Waechter's return gives Rays a lift

RAYS 4, WHITE SOX 1: The 23-year-old rookie gives Tampa Bay six dominant innings in his recall from the minors.

CHICAGO - Jammed into a seat on a commuter jet from Norfolk, Va., to Chicago on Friday afternoon, Doug Waechter swore he didn't know what he was getting into.

He hadn't been told until that morning that he definitely was going back to the big leagues, wasn't keeping up with the Devil Rays' recent struggles and didn't have any idea of how badly they needed a well-pitched game.

"I wasn't thinking about that," Waechter said. "I wasn't checking the Web sites. I wasn't doing anything like that."

He spent the night at the team hotel and showed up Saturday morning ready to pitch, and the Rays couldn't have been happier to see him.

The 23-year-old rookie gave them six dominant innings, and the Rays turned it into a crisp 4-1 victory over the White Sox on a chilly Saturday afternoon.

"We needed a good game from our young pitcher, and we got one," manager Lou Piniella said. "It was really nice to see."

Waechter may have been making his first start of the season and sixth of his major-league career, but he pitched with the poise, confidence and aggressiveness that befits a seasoned veteran.

"He wasn't scared," said shortstop Julio Lugo, who drove in two runs. "He got out there and he threw strikes."

The right-hander retired the first eight, and the only run he gave up was a two-out homer by Frank Thomas in the fourth. He allowed three singles and struck out five with no walks.

"I was definitely excited," said Waechter, the St. Petersburg native who made a stirring debut last season. "I was just trying to keep my head focused, knowing I've gone out there before and I can do this. I was just staying confident. I walked out there with a lot of energy. Not anxiety, energy. And I just felt great."

Waechter showed the Rays something else. Their game plan was to pitch Thomas inside, and Waechter did. He threw one that went over Thomas' head in the fourth (hitting his bat), and Thomas responded with the homer.

When Thomas came up in the sixth with the score 3-1, Waechter went right back inside and hit him in the left shoulder with a 1-and-1 pitch. The DH, who is larger than his listed 6 feet 5, 275 pounds, took a few steps toward the mound, making his displeasure known as catcher Brook Fordyce and umpire Ed Rapuano kept him from going any farther, and both benches and bullpens emptied.

Waechter stood his ground near the mound and, more important, kept his cool.

"It slipped," Waechter said. "I just made a mistake, and he took offense to it. He's a big guy. I don't know what I was thinking. I was just on the mound ready for anything when I saw him walking out, but knowing nothing was really going to happen."

Waechter came right back to get Carlos Lee for the final out of the sixth, and his work at U.S. Cellular Field was done. Lance Carter and Danys Baez took it from there.

Piniella said Waechter's velocity and command were noticeably better than in the spring, and Waechter said the improvement should continue as the season goes on.

With Victor Zambrano and Paul Abbott the only reliable members of the rotation, the Rays couldn't have been happier to have Waechter.

"He was a little spark," leftfielder Carl Crawford said. "He pitched with some fire today, and we really needed that."

The feeling, it turns out, was mutual.

"I was glad to be here," Waechter said.