News
Life comes full circle for Niemann
Tampa Bay (2-2) at Baltimore (3-1), Saturday, 7:05 p.m. ET
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com
04/10/09 10:49 PM ET
BALTIMORE -- Long before winning the spring-long battle for the No. 5 spot in the Rays' rotation, Jeff Niemann made his Major League debut for Tampa Bay in 2008.The 6-foot-9, 280-pound right-hander made two starts and three relief appearances for the Rays last season. One of those starts came against the Orioles at Tropicana Field, where he picked up his first Major League win after holding Baltimore to one run in six innings on April 13. On Sept. 23, he picked up career win No. 2 at Camden Yards when he pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief against the Orioles.
Now Niemann will make his first start of the 2009 season against the Orioles, which could add a comfort factor to the outing for Niemann, given his past experience.
"Maybe a little bit you know," Niemann said. "[But] it's a different season. It's a different game. Every game is going to be different. A little bit of comfort that I threw here last year at Camden Yards. ... I've seen how it looks. I've got the feel of it. That's probably the biggest thing that's going to help me."
Niemann worked 27 2/3 innings this spring, 15 2/3 officially over six appearances. He last pitched in a camp intrasquad game on Sunday at Charlotte Sports Park. Discounting his March 20 outing against Toronto -- when he surrendered nine runs in two-thirds of an inning -- he pitched an impressive 1.20 ERA in Grapefruit League action.
While Niemann won the battle for the fifth spot from the likes of Mitch Talbot, ex-Ray Jason Hammel and David Price, some might feel Niemann is merely keeping the position warm until the organization feels Price is ready. Thus, Niemann still must prove he's worthy.
Niemann kind of shrugged his shoulders when asked if he was getting that vibe.
"I kind of always feel that way," Niemann said. "I'm going to go out there and do the best I can and not put any added pressure. There's already enough pressure as it is. So go out there and pitch and see what happens."
Niemann said the big difference between this year and last year is he's "just a little bit more under control." He throws a curveball, a slider and a splitter, which he uses like a changeup, and he sets them all up with the fastball.
"Everything [feeds off the fastball]," Niemann said. "Just start throwing that thing downhill and getting it going, throwing it for strikes and that will open up everything else."
Pitching matchupTB: RHP Jeff Niemann (2-2, 5.06 ERA in 2008)
The 6-foot-9, 280-pound right-hander, who was the Rays' No. 1 pick (fourth overall) in the 2004 Draft, had a slower-than-expected path to the Major Leagues due to injuries and problems with his mechanics. This spring he showed marked improvement in pitching down with his fastball and with his breaking-ball command, which proved exceptional all spring. In addition, Niemann seems to be ironing out his mechanics, which sometimes is a difficult undertaking for a pitcher of his height. While getting everything coordinated might be harder for a taller pitcher, the downward angle of his pitches can make them extremely hard to hit. BAL: RHP Jeremy Guthrie (1-0, 4.50 ERA)
Guthrie answered some questions about his rough Spring Training on Opening Day, when he pitched six relatively strong innings against the Yankees. The right-hander walked three batters, which isn't characteristic of him, but saw his velocity return to normal levels. Guthrie also got some help from his defense, crediting shortstop Cesar Izturis and third baseman Melvin Mora for their outstanding work. His second start will come on normal rest when he takes on the Rays on Saturday. Tidbits
Evan Longoria's first-inning home run Friday night extended his home run streak to three consecutive games, which is the third time he has accomplished the feat during the regular season in his career. However, he has homered in four consecutive games before, which he did during last year's American League Championship Series. ... The Rays have won their last five series against the Orioles after going 15-3 (.833) against the Orioles in 2008. ... The average age of the players on the Rays' 25-man roster is 29.26, which is tied for 14th youngest in baseball. Tickets
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• Sunday: Rays (James Shields, 0-1, 8.44) at Orioles (Adam Eaton, 4-8, 5.80 ERA in 2008), 1:35 p.m. ET
• Monday: Rays (Scott Kazmir, 1-0, 1.50) vs. Yankees (Chien-Ming Wang, 0-1, 17.18), 7:08 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Rays (Matt Garza, 1-0, 1.29) vs. Yankees (A.J. Burnett, 1-0, 3.38), 7:08 p.m. ET
Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
