RAYS 4, TWINS 2: Rookie takes no-hitter into sixth, shrugs off latest gopher ball.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published June 3, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS - Doug Waechter got off to a pretty good start Wednesday, holding the Twins hitless into the sixth inning. But it was the way things turned out that made the night a success for the Devil Rays in a 4-2 victory.
The rookie right-hander had allowed only two walks until Lew Ford singled up the middle with two outs in the sixth. But it was the final three outs he got, after he allowed a two-run home run by Corey Koskie in the seventh, that were the most important of the night.
Home runs have been a problem for Waechter. He allowed 14 in his first seven starts, tied for second-most in the American League, including nine in his past 202/3 innings, and had spent much of the past four days working with pitching coach Chuck Hernandez on some minor adjustments to help keep the ball down.
After Koskie's homer cut the Tampa Bay lead to 3-2, Waechter could have been in trouble. Instead, he stood tall and kept the ball down. He got Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones to ground out, then retired Jose Offerman on a flyout to right.
"It could easily have rattled me; I was glad to see how I bounced back," Waechter said. "It was almost a wakeup call: "Hey, you've got to keep the ball down again, don't shy away from what you've been doing.' "
"That's key," manager Lou Piniella said. "Really, a young pitcher at that time, he can just about go either way. But he hung in there to his credit, and he wins a ballgame."
The Rays needed the victory after playing what Piniella said was their worst game of the season in a 16-4 loss Tuesday.
Wednesday, they took an early lead with two runs in the third and added to it in the later innings, with Rey Sanchez, Rocco Baldelli and Aubrey Huff doing most of the work; got a good start from Waechter; and had Trever Miller and Danys Baez get the final six outs.
"That was a big win for us," catcher Brook Fordyce said.
The Rays have won nine of 13 and have a chance today to win their first road series since August.
"After we got thumped last night 16-4 for us to come back, it's a good sign," Piniella said. "We're playing respectable. Let's just hope it continues."
Waechter has had experience with a no-hitter, pitching one Aug. 10, 2000, for the Class A short-season Hudson Valley team. Wednesday, he said he knew what was going on when he happened to look at the scoreboard before the sixth, but he wasn't too concerned.
"I was kind of like, "It doesn't matter, I can't start thinking about it now,' " he said. "It's a little early to start thinking about it."
The mechanical changes Waechter made were not major, but they made a big difference as he held the Twins to three hits over seven innings while throwing 105 pitches. Now, Piniella wants him to keep getting better.
"He did a nice job of pitching," Piniella said. "We were pleased. He needs to continue to work with Chuck and at the same time figure out a way to get through eight innings. That's what a young pitcher needs to do."
The Rays did a decent job against Twins starter Brad Radke, the Tampa Jesuit grad, and the add-on runs were vital.
"We had a couple people hitting the ball well, but we didn't have much to show for it," said Baldelli, who tripled in the third, then singled and scored from first in the seventh. "We only scored a couple runs, but when you get pitching like that you only need a couple runs."
