De La Rosa still grateful for opportunity with Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- Former Rays right-hander Dane De La Rosa pitched the ninth for the Angels Tuesday night, holding the Rays scoreless to come away with his second save of the season.

De La Rosa went to Spring Training with the Rays this year, but was traded for right-hander Steve Geltz on March 27.

De La Rosa had nothing but good things to say about the Rays after noting that getting a save against his former team meant more than it would against another team.

"Having these guys give me kind of my second chance, or fifth or sixth chance in baseball, it does mean more," De La Rosa said. "It's kind of like a full-circle kind of deal, being with them from my start going up to now being here. It's kind of cool."

After stints in the Yankees' and Brewers' organizations, the Rays signed him as a free agent on Nov. 11, 2009. He is 5-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 60 appearances this season.

"Absolutely they gave me a chance," De La Rosa said. "Stuff happens. But while I was here, I learned. This is a great organization, obviously, to learn pitching, just controlling the running game and stuff like that. Everything I learned, everything I did in this organization, I feel like it wasn't a waste. It was for something. Now this is, I guess, what it's for."