Dukes lets bat do talking ....

Elijah Dukes has not spoken to the media since Tuesday night, and that didn't change when he returned to the field Friday in dramatic fashion, hitting a three-run game-tying homer though the Rays lost. PR vice president Rick Vaughn asked Dukes if he wanted to answer questions, and Dukes told him no. Teammates were happy for Dukes, as Carl Crawford noted, "It's nice to see Elijah do something good after all that negative stuff.''

Dukes didn't appear to take much abuse from the Chicago fans, who obviously knew less about the controversy that has enveloped Dukes. He was heckled by a few fans in the outfield and appeared to take it well, flashing a smile to some. Some Rays said they did hear some fans making references to domestic violence, but there were no obvious incidents.

Manager Joe Maddon found some good in the loss, noting that Brian Stokes struck out Jermaine Dye in the ninth with a changeup, a pitch the Rays are trying to get him to have more confidence in. Even though Stokes has been on the mound for four game-winning homers and now a game-winning sacrifice fly, Maddon believes the rookie is making progress in the difficult on-the-job training of being a late-inning reliever.

 

Comments

[mark duff]

let dukes play....
and get the media off his back...
his wife needs to get a life...
all she wants is his money....