Last seasons spectacular run by the Tampa Bay Rays was in a large part due to the outstanding work of the starting pitching and bullpen. The team ERA was 3.82 and two starters had 14 wins. Every pitcher in the rotation had at least 10 wins. They were led by James Shields, who had a record of 14 wins and 8 losses. The combination of young pitching and a dependable bullpen led the Rays to a match up with their AL East foe the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. Matt Garza pitched brilliantly in the series, and propelled the Rays to their first World Series appearance. He was later named the ALCS mvp. Super prospect David Price was nearly un-hittable in the post-season.
This year has proved to be a completely different story. The consistent pitching that the Rays leaned so heavily on in '08, has been anything but in '09. In fact the starting rotation has been consistently, inconsistent. Who would have guessed that starter Jeff Neimann would be leading the team in both wins(11), and ERA(3.71)? Shields, last year's ace, is 7-10 this year.
Lets take a look at a stretch of three starts from Shields
July 17th vs. KC 5.1 IP 11H 7ER 3K's
July 22 th vs. CHW 6.2 IP 4H 2ER 4K's
July 27th vs. NYY 5.1 IP 9H 5 ER 2K's
Shields sandwitched a quality start between two less than stellar outings. Garza has been dominant at times, while faltering at others. One game he will pitch a complete game, then the next he won't be able to get out of the 4th inning. As goes for Price, whose control seems to abandon him sometimes. Reliever Grant Balfour, who had an ERA of 1.54 last year, has watched it balloon up to 4.29 this year.
Bottom line is that if the Rays want to be a serious contender this year or next, the pitching is going to have to find a way to be consistently good. That is what distinguishes the top teams from those in the middle of the pack. The Rays also desperately need some help on the road, where they have struggled all year.
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