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By MARC TOPKIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 28, 2001
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The way Jason Standridge was pitching at Triple-A Durham, with a 5-10 record and 5.28 ERA, demotion to Double A was a real possibility.
Instead, the Rays are hoping a promotion to the major leagues gets him straightened out.
The 22-year-old right-hander was recalled Friday and joined the Tampa Bay bullpen during the game, scheduled to work in long and middle relief.
"He's a stuff guy that wasn't pitching extremely well in Triple A," manager Hal McRae said. "We hope a change of scenery is going to help. We hope the opportunity to pitch in the big leagues is going to help. We hope a clean slate is going to help.
"Sometimes players perform better in the big leagues than they do in Triple A."
Standridge was the Rays' top pick in 1997 and moved steadily through the system. He was impressive in spring training, but has struggled much of the season.
With the addition of Standridge, the Rays have 10 rookies on their roster, the most in the majors and the most in team history. They also furthered their margin of being the youngest team in the majors, with an average age of 26.69. The average age of the pitching staff is 25.8.
NICK OF TIME: Nick Bierbrodt's first major-league start didn't go well. He lasted two innings on June 7 against the Dodgers, walking the first two men, allowing five hits and six runs in two innings.
"I was real nervous," Bierbrodt said. "It was just one of those days when I didn't have it."
The 23-year-old left-hander, acquired Wednesday from Arizona, makes his first Tampa Bay start tonight and isn't expecting to have the same kind of problems.
"I'll be nervous, because I'm nervous before every game," he said. "But I know what to expect now. Obviously there's going to be a little less pressure. I'm looking forward to it.'
LO-OONG RELIEF: Jeff Wallace has carved something of a niche as a true long reliever, working 42/3 innings July 19 and 62/3 on Thursday, and has pitched extremely well in doing so.
McRae said he will resist temptation to put Wallace in the rotation, and that's fine with Wallace, who began his career as a starter in the Kansas City minor-league system.
"They put me in the bullpen in the second half of the '96 season, and when I was traded to Pittsburgh (in the December 1996 deal that featured Jeff King and Jay Bell), they asked me what I wanted to do," Wallace said.
"I felt good out of the pen, felt like I was throwing harder. I thought it was my best chance to get to the big-league level."
IT'S ALL LEFT: The Rays will start two left-handers this series -- Bierbrodt tonight and Joe Kennedy on Sunday night. The last time they did that was May 21-23, 1999, when Wilson Alvarez and Tony Saunders pitched against Anaheim.
DOUBLE UP: Fans who buy regular-priced ticket (expect the Southwest Airlines seats) for any of the Aug. 7-9 games against the Yankees will get a free general admission ticket to the Aug. 10 game against Minnesota. Tickets must be purchased at the Tropicana Field box office or team stores at West Shore Plaza, Brandon Town Center and BayWalk.