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No Surprise Here: Bullpen Again Comes Through

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By TONY FABRIZIO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 4, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - They pick up the starters, and then they pick up each other.

"It's the same thing that's been going on all year long," pitching coach Jim Hickey said after the Rays' bullpen delivered a second consecutive dose of postseason excellence.

Friday night, it was Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell and Chad Bradford combining for 32/3 shutout innings, holding the White Sox to four hits in a 6-2 victory that put Tampa Bay ahead 2-0 in the series.

Through two games, Rays relievers have allowed one run on five hits in 61/3 innings.

"The bullpen has really been, in my opinion, the major difference in the turnaround of the team," Hickey said. "A much-improved bullpen, coupled with a much-improved defense and five pretty good starters I the reason we're here right now."

Balfour, the fiery "mad Hungarian" who happens to be Australian, rescued a starter in the middle-relief for the second consecutive day.

After getting two strikeouts with the bases loaded in the seventh inning for James Shields on Thursday, Balfour came on for Scott Kazmir in the sixth Friday night with a runner at second and one out and the Rays leading 3-2.

He faced leadoff man Orlando Cabrera, the player with whom he nearly had a dustup in Thursday's opener, and retired him on a groundout. Then Nick Swisher flew out to left.

But after Balfour got into trouble in the seventh, giving up a couple of singles with none out, J.P. Howell came on and retired Jim Thome, Alexei Ramirez and A.J. Pierzynski in succession.

"I've got to give some love to J.P. today," Balfour said. "He was unbelievable."

Howell pitched two innings and allowed only a hit, and he has three shutout innings in the series. When the off-speed-throwing lefty gave way to Bradford for the start of the ninth, the Rays led 6-2.

"He had great movement on the ball," catcher Dioner Navarro said of Howell. "It was hard for me to catch him. I can't imagine having to hit him."

The submarine-throwing Bradford allowed one base runner in the ninth - that on what replay appeared to show was a botched call by first-base umpire Ron Kulpe.

Jermaine Dye hit a line drive to shortstop Jason Bartlett, who dropped the ball but picked it up and threw high to Willy Aybar. Aybar applied a backhanded tag to Dye before he reached the bag, but Dye was called safe.

The issue became moot when Bradford got Paul Konerko to hit into a double play.

"They love each other down there, they really do," Hickey said of the Rays' bullpen. "When I was in Houston with a championship-type club, that was the main thing there, too. The slogan was 'one heartbeat.' And that's what it is here, too, right now."

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