By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 22, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Rays have decided to stick with an unconventional six-man rotation at least into the middle of August.

Manager Joe Maddon said it was primarily a matter of necessity, as they need to not only limit the innings that rookie RHP Jeremy Hellickson throws in his first full big-league season (110⅔ thus far), but also because they are growing concerned at the amount that top starters RHP James Shields (156⅓) and LHP David Price (142⅓) are logging.

Maddon said it's also a matter of opportunity, as the emergence of rookie RHP Alex Cobb (1-0, 3.09 in six starts) as a dependable starter provided an attractive option.

"We could not do it without him pitching as well as he has. He's done great," Maddon said. "It's a great concept. I think other teams would love to be able to do it, but it's hard to do that and still believe that you're going to remain competitive. And (Cobb) permits that to happen."

The Rays will manipulate when they use Shields and Price to maximize their starts against the Red Sox, Yankees and other tougher teams, trying to keep them from getting too far over 200 innings. They would like to keep Hellickson, who had some minor arm issues in the minors, to 170-180 innings.

The drawback to using six starters is carrying only six relievers, but Maddon pointed to how little work RHP Andy Sonnanstine got when he was the seventh, and he said they can rotate in relievers from Triple A if they need fresh arms.

The Rays also set their rotation for the four-game series in Oakland: Hellickson, Price, Shields and Wade Davis.

DOWN AND OUT: Bullpen coach Bobby Ramos stayed in St. Petersburg for further medical tests, having been sidelined on and off for six weeks with throat issues. Maddon said traveling makes Ramos' condition worse but added that the issue is not considered serious. Stan Boroski, assistant to the pitching coach, took over bullpen duties.

MINOR MATTERS: Top pitching prospect LHP Matt Moore made an impressive Triple-A debut for Durham, allowing one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks over five innings against Toledo (Tigers). He allowed a fourth-inning homer and threw 89 pitches, 52 for strikes.

LONG AND SHORT OF IT: Sean Rodriguez got the start at shortstop ahead of still-struggling Reid Brignac, though Maddon said the decision was based on the matchup with Royals starter RHP Luke Hochevar and not an indication Rodriguez would get more time there.

TRADE WINDS: Shields continues to generate trade interest, even from the unlikeliest places. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Yankees called about Shields "and were told he is not available — presumably to (them and the Red Sox)."

MISCELLANY: RHP Juan Cruz, on the DL with a groin strain, threw a 15-pitch bullpen session to C John Jaso, who is sidelined with an oblique strain. Both are likely to make rehab outings before returning. … Seventh-round draft pick RHP Ryan Carpenter signed.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 22, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Now that the Rays have decided Desmond Jennings is ready, they are going to give him the chance to show it, with plans to play him in leftfield and bat him leadoff.

The move was not the precursor to the team making a trade, manager Joe Maddon said.

"It's Desmond earning an opportunity to be here, period,'' Maddon said after Friday's loss to the Royals. "And hopefully he's going to be somewhat of a catalyst offensively.''

Reid Brignac, whose potential to take over at shortstop was why the club felt comfortable trading Jason Bartlett in the offseason, was sent to Triple-A Durham after hitting .193 in 68 games.

"Reid Brignac, no question, is a major-league-caliber shortstop defensively,'' Maddon said. "But moving down the road, we have to get him better on the offensive side of the ball."

With Brignac gone, Sean Rodriguez (who started unexpectedly Friday) and Elliot Johnson will share time at short.

Jennings, 24, was hitting .275 with 12 homers and 39 RBIs in 89 games for Durham. Sam Fuld and Justin Ruggiano will be reduced to limited duty.

SIX PACK: The Rays will stick with an unconventional six-man rotation at least into August.

Maddon said it was primarily a matter of necessity, as they need to not only limit the innings that rookie RHP Jeremy Hellickson throws in his first full big-league season (110⅔ thus far), but also because they are growing concerned at the amount that top starters RHP James Shields (156⅓) and LHP David Price (142⅓) are logging. Maddon said it's also a matter of opportunity, as the emergence of rookie RHP Alex Cobb (2-0, 3.09 in six starts) as a dependable starter provided an attractive option.

The Rays will manipulate when they use Shields and Price to maximize their starts against the Red Sox, Yankees and other tougher teams, trying to keep them from getting too far over 200 innings. They would like to keep Hellickson, who had some minor arm issues in the minors, to 170-180 innings.

The drawback to using six starters is carrying only six relievers, but Maddon pointed to how little work RHP Andy Sonnanstine got when he was the seventh, and he said they can rotate in relievers from Triple A if they need fresh arms.

DOWN AND OUT: Bullpen coach Bobby Ramos stayed in St. Petersburg for further medical tests, having been sidelined on and off for six weeks with throat issues. Maddon said traveling makes Ramos' condition worse but added that the issue is not considered serious. Stan Boroski, assistant to the pitching coach, has taken over bullpen duties.

MINOR MATTERS: Top pitching prospect LHP Matt Moore made an impressive Triple A debut for Durham, allowing one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks over five innings against Toledo (Tigers). He allowed a fourth-inning homer and threw 89 pitches, 52 for strikes.

TRADE WINDS: Shields continues to generate trade interest, even from the unlikeliest places. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Yankees called about Shields "and were told he is not available — presumably to (them and the Red Sox)."

Times wires
Friday, July 22, 2011

White Sox 3, Indians 0

CLEVELAND — Gavin Floyd allowed four hits over 7 2/3 innings and Carlos Quentin hit a three-run homer in the fifth for the White Sox. Floyd earned his second straight win after going 0-4 over six previous starts. The right-hander didn't issue a walk for the first time in 19 starts. Quentin's 20th homer came off Carlos Carrasco. Sergio Santos struck out Matt LaPorta with a runner on second in the ninth for his 19th save in 22 chances to complete the five-hitter.

Times wires
Friday, July 22, 2011

Phillies 3, Padres 1

PHILADELPHIA — Cole Hamels tossed eight dominant innings, retiring the final 10 he faced, and the Phillies beat the Padres for the eighth straight time. Hamels (12-5) allowed one run and three hits, striking out 10 as he tied Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens for the most wins in the NL. "He had good stuff, he moved the ball around good and when he missed, he was close," manager Charlie Manuel said. Ryan Madson finished for his 16th save in 17 tries.

Times wires
Friday, July 22, 2011

WALTON ON THE HILL, England — Americans Mark Calcavecchia and Lee Rinker and Canadian Rod Spittle, a part-time Dunedin resident, had a two-shot lead after the second round of the Senior British Open on Friday.

Calcavecchia, one of three overnight leaders, made six birdies in shooting 3-under 69 and was joined at 7-under 137 by Rinker (67) and Spittle (67).

It's the first time since 2004 that at least three players have held a share of the lead after 36 holes of a Senior British Open.

Peter Fowler (68) was two back, with American pair John Cook (67) and Mike Goodes (70) at 4 under. Tom Watson (68) moved into contention at 1 under, and defending champion Bernhard Langer faded with 76, nine shots off the pace.

Calcavecchia and Rinker live near each other in Jupiter and grew up playing junior golf together. But their careers have taken different paths.

While Rinker doesn't have a career victory, Calcavecchia is best known for winning the British Open at Troon in 1989 and has 12 more wins on the PGA Tour. He is bidding to become the fourth player — after Watson, Gary Player and Bob Charles — to achieve the British Open double.

"That would be awesome company to keep. They're three Hall of Famers. That would be really special," Calcavecchia said.

Rinker sealed his spot at Walton Heath with a top-10 finish last month at Endicott, N.Y.

"It's been a long time since I've been in this position," said Rinker, whose best showings were two second places in 1997. "But my game's been coming along this year. We'll see how I hold up."

PGA: Michael Thompson shot 4-under 66 to tie for the lead with fellow American Chad Campbell (67) at 4-under 136 after the second round of the RBC Canadian Open in Vancouver. Paul Goydos (69) and Lee Janzen (68) had a share of the lead before bogeys on their final hole dropped them one back.

LPGA: Miki Saiki took a one-stroke lead at 9-under 135 after shooting 5-under 67 in the second round of the Evian Masters in Evian-les-Bains, France. Angela Stanford (66), Stacy Lewis (67), Ai Miyazato (68) Maria Hjorth (69) and Ahn Shin-ae (69) were at 8 under. Seminole's Brittany Lincicome (71) was tied for 12th at 5 under.

European: Sweden's Alexander Noren shot 6-under 66 to take a three-stroke lead at 11-under 133 after the second round of the Nordea Masters in Stockholm. American Bubba Watson (67) closed five behind.

U.S. Junior Amateur: Jordan Spieth, who won the event in 2009, beat Adam Ball 7 and 5 to reach today's 36-hole final in Bremerton, Wash. The Dallas resident, who faces Chelso Barrett of Keene, N.H., can join Tiger Woods (1991-93) as the only multiple winners of the event.

Tiger still out: Tiger Woods won't be in the field of 151 players for the Greenbrier Classic next week in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. Woods hasn't played since May 12 when he withdrew after nine holes from the Players Championship with knee and Achilles' injuries.

Times wires
Friday, July 22, 2011

Rangers 12, Blue Jays 2

ARLINGTON, Texas — Nelson Cruz broke out of a slump with a career-high eight RBIs and Colby Lewis took a no-hitter into the sixth. Cruz had an RBI single in the second and a three-run homer in the fourth after going the previous 11 games with one RBI. Lewis allowed one run and two hits over 6⅔ innings to become the third Rangers starter to win 10 games this season.

Times wires
Friday, July 22, 2011

Yankees 17, A's 7

NEW YORK — Mark Teixeira hit a grand slam and Nick Swisher had a three-run drive in a nine-run third as the Yankees had their highest-scoring inning of the season and beat Oakland for the 11th straight time. Swisher matched a career high with five RBIs.

Times wires
Friday, July 22, 2011

Mets 7, Marlins 6

MIAMI — David Wright came off the DL (back) swinging, with two RBI doubles for the Mets. He doubled home a run in the first inning, then put New York ahead to stay with an RBI double in the eighth.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 22, 2011

Rays at Royals

When/where: 7:10 tonight; Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Starting pitchers:

Rays:

RH Jeff Niemann (4-4, 3.94)

Royals:

LH Jeff Francis (3-11, 4.62)

Watch for …

Standing tall: Niemann has been sizzling in July, allowing only two earned runs in 21 1/3 innings. He is 3-0 with a 0.71 ERA in four games (three starts) vs. the Royals.

Leaning left: Francis, a former Rockie, seems to be pitching better than his record shows, especially at home, where he has a 3.38 ERA but a 2-5 record. He has never faced the Rays.

Key matchups

Rays vs. Francis

Kelly Shoppach 0-for-2

Royals vs. Niemann

Billy Butler 1-for-20

Alex Gordon 0-for-4

Mitch Maier 1-for-7

On deck

Sunday: at Royals, 2:10; Sun Sports. Rays — Alex Cobb (2-0, 3.09); Royals — Felipe Paulino (1-3, 3.60)

Monday: at A's, 10:07; Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (9-7, 3.17); A's — TBA

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

Okay to be a follower

The Rays announced plans for their first Tweet-Up, a gathering of people who use the Twitter social media service, at the Aug. 4 game. CNBC reporter Darren Rovell, who has more than 100,000 followers on Twitter, will host, sing the anthem, report live from the Trop and, of course, Tweet at will. The team will offer promotions through its @RaysRepublic account.

Tweet of the day

"Ill quit"

Rays LHP David Price (@David Price14), when asked: "How you feeling about your boy James Shields might get traded?" Price said later he wasn't kidding: "Let it be known."

Number of the day

12

Rookies used by the Rays, including eight pitchers. The team record is 16, set in the 100-loss 2001 season.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 22, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Rays couldn't do anything right Friday.

Didn't pitch well. Didn't hit much. Didn't catch the ball.

Didn't even play into the Internet and Twitter trade-rumor frenzy that B.J. Upton must have been dealt since he was pulled from the game in the eighth inning after word filtered out that prospect Desmond Jennings was scratched from the lineup at Triple-A Durham.

Jennings was called up, but with struggling shortstop Reid Brignac sent down. At least the Rays could explain that, as opposed to the poor effort in their 10-4 loss to a Royals team that had the worst record in the American League.

"It was horrible," manager Joe Maddon said. "We just played badly tonight. There's nothing that we did well. We had a chance to really blow that game open in the first inning, and we let it get away. And then we uncharacteristically did not play a good game on the field. … That was really not the Rays out there tonight. … We just did not play our typical game, way too many mistakes."

Returning to Kansas City for the first time since they celebrated their 2010 AL East championship with beer and champagne, the Rays instead played like they were hung over, dropping to 52-46, and now 8½ from the first-place Red Sox in the AL East and 6½ behind the wild-card-leading Yankees.

There was an unimpressive return from the disabled list by Wade Davis, who allowed 11 hits and six runs (five earned) in 51/3 innings. An unusually sloppy effort in the outfield, with Sam Fuld misplaying two balls and Upton and Matt Joyce colliding on another. Ineffective relief pitching. And another — save for back-to-back homers in the sixth — anemic night of offense, highlighted by a first-inning fizzle in which the first four Rays got on base and they got only one run.

"That is not how we should play," Maddon said. "Moving forward, that kind of game can't be part of us."

Friday's game was played in sweltering temperatures, 98 degrees at first pitch (7:10 local time) with a feels-like of 101. The Rays tried to deal with it giving the players electrolytes to drink and cutting batting practice short.

But sometimes it's not the heat, it's the humiliation.

Davis, in his first start since July 6 after a stint on the DL for a forearm strain, didn't fool anyone. He gave up doubles to three of the first four Royals, and three runs total in a 30-pitch first, and 11 hits overall, striking out only three, though not walking any.

Davis said he felt fine, but that was the only good thing.

"Absolutely I'm disappointed," he said. "I had good stuff, better stuff than what it showed. They capitalized on every mistake I threw up there. … I'm a little upset about it. It's a frustrating day in general."

Fuld had an eventful night overall, saying he had trouble with the glare and twilight. He also slid hard enough — "a normal slide," he said — into second to force shortstop Alcides Escobar to leave with a shin bruise, then paid for it when he was hit by a pitch the next inning.

Maddon insisted he was unaware his decision to get Upton off his feet caused a frenzy. But Upton, laughing about it later, admitted he was wondering as well.

"See you guys tomorrow, hopefully," Upton said on his way out.

Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011

Tigers 8, Twins 2

MINNEAPOLIS — Jhonny Peralta finished a triple short of the cycle and had four RBIs to lift the Tigers to their 11th straight win over their AL Central rivals. Max Scherzer gave up one run and four hits in seven innings and Ryan Raburn also homered for the Tigers, who picked up a game on second-place Cleveland and pushed the Twins seven games back in the division.

Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011

Brewers 4, Giants 2

SAN FRANCISCO — Jonathan Lucroy and Yuniesky Betancourt drove in two runs each to give the Brewers a lift. Shaun Marcum pitched seven solid innings to push the Brewers back into first place in the crowded NL Central standings, with the Pirates and Cardinals just one game behind. Lucroy's two-run single highlighted a three-run second inning against Matt Cain.

Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011

Rockies 8, Diamondbacks 4

PHOENIX — Aaron Cook earned his first victory of the season, and Dexter Fowler and Mark Ellis each had three hits and drove in a run to lead the Rockies. Cook allowed four runs and eight hits for his first win since Sept. 8 against the Reds.

Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Bert Blyleven knows what took him to where he has been and where he's headed: his heritage.

"I'm Dutch, I'm stubborn. I think it's the stubbornness, the consistency. You take the good with the bad," said Blyleven, 60, the first player born in the Netherlands to earn Major League Baseball's highest honor: election to the Hall of Fame.

"I came up at a young age. I retired at an old age. I was one of only three pitchers to win a game before their 20th (birthday) and after their 40th. It's just loving a game that you felt that you could compete at the highest level."

Blyleven, who won 287 games in a 22-year career, will be inducted today with second baseman Roberto Alomar and front-office guru Pat Gillick.

"I'm going to be in awe," Blyleven said. "We all have dreams as kids. You don't know where it's going to head."

Despite his accomplishments, Blyleven watched and waited for what must have seemed like a lifetime before he was selected. It took 14 tries for him to finally cross the 75 percent threshold.

"At first he was angry and he kind of vented, but after a while we got to where it was like a given," said Blyleven's wife, Gayle. "So we'd tell the local people we were out of town and we weren't.

"We didn't want to hear about the disappointment. (In 2010) we were so surprised that he jumped so high, we weren't angry at all. It was amazing. It just shows you how the writers have your destiny and how hard it is (to get in)."

Alomar also had to bide his time, albeit briefly. His failure to become the fourth second baseman and 45th player to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer was the result of one blemish: a spray of saliva in a September 1996 game in Toronto's SkyDome.

Called out on strikes by umpire John Hirschbeck, Alomar argued and was ejected. Before he left, he spit in Hirschbeck's face and was suspended for five games.

Alomar and Hirschbeck have since made peace, and Alomar is focused on the task at hand.

"I feel like a kid, a kid that is dreaming of playing the game of baseball," Alomar, 43, said. "Now, I'm going to be standing beside the greatest players that ever played this game, and I cannot believe that I'm one of them. It's been a long journey."

By Doug Hemmer, Times Correspondent
Saturday, July 23, 2011

What's hot: Night fishing in the dock lights is producing good numbers of trout and redfish. The trout can be seen on the surface, and the redfish will be close to the bottom. The most productive lights have a grass flat nearby. The best tides to fish are the ones where the water flows over the grass before reaching the light. The shrimp and crabs that hide in the grass will drift through the lights if the tide is strong. The fish that hang in the light will be facing into the current waiting for shrimp and crabs to flow by. In lower Tampa Bay, the snook are few. To target them, fish the lights that are closest to the mouth of a river. During the freeze, snook that live near the river had a safe area where the water was warm enough to keep them alive. Snook near the passes had too far to travel to find warm water, and most did not survive.

Bait: The best is a live tail-hooked shrimp. When casting upcurrent of the light on a free-lined rig, the shrimp will look natural as it drifts by. You can put a small split-shot close to the shrimp. This will put the bait near the bottom and give you a good shot at the redfish.

Tackle: Light spinning gear or fly rod will draw the most strikes. Rig the spinner with a live shrimp and try a crystal shrimp fly on the fly rod.

Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 347-1389.

Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011

Cubs 5, Astros 1

CHICAGO — Randy Wells pitched six strong innings for his first win since April 4 and Geovany Soto had a solo homer and an RBI single in the eighth to lead the Cubs. Marlon Byrd also homered for Chicago, which will try today to win three in a row for the first time this season. Houston has lost 14 of its past 18 road games and six straight overall.

Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011

Athletics 4, Yankees 3

NEW YORK — Hideki Matsui homered against his former team, and Oakland snapped an 11-game losing streak to New York. Andrew Bailey barely held on in the ninth inning, allowing a run before retiring Robinson Cano on an easy grounder with a runner on third to end it. The A's beat the Yankees for the first time since April 22, 2010.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 23, 2011

Andrew Friedman likes to do deals. The Rays' executive vice president has made nearly 40 trades in his six seasons on the job, involving some relatively big names: Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, Aubrey Huff, Edwin Jackson, Scott Kazmir, Julio Lugo, Rafael Soriano, Delmon Young. He's not as much into the July 31 deadline deals, making five in the final week of the month, with only one, last year's acquisition of RHP Chad Qualls (after Grant Balfour was hurt), that had a direct impact on the current season. But Friedman takes advantage of the fact that teams are talking to get other things done, even into August, whether it's to dump players they no longer want to have (or pay), such as Huff, Kazmir and Lugo, or to fill needs looking ahead to the next season, such as acquiring relievers Dan Wheeler and Balfour. (And sometimes, July conversations lead to offseason deals, such as the Young-for-Bartlett/Garza trade). Here are the five July/August deals that netted — or as Friedman might say it, net-netted — the Rays the most:

August 2009

The deal: Traded LHP Scott Kazmir to Angels for INF Sean Rodriguez, INF Matt Sweeney, LHP Alex Torres

The result: With the team still on the brink of the wild-card race, the Rays seemed to give up by trading away two-time All-Star Kazmir, saving around $24 million and getting back three minor-leaguers. But they actually got a head start on winning the division in 2010, using some of that savings to add closer Rafael Soriano. (And who knows what this year's $41 million team would look like if they were paying Kazmir $12 million). Plus, two of the three players have panned out: Rodriguez, above, has turned out to be a key player; and Torres just made his big-league debut and will be back.

July 2006

The deal: Traded 1B/OF/DH Aubrey Huff (and $1.6 million) to Astros for RHP Mitch Talbot, INF Ben Zobrist

The result: Huff wasn't coming back, so the Rays used him and some cash to add advanced prospects. Zobrist, above, blossomed into more than they ever imagined, an All-Star with 20-homer power and the versatility to play the infield and outfield. They were right that Talbot could pitch, and win, in the big leagues but didn't do as well in trading him 3½ years later for C Kelly Shoppach.

August 2008

The deal: Acquired RHP Chad Bradford from Orioles for cash

The result: Though a week after the deadline, the acquisition of Bradford, above, was more of a traditional pennant-race pickup. He wasn't a big name, but he made a big difference — with his unique delivery that induced ground balls — down the stretch and into the postseason during the 2008 run. (They tried a similar move the next year with C Gregg Zaun, but it didn't help enough.)

July 2007

The deals: Traded RHP Seth McClung to Brewers for RHP Grant Balfour; traded INF Ty Wigginton to Astros for RHP Dan Wheeler.

The result: The players were traded away for different reasons: McClung because he wasn't going to make it here, Wigginton because he was going to be making too much money. But the targets were similar, to add some depth and experience to the bullpen for the next season, and they got that and more.

Late June 2006

The deal: Traded C Toby Hall, LHP Mark Hendrickson, $1 million to Dodgers for C Dioner Navarro, RHP Jae Seo, OF Justin Ruggiano.

The result: Big picture, this doesn't seem like much, but Navarro — if you can remember — actually was a key piece of the 2008 team that made it to the World Series.

Then again …

Here are three July/August deals that didn't amount to much:

July 2006

The deal: Traded SS Julio Lugo to Dodgers for INF Joel Guzman, OF Sergio Pedroza

The result: Neither Guzman nor Pedroza amounted to much; the Rays would've been better off getting a draft pick.

August 2006

The deal: Traded INF/OF Russell Branyan to Padres for RHP Evan Meek, RHP Dale Thayer

The result: Meek turned out to be good after the Rays lost him in the 2007 Rule 5 draft and let the Pirates keep him.

July 2007

The deal: Traded INF Jorge Cantu, plus Shaun Cumberland and cash, to Reds for RHP Calvin Medlock, LHP Brian Shackelford

The result: The Rays didn't consider Cantu their kind of player, but he showed the next season with Florida (29 HRs) he could still play.

Dance partners

Of Andrew Friedman's 37 trades the Rays list, here are his most common partners:

4: Padres

3: Cubs, Dodgers, Indians

2: Astros, Braves, Brewers, Orioles, Reds

Rays rumblings

That improved curveball Jeremy Hellickson is throwing is the result of some input from fellow RHP James Shields. … Joe Maddon's vision for a new retractable-roof stadium — wherever it's built — includes an interesting idea: an adjacent facility for youth leagues and community events that the roof could slide over to cover. … Even after averaging 25,107 for the seven games with the Red Sox and Yankees, the Rays' average attendance of 19,972 is still 26th in MLB, down more than 8 percent from the same point last year (21,780). The Rays are on a pace to draw 1.62 million, lowest since the Devil Rays days of 2007. … In writing about the Rays potentially trading away big names, Fox's Ken Rosenthal says executive VP Andrew Friedman "can do whatever he pleases without losing popular support — the fans aren't coming, anyway." … ESPN's Buster Olney writes much the same, and that the Rays will consider "bloodless" moves such as dealing Shields and others because they "really don't buy into Hail Marys and fairy-tale finishes."

Got a minute? | Sean Rodriguez

Must-see TV show? Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I've always loved it.

Big-night out meal? Carrabba's. I really love Italian food, and they're not expensive.

Band or singer you'd like to be on stage with? They're Christian rappers that go by the 116 Clique.

Worst job? I was working at Red Berry's Baseball World in Miami, and we had kids 3-4 years old, it was just straight babysitting.

With your wife Giselle's permission, dream date? She knows it, it's Jessica Biel. And hers is Johnny Depp.

Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011

Phillies 8, Padres 6

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Martinez hit a tiebreaking three-run homer, Chase Utley connected twice and the Phillies beat the Padres for the ninth straight time. Ryan Howard hit a pinch-hit homer.

Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011

Reds 11, Braves 2

CINCINNATI — Edgar Renteria replaced injured shortstop Zack Cozart and drove in three to rally the Reds. Brandon Phillips had two RBI doubles and Todd Frazier doubled with the bases loaded as Cincinnati pulled away. Homer Bailey threw 53 pitches in the first two innings but made it through six.