April 2nd DRays @ Yankees

[jacksonianmarch]

Riverside makes the game threads so nice, I know I fall short, but whatever.
VS
Scott Kazmir vs Carla Pavano
(10-8 3.24ERA in '06) (0-0 0.00ERA in '06)
For the Rays

If Scott Kazmir is pitching, the Devil Rays' chances of winning are greatly enhanced.
So the possibility of the Rays starting the season with an Opening Day victory are very real given the fact the 23-year-old left-hander is starting.

"It's an honor to pitch the first game, Opening Day," Kazmir said. "Me and [manager] Joe [Maddon] actually talked about it before this, so it wasn't a complete surprise. I'm just happy that everything is going OK. I'm healthy and I'm looking forward to Opening Day."

Having the opener at Yankee Stadium only adds to the thrill of being the Opening Day starter.

"I mean, it's an historic park," Kazmir said. "Playing against the Yankees. What more can you ask for? It's going to be exciting. The adrenaline is definitely going to be there."

Kazmir has produced a nice body of work heading into his fourth Major League season.

He is one of only five pitchers (and the second left-hander) in the last 20 years to post a winning record with 10-plus wins in two seasons before the age of 23. Ready for the others? Try Pedro Martinez, Tom Gordon, Dwight Gooden, and C.C. Sabathia. Not bad company, huh?

In addition, Kazmir has racked up a club record 378 career strikeouts, 13th most all-time among southpaws under the age of 23; only 17 left-handers have reached 500 strikeouts by the age of 24.



Perhaps most impressive when it comes to Kazmir is how much growth he has shown. When Kazmir takes the mound, his teammates feel like they will win. This is an important mind-set given the fact the organization is striving to change a losing culture during its short history.

Anybody unfamiliar with Kazmir need only flash back to July 3, 2006, to see how good he can be. He started against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field that day and two hours and 20 minutes later he had his first complete-game shutout. And it was a beauty in which he allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out 10.

"That day, he found a new changeup and that really gave him a lot of confidence and he used it very effectively," remembered Josh Paul, who caught Kazmir that day.

Unfortunately for Kazmir and the Rays, the win against the Red Sox was his last of the 2006 season. He only made six more starts and, despite pitching to a 3.06 ERA, he was 0-3 the rest of the way while the Rays scored 13 runs in his six starts. During that period, shoulder problems interrupted what had appeared to be a special season.


Devil Rays probable lineup
Pos. Name
1. LF Carl Crawford
2. SS Ben Zobrist
3. DH Rocco Baldelli
4. 1B Ty Wigginton
5. RF Delmon Young
6. 3B Akinori Iwamura
7. C Dioner Navarro
8. CF Elijah Dukes
9. 2B B.J. Upton

Kazmir went on the disabled list from July 24 to Aug. 11 with shoulder inflammation. He returned for two more starts, but was shelved for the final six weeks of the season as a precaution.

At the time Kazmir was sidelined, he was leading the Major Leagues (among qualifiers) with a 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings pitched ratio. Despite missing his last eight starts of the season, he still finished 12th in the American League in strikeouts while posting a 10-8 record with a 3.24 ERA.

Any questions the Rays might have had about Kazmir's shoulder have been answered this spring. He has pitched pain-free since the beginning of Spring Training and his performance has improved every outing.

Kazmir said he has experienced a nice spring given the way everything has played out.

"It's unbelievable," Kazmir said. "Just having a clear mind now. Knowing that I've done everything that I could. I'll be prepared for Opening Day. I'll be prepared for the season. I'm looking forward to it."

Kazmir said he was never really concerned about his shoulder, even last summer.

"In my mind, never," Kazmir said. "It just felt like something where maybe if I took a couple of days off it would have been good. We were just cautious and did the right thing."

Maddon could be counted among the cautious last summer, but not anymore. He's convinced Kazmir is more than ready for the season.

"I'm not concerned, I mean this guy is good," Maddon said. "You have to look at the previous year to really understand what he's going to do this year. I've got no concerns about him whatsoever."

All Kazmir needs to concern himself with at the moment are the Yankees. But don't look for a prediction about the Opening Day outcome.

"No predictions," Kazmir said. "I just want to go out there and keep our team in the game. I know the adrenaline is going to be there. I just have to kind of hone that. It's going to be a fun day to kick off the season. I'm excited. I'm ready. ... You don't have a pulse if you don't have the adrenalin going."

For the Yankees

The long wait is over for Carl Pavano, who will make his return to the Major Leagues on the grandest stage baseball can provide in April -- Opening Day at Yankee Stadium.
Even Pavano admits that it wasn't the likely scenario he'd envisioned when the 31-year-old right-hander reported to Spring Training in February. After 1 1/2 years of big-league inactivity, Pavano would have been thrilled just to know he'd make it through the Grapefruit League gauntlet.

"I was hoping all this would fall into place," Pavano said. "That was my goal. That's why I spent so much time in the offseason trying to improve myself physically.

"I don't have all the answers for the future, but I was hoping this day would come to fruition. It looks like it is."

A perfect storm of events precipitated Pavano's reappearance against the Devil Rays, taking place on what has traditionally played out to be a ceremonial afternoon of pomp and circumstance.

The Yankees had planned to name Chien-Ming Wang as the Opening Day starter, but he pulled up with a strained right hamstring late in Spring Training and is expected to miss at least the first three weeks of the season.

Andy Pettitte dealt with a bout of back spasms that put him behind the Yankees' other starters in terms of stamina, and the team did not want to rush Mike Mussina back on short rest for what -- celebratory atmosphere aside -- is just one game of 162.



So it is the date April 2, 2007 that finally replaces June 27, 2005 -- Pavano's last Major League appearance -- in his career game log. The Yankees say they are prepared to play behind Pavano and call him a teammate.

"We want him out there," said catcher Jorge Posada, who volunteered to take a 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Fort Myers in order to catch Pavano's final spring start. "He wants to be out there. It's a lot of fun to see the way he's working, doing things right."


Yankees probable lineup
Pos. Name
1. CF Johnny Damon
2. SS Derek Jeter
3. RF Bobby Abreu
4. 3B Alex Rodriguez
5. DH Jason Giambi
6. LF Hideki Matsui
7. 2B Robinson Cano
8. C Jorge Posada
9. 1B Josh Phelps
While Pavano admits that he will be excited to rejoin the competition he'd missed -- "I don't want to downplay that," he said -- he does not view the game as any sort of opportunity for redemption.

"I've pitched in a lot of big games," Pavano said. "I don't think it'll be different than any other game, to tell you the truth."

More to the point, Pavano is aware of the fact that he has given the Yankees just 17 starts and four victories in his first two seasons of a four-year contract. He's hopeful that the final two seasons will be much more productive and enjoyable.

An offseason workout program conducted in Phoenix helped Pavano strengthen his core and regain some of the flexibility he lost over numerous battles with injuries and maladies.

His Spring Training wasn't exactly uneventful, either -- he suffered a bruised left foot when he was hit by a batting practice line drive, left a start 45 minutes before game time to attend to a medical issue involving his girlfriend, and was nearly attacked by a swarm of bees during a start against the Reds in Sarasota.

But Pavano made it through his five Grapefruit League appearances, compiling a 4.91 ERA and throwing 18 1/3 pain-free innings. It was enough to help restore some of the Yankees' confidence, who have no issues looking to Pavano as a contributor for 2007 on every fifth day.

"He's come a long way. His spring certainly has been consistent," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "His body language has been really good. He's worked hard this spring and now it's starting to pay dividends."

Lets get it on.

[schillingouttheks]

Yeah. I forget who actually started the game thread format but it's a damn good one. It's all nice and clean.

I'll take the Rays tonight with Kaz going against Carla Pavana.

What's the reception at Yankee Stadium going to be like for Carla?

[jacksonianmarch]

it will be welcoming, but if he gets shelled, expect boos to rain down.

I have the yankees working Kazmir into the ground and feasting on the devil rays shitty MR. Who the fuck is closing in TB these days anyway? Seth McClung? I'll take the yankees in a late inning comeback.

[One Red Seat]

I think McClung got sent down. Cantu too (Can-tutu?).

[jacksonianmarch]

their bullpen is in sorry shape. Did I really read that some guy named Camp was their closer? WTF?

[jacksonianmarch]

DRays Active pitchers

22 Shawn Camp R/R 6-1 200 11/18/75
15 Casey Fossum L/L 6-1 160 01/06/78
47 Gary Glover R/R 6-5 220 12/03/76
36 Edwin Jackson R/R 6-3 190 09/09/83
19 Scott Kazmir L/L 6-0 190 01/24/84
45 Ruddy Lugo R/R 6-0 190 05/22/80
28 Al Reyes R/R 6-1 210 04/10/70
11 Jae Kuk Ryu R/R 6-3 220 05/30/83
53 Juan Salas R/R 6-2 210 11/07/78
40 Jae Seo R/R 6-0 230 05/24/77
33 James Shields R/R 6-4 215 12/20/81
41 Brian Stokes R/R 6-1 205 09/07/79

their best pen guy is Reyes and he is 37 coming off TJ.

[Jon_Papelboner]

Originally Posted by jacksonianmarch

their bullpen is in sorry shape. Did I really read that some guy named Camp was their closer? WTF?

I remember that guy. He used to be on the royals. I'm sure we pwned him a few times.

[jacksonianmarch]

Yankee stadium looks beautiful. Man, I love baseball.

[jacksonianmarch]

YES did a nice job with the pregame for once. Goosebumps. This is amazing.

[Optimist]

A repeat of last year's opening day, in Oakland, would be nice.

[schillingouttheks]

How's the crowd treating Pavano?

[Youk Of The Nation]

Whoo-hoo. 162 more days of John Sterling.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Cahhhl Crahfawd!

Batting 1.000

[jacksonianmarch]

leadoff single for Crawford. Pavano off to a bad start already.

[One Red Seat]

Might as well count that one as a double.