Projected ace's free fall lands him in minors
WHITE SOX 5, RAYS 2: After another wild, ineffective outing, Dewon Brazelton will make his next start at Triple-A Durham.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published May 12, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG - The Devil Rays hoped a few wins would help Dewon Brazelton regain his confidence and enable him to pitch effectively.
After another poor performance in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the White Sox, they decided Brazelton would now get that opportunity at Triple-A Durham.
The Rays demoted their opening day starter after his major league-leading seventh loss, and team officials said the 24-year-old is going to have to do a better job of pitching - and a better job of acting like a big-league pitcher - to earn his job back.
"It's time for him to establish whether he is a major-leaguer or not," general manager Chuck LaMar said. "Dewon is truly at that crossroads. It's not an age factor any longer. It's really not even an experience factor. He's got to prove to himself, and in turn to the organization, that he's a major-league starting pitcher."
When the Rays made Brazelton the No.3 pick in the 2001 draft and gave him a four-year, $4.8-million contract, they expected him by now to be at least a contributing member of their rotation. But Brazelton instead will spend part of a fourth straight season in the minor leagues, and a career 8-22 record and 5.54 ERA are not exactly hints of future success.
Casey Fossum will take Brazelton's place in the rotation, starting Tuesday in Detroit, and Jon Switzer will be recalled from Double-A Montgomery to fill Fossum's role in the bullpen.
Brazelton (1-7, 6.43) left the Rays clubhouse before the game was over, an unusual move on a day the team was heading out of town, so the Rays had to call him with news of the demotion. He did not respond to messages from the Times left on his cell phone and with his agent.
Tuesday, Brazelton said he remained confident in his abilities. "Once I have a little success, just a little bit, I think it's going to jump off," he said. "That's how I really feel."
Manager Lou Piniella suggested Brazelton's biggest battle may be internal.
"I think he's put a lot of heat on himself, a lot of pressure on himself for no reason," Piniella said. "I think sometimes getting away from the action a little bit and relaxing does more than trying to fight it too much. ...
"Everybody is disappointed, but it's probably the best thing for him to ease his mind a little bit, get in the habit of winning some baseball games, and we can get him back here."
Pitching coach Chuck Hernandez, who described Brazelton as "down" and "disappointed" about his performance, said the two primary issues that need to be addressed are related: confidence, and command of his fastball.
"Confidence will get the command of the fastball much improved," Hernandez said, "You know what I mean. They go hand in hand. We've just got to get the confidence back."
Brazelton's problems once seemed to be limited to the road, where his 0-14 record in 18 career starts was threatening historical marks of futility. But he began to pitch poorly at home as well, his poor body language an increasingly obvious indicator of his lack of confidence. He also had to deal with the fallout, and a five-game suspension, for his role in the April24 scuffle with the Red Sox.
Wednesday, he lasted 42/3 innings, allowing five runs on four hits and six walks. A bigger problem was that he threw 43 balls among his 85 pitches.
The score was 1-1 through four innings, but Brazelton gave up four runs in a messy fifth on a combination of an infield single, two walks, a double, a single and a wild pitch.
Still, Fossum kept it close and the Rays had a chance, loading the bases with one out in the seventh, but managed only one run on Alex Gonzalez's sacrifice fly, part of a futile 0-for-8 day with runners in scoring position that kept them from sweeping the Sox.
When Brazelton was chosen to make the opening day start, he was confident he was poised for a big season. But after eight starts, Brazelton leads the majors with seven losses and 34 runs allowed (in 42 innings), and he has walked an American League-high 29.
"It's been a struggle for him, it really has," Piniella said.