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Shields On No-Hitter: 'Anything's Possible'

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 11, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Predicting a no-hitter in baseball is like calling your shot on the roulette wheel.

Just because a pitcher has had no-hit stuff in recent outings doesn't mean he will again. And just because you won betting on 00 doesn't mean you knew it would happen.

Yet, the way Rays RHP James Shields has pitched in his past two home starts - and the way the Rays' defense has played this season - it doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility that the first no-hitter in franchise history could happen.

"Anything's possible. Any pitcher can do it on any given day," said Shields, who has beaten the Red Sox and Angels with two-hit and one-hit shutouts, respectively, in his past two starts at Tropicana Field. "But the bottom line is, one, you've got to have defense. Two, you've got to have luck. Three, you've got to be able to make your pitches. If you do all those things, it's definitely possible that it'll happen."

That's not Shields calling his shot; that's his frank assessment of what can happen when any of the Rays' starters find themselves in a groove on a given night. Especially now that the American League's fourth-ranked defense is playing behind them.

"I don't even think in terms like a no-hitter," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "I just know that the defense playing as it is, if I'm the pitcher, I feel very comfortable out there right now. We always talk about pitching to contact. That makes it feel even more comfortable pitching to contact knowing that's it's going to be caught."

Shields' remarkable work at the Trop the past two times out put him in historic company. He's the first pitcher since 2002 (Cory Lidle, Oakland) to throw two shutouts of two hits or fewer, and only the sixth pitcher in the past 10 years to do so.

It also was the first time in major-league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, that a team won a nine-inning, one-hit shutout with a walk-off home run.

The Cubs' King Cole (1911) and the Padres' Johnny Grubb (1975) pitched 10-inning, one-hit shutouts and won on walk-off homers. The Tigers' Virgil Trucks (1952) pitched a nine-inning no-hitter and won on a walk-off homer.

REHAB UPDATE: Two members of the Rays bullpen moved closer to returning from the disabled list Saturday as RHP Al Reyes (15-day DL, shoulder impingement) and RHP Gary Glover (15-day DL, shoulder tendinitis) threw successful bullpen sessions.

Glover, who was eligible to come off the DL Saturday, will be evaluated today and could be activated for today's game. Reyes is scheduled to pitch in extended spring training Monday.

LHP Kurt Birkins has minor-league options remaining and is the most likely candidate to be sent down when Glover comes back.

IF Ben Zobrist (15-day DL, left thumb fracture), on rehabilitation assignment with Single-A Vero Beach, went 1-for-4 with an RBI Saturday as the SS. He played second base and went 1-for-4 on Friday.

LONGORIA MOVING UP: Rays 3B Evan Longoria, who played his 26th game Saturday, is beginning to work his way up several hitting categories among AL rookies.

He came into Saturday's game batting only .229, but was tied with Rangers OF David Murphy for the AL rookie home run lead with four, and his 13 RBIs coming in placed him third behind Murphy (22) and Oakland OF Ryan Sweeney (14). His .434 slugging percentage was second to Murphy's .456, and his eight extra-base hits were second to Murphy's 17.

Longoria also is in the top five in runs, hits, total bases and walks.

Carter Gaddis

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