ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) _ The only spring training game between Florida's major league teams came down to the last swing.

Randy Winn's three-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays over the Florida Marlins 6-5 in a spring opener Friday.

The Marlins always have seemed to have the Devil Rays' number, winning three of four previous exhibitions and eight of 10 regular-season games between the clubs. And it looked like they might get the best of them again when they scored twice in the top of the ninth for a 5-3 lead.

Winn, who spent three seasons in the Florida farm system before being selected by the Devil Rays in the expansion draft two years ago, delivered his game-winning homer off Armando Almanza (0-1).

Tampa Bay also scored three runs off Alex Fernandez in the second inning, two of them on John Flaherty's single.

All of Florida's runs were unearned, the last two on Pablo Ozuna's single that snapped a 3-3 tie.

After adding Greg Vaughn, Vinny Castillo and Gerald Williams to a lineup that already included Jose Canseco and Fred McGriff, the Devil Rays know they should be better offensively.

A key to moving up in the standings, though, will be pitching. And if Friday was any indication, the competition for the fifth spot in the starting rotation will be strong.

Three of the candidates _ Estaban Yan, Chad Ogea and Dave Eiland _ pitched well. Yan retired all six batters he faced, Eiland gave up one hit in two scoreless innings and Ogea allowed one hit and an unearned run in two innings.

``It's early, and we still have a long way to go,'' said Ogea, 6-12 with a 5.63 ERA for the Philadelphia Phillies last season. ``But it felt good to get out there and see a live hitter.''

Yan made 49 of his 50 appearances out of the bullpen last season, while Eiland made 15 starts after being promoted from Triple-A Durham after Tony Saunders broke his pitching arm in May. Ogea won two games for Cleveland against the Marlins in the 1997 World Series, but has been hampered since by knee injuries.

All three welcome the competition for the fifth spot. Right-handers John Burkett, Bryan Rekar and Dan Wheeler also are in the mix.

``That's pretty much the way it's been my whole career,'' Ogea said. ``I like competition. I seem throw better when there is.''

McGriff had two hits and Vaughn and Castilla one each for the Devil Rays, who made four errors that contributed to five unearned runs. Rick White got the victory after giving up Ozuna's two-run single.

``You can't give teams four outs, and it showed today,'' Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. ``But we'll get better. It's only the first game.''