News
Niemann proving himself to Rays
Tampa Bay (10-14) vs. Boston (14-9), 7:08 p.m. ET
By Carter Gaddis / Special to MLB.com
05/01/09 11:03 PM ET
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays won three games on their recent nine-game road trip to Seattle, Oakland and Minnesota. Jeff Niemann was the winning pitcher in two of them.Not bad for a 26-year-old first-round Draft pick who didn't lock up a spot in Tampa Bay's rotation until the final day of Spring Training. That day, Jason Hammel was traded to the Rockies, and Niemann was awarded the No. 5 starter's job.
For one inning, Niemann's first of the season against Baltimore on April 11, the Rays' front office might have been forgiven for second-guessing the choice of Niemann ahead of Hammel.
The Orioles jumped on the right-hander for five runs in the opening frame of his season debut.
It wasn't the end of the world. For a pitcher who will make his seventh Major League start Saturday against the Red Sox and still treats every start as a chance to learn something new, the numbers are relatively immaterial.
"That's the last thing on my mind," Niemann said. "My main concern is keeping us in the game when I go out there and pitch and try to get as deep [into the game] as possible."
Still, it is through the numbers that Niemann's progress may be measured since that shaky first inning at Camden Yards three weeks ago.
In 21 1/3 innings since then, Niemann has allowed only six earned runs for a tidy 2.53 ERA.
In defeating the Mariners and Twins in his past two starts, Niemann (2-2, 4.43 ERA) chopped nearly two full runs off his ERA and was largely responsible for salvaging something out the otherwise brutal road trip.
Rays manager Joe Maddon said he has noticed during this successful stretch that Niemann is beginning to develop a better grasp of what it takes to handle critical moments in a game.
"That first inning, he was shaken by it, but he did recover," Maddon said. "And I think he's starting to understand that he can. 'I'm going to have a bad moment, but now I have the tools to recover from that bad moment.' "
Case in point: With two Minnesota runners aboard and one out in the third, Niemann struck out Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel to end the threat and the inning. He managed to limit the Twins to one run -- a solo homer by Joe Crede -- despite issuing four walks in 5 2/3 innings.
As important as it has been for Niemann to develop consistency in his delivery (no small feat for a 6-foot-9 pitcher), an improved understanding of the mental side of the game has been vital.
"You have to allow yourself to be free out there," Niemann said. "If you're thinking about what the three guys did before and why they got on, you may not be free enough to deal with the hitter."
With fellow first-round Draft pick David Price waiting in the wings at Triple-A Durham, Niemann knows that winning the competition with Hammel in the spring was only the beginning.
Even if he has earned as many victories as Matt Garza, Scott Kazmir and James Shields combined since April 18.
"Nothing has been achieved," he said. "You've still got to go out there and earn your spot every time you go out there."
Pitching matchupTB: RHP Jeff Niemann (2-2, 4.43 ERA)
Niemann flirted with danger for much of his Monday outing in Minnesota, yet he was able to use his breaking ball to get out of some tough situations, something he is becoming more comfortable with each start. Against the Twins, he allowed just one run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out four, but he also walked four batters. The 6-foot-9 right-hander needs to keep the ball in the park, having allowed at least one home run in each of his first six Major League starts, including all four this year. Only Minnesota's Kevin Slowey (eight) has a longer streak among active players. BOS: RHP Tim Wakefield (2-1, 1.86 ERA)
The ageless knuckleballer threw fabulous ball for seven innings on Monday, his only blemishes being four walks and a single to Victor Martinez, but Wakefield didn't factor into the decision because Cliff Lee was equally ironclad for the Indians. Wakefield has given up just three runs in his last 23 innings. He'll face the Rays for the first time this season. In 2008, he went 0-3 in four starts against Tampa Bay, most recently in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (five runs on six hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings). Tidbits
Rays third baseman Evan Longoria's 24 RBIs and 17 extra-base hits last month were the most in April by a reigning Rookie of the Year in either league in the past 50 years. His .369 batting average set a team record for April, one point better than Rocco Baldelli's .368 in April 2003. ... Longoria and first baseman Carlos Pena finished the month tied for the AL lead in RBIs with 24, a Rays record for the month. ... Tampa Bay's 29 stolen bases in April also were a team record for the month. ... According to research by the Rays' public relations department, Tampa Bay's 13-0, one-hit shutout against the Red Sox on Thursday was the first time an AL team was held to one infield single in a game since May 31, 1996, when Bobby Higginson's first-inning infield single was the only blemish against the Rangers' Ken Hill. The last time it happened in the National League was Aug. 31, 2008, when Milwaukee's CC Sabathia one-hit Pittsburgh. ... Rays manager Joe Maddon said reliever Jason Isringhausen, whose first scheduled appearance with Triple-A Durham was scratched because of a mild abdominal strain, is better and will be rescheduled to pitch soon. Tickets
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio• Gameday
• Official game notes On television
• FS-F HD On radio
• WDAE 620 Up next
• Sunday: Rays (James Shields, 2-2, 3.74) vs. Red Sox (Brad Penny, 2-0, 8.66), 1:38 p.m. ET
• Monday: Rays (Scott Kazmir, 3-2, 5.40) vs. Orioles (Adam Eaton, 1-3, 7.17), 7:08 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Rays (Matt Garza, 2-2, 3.82) vs. Orioles (Koji Uehara, 2-2, 4.50), 4:08 p.m. ET
Carter Gaddis is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
