Back to the Rays Report

Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

 @RMooneyTrib
 TBO_Rays
Send us your questions

More Links:

• Schedule/Results
• Player Stats
• Team Stats

Most Recent Entries

• Green seeking funds for trip
• Area Athletes Shine at Golden South Classic
• Rays @ O’s: Moore looking to go 8-0, Rays looking for sweep
• Collect call: 2013 Bowman baseball
• Rays @ O’s: Rays on FOX game of the week
• Seffner Christian’s Hanson picks Liberty
• Current Baseball America prospect list boasts five locals
• Rays @ O’s: Hellickson returns to mound to start trip
• Former Newsome tennis standout, Hersh, named POY
• Bishop McLaughlin sophomore OH Alyssa Mathis commits to San Diego State
• Rays v BoSox: Price looks for 2nd win, Escobar moved to 5th in order
• Area athletes sign and commit to colleges
• Steinbrenner announces athletic signings
• Mitchell P/INF Chris McCormick commits to PHCC
• Three Hudson girls soccer players, including first the Division I scholarship, to sign Friday

More

• Bucs Report -Tribune staff
• Rays Report - Roger Mooney
• Bolts Report - Erik Erlendsson
• Bulls Report
• Prep Report - Hillsborough
• Prep Report - Pasco
• Prep Report - Region
• Prep Report - Recruiting Updates
• Prep Report - Football
• Go Fishing: On The Waterfront
• The Sports Bookie - Bob D'Angelo
• Gators Report - Tribune staff
• Youth Sports Report
• NFL Draft Report
• Go Ask: Frank's Tacklebox
• Bucified Bert Blog
• BUK Power - Bucs Fan Blog
• Pigskin Preacher - NFL Fan Blog
• Breakfast Bonus - Tom McEwen
• Highlands Sports

Monthly Archives

• May 2013
• April 2013
• March 2013
• February 2013
• January 2013
• December 2012

Longoria will emphasize “quality over quantity” in preparations

Posted May 2, 2011 by Tribune Sports

Updated May 2, 2011 at 03:06 PM

By TONY FABRIZIO

ST. PETERSBURG - Evan Longoria says he’ll try to keep himself from overdoing it in pre-game infield and batting practice when he rejoins the Rays after missing a month with a strained left oblique.

The three-time All-Star third baseman will come off the DL for Tuesday night’s home game against the Blue Jays if nothing goes wrong in his final minor league rehab game tonight for Double-A Montgomery and Jacksonville.

“I’ve always been a guy that likes to take a thousand swings and a thousand ground balls, and so that was one of the things I talked about with everybody when we have our meetings in spring training,” Longoria said on a conference call today. “I was kind of trying to not cut back but (trying to understand) when I may need more work or when I may need to back it down and just relax a little bit.

“It was unfortunate that this happened, and maybe it was kind of a sign for me to realize that, hey, maybe I don’t need to take a hundred extra swings a day. It’s just always been I my nature, so I’ll probably back it down a little bit and realize when do need the extra swings and when I don’t and try to (emphasize) quality over quantity.”

Longoria, the Rays’ top run producer last year, has been out since hurting his oblique in the second game of the season April 2. He has been rehabbing the injury under the direction of Rays trainer Ron Porterfield and will play in the last of four scheduled minor league games tonight.

He said that, as far as being comfortable in the batter’s box, he thinks he’ll be close to 100 percent - except “probably 85 percent” for a few at-bats - and that he felt 100 percent fielding and throwing even before starting his rehab assignment.

He’s relieved about joining a Rays team that has come back from a 1-8 start to post a 15-13 record through the first 28 games.

“We don’t have anything to make up at this point, which is huge,” Longoria said. “I’m coming into a situation where the team is, obviously, above all else, and we don’t really have to do (much) right now. We just need to keep playing well. And putting wins on the board. That itself is going to make things a lot easier, not having to press myself into trying to do something I’m not capable of doing right now.”

We’ll have a complete story on Longoria’s expected return later on TBO.com and in Tuesday’s Tampa Tribune.