Retooling corps with hard throwers has helped it become one of AL's best during hot streak.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published June 19, 2004
PHOENIX - The Devil Rays are getting games over quicker by throwing the ball faster.
Though timely hitting and starting pitching have been key elements of the 19-6 run that has turned around their season, the biggest difference may be the improvement by the bullpen.
They may not be as dominant as the Nasty Boys trio manager Lou Piniella had in Cincinnati or as deep as the crews Piniella had in Seattle, but the Rays relievers have been pretty good.
Going into Friday's late game against the Diamondbacks, Rays relievers were 11-6 with a 3.71 ERA that ranked fifth-best in the American League. During the 25-game hot streak, they are 9-0 with 11 saves and, discounting a bad night in a 16-4 loss to Minnesota, have pitched to a 2.33 ERA.
"They've been instrumental in our turnaround," Piniella said.
The improvement was the result of two changes: one in style, as far what type of relievers the Rays use; and one in philosophy, as far as how and when they use them.
Piniella likes power arms, and the additions of Jorge Sosa and, more recently, Jesus Colome have given the Rays a pair of relievers who can push the radar guns into the high 90s.
"Our idea was that if we could get more velocity in the game, we'd like that," Piniella said. "It speeds up the game for the other team a little bit. They see a starter throw 90 miles an hour and face him for five, six, seven innings, and now instead of bringing in less speed you bring in more speed and make them speed up to you."
The combination has been stellar, evidenced by their performances Thursday when Sosa and Colome both made some key pitches and got some big outs in the 4-1 win over San Diego.
The only drawback to the plan - and Piniella acknowledges it sounds odd, "You're going to laugh at this" - is that Sosa and Colome throw so hard they may actually be making closer Danys Baez look more hittable.
"It takes (away) the advantage of the closer ... maybe that's why Danys has been struggling, but he's struggling more with his command," Piniella said.
With the power arms available, Piniella has changed the way he uses the relievers. Rather than going predominantly by the statistical and left-righty matchups, he is now simply using whoever is pitching better.
"The matchups and the numbers weren't working very well," Piniella said. "We just decided to pitch the pitcher that was rested, and at the time we thought could get good hitters out without looking at lefty-righty."
