Infield's busy day keeps Lopez on roll

By MIKE READLING

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 15, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- It isn't always great pitching that wins games for pitchers. There are nights when all you have to do is throw the ball in there and let your defense do the work.

Granted, Albie Lopez was doing a little more than simply tossing pitches at the Expos on Friday night, but he can thank the Rays defense for helping him win his fourth game in his past six starts. That, and the fact he was pitching at home.

Lopez pitched seven innings, scattering eight hits and allowing two runs. He struck out two and walked two, raising his record to 4-2 since moving into the starting rotation May 28. At Tropicana Field, Lopez is 12-6 with a 3.44 ERA.

"I was moving my fastball good in and out," he said. "They rolled up on a couple of two-seamers, that helped out a lot."

What also helped was his defense, primarily the tandem of shortstop Felix Martinez and second baseman Miguel Cairo. They were integral parts of four inning-ending double plays, two of which came with runners in scoring position.

"Those are huge," Lopez said. "Miguel and Felix definitely played well tonight."

For an example of how well Lopez pitched, consider this. Montreal All-Star outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, who was 2-for-4 with a double and a towering home run Thursday, went 0-for-3 against Lopez without getting a ball out of the infield.

"He got Guerrero out," manager Larry Rothschild said. "If you can do that, you must be pitching well."

ROLLING ALONG: For three years, Damian Rolls felt pain in his right shoulder.

It wasn't constant, but at times it became hard for the infielder to move his arm, much less throw a baseball.

"The last three years I would feel it for two weeks and then it would go away," Rolls said. "Then it was gone for eight months, no problem."

Then one day, Rolls woke up and couldn't lift his arm.

"It was just stuck at my side," he said. "I couldn't move it all."

On Nov. 12, he had arthroscopic surgery to repair a 65- to 70 percent tear of the labrum in his shoulder. One month and one day later, the Rays acquired him from the Royals for cash.

Rolls spends his time these days taking batting practice, working on his fielding and shagging fly balls in the outfield, all the while waiting for his chance to get back on the field.

Rolls said he has been concentrating on his throwing mechanics and situational hitting. He hopes to be able to play in a game by September.

Meantime, Rolls talks to Tampa Bay's veterans and tries to pick up as many facets of the game as he can.

"You can always pick up some of the mental aspect of the game," Rolls said. "That is so big, I don't think you can ever learn it all. The more I'm around these guys, the more I learn. But I'm still a kid at heart, I still love it. I mean, this is major-league baseball and they're paying me to play it."

CANSECO PROGRESS: Jose Canseco's "day-to-day" situation finally appears to have an end in sight. And, though Rothschild's timetable for his return is not tomorrow, the fact that he has a timetable at all is a big step for the designated hitter.

Canseco had a typical batting practice power display and lumbering sprints around the bases. Rothschild said he expects Canseco, who has a strained left heel, to be in the lineup by the end of the Atlanta series, which runs Sunday through Tuesday, or by the beginning of Wednesday's road trip to Toronto.

That time can't come soon enough for Canseco.

"It's beyond frustrating," said Canseco, on the disabled list since May 25. "The frustration point was two weeks ago."

RAYS BITS: Vinny Castilla's double in the second and Cairo's double in the fourth marked the first extra-base hit for either player since June 9. ... Expos shortstop Orlando Cabrera left in the third with a separated right shoulder and will miss 3-6 weeks. ... Montreal's Lee Stevens hit his 100th career home run in the second. ... Steve Cox leads AL rookies with a .318 batting average and a .482 slugging percentage.

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