DEVIL RAYS- 3/25/02

LATEST TEAM INFO:

Devil Rays' starting rotation became clearer, at least to manager Hal McRae, despite a 4-3 loss Thursday to the Montreal Expos at Roger Dean Stadium. Right-handers Ryan Rupe and Delvin James were both impressive on the mound but it was Rupe who may have solidified his spot in the rotation. Rupe (0-1) suffered the loss but made just one costly pitch. He left after four innings, allowing four runs on five hits, two walks and four strikeouts. The right-hander appeared to be in control through the first two innings until some shaky defense let him down in the third. A single by pitcher Masato Yoshii, a bunt single and a fly ball to short center that should have been caught loaded the bases for Montreal's most dangerous hitter, All-Star outfielder Vladimir Guerrero. Down 2-0 on the scoreboard and 0-2 in the count, Guerrero launched a bomb over the left field wall for a grand-slam home run. "We had an out with the bunt and an out with the fly ball to center," McRae suggested. "That's where the jam originated. Although [Rupe] still can come back and get out of it, he did his job." Rupe, who acknowledged that he felt "the strongest of any other day this spring," retired six of the next seven hitters to finish his outing. James closed out the game, giving up just three hits and a walk while striking out three. The Expos collected just three hits over the final six innings. "I'm more than happy with the way [Rupe] pitched and the way he's pitched in the past," McRae added. "I feel better about [the fifth] spot in the rotation after today than I did before." "Other than that one pitch [to Guerrero], I thought I threw the ball pretty good today," Rupe said. "The two-seamer I've been working on, I'm not trusting it a lot but at times I trust it real well. That's what me and [pitching coach] Jackie [Brown] have been working on all spring." This spring is the first time Rupe has thrown a two-seam fastball. After a two-year struggle with his fastball, Rupe is now having some success regaining the natural movement he lost because of injuries and changed mechanics. Up to and including his 1999 rookie season, Rupe stepped across his body in his delivery, adding stress on his arm. He then struggled in 2000 with velocity and arm strength the following year and eventually had a blood clot removed from his right biceps.

RUMOR MILL:

Nick Bierbrodt lost his spot in the rotation and as stated above Ryan Rupe will probably claim that spot. Manager Hal McRae hasn't officially announced his decision on who'll start at third base, but the lineup over the past couple days may indicate which way he's leaning. Russ Johnson started at the hot corner Saturday and Sunday, and Bobby Smith is expected to start Monday. Jared Sandberg, who could have won the job even with a mediocre spring offensively, may start Tuesday or Wednesday. Sandberg, who hit .209 over 39 games last season after taking over for Aubrey Huff, has struggled at the plate, hitting just .184 (7-for-38) with two doubles, one homer, two RBIs and a team-high 11 strikeouts. The Rays will likely make the final round of cuts before Wednesday's night game against the Phillies in Clearwater.

INJURIES:

No Injuries to report at this time

ON THE FARM:

While the Rays were in Jupiter playing the Expos, pitchers Wilson Alvarez and Esteban Yan threw in minor league games Thursday. Alvarez worked three innings for Triple-A Durham against the Syracuse, Toronto's Triple-A affiliate. He gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits, including one home run, two walks and three strikeouts. He threw 66 pitches. Yan tossed a scoreless inning for Double-A Orlando against Knoxville, another Blue Jays affiliate. The closer threw 19 pitches, walking one and striking out two. Reliever Doug Creek is scheduled throw at minor league camp on Friday

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