Another unsavory setback

The Rays rack up lots of Ks, fans get free pizza, but only the White Sox win.

By MARC TOPKIN
Published June 29, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: James Borchuck] Scott Kazmir has won just five times in 17 starts this season, despite a respectable 4.26 ERA, and hasn't won at Tropicana Field since July 3 of last year.

ST. PETERSBURG - White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen got to have his pizza and eat it, too.

So did the Devil Rays fans - assuming they took their ticket or coupon printed off the Internet to the furniture store to get the gift card and then ordered their pie from the pizza place - to take advantage of the standing promotion.

But the Rays were left with nothing to show for a four-game series in which they struck out 49 batters - 10 or more to make each a free pizza game - and lost all four.

Thursday, it was Scott Kazmir again pitching well enough to keep the Rays (33-44) in the game but pitching himself out of the game, as the Rays lost 5-1.

Kazmir has won just five times in 17 starts this season, despite a respectable 4.26 ERA, and hasn't won at Tropicana Field since July 3, meaning he'll go more than a year, and 14 starts, without a home win because the Rays don't return until July 12.

The consistent theme has been high pitch counts, as Kazmir has lasted six innings or less in his past five starts (averaging 113 pitches), and 10 total. The resulting lack of success is starting to wear on Kazmir and seemed obvious as he and the rest of the Rays packed for a challenging 10-game trip to Cleveland, Boston and Kansas City.

"It's really frustrating, " he said. "It feels like the stuff I have there could easily ... I don't know. It's really frustrating."

He threw 114 pitches in six innings, striking out nine but allowing four runs, including solo homers by Paul Konerko and Tadahito Iguchi.

Kazmir's primary problem is the inability to put hitters away.

"I feel like when things are going good, I have life on the fastball and I'm hitting both sides (of the plate), but it's when you get in certain situations, I kind of overthrow, doing a little too much in trying to strike them out instead of letting them hit it, " he said. "But it seems like every time I try to just let them hit it, little bloopers happen and they end up scoring."

It was the first time in 35 years a team got swept in a four-game series while striking out at least 10 in each game, when the Astros lost to the Reds May 29-June 1, 1972, in Houston.

As odd as that is, consider this: Jim Ferguson, the official scorer for Thursday's game at Tropicana Field, saw the 1972 series as the Reds beat writer for the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News.

"That's pretty weird, " Ferguson said. "A definite oddity."

Tampa Bay pitchers are now in the unusual position of leading the league in strikeouts, with 549, while having the highest ERA, at 5.60.

But manager Joe Maddon said the more relevant theme was the Rays' lack of offense against the Sox pitchers - nine runs and a .209 average (27-for-129) in the series, including 3-for-30 with runners in scoring position. The only positive was Delmon Young extending his career-high hitting streak to 13.

"Their starting pitching beat us up, " Maddon said. "When you score that few runs in the American League, you're not going to win many games."

The Sox staggered in having lost five straight and 22 of 27.

"It's nice to strikeout and win the game, " said Guillen, who had fun with the promotion all week, tipping his cap and waving a pizza box toward the crowd after the 10th strikeout Thursday, and heads now to Kansas City, where fans get free donuts if the Royals strike out 12.

"We go from pizza to doughnuts. I don't know which is worse for your health."

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

Fast Facts:

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Fan club

Rays pitchers struck out 49 batters in the four-game series and were swept, the first time a team fanned 10 or more and lost all four in 35 years.

Monday 15 Ks 5-4 L

Tuesday 11 Ks 6-1 L

Wednesday 10 Ks 5-3 L

Thursday 13 Ks 5-1 L

[Last modified June 29, 2007, 01:27:52]