ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Devil Rays heralded it as a new beginning, selling out the usually barren Tropicana Field and using a restructured front office and ownership group to create excitement not usually surrounding the moribund franchise.
But in the home opener last night against the Orioles, Erik Bedard turned back the clock and made them look like the same old Devil Rays. The 27-year-old left-hander held Tampa Bay to no runs and four hits over seven innings, and Jay Gibbons, Ramon Hernandez and Miguel Tejada sparked the Orioles to a 6-3 victory before 40,199.
