Tampa Bay Rocks Reds RH Cueto

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay got a noteworthy win by taking advantage of right-hander Johnny Cueto, who had been the hit of the Cincinnati Reds' camp before falling apart Sunday in the Rays' 10-9 victory.

The Rays overcame closer Troy Percival's first bad outing - seven runs in one inning - for their 15th victory in spring training, a club record. It's only the second time they've had a winning record in spring training.

These games don't mean much, but the Rays are hoping that a rare solid showing in March translates into the start of a turnaround. Tampa Bay has lost at least 92 games in each of its 10 seasons, including three 100-loss seasons.

"It's nice that we've played well enough to do those things," third-year manager Joe Maddon said. "We didn't make any errors again today. We moved runners. We're making good decisions."

Cincinnati, which is coming off seven straight losing seasons, is hoping that the 22-year-old Cueto can help fill a rotation that's a work in progress. Cueto has been one of their best pitchers this spring, earning the No. 3 spot.

On Sunday, he didn't look ready for the responsibility.

Cueto retired only two of the 10 batters he faced in the first inning, when Tampa Bay scored five times and chased him after only 19 minutes. He stood on the mound next to manager Dusty Baker after being removed, then yanked off his cap while heading to the bench.

"Gonna be a long year, Dusty," one fan yelled.

If this keeps up, it could be. Cueto and 24-year-old Edinson Volquez are in line for the third and fourth spots in the rotation, following Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo.

Cueto, who rose from Class A to Triple-A last season, threw only 18 strikes out of 41 pitches. He walked five of the 10 batters he faced.

Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer off Cueto, and Joel Guzman had a two-run double off the base of the wall. The low point came when he walked Rays starter Matt Garza on four pitches to prolong the inning.

"With young pitchers, things are going to happen sometimes," Baker said. "I'm sure that probably won't happen to him the rest of his career, probably. He felt terrible about it."

Cueto sat sideways in his folding chair afterward, picking at the white tape on an Alex Gonzalez model bat. He said through teammate Francisco Cordero that he had trouble with his fastball.

"Just one of those days," Cordero said.

Asked if he feared that the bad outing could cost him a spot in the rotation, Cueto quickly shook his head. He'll have one more chance in spring training to show it was an aberration.

"It'll show what kind of determination he has," Baker said. "I'm sure he has a lot of it."

Garza, who is Tampa Bay's No. 2 starter, gave up five hits and a pair of runs in 5 1-3 innings. The 38-year-old Percival came into the game with a 1.80 earned run average, but repeatedly left pitches over the plate. Andy Phillips hit a two-run homer, and Javier Valentin had a three-run shot during the Reds' seven-run seventh inning. Notes: Reds RHP Matt Belisle, who missed his last start because of a tight forearm, threw 30 pitches in the bullpen without a problem. Before developing the forearm problem, Belisle was trying to win the fifth spot in the rotation. ... After the game, C Ryan Hanigan was optioned to Louisville. ... Tampa Bay's only other winning spring training came in 2004, when it went 11-8. The Rays went on to lose 94 games that season.