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Rays' Chris Archer says he's not angry at David Ortiz

 
Published July 29, 2014

ST. PETERSBURG — Rays right-hander Chris Archer glanced at a television Monday afternoon and disagreed with the words on the screen.

He wasn't angry about how Boston slugger David Ortiz celebrated his home run Sunday. Archer said he was just being truthful when he was asked whether he agreed with teammate David Price's previous comments that Ortiz sometimes acts bigger than the game.

"It's funny because I would have never mentioned it if I didn't get asked about it," Archer said Monday. "To me, I wasn't (griping). I was just saying how it reiterated what's already been said and how I didn't understand why you feel like you have to do that."

Archer didn't notice Ortiz's bat flip until he saw it on video after he left Sunday's game. Archer, in his first full season in the majors, said he felt as if the incident was blown out of proportion but noted that he has never seen video of Hank Aaron flipping his bat.

"That's just who he is, how he plays the game," Archer said. "I'm not mad. Just speaking the truth."

After Sunday's game, Ortiz said Archer hadn't been around long enough to complain. The Rays defended Archer on Monday. Reliever Joel Peralta, one of Ortiz's friends, said he doesn't like Ortiz's showmanship.

"If that's the way (Ortiz) feels, being marketable is going to get him more fans or more views on YouTube, I understand it," Price said.

Price and Ortiz have had their own issues. Ortiz admired one of his home runs off Price in last year's playoffs. When Price hit him with a fastball in May, Ortiz declared war on the Rays ace, prompting Price's bigger-than-the-game remarks.

"Do we need to think about retaliating?" Rays starter Alex Cobb said. "I think that's already been thought of. … As of right now, we're just trying to win games, and putting guys on base isn't a way to do it."