NewsRoyals no help to Chen vs. Niemann
Rays rookie dominates KC for second time this season
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
08/01/09 8:59 PM ET
ST. PETERSBURG -- Once again, the Royals were baffled by long Jeff Niemann.Niemann, a rookie right-hander, pitched the Rays over the Royals, 7-1, on Saturday to entertain a sellout crowd of 36,973 fans at Tropicana Field. He worked eight innings and surrendered only four hits, including a solo homer by David DeJesus.
This is the same 6-foot-9 Niemann who stopped the Royals with a complete-game shutout on June 3 this year. That was a two-hitter, 9-0.
"We didn't make good adjustments," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "They were swinging at breaking balls down and out of the zone. He really didn't get that going until the third with any consistency. And we didn't do a good job with the fastballs."
This was the Royals' fourth straight loss and left them with an 0-8 record against the Rays this season.
"They beat us in a bunch of different fashions," said the Royals' Mark Teahen. "We haven't been able to figure them out to this point."
Left-hander Bruce Chen had a very encouraging start for the Royals, going 6 2/3 innings and retiring 11 straight batters in one span. He was done in by a crazy three-run second inning.
Let's take a look.
First, Pat Burrell hit a pop fly that Willie Bloomquist lost in center field. It dropped for a single, but second baseman Alberto Callaspo recovered the bouncing ball and threw out Burrell at second. Next, Chen managed to throw a pitch entirely behind a startled Willy Aybar before walking him.
"He's aggressive, and I didn't want to leave something over the plate. I wanted to make sure," Chen said. "I'm glad I threw it behind him, otherwise I'd have drilled him."
Well, it certainly wasn't over the plate.
After an out, Dioner Navarro looped a single to right. Jason Bartlett lined a triple into the right-field corner, and darned if it didn't turn into a three-run play. Aybar and Navarro scored, and so did Bartlett when Callaspo's relay throw skipped past third base for an error.
The pitch to Bartlett, a hanging changeup on a 3-2 pitch, was Chen's worst delivery of the day. He was aiming for something much better.
"Even though he's hitting ninth, you just can't throw a cookie out there," Chen said. "I mean he's hitting .300, he's a good hitter."
Bartlett, an All-Star this year, has a .334 average.
After that, Chen reeled off 11 straight outs. Gabe Kapler ended the string with a single followed by Navarro's double. Kapler tried to score but was thrown out, center fielder Mitch Maier to Callaspo to catcher Brayan Pena.
That ended Chen's day after 6 2/3 innings, his longest outing since April 13, 2005, when he went 7 2/3 for Baltimore here. He had a no-decision in a 6-5 Orioles win. That was 51 appearances and 18 starts ago.
The Rays added four runs in the eighth against relievers Jamey Wright and John Bale. Wright gave up a two-run homer to Carl Crawford and didn't retire any of the four batters he faced in the inning.
Now 0-6, Chen's last victory also came here way back on Oct. 2, 2005, when he was with Baltimore.
"I've been dying to get a win, I really am," he said.
If nothing else, Chen feels that his sessions with pitching coach Bob McClure and fellow starter Brian Bannister have helped him make great strides.
"I feel like I'm getting better. From the time I first got here to today, I feel like I'm a totally different pitcher," Chen said.
The Rays' Niemann, however, is apparently the same pitcher the Royals saw here in June. He's now the possessor of a 10-5 record and leads the American League champions in victories.
"As we've gone through the season, I've tried to take something out of each start, either really good or really bad," Niemann said. "It makes it easier on yourself to recognize when you're starting to struggle and what you need to fix it. It's been the whole experience over the year, just growing and learning. I feel pretty good about it."
Niemann was so effective that he struck out Callaspo, the AL's toughest batter to fan, the first two times he faced him. Niemann put a stop to Callaspo's 13-game hitting streak.
That should have told the Royals that something was up and it wasn't going to be good.
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
