Good with the bad

TIGERS 9, RAYS 3: Delvin James has sharp debut, but Detroit makes Tampa Bay first victim.

By KEVIN KELLY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 17, 2002

[AP photo] The Rays' Delvin James pitches five innings in his first big-league start, allowing two runs on five hits.

DETROIT -- Delvin James was in a hurry.

The big leagues, at last, were beckoning his services.

"He almost left his luggage in Charlotte," said Rays relief pitcher Tom Martin, who was on the same flight as James to Detroit on Monday evening.

"He didn't want the flight attendant to take his drink from him. He wasn't done with it when we were about to take off. ... His mind was so jumbled up. He said, 'I don't feel nervous.' But if only he could hear himself talk."

To hear James describe it, he was just as cool as could be during a trip that led to a long-awaited major-league debut against the Tigers on Tuesday at Comerica Park.

"I really wasn't nervous until the first hitter was actually in the box," James said. "After the first inning, it just felt like any other game. It pretty much didn't even seem like it was the big leagues, Triple A or whatever. I was just trying to get outs."

After brewing in the Rays farm system for six seasons, evolving from highly touted high school linebacker to a legitimate pitcher, James did pretty well for himself.

The Rays, however, lost to the previously winless Tigers 9-3 before an announced 13,256. Detroit now is 1-11.

Tampa Bay has lost seven of nine since sweeping three games from Detroit in the season-opening series at Tropicana Field.

"Somebody was saying about a champagne bottle getting ready to burst," catcher Toby Hall said. "That's what happened with them. ... You don't want to be the team, but somebody has to do it."

James allowed two runs on five hits in five innings.

That performance was wiped out by another shaky display from the bullpen, which spotted the Tigers seven runs in the sixth inning.

Rays relievers have allowed 25 runs in 18 innings over the past five games, starting with Thursday's 12-run sixth against the Orioles.

"They haven't pitched as well as they did at times last year," Rays manager Hal McRae said. "You just keep running them out there, though."

McRae pulled James, who allowed a double, triple and home run, after 57 pitches because he wanted to make sure the 24-year-old from Nacogdoches, Texas, had a positive experience his first time out.

"I'm very happy with James," McRae said. "He competes. He's a tough competitor, and that gives him a chance to be a good pitcher. As he learns and gets better, feels like he belongs here, he'll be fine."

Steve Kent, who had not allowed an earned run in 71/3 innings, began the sixth for the Rays.

He left after four batters without getting an out.

Victor Zambrano took over and barely made it out of the inning.

The two allowed five runs, walked four, gave up three hits and threw one wild pitch.

Meanwhile, Tigers starter Jose Lima looked nothing like the pitcher who lasted two innings against Tampa Bay on April 4. He pitched six scoreless innings and allowed five hits while striking out four and walking two.

The Rays scored their first in the seventh on a home run by Ben Grieve. It was the rightfielder's fifth homer this season in his 45th at-bat and third in the past four games.

Grieve, who has a seven-game hitting streak, didn't get his fifth homer last season until his 241st at-bat against the Red Sox on June 21.

Tampa Bay scored two in the eighth after Steve Cox led off with his fourth hit of the game.

Greg Vaughn then broke a 0-for-15 slump with a single. Hall drove in Cox with a double down the leftfield line and Vaughn scored on a groundout by Russ Johnson to make it 7-3.

The Tigers added two off Martin in the bottom half. He allowed three doubles in a row to start the inning.

Though tagged with the loss, for James the night was one of pure bliss.

Drafted in the 14th round of the 1996 draft, James had appeared in 148 minor-league games before this season. He had a 39-43 record with a 4.17 ERA.

It might have taken six-plus seasons, but he finally made it to the ultimate goal.

"After I warmed up in the bullpen, when the national anthem was on, I just looked around the stadium and was like, 'This is it. This is what I've been working for,' " James said. "As they told me I was getting called up, it felt like it was just yesterday that I started."

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