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Competition For No. 5 Starter To Be Trimmed

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 14, 2009

Updated:

SARASOTA - A final decision on who will open the season as the Rays' fifth starter might not necessarily be imminent, but the pool of officially acknowledged contenders should be pared considerably in the coming days.

Manager Joe Maddon said Saturday morning the Rays are "getting close" to that point, out of necessity if nothing else. As the Rays' four locked-in starters continue to build up their spring innings, there will be fewer to parcel out to those in contention for the final spot in the rotation.

"A lot of that's going to go away and we've talked about, who do we want it to go away from first?" Maddon said. "So by the time you see it the next time through the rotation it's going to start looking a little bit differently, but I'm not exactly sure when."

There's little doubt now that it's essentially a two-man race between Jeff Niemann and Jason Hammel, with David Price, Carlos Hernandez, Wade Davis and Mitch Talbot on the fringes.

The Rays can't afford to keep giving multiple-inning looks to all of them as they have to this point in the spring, and it's about time for those who won't be considered for bullpen roles if they don't make the rotation - Price, Davis and Talbot, at least - to move to the minor-league side and continue to build up innings there.

If it is in fact a choice between Niemann and Hammel, the Rays may opt to make a call sooner rather than later so the other pitcher can focus on competing for the long-relief job still open in the bullpen. Both pitchers have been impressive at times this spring, but Niemann has turned in the most consistent performances of anyone in camp.

Niemann's two scoreless innings of relief Saturday lowered his spring ERA to 0.82 (one earned run in 11 innings), and he'll continue to bear down in every opportunity he gets this spring.

"Every time you get a chance to go out there, you get a chance to prove something and put yourself in a better position," Niemann said, "so you can't let any opportunity slide."

NOT EXACTLY A HIT

All of the relevant portions of Scott Kazmir's second spring training outing went well. The lefty was efficient - throwing 55 pitches in four innings - didn't walk anybody, felt good about the progression of his slider and opened some eyes with his work from a quick, slide-step delivery.

"I thought he was excellent," Manager Joe Maddon said.

When it came time for his moment of glory, though, Kazmir came up empty. As the first pitcher to bat for the Rays this spring, the weight of the staff was upon him, but Bronson Arroyo struck him out to end the second inning.

Kazmir half-heartedly blamed the bat he was using, a B.J. Upton model - "That was the problem," he said. "It just wasn't balanced right for me" - but ultimately admitted to feeling the pressure a bit. He claimed Arroyo "brought his whole arsenal" to bear for the showdown.

"It's kind of tough to be serious out there when you've got everyone in the dugout making fun of you on your first swing and you see Arroyo out there smiling," Kazmir said.

DRAWING CARDS

Entering Saturday's game in Sarasota, the Rays were ranked fourth among all big-league teams in road attendance this spring, with an average of 7,406 showing up to watch them play away from Port Charlotte.

That number trailed the Cubs (8,018), Yankees (7,625) and Diamondbacks (7,423) but was just ahead of the Red Sox (7,161).

Saturday's game drew a crowd of 6,949, which lowered the Rays' average but was the largest at Ed Smith Stadium this year.

PITCHING PULSE

Matt Garza makes his second spring start today against the Pirates. He'll be followed by most of the frontline relievers, including Troy Percival. Jason Isringhausen also is slated for his first appearance of the spring. ... James Shields will keep working on his normal day Tuesday even though the team is off by starting a minor-league game in Port Charlotte against the Twins' Triple-A or Double-A affiliate.

NOTEWORTHY

The buzz in Reds camp is that Jonny Gomes has a very good chance to make the team and hold down half of a platoon in left field. The longtime Ray is hitting .364 and leads the Reds with three homers and 10 RBIs this spring. ... 2B Willy Aybar homered in the fourth inning in his first appearance since returning from the World Baseball Classic.

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