News
Price seeks excellence in each start
Tampa Bay (72-66) at New York (89-50), 7:05 p.m. ET
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com
09/08/09 1:10 AM ET
NEW YORK -- David Price will start against the Yankees Tuesday night, and chances are he won't like his performance.Which doesn't mean Price will pitch poorly, it's just the fact the rookie left-hander is never satisfied.
After most games Price has started this season, his postgame assessment of his start has been consistent: "Unacceptable."
So the question was put to Price on Monday: What would be an acceptable start?
Price smiled.
"That's kind of tough," Price said. "Nine innings, zero runs, no walks -- just a dominant start. ... I don't know, just something very dominant, one of those starts you might have two or three times a year."
Simply stated, Price holds himself to an almost unattainable standard.
"It's just my mind-set, really. I can't change it," Price said. "I'm not going to change it. That's how I turned myself into who I am right now. I don't plan on changing."
Rays manager Joe Maddon is aware of Price's tough standards and noted that "you have to give yourself a break at some point."
"It's that perfectionist attitude where you feel as though you should never do anything wrong," Maddon said. "I think a lot of athletes or successful people have that way about them. But at some point you have to cut yourself some slack and understand that it's not always going to be perfect."
Though Maddon believes Price should give himself a break, he's not going to be asking him to change.
"That's something as he matures and he's here more often, you'll see a little more softening about how he reacts to things," Maddon said. "But for now, I'm fine with the way he is."
Price will be making his 19th start of the season since getting promoted from Triple-A Durham on May 25. He has shown glimpses of how good he can be. On Aug. 29, he beat Detroit, allowing just one run in 7 1/3 innings. Then in his last outing, he lost to Boston after allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Consistency has been Price's most elusive quality.
"That's been the hardest thing," Price said. "I'm just trying to get that consistency factor right now. I'm going to get it. It's going to come and whenever it does I'm going to hold onto it."
Price will be making the second career start against the Yankees. Alex Rodriguez has a home run and a double in three at-bats against Price.
Pitching matchupTB: LHP David Price (7-7, 4.75 ERA)
During his last outing, against the Red Sox, an old enemy reared its ugly head, as Price was inefficient in throwing 104 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. Price has had live stuff in most of his starts, and fastball command has been his biggest improvement over the course of the past month. As a result, he's been getting ahead in the counts more often and walking fewer hitters. Price is 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two career appearances against the Yankees; he is 0-0 with a 1.59 ERA in one career start at Yankee Stadium. NYY: RHP Chad Gaudin (5-10, 4.98 ERA)
Gaudin is in line to make his third start as a member of the Yankees on Tuesday. The right-hander lasted just 3 2/3 innings in an 80-pitch effort on Thursday at Rogers Centre, allowing three runs on four hits in a no-decision as New York won, 10-5. Gaudin is 1-0 with a 4.08 ERA in six appearances (two starts) since being acquired from the Padres in August for cash considerations. He has not faced Tampa Bay this season. Tidbits
By reaching 100 RBIs on Sunday, Evan Longoria became the 14th Major Leaguer, ninth American Leaguer and second Rays player in history to have 40 doubles, 25 home runs and 100 RBIs in a single season before the age of 24. He joins Hank Greenberg (1934), Hal Trosky (1934 and 1936), Joe DiMaggio (1936), Ted Williams (1939), Cal Ripken (1983), Alex Rodriguez (1996), Scott Rolen (1998), Albert Pujols (2001-03), Eric Chavez (2001), Aramis Ramirez (2001), Miguel Cabrera (2005-06) and David Wright (2005-06). Jorge Cantu (2005) is the only other Rays player to turn the trick. ... Since 1980, only four pitchers have struck out more hitters than Wade Davis (nine) in their Major League debut: Steve Woodward, Milwaukee (1997), (12 strikeouts) vs. Toronto; Tim Hudson, Oakland (1999), (11) at San Diego; Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston (2007), (10) at Kansas City; and Aaron Harang, Oakland (2002), 10, vs. Tampa Bay. ... Maddon said he will announce the fate of the fifth starter on Tuesday; the candidates are Davis and Andy Sonnanstine. Tickets
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• Wednesday: Rays (Jeff Niemann, 12-5, 3.67) at Yankees (Joba Chamberlain, 8-5, 4.41), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Rays (James Shields, 9-10, 4.02) at Red Sox (Tim Wakefield, 11-4, 4.22), 7:10 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.
