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Moriarty9 · 10-31-2009, 02:34 AM

Devil Rays break camp
Team prepared for 2011 opener
April 2, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have wrapped up spring training and are now preparing for their season opener.

The 2011 edition of the Devil Rays will open the year with 13 players who are pitchers, or have significant pitching experience. The team has Brooks Kieschnick, a 38-year-old right-handed reliever who signed as a free agent after spending the last five years with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He came up as an outfielder with the Chicago Cubs and played some infield for the Minnesota Twins. He is a career .288 hitter with 11 home runs and 55 RBI in 313 big league at bats, though he hasn't been a regular position player since 2002, when he hit .333 with four homers and 18 RBI in 21 games with the Twins. As a pitcher, Kieschnick is 38-33 with 25 saves and a 3.74 ERA in 471 appearances, all out of the bullpen. He is expected to work primarily as a pitcher but will be available as a pinch-hitter and even possibly a spot starter in the outfield or first base as the season goes on, much in the way Rick Ankiel was used last season.

Ankiel will be back this year, working as he did last year, primarily as a firstbaseman and outfielder off the bench but also a left-handed pitching option as needed. Ankiel hit .261 with four RBI in 69 at bats last season for Tampa Bay, bringing his career average to .249 in 607 at bats. Out of the bullpen, the lefty went 1-1 with a 6.40 ERA in 32 1/3 innings over 17 appearances, largely in mop-up situations. Ankiel's career is the opposite of Kieschnick's in that he started as a starting pitcher with the Detroit Tigers in 1998 before becoming a position player while with the Colorado Rockies in 2007.

As far as the guys who will work strictly as pitchers, the team is led by Dan Haren. The two-time Cy Young winner had a down season in 2010, going 13-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 30 games after going 38-9 in the two seasons prior. Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal expects Haren to be back on top of his game in 2011.

"Last year was just a tough year for us all, and a lot of guys had rough seasons," O'Neal said. "I think you're going to see Danny win 17, 18, maybe 19 or 20 games this year."

John Lackey will open the year behind Haren after going 11-8 with a 3.56 ERA in 207 1/3 innings last year. Lackey started 2010 in the bullpen after several mediocre seasons.

Behind Lackey will be left-hander Jon Lester, owner of a 12-9 record and 4.74 ERA in 29 starts last season. Lester is 27-22 in his big league career, and is 22-16 over the last two years, largely in the starting rotation.

After what was easily the worst season in his illustrious career, 39-year-old Pedro Martinez is out to prove it a fluke and show he still has something left in the tank. Martinez went 8-16 with a 5.59 ERA last year, a disappointment after going 14-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 2009, and 17-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 2008.

Rounding out the rotation to start the year will be 23-year-old Ed Hughes, bumping Zack Greinke from the starting five. Hughes went 5-3 with a 4.61 ERA in 19 games, including three starts, with Tampa Bay last season after going 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA in 18 starts in AAA. He had a very impressive spring training while Greinke, who went 10-13 with a 4.44 ERA in 30 starts last season, struggled in the exhibition games.

Joining Greinke in the bullpen will be Manny Delcarmen, who will open the year as the team's new closer. With Jonathan Papelbon leaving as a free agent, Delcarmen won the job with a strong spring in which he allowed no runs and opponents hit just .088 against him. Delcarmen has recorded 13 saves in his career, including three last year when he went 6-1 with a 2.09 ERA in 54 games.

Working to set up Delcarmen will be Akinori Otsuka, Burke Badenhop and lefties Craig Breslow and David Price. Otsuka, 39, signed a contract for the league minimum in hopes of winning a World Series. He went 3-3 with a 4.91 ERA in 88 innings of relief work with the Texas Rangers last season.

Badenhop, 28, made his big league debut with Tampa Bay last year and went 1-2 with a 4.29 ERA in five games, including three starts. He went 14-7 with a 2.38 ERA in 23 starts in AAA in 2010. He had a fantastic spring training, working 16 shutout innings and holding opponents to a .140 average.

Breslow had a tough spring but the 30-year-old southpaw is confident he'll perform well in the real games. He went 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 49 games last year and is now 24-6 with six saves and a 2.60 ERA in 178 career appearances, all with the Devil Rays.

David Price round out the 'pen, serving as a set-up man for Delcarmen. Price went 3-2 with a pair of saves and a 2.87 ERA last year in 45 games, including two starts. He was a contender for the closer's role, but was left as a set-up man with the thought that he could also make spot starts as necessary.

As for the position players, there are some new faces in key spots, along with some familiar ones. Gerald Laird will once again open the year in a catching platoon, but this year it will be with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, acquired from the Washington Nationals in a January trade involving catcher John Baker. Saltalamacchia hit .292 with six home runs and 61 RBI in 146 games with Washington. Laird, who will primarily play against left-handed pitchers, hit .280 with two homers and 36 RBI in 100 games last season.

Acquired from the Diamondbacks for thirdbaseman Garret Atkins, the Devil Rays have a new first baseman in Derrek Lee. The 35-year-old Lee hit .262 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI in 151 games for Arizona last season and is a career .264 hitter with 244 home runs.

Cliff Pennington and Emilio Bonifacio will start the year as a platoon at second base, though Pennington will also see time at shortstop. Pennington hit .271 with five home runs and 47 RBI in 118 games last year, battling through a few injuries after winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2009. Bonifacio hit .278 with 11 homers and 76 RBI in 141 games last season. Both are switch-hitters.

Marco Scutaro, who played with Tampa Bay from 2002-2005, is back with the Devil Rays after hitting .292 with five homers, 62 RBI, and 95 runs scored in 157 games with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010. Scutaro will be the regular shortstop, though Pennington will see some time there.

Over at third base will be old faithful: Aubrey Huff. The 34-year-old is back at third full-time after spending time at first base as well in recent seasons. Huff hit .262 with 23 homers and 90 RBI in 128 games last season, battling a handful of nagging injuries.

Filling as needed throughout the infield will be veteran Nomar Garciaparra, who played with Tampa Bay in 2009 but left as a free agent and spent 2010 with the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals. For the season, he hit .273 with 10 RBI in 88 at bats last year after hitting .269 with seven home runs, 39 RBI, and 50 runs scored in 96 games with the '09 Devil Rays.

The outfield features, from left to right, Ben Francisco, Lastings Milledge, and Josh Hamilton, with Matt Holliday working primarily as the designated hitter. Francisco hit .276 with 19 home runs and 74 RBI in 144 games last season, making one error in the field. Milledge was limited to 101 games due to injuries, but hit .338 with six round-trippers, 44 RBI, and 56 runs scored. Hamilton was the big bat in the '09 lineup, hitting .308 with 29 homers and 107 RBI in 157 games. Holliday fractured his cheekbone the first week of June and was lost for the season as a result, putting his 2009 numbers at .290 with 11 homers and 43 RBI over 224 at bats.

10-31-2009, 02:34 AM	#671 (permalink)
Moriarty9 All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,855 Thanks: 9 Thanked 3x in 3 posts	Devil Rays break camp Team prepared for 2011 opener April 2, 2011 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have wrapped up spring training and are now preparing for their season opener. The 2011 edition of the Devil Rays will open the year with 13 players who are pitchers, or have significant pitching experience. The team has Brooks Kieschnick, a 38-year-old right-handed reliever who signed as a free agent after spending the last five years with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He came up as an outfielder with the Chicago Cubs and played some infield for the Minnesota Twins. He is a career .288 hitter with 11 home runs and 55 RBI in 313 big league at bats, though he hasn't been a regular position player since 2002, when he hit .333 with four homers and 18 RBI in 21 games with the Twins. As a pitcher, Kieschnick is 38-33 with 25 saves and a 3.74 ERA in 471 appearances, all out of the bullpen. He is expected to work primarily as a pitcher but will be available as a pinch-hitter and even possibly a spot starter in the outfield or first base as the season goes on, much in the way Rick Ankiel was used last season. Ankiel will be back this year, working as he did last year, primarily as a firstbaseman and outfielder off the bench but also a left-handed pitching option as needed. Ankiel hit .261 with four RBI in 69 at bats last season for Tampa Bay, bringing his career average to .249 in 607 at bats. Out of the bullpen, the lefty went 1-1 with a 6.40 ERA in 32 1/3 innings over 17 appearances, largely in mop-up situations. Ankiel's career is the opposite of Kieschnick's in that he started as a starting pitcher with the Detroit Tigers in 1998 before becoming a position player while with the Colorado Rockies in 2007. As far as the guys who will work strictly as pitchers, the team is led by Dan Haren. The two-time Cy Young winner had a down season in 2010, going 13-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 30 games after going 38-9 in the two seasons prior. Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal expects Haren to be back on top of his game in 2011. "Last year was just a tough year for us all, and a lot of guys had rough seasons," O'Neal said. "I think you're going to see Danny win 17, 18, maybe 19 or 20 games this year." John Lackey will open the year behind Haren after going 11-8 with a 3.56 ERA in 207 1/3 innings last year. Lackey started 2010 in the bullpen after several mediocre seasons. Behind Lackey will be left-hander Jon Lester, owner of a 12-9 record and 4.74 ERA in 29 starts last season. Lester is 27-22 in his big league career, and is 22-16 over the last two years, largely in the starting rotation. After what was easily the worst season in his illustrious career, 39-year-old Pedro Martinez is out to prove it a fluke and show he still has something left in the tank. Martinez went 8-16 with a 5.59 ERA last year, a disappointment after going 14-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 2009, and 17-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 2008. Rounding out the rotation to start the year will be 23-year-old Ed Hughes, bumping Zack Greinke from the starting five. Hughes went 5-3 with a 4.61 ERA in 19 games, including three starts, with Tampa Bay last season after going 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA in 18 starts in AAA. He had a very impressive spring training while Greinke, who went 10-13 with a 4.44 ERA in 30 starts last season, struggled in the exhibition games. Joining Greinke in the bullpen will be Manny Delcarmen, who will open the year as the team's new closer. With Jonathan Papelbon leaving as a free agent, Delcarmen won the job with a strong spring in which he allowed no runs and opponents hit just .088 against him. Delcarmen has recorded 13 saves in his career, including three last year when he went 6-1 with a 2.09 ERA in 54 games. Working to set up Delcarmen will be Akinori Otsuka, Burke Badenhop and lefties Craig Breslow and David Price. Otsuka, 39, signed a contract for the league minimum in hopes of winning a World Series. He went 3-3 with a 4.91 ERA in 88 innings of relief work with the Texas Rangers last season. Badenhop, 28, made his big league debut with Tampa Bay last year and went 1-2 with a 4.29 ERA in five games, including three starts. He went 14-7 with a 2.38 ERA in 23 starts in AAA in 2010. He had a fantastic spring training, working 16 shutout innings and holding opponents to a .140 average. Breslow had a tough spring but the 30-year-old southpaw is confident he'll perform well in the real games. He went 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 49 games last year and is now 24-6 with six saves and a 2.60 ERA in 178 career appearances, all with the Devil Rays. David Price round out the 'pen, serving as a set-up man for Delcarmen. Price went 3-2 with a pair of saves and a 2.87 ERA last year in 45 games, including two starts. He was a contender for the closer's role, but was left as a set-up man with the thought that he could also make spot starts as necessary. As for the position players, there are some new faces in key spots, along with some familiar ones. Gerald Laird will once again open the year in a catching platoon, but this year it will be with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, acquired from the Washington Nationals in a January trade involving catcher John Baker. Saltalamacchia hit .292 with six home runs and 61 RBI in 146 games with Washington. Laird, who will primarily play against left-handed pitchers, hit .280 with two homers and 36 RBI in 100 games last season. Acquired from the Diamondbacks for thirdbaseman Garret Atkins, the Devil Rays have a new first baseman in Derrek Lee. The 35-year-old Lee hit .262 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI in 151 games for Arizona last season and is a career .264 hitter with 244 home runs. Cliff Pennington and Emilio Bonifacio will start the year as a platoon at second base, though Pennington will also see time at shortstop. Pennington hit .271 with five home runs and 47 RBI in 118 games last year, battling through a few injuries after winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2009. Bonifacio hit .278 with 11 homers and 76 RBI in 141 games last season. Both are switch-hitters. Marco Scutaro, who played with Tampa Bay from 2002-2005, is back with the Devil Rays after hitting .292 with five homers, 62 RBI, and 95 runs scored in 157 games with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010. Scutaro will be the regular shortstop, though Pennington will see some time there. Over at third base will be old faithful: Aubrey Huff. The 34-year-old is back at third full-time after spending time at first base as well in recent seasons. Huff hit .262 with 23 homers and 90 RBI in 128 games last season, battling a handful of nagging injuries. Filling as needed throughout the infield will be veteran Nomar Garciaparra, who played with Tampa Bay in 2009 but left as a free agent and spent 2010 with the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals. For the season, he hit .273 with 10 RBI in 88 at bats last year after hitting .269 with seven home runs, 39 RBI, and 50 runs scored in 96 games with the '09 Devil Rays. The outfield features, from left to right, Ben Francisco, Lastings Milledge, and Josh Hamilton, with Matt Holliday working primarily as the designated hitter. Francisco hit .276 with 19 home runs and 74 RBI in 144 games last season, making one error in the field. Milledge was limited to 101 games due to injuries, but hit .338 with six round-trippers, 44 RBI, and 56 runs scored. Hamilton was the big bat in the '09 lineup, hitting .308 with 29 homers and 107 RBI in 157 games. Holliday fractured his cheekbone the first week of June and was lost for the season as a result, putting his 2009 numbers at .290 with 11 homers and 43 RBI over 224 at bats.