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By MARC TOPKIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 22, 2001
TORONTO -- The key to being a successful manager at times is flexibility, and manager Hal McRae is open to all kinds of ideas.
One is sticking with a six-man rotation next season.
The Rays began using six pitchers last month when Bryan Rekar came off the disabled list and they didn't want to bump any of the five they had been starting.
The extra rest has proved to be beneficial for some of the younger pitchers, such as Nick Bierbrodt, Joe Kennedy and Ryan Rupe, and McRae said he would consider using a similar alignment again since he is likely to have a similar staff.
"It's dictated by personnel, not by a philosophy," McRae said. "But I don't think it's a bad idea with the players we have.
"When they're young, it's probably beneficial. With a mature staff, it's probably not a good idea. Young guys are not as strong, their arms are not as strong, they're not as durable."
Tanyon Sturtze, Kennedy and Bierbrodt are the top three candidates for jobs in the rotation, with Paul Wilson making a strong push for a fourth spot. That could leave Rupe, Bryan Rekar, Jason Standridge and Travis Harper competing for the remaining slots along with Wilson Alvarez, who is expected to recover from shoulder and arm injuries.
HUFF DADDY: Greg Vaughn's left calf is still sore, but his absence isn't hurting the Rays as much as they feared because Aubrey Huff has been a capable fill-in.
"We're in no big rush to get (Vaughn) back because Huff is swinging the bat well," McRae said. "It might be putting additional pressure on Toby Hall in the four slot, as the right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup, but we're in no rush. He wouldn't be doing any better than Huff is."
After going 1-for-4 Tuesday as a last-minute replacement, Huff went 5-for-9 with five RBI in the next two games. Vaughn is available to pinch hit, but it appears he won't return to the lineup until Tuesday in New York.
RYAN TRYIN': A victory would have been nicer, but Rupe was relatively satisfied with his six-inning outing Thursday. "I thought it was a critical start for me," he said.
Rupe held the Red Sox to one run on five hits but was most pleased with the way he got some key outs, using his slider to retire Trot Nixon and Manny Ramirez in key situations and his changeup to get Ramirez another time.
CREEK RISING: Doug Creek's next appearance will be his 64th game of the season, setting a career high. And the Rays' top left-handed reliever can't wait. "I feel good," Creek said. "Unfortunately we had that break, but it did me some good. I'm a little bit refreshed physically. I want to get in as many games as I can. And the way they're using me, if I get in a lot of games, that means we're playing some pretty good ball." If Creek pitches in nine of the remaining 15 games, he would match Roberto Hernandez's single-season record. "I hope I do," Creek said.
RAYS BITS: Catcher Paul Hoover is likely to get his first start this weekend, possibly today. ... The Rays went 5-13 in a three-week stretch of games against teams with .500 or better records. ... The Rays have doubled in 30 straight games. ... Jason Tyner has been successful in 11 consecutive steal attempts, the third-longest current streak in the league.
Greg Vaughn needed two words to describe the left calf injury that has kept him out of the lineup all week: "Sore subject."