ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- After spending the past 18 months trying to come back from a broken humerus in his pitching arm, Tampa Bay Devil Rays lefthander Tony Saunders tonight suffered another devastating injury on the mound.

Making his fifth rehabilitation start for the Class A St. Petersburg Devil Rays, Saunders crumpled off the mound and fell to the grass in the third inning of tonight's game against the Clearwater Phillies. The injury occurred after he unleashed a wild 3-0 pitch to the backstop.

Although club officials have not yet confirmed the severity of the injury, Saunders appears to have refractured his left arm. Pitching in a driving rain, Saunders allowed three hits and a home run before facing Clearwater's Skip Kiil leading off the third.

After throwing three straight balls, Saunders uncorked a wild pitch that sailed halfway between the dugout and backstop. He immediately clutched his left arm and fell to the ground, writhing in obvious pain.

As teammates and trainers rushed from the dugout, Saunders' screams could be heard from the press box. He was protected from the rain by teammates, who held a piece of tarpaulin above him as trainers examined him.

Saunders broke his humerus on May 26, 1999 while throwing a pitch in the third inning of an 8-6 loss to the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field. He also fell to the turf in pain in a scene eerily reminiscent of San Francisco Giants lefthander Dave Dravecky's broken arm in 1989. Dravecky later had his arm amputated due to cancer.

The 6-2, 220-pound Saunders was hoping to return for his fourth major league season. He has a 13-24 career mark with a 4.56 ERA.

Saunders was 3-3 with a 6.43 ERA in 1999 and came within four outs of pitching the first no-hitter in Devil Rays' history on April 22. He spent his rookie campaign with the 1997 World Series champion Florida Marlins, going 4-6 in 21 starts.

Cleveland's John Smiley (1997) and Cincinnati's Tom Browning (1994), both lefthanders, also have suffered broken arms while pitching.