Cantu enjoying hot streak

ST. PETERSBURG -- Jorge Cantu is all smiles these days, and what hitter wouldn't be while in the midst of a hot streak the likes of the one Cantu is enjoying?
"He's been swinging the bat awfully well," said Rays manager Lou Piniella.

Cantu has hit .408 (29-for-71) in the 19 games since May 22, raising his average from a season-low .262 to .310, his highest since April 23 (.311).

"I'm seeing the ball well," Cantu said. "It's big. I'm just trying to make good contact. ... When you're hitting the ball good, you're seeing the ball well."

Cantu has new music when he steps up to bat at Tropicana that has a Mexican flavor.

"I figured I'd do something to remind me of home," he said. "That's mariachi [music]."

Taking advice: Doug Waechter pitched well in Monday night's win against the Brewers, throwing eight innings and allowing just three runs in earning his third win.

Just over a week ago, Piniella told Waechter that he needed to throw the ball harder. Though "throwing harder" isn't something a pitcher can do on command, Waechter understood what his manager meant and took his advice to heart.

"The reason he said that was because at times I become more of a feel pitcher, which I'm not," Waechter said. "He wants me to let go of the ball, and what he means by that is just throw it and not guide it.

"And a lot of times pitchers can get out there and guide the ball. You might be a little more accurate, but you get hit more, because you're not throwing like usual. That's all [Piniella] was trying to tell me. And every pitcher does that at times, and I was glad he noticed it because it helped me out a lot."

Waechter said the advice has helped him gain some confidence.

"You're throwing it harder and you've got more on it, so, obviously, you have a little more confidence," Waechter said. "When you're guiding the ball, you don't put all your effort behind it. [But] when you're throwing, you just get out there and let it rip. It's a good feeling."

Scott Kazmir / P
Born: 01/24/84
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 170 lbs
Bats: L / Throws: L

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About those beards: Rays starters Waechter, Casey Fossum and Mark Hendrickson continue to let their whiskers grow for a change of pace. When Waechter was asked if he would try to fashion a Johnny Damon-type beard, he laughed. "No, he's got a good beard," Waechter said. "This thing is going to be so spotty it's going to be hideous. But I'm still not shaving it."

Starters Hideo Nomo and Scott Kazmir don't seem to be participating -- though Kazmir's nonparticipation may not be by choice.

"I think [Kazmir] has been trying for about two months, and he still doesn't have a whisker," Waechter said.

About Interleague Play: Piniella says he likes Interleague Play, but he wouldn't mind if the games were tweaked a bit. For starters, he'd like to see American League rules played in National League parks and visa versa. "I think that's a good idea," Piniella said. "Let the fans see what it's like on the other side."

And the Devil Rays manager believes the National League has an advantage in Interleague games.

"The format favors the National League teams," Piniella said, "because their pitchers hit all the time."

A reporter asked Piniella if he wished Interleague Play had existed during his playing career so he could have faced a challenging pitcher he might not otherwise have faced.

Piniella smiled at the question, then answered: "I liked the challenges of facing the No. 4 and 5 starters instead of the No. 1 and 2."

As for the much ballyhooed schedule, which will see one team play an Interleague game against a team winning its division while another team plays a cellar dweller, Piniella has no problem with the status quo.

"With the way they have an unbalanced schedule, it shouldn't matter," Piniella said. "You play the teams in your division, what, 18, 19 times?"

On deck: The Rays wrap up their three-game series with the Brewers on Wednesday in a 7:15 p.m. ET contest at Tropicana Field. Nomo (3-6, 6.69 ERA) will start for the Devil Rays and will be opposed by right-hander Victor Santos (2-5, 2.74). Nomo will be making his fourth attempt to win his 200th career game (Japan and Major League combined).

Source: http://tampabay.devilrays.mlb.com/