A big step back for Jackson

The Rays are showing patience with the young fireballer despite another frustrating start.

By MARC TOPKIN
Published June 3, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] Rays starter Edwin Jackson looks down at the mound after walking Kansas City Royals' Mark Grudzielanek during the fourth inning. He was pulled from the game after the walk.

ST. PETERSBURG - The Devil Rays removed two struggling members of their rotation Friday when they dumped Jae Seo and moved Casey Fossum to the bullpen to make room for prospects Andy Sonnanstine and J.P. Howell.

Their makeover may not be complete.

Edwin Jackson made a case for further renovation with another rough start Saturday as the Rays lost again, this time 9-4, to the suddenly sizzling Royals, who'd lost seven straight before showing up at the Trop.

And if that wasn't enough bad news, third baseman and new leadoff hitter Akinori Iwamura left the game with blurred vision and a cut on his left eyelid after being hit by a bouncing foul popup in the eighth, saying, "I feel like I got knocked out." He saw the team eye doctor Saturday night and will be re-evaluated again before today's game.

Jackson failed to get through the fourth inning, allowing 10 of the 20 men he faced to reach base six hits and four walks while throwing 91 pitches. (Fourteen fewer than James Shields needed for a complete game Wednesday.)

"It's a couple steps back, " Jackson said.

In 10 starts this season, Jackson is now 0-7 with a 7.77 ERA, having given up 62 hits and 29 walks in 461/3 innings, allowing four or more earned runs seven times. In 33 games as a Ray since being acquired from the Dodgers, he is 0-7 with a 6.75 ERA, but he said the inconsistency is more troubling than the results. "It's how I've been getting the losses, " Jackson said.

"It's a bit frustrating because you know how good he can be, " Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "His last outing was pretty darn good, and today, again, he went backward a little bit. That's just what happens with young pitchers."

While the Rays (22-31) redeployed Fossum (3-5, 7.89 at the time) and ditched Seo (3-4, 8.13), they are more reluctant to give up on Jackson.

That's because he is still only 23 and shows just enough talent and promise to tempt them into thinking he can become a consistent winner. Plus, he struggled even worse last season in the bullpen, and he's out of options, meaning they can't send him to the minors without first exposing him to waivers, where they'd likely lose him.

Jackson got himself in trouble in the second, loading the bases with two walks and a single then pulling up on Tony Pena's slow roller between the mound and first (maybe he heard Alex Rodriguez yelling?) as it became an RBI infield single. A two-run double and RBI groundout made it 4-0. He left after the fourth started similarly poorly, and Tim Corcoran came on and gave up a double and a home run.

"We've seen some very good performances this year, and we've seen this several times also, " Maddon said.

"I know it's going to happen. I just can't tell you when. But he's going to run off several in a row where he's dominating. He can be a dominating pitcher out there. There's no doubt. But right now it's going through growing pains with him. That's the best way to describe it: You've got to wait for it to happen."

For now - even with a potential replacement available in Jason Hammel (3-5, 3.15 at Triple A) - the Rays plan to keep waiting.

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8801. View his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/rays.

[Last modified June 3, 2007, 01:04:38]