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Flaherty adapts to spot starting

By KEVIN KELLY and MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 19, 2001

MINNEAPOLIS -- The trick to hitting well as a backup, Rays catcher John Flaherty has learned the past month, is constant adjustment.

"When you're playing every day, you can ride out a good streak for about a week or two," he said Saturday. "If you're not playing, you might have a game or two where you're going to have a good game and then you have to find it again."

Flaherty has started nine times in 22 games since Toby Hall was recalled from Triple-A Durham and inserted into the lineup against Texas on July 27.

"He's played better catching a couple days a week than he did when he was catching every day," Rays manager Hal McRae said. "So he's made the necessary adjustments to play twice a week.

"He's caught better. He's thrown better and he's hit better."

In his past three starts, Flaherty hit a walkoff home run to beat the Twins on Aug. 12, was 1-for-4 with a two-run ground rule double Friday and went 0-for-3 Saturday.

He is hitting .233 (7-for-30) with four RBI in his past nine games.

"If you're swinging the bat well, you feel comfortable at the plate and feel like you can contribute," Flaherty said. "If you're swinging the bat bad, it doesn't matter if you're playing every day or if you're playing twice a week."

BRAZELTON UPDATE: Facing a potential 8 a.m. Monday deadline, the Rays plan to spend the weekend trying to sign top draft pick Dewon Brazelton.

"We've had three conversations over the last three days and we've sent them a new proposal," Rays scouting director Dan Jennings said Saturday morning. "We're going to diligently work toward an agreement this weekend." Brazelton adviser Bo McKinnis said he spoke with Jennings for four hours Saturday, but there was "no concrete progress made."

Brazelton enrolled at Middle Tennessee State on Friday. School opens Monday, and the Rays lose rights to the talented pitcher once he attends class.

ALL RESTED: Rays relievers are antsy, yet appreciative of the rest they've received lately.

Before Saturday, only Travis Phelps and rookies Jason Standridge and Bobby Seay had pitched in four games since a homestand ended Monday. Jesus Colome, Doug Creek, Esteban Yan, Victor Zambrano and Phelps combined for 22 2/3 innings during the seven games at Tropicana Field.

Colome and Yan pitched an inning each Saturday.

"There's not a single guy down there that'll say, "You know, I'm tired. I'm not going to take the ball today,' " Creek said. "(Coaches) know better than to ask us how we feel because we can always go out there and get somebody out. That's our mind-set.

"Looking back and thinking about the time we had off and to hear some of the guys say how they feel, it's pretty nice."

HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE: If there's a positive to playing at Tropicana Field, it's that it prepares Rays outfielders well for games at the Metrodome.

Both have white roofs that make it difficult to pick up fly balls.

"This is harder than the Trop, but we have an advantage since we play at there," outfielder Jason Tyner said. "You don't panic as much when you lose (sight of the ball) because you're used to it. You just go to where you think it's going to go and usually it comes down."

Tyner appeared to have trouble on a fly ball by catcher Tom Prince in the second inning. He hesitated and had to make a sliding catch to his left.

INJURY UPDATE: First baseman Steve Cox is scheduled to make his first rehab start today for Double-A Orlando. Cox was placed on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 7 with a lower back strain. ... Juan Guzman pitched six innings for Triple-A Durham on Friday. The right-hander allowed five runs on seven hits, struck out four and walked three.

ODDS AND ENDS: Third baseman Russ Johnson is 7 for his past 14. ... Ben Grieve has hit in a season-high nine straight games. ... The Rays have seven homers in their past 20 games, two fewer than Cleveland's Jim Thome and Barry Bonds and one fewer than Sammy Sosa. ... Twins Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett was honored during a 45-minute pregame ceremony.

Today: Rays at Twins, 2:05

WHERE: Metrodome, Minneapolis.

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

LAST HOME RUNS:

Ben Grieve -- Aug. 13

John Flaherty -- Aug. 12

Chris Gomez -- Aug. 12

B. Abernathy -- Aug. 11

J. Sandberg -- Aug. 11

Greg Vaughn -- Aug. 5

Steve Cox -- July 27

Toby Hall -- July 27

Aubrey Huff -- July 25

Randy Winn -- July 16

Damian Rolls -- May 23

Russ Johnson -- April 22

Martinez -- Aug. 21, 2000

INFORMATION: 1-800-FAN-RAYS

The pitchers

JOE KENNEDY: Kennedy (3-8, 5.18) has a seven-game losing streak, three from Albie Lopez's team record. The left-hander has not won on the road since his major-league debut against Toronto on June 6.

ERIC MILTON: Milton (11-4, 4.32) has won six of his past seven decisions. In his last outing, against Cleveland on Tuesday, he allowed four runs on nine hits in seven innings and struck out six.

You don't say

Rays players are looking forward to today's series finale against the Twins because it's the last game of a stretch in which the Rays will have played 20 without a day off. Monday will be the Rays' first off day since July 30. "We've been on the minor-league schedule," outfielder Jason Tyner said.

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