Curtis Mead has quietly rediscovered his hitting stroke for the Rays

TAMPA — This is how it was supposed to look for Curtis Mead.

Spraying line drives, seeing his name penciled in the lineup at first, second and third base, even stealing the occasional base.

In other words, completely different from the first month of the season.

After a torrid spring training, Mead had trouble adjusting to a complementary role in the Rays lineup in April. He started only nine of the first 29 games and was hitting .121 with no homers and two RBIs.

“The most challenging part was just not playing,” Mead said after picking up two hits in a 4-3 win against the Marlins on Friday. “I felt like I had put myself in position to get a lot of at-bats early in the season with a good spring, but I just tried to stay focused on what was important and got back to work.”

Mead, 24, had tinkered with his swing in the offseason, and it seemed to be paying off when he led the Grapefruit League with a .524 batting average. After the slow start and decreased playing time, he returned to his old setup at the plate and has since hit .291 with three home runs and three stolen bases since April 30.

“Because there wasn’t any real panic from the beginning, I don’t think there’s been a big change (in attitude) from my end,” Mead said. “I don’t feel like I’m in a way better spot right now, I just feel like things are starting to even out better.

“You definitely feel better, but I always try and operate with an all-time high confidence. But, yeah, I feel like the at-bats have been good, the defense has been good, so I just want to be ready when my name is called.”

With his bat coming alive, Mead has now started half of Tampa Bay’s last 30 games.

Does that mean he’s giving manager Kevin Cash a little nudge in the dugout?

“Oh no,” Mead laughed, “I’m not telling him how to do his job.”

Running wild

The Rays had back-to-back games with daring baserunning plays by Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero that led to runs in the sweep against the Rangers. Then Friday, they stole two more bases against the Marlins to give them a major-league-leading 88 steals.

That’s more stolen bases than the Rays had in five (1999 and 2013-16) complete seasons.

“We did a good job in spring training of talking about some of those things, (the) many different ways you can win games,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Certainly, the last couple of nights we’ve seen base running play such a big role in us winning games, between Cami twice (and) Aranda. So, we’ll continue to stress it, but I really appreciate the players, how they’ve gone about it.”

Uceta’s strugglesRays manager Kevin Cash, left, takes the ball from pitcher Edwin Uceta as he is taken out of the game during the eighth inning. Uceta faced four batters, allowing a single, double and home run. [ CHRIS O’MEARA | AP ]Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

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Just when he seemed to be finding his groove with six consecutive scoreless appearances following a rough start to the season, Edwin Uceta took a step backward Friday.

The right-hander gave up a double, a home run and a single before being pulled in the eighth inning. His ERA is up to 5.26, and he’s allowed seven homers in 25 ⅔ innings. Uceta gave up two homers in 41 ⅔ innings in 2024.

“They came out aggressive against him … I’m guessing he left some balls too much over the plate,” Cash said. “It’s a fine line, because we’re asking him to fill up the strike zone. We know his stuff plays in the strike zone.

“He’s going through it right now, and we’ll continue to work with him and he’ll continue to work. He’s such a big part of our pen, and (we’re) very confident he will turn this thing around.”

Miscellany

After beginning the season with 29 announced sellouts in their first 30 games at Steinbrenner Field, the Rays have drawn crowds of less than 10,000 in six of their last 11 home games. Friday’s game, with an announced crowd of 8,448, was the 41st home game of the season, which is just past the halfway mark … With two more doubles Friday, Junior Caminero has 30 extra-base hits, which moves him into the top five in the American League … Marlins manager Clayton McCullough and second baseman Xavier Edwards — a former Rays minor-leaguer — were both ejected in the third inning. Edwards dropped a bunt and collided with Aranda at first base, allowing Dane Myers to apparently score from second. First-base umpire Ben May, however, ruled Edwards out for interference, and Myers was sent back to second base.

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