The Skinny: After an impressive big league debut, Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann struggled tonight in a 9-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The Rays dropped to 7-10 on the season but have scored more runs than they’ve allowed on the season.
The Pitching: Niemann won his big league debut earlier in the week, but couldn’t repeat that success tonight against one of the best teams in baseball so far. Niemann lasted only 3.1 innings after giving up 8 runs (5 earned). He really struggled with his control, issuing 4 free passes and giving up two home runs. Scott Dohman did a decent job in relief by throwing the final three innings and yielding no runs in the process.
The Hitting: Playing without an injured Carlos Pena the Rays offense just couldn’t get it going off of Javier Vazquez. Evan Longoria (and his new contract) smacked a double and had an RBI grounder in the 6th inning. BJ Upton went 2-3 with a pair of singles.
What’s Next?: Andy Sonnanstine will look to get his nearly 9.00 ERA down against the White Sox as he’ll get the start tomorrow night. Mark Buehrle will start for the Sox. Game time is 7:10pm.
