Fossum opens door with solid pen work

By MARC TOPKIN and TOM JONES
Published May 12, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Dewon Brazelton's struggles in the rotation will give Casey Fossum the fresh start he was looking for.

When Fossum came to the Rays in a pre-spring training trade with Arizona, he was hoping for a chance to start. After six weeks and two other rotation changes, he'll get the opportunity Tuesday in Detroit.

"It's good news, I guess," Fossum said. "It's something I've been trying to do since I came here: to start. I've worked hard. I just took advantage of every situation I had ... like I did in order to show them that I could start. It's paid off."

After pitching 41/3 shutout innings (on 60 pitches) Wednesday, Fossum is 2-1 with a 3.92 ERA with a little more than one hit and one strikeout per inning. He figures he should be good for at least 75 pitches Tuesday.

The Rays had some concerns about his durability as a starter. He was 4-15 with a 6.65 ERA in 27 starts for Arizona last season, and he has a career record as a starter of 14-25 with a 5.36 ERA. As a reliever he is 6-2, 3.29.

Fossum's role as the left-handed long reliever will be filled by Jon Switzer, a 25-year-old who pitched in five games for the Rays near the end of the 2003 season but missed all of 2004 after shoulder surgery.

Switzer was 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA in six starts for Double-A Montgomery, allowing 33 hits in 311/3 innings but striking out 20 and walking only five.

"He's been pitching well," manager Lou Piniella said. "His slider's getting better and he's been throwing strikes."

BELL'S TOLL: The Rays could have to make another change to their pitching staff depending on how quickly Rob Bell regains his control on the mound.

Bell took himself out of Tuesday's game after five mostly wild pitches and appeared to have more trouble during a brief bullpen session Wednesday.

"There's another situation that we're looking at, too," Piniella said. "He's got to be able to pitch. We can't be short in that bullpen."

Bell said there is nothing wrong physically, but he didn't feel comfortable on the mound.

"Sometimes your grip on the ball and sometimes your grip on the game is under your hat," Bell said.

Of additional concern, Piniella said reliever Travis Harper's shoulder is "a little tender."

ROAD WORRIERS: Going 5-5 on the homestand against the Yankees, Twins and White Sox wasn't bad. But the Rays can't be too confident given their 1-10 road record, and a schedule that has them opening a 10-game road trip tonight and playing 22 of their next 28 away from Tropicana Field.

The only reason for encouragement might be an itinerary that includes stops in Kansas City and Detroit - the only two AL parks in which they don't have a losing record - and doesn't include games against their heavyweight division foes.

"We've got to play better on the road," Piniella said. "We've been to New York, we've been to Boston, we've been to Baltimore, we've been to Toronto, four teams that are playing darn good baseball, all of them with winning records.

"It's not like we're playing teams that have struggled. But let's hope on this road trip we do do better. We need to."

MISCELLANY: Alex Gonzalez made his first start at shortstop and "it was just like old times." ... Damon Hollins stole three bases, the first Ray to do so since Carl Crawford on April 24, 2004, at Chicago. ... Rays No. 9 hitters are hitting a major league-leading .366. ... The Sox extended their major-league record by leading in their 34th consecutive game to start the season. ... The Rays have now gone 35 games without a home run from the cleanup spot, matching the 1980 Angels for the sixth longest such stretch since 1980, according to STATS Inc. ... Wes Bankston, one of the Rays' top hitting prospects, joined Class-A Visalia after missing six weeks with a knee injury.

[Last modified May 12, 2005, 00:31:16]