ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer insists he isn’t mad at David Ortiz.

A day after Ortiz slung his bat and leisurely trotted around the bases following a home run off him, Archer had more thoughts about Big Papi’s style.

“I never saw Hank Aaron flip his bat,” Archer said Monday. “I’m not comparing the two, but they’re obviously in the same class of players as far what they accomplished.”

“I guess different people have different ways of reacting. That’s just who he is,” he said,

After the Rays’ 3-2 loss, Archer reiterated remarks made earlier this year by teammate David Price that the Boston slugger thinks he is bigger than the game.

“Do I regret saying the truth? No,” Archer said. “Agitated is not right word. Angry is not the right word. He pimped a home run off me. Not mad, just speak the truth.”

Archer watched the flight of the ball and didn’t see Ortiz’s reaction until later viewing video.

While talking with reporters before Monday night’s game against Milwaukee, Archer saw a report about the Ortiz homer on a nearby clubhouse TV, and jokingly yelled he was mad.

Rays manager Joe Maddon had a thought on the Ortiz show.

“The simple answer is, what if it had happened in the ”˜60s when (Bob) Gibson was pitching, or (Don) Drysdale was pitching?” Maddon said. “That answers the question.”

The Red Sox and Rays will meet again for the start of a four-game series Aug. 29 at Tampa Bay.

“I’m proud that our guys have said what they feel,” Maddon said. “I dig that a lot, actually. We’ll see how it all plays out.”