Wake-Up Call: Deadline pizazz? Maybe it's Kaz

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

After baseball's trading deadline expired last week, a few major-league contenders had a new-look pitching staff.

Cliff Lee went to the Phillies.

The Tigers got Jarrod Washburn.

Jake Peavy was traded to the White Sox.

And the Rays acquired ... Scott Kazmir?

More accurately, the Rays have seemingly rediscovered the old Scott Kazmir, the left-hander with electric stuff, the former All-Star, the one-time American League strikeout king.

Monday, Kazmir registered his second consecutive quality start, defeating the Kansas City Royals 10-4 at Tropicana Field. If he continues along this path - six innings pitched, five strikeouts and just one walk (to the final batter he faced) - the Rays will have some unexpected juice for the AL East stretch run.

OK, some perspective. Kazmir is only 6-6 and ERA (6.10) can still be detected from outer space. It will take him a while to dig out of the hole created by his final five starts (1-3, 11.35 ERA) before going on the disabled list on May 21.

But suddenly, there's an upward trend.

In less than a week, Kazmir has outdueled Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia and now Zack Greinke. Earlier this season, everyone (including Kazmir) wondered where the pitches were going. Now there is poise, control and growing confidence.

For Rays manager Joe Maddon, what was most impressive about Kazmir's performance?

"Strikes, strikes, strikes, strikes, strikes, strikes," Maddon said.

And furthermore, strikes.

"He was able to throw strikes with his fastball when he wanted to," Maddon said. "That's important when you're facing one of the best pitchers in baseball [Greinke]. I thought Kaz set the tone."

The Rays' offense set the tone, too.

In the first inning, Carlos Pena delivered a bases-loaded single, giving the Rays a 2-0 lead just one day after Tampa Bay produced practically nothing against the Royals.

"I think it's huge, not because I got the hit, but because of how it opens the window of possibilities," Pena said. "Even if it's just in our mind, we get a 2-0 lead against Greinke and we're thinking, 'We can do this. We can beat him.' The negative thoughts go away [after Sunday's offensive struggle].

"Then you have Kaz. What a great performance. Very aggressive. Very confident. Very good body language out there. Unreal."

In three of Kazmir's first four innings, the Royals went down 1-2-3. The Rays took a 5-1 lead into the fifth, where Kazmir loaded the bases with two outs. He then went 3-and-1 to center fielder Willie Bloomquist.

A definite uh-oh moment.

But he got strike two, then coaxed Bloomquist into an inning-ending flyout.

Crisis averted.

"It does seem like I'm a much different pitcher from the first half," Kazmir said. "It's neat to hit my spots and mix it up, first pitch changeup, first pitch slider, just keep them off-balance. I'm throwing things up there and it's going where I want it.

"I think it's more mechanical. I'm finishing more toward the plate. It's something I didn't have in the first half. I was just all over the place, flying open, just trying to find some way to get it over the plate. Now it's just me executing pitches."

Kazmir said the secret is continuing to work on his off-day drills and not over-thinking because "that's what got me in trouble in the first place."

"I'm feeling like I'm on the way back to where I want to be," Kazmir said. "I've taken a few steps back since last year. I'm just trying to get it back."

If Kazmir's improved work continues, the Rays might have a pitching staff to drive a postseason run.

Jeff Niemann (10-5, 3.62 ERA) has pulled his weight. David Price (4-4, 5.10) has bordered between tantalizing and frustrating.

Then there's Matt Garza (7-8, 3.69 ERA), tonight's starter against the Red Sox, and James Shields (6-8, 3.75). Both pitchers could (and should) have much better records.

"Those two guys have been throwing zeros since the beginning of the year," Kazmir said. "They just haven't gotten the run support they needed and it doesn't show on their record. Either of those guys could have five or six more wins. They're doing what they need to do."

Now Kazmir, suddenly, is doing what he needs to do.

He's throwing strikes, going deep into games, giving his team a chance to win.

Maybe the Rays have acquired - or rediscovered - the pitcher they needed all along.

Crawford nears 50 steals

Rays left fielder Carl Crawford got his 49th stolen base, pulling ahead of Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury (48), who was idle, for the major-league lead.

Tonight, Crawford tries to become only the eighth player in baseball history to have five 50-steal seasons before his 28th birthday. And yes, it must happen tonight (Crawford turns 28 on Wednesday).

Here are the others to achieve that feat.

Rickey Henderson - 100 (1980), 56 (1981), 130 (1982), 108 (1983) and 66 (1984).

Ty Cobb - 76 (1909), 65 (1910), 83 (1911), 61 (1912) and 51 (1913).

Eddie Collins - 67 (1909), 81 (1910), 63 (1912), 55 (1913) and 58 (1914)

Vince Coleman - 110 (1985), 107 (1986), 109 (1987), 81 (1988) and 65 (1989).

Tim Raines - 71 (1981), 78 (1982), 90 (1983), 75 (1984) and 70 (1985).

Bert Campaneris - 51 (1965), 52 (1966), 55 (1967), 62 (1968) and 62 (1969).

Cesar Cedeno - 55 (1972), 56 (1973), 57 (1974), 50 (1975) and 58 (1976).

Crawford went 3-for-5 on Monday afternoon against the Royals, including 3-for-3 against Greinke (Crawford came in 1-for-16 against him).

Since the All-Star Game, where he was voted Most Valuable Player, Crawford is batting .365 (23-for-63).

Welcome home, Casey

Former Seminole High School All-American first baseman Casey Kotchman didn't think he'd be visiting Tropicana Field this season. But he's back tonight with the Red Sox after being traded to Boston from the Atlanta Braves in one of Friday's deadline moves.

Kotchman missed a trip home last season when the Los Angeles Angels dealt him to the Braves (for Mark Teixeira) at the 2008 trade deadline.

This season, he was batting .282 with six homers and 41 RBIs for the Braves, but is expected to mostly play a reserve/late-inning defense role for the Red Sox.

Overall at the Trop, Kotchman is batting 3-for-21 (.143) with a 2005 homer against Doug Waechter.

Brown promoted to Double-A

Clearwater Threshers outfielder Dominic Brown (Pasco), one of the Philadelphia Phillies' top prospects who was widely circulated as a key peg in a potential trade (that didn't happen) for Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay, has been promoted to Double-A Reading. Brown has gone 2-for-7 in his first two games there.

In 66 games with Clearwater, Brown, a 6-foot-5, 204-pounder, batted .303 with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Brown is baseball's 17th-best prospect, according to Baseball America. He follows another top Phillies' prospect, right-handed pitcher Kyle Drabek, who made the jump from Clearwater to Reading earlier this season.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Rays outfielder Eric Hinske, who is going for a rare triple, his third consecutive World Series appearance with his third different American League East team - the Boston Red Sox (2007), Rays (2008) and New York Yankees (potentially this season). Wednesday, Hinske turns 32.

The Answer Man

The expansion Seattle Seahawks selected Notre Dame defensive tackle Steve Niehaus with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1976 NFL draft (after the expansion Bucs led off with Oklahoma defensive lineman Lee Roy Selmon). Niehaus was the 1976 NFC defensive rookie of the year and set Seattle's rookie record for single-season sacks (9.5), but multiple knee injuries ended his NFL career in 1979.

Tuesday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

Rays left fielder Carl Crawford has 351 stolen bases in his major-league career. He has been caught stealing 73 times. Which opposing catcher has thrown him out most often?

Check for the answer in Wednesday's Wake-Up Call.