Choate may be right choice for Rays' bullpen

The first batter Randy Choate faced Sunday during the ninth inning was right-handed. So was the second batter.

In fact, four of the six Pirates batters Choate faced were right-handed.

Some of that was by luck. If not for a two-out error, Choate's workday would have ended after two righties and a lefty.

Some of that was by design. The Rays want the left-handed Choate to be more than a one-batter pitcher this season.

"If he's able to be effective versus righties, that makes him more valuable to us, more functional in a sense, because he can pitch to a tougher righty to get back to the lefty," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Choate made 61 relief appearances in 2009 and led the majors with 29 one-batter appearances.

He'd come in, face a left-handed hitter and be done for the night.

"That's kind of how the game goes sometimes," Choate said. "Guys get pigeonholed into one role."

Choate was quite effective in that one role, holding lefties to a .141 average (fifth-best in the majors) while allowing only nine of the 57 runners he inherited to score (a 15.79 percentage that was second-best in the American League).

Yet, all that success came in 361/3 innings, a byproduct of Maddon's matchup bullpen.

Maddon will still mix-and-match his relievers this season, but he said it will be easier if he can use relievers to get more than one out.

So, if Choate proves he can get out righties, Maddon will be able to use him to face a left-right-lefty combo.

"He understands how important it is," Maddon said.

Not only does the 34-year-old Choate understand, he also relishes the opportunity for a greater workload.

"I don't think anybody thinks, 'Oh, I'm just a left-handed specialist.' Part of that is a pride thing. 'Oh, you can only get out lefties.' No, I can get out righties, too," Choate said. "It may not be the best matchup in the world, but there are some left-handed hitters that aren't a good matchup against some right-handed pitchers."

The snag is this: Righties hit .321 against Choate in 2009. They've combined to bat .266 against Choate during his major-league career, which covers parts of nine seasons.

So, it's easy to see why a pitcher can get pigeonholed into a certain role.

"I think realistically, if it's the eighth inning, two outs and Alex Rodriguez is up, I probably wouldn't be facing him," Choate said.

But Choate enjoyed a career-changing season in 2009, one in which he recorded the first five saves of his career and earned his first victory since 2004.

He credits some of that to age and some of that to pitching in Tampa Bay.

Choate said he never had a manager at the big-league level who showed as much confidence in him as Maddon did. There were times during his four seasons with the Yankees when Choate said he felt if he didn't get a lefty out one night he wouldn't pitch for a week. Not so with Maddon.

"Even the times I went in, faced one hitter and gave up a hit, next day I was right back out there," Choate said. "(Maddon) understands I'm not going to be perfect all the time. He's still going to put me in those spots."

Choate signed a minor-league contract with an invite to major-league camp in 2009, but he knew his chances of making the team where slim when the Rays signed Brian Shouse, another lefty specialist, to a one-year major-league contract.

On the day last spring when he was sent down, Choate told Maddon that he would pitch so well at Durham they'd have no choice but to bring him up. The Rays recalled Choate in May when Shouse was injured. His 61 appearances in the final 115 games of the season were the third most in the league during that stretch.

Choate said he arrived in St. Petersburg with a different philosophy toward pitching.

"Early in my career, I felt if I didn't strike a lefty out it wasn't any good. Now I'm not trying to be perfect," he said. "If I can throw a first-pitch sinker and get a ground ball to second or short, that's just as good and I'll pitch the next day. Rather than throwing 15 pitches, I'll throw five or six, be out of the game and the next day be back in that role."

Choate's big year was the result of an injury to one left-hander, Shouse. An injury to another left-hander, J.P. Howell, could create another opportunity for Choate. While Maddon isn't looking for Choate to fill Howell's spot during the first month of the season, an improved ability to retire righties along with lefties will give Maddon more options when Howell returns.

"You never wish for someone to get hurt for you to get an opportunity, but when you get those opportunities, you have to take advantage of them, and that's what I'm hoping to do," Choate said. "If they call my name and they want me to go out there in the eighth inning and get that lefty out, or no outs and throw that eighth inning, that's what I'm going to do. Hopefully I can go out there and show them I can handle this, and (Maddon) will have confidence in me. Once we get J.P. back, he won't have to use him every time. He'll have someone he trusts on the left side to go out there and give J.P. an extra day (of rest) if he can."