role," Guillen said. "If I didn't want to have this role, I'd be home right now with my kids, enjoying my boat and my beach house. I like this team, I like the attitude these guys have, I like the coaching staff, I like what they want to do, and especially, I like my teammates and the city. ... I picked to be here, and, thank God, I enjoy it so far."

Guillen, signed in April, wasn't always as sure. "The first couple weeks after I came here, I said, "What the hell is this?' But right now I'm real happy with my teammates. They're playing the way we should be playing."

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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