Howell to the bullpen?

ST. PETERSBURG – Trying to squeeze five candidates into the final two spots in the rotation is not going to work. At least one pitcher might start the season in the bullpen, and that person could be J.P. Howell.
The left-hander, who was 1-6 with a 7.59 ERA in 10 starts last season, has locked sharp this spring, and Rays manager Joe Maddon has used the word “bullpen” indirectly will talking about Howell.
On Friday, Howell threw three innings against the Phillies. He allowed four hits and run and struck out one batter.
“I though Howell was very sharp,” Maddon said. “J.P. looked good out of the bullpen again. He’s throwing strikes and he’s using all of his pitches.”
When asked if the Rays could use that sharpness in the bullpen, Maddon said it wasn’t “impossible.”
“He really wants to make this ball club and he’s going about it the right way,” Maddon said. “He’s at that point now when he’s in the game you feel like he’s going to get an out. He throws strikes and he gets outs. That’s the kind of vibe he’s sending over to the sideline right now. I like what he’s doing a lot.”

Long, long, long day
Jeff Niemann’s first pitch of the game sailed toward home plate at 1:07 p.m. Friday. The last pitch was thrown at 5:32.
In between, the Rays outscored the Phillies 9-1 in the first nine innings for what is their sixth win of the spring. But the teams played five more innings, and the Phillies managed to scratch out one run.
All told, Rays pitchers combined to allow two runs in 14 innings, and the Rays defense played error-free ball.
The extra innings were needed since the two teams played only five full innings Thursday in Clearwater because of heavy rain. With Tuesday’s game against Houston cancelled in the top of the fifth, Rays pitchers were denied at least nine innings this week.
In addition to Neimann, Jake McGee, J.P. Howell, Trever Miller Scott Munter, James Houser, al Reyes, Calvin Medlock, Andy Sonnanstine, Wade Davis and Jae Kuk Ryu were also scheduled to pitch, and all 10 did get in their work.
“We got it all in, and the pitching looked good,” Maddon said.

Niemann impressive in second outing
Jeff Niemann pitched three perfect innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
He looked much better than he did Sunday when he threw one inning against the Pirates. The right-hander was supposed to throw two against the Pirates, but was limited to one because of a high pitch count.
Not on Friday. Niemann sailed through the three innings.
“I though Niemann was getting the ball down with consistency, which is a good thing,” Maddon said. “You can see when he gets his fastball down he is a different pitcher.”
Niemann said that was his top priority during the bullpen session between starts.
“I got some good work in on the side,” Niemann said. “I was a lot more confident out there. I wasn't searching for things. Wasn't wondering if my mechanics were right, if my hips were doing the right thing. It was more just go out there and pitch. You know what you need to do. Keep the ball down, throw and have fun.”
Niemann might have closed the gap on the other candidates for the final two spots in the rotation, especially if Maddon is thinking of using Howell in the bullpen.
“I think so. But it's still really early in spring,” Niemann said. “There's a lot of games to be played, and there's a lot of guys in the running. There are no guarantees for any of us that are out there fighting for those two spots. We've just got to go out there and play ball.”

Bartlett sparks offense
Shortstop Jason Bartlett was a bug on the bases during his first two at-bats with two singles and two stolen bases. He drove in the first run of the game with a third inning single and later scored on a single by Joel Guzman.
Bartlett was batting second with Carl Crawford taking the game off.
Expect to see him at the bottom of the lineup where he can provide speed on he bases if he gets on ahead of Aki Iwamura, who will bat leadoff.
“I like a guy in the (No. 9) hole who has some speed who can turn it back over to the No. 1 hole,” Maddon said. “It’s circular. It just doesn't drop off at the end. So that's kind of nice.”

Kaz coming along
Scott Kazmir played catch in the outfield with trainer Ron Porterfield, throwing the ball 90 feet.
Afterwards, he walked into the dugout and flashed a thumbs-up.
“That’s all you need to know,” he said with a smile.

Baldelli still a question mark
Maddon said Rocco Baldelli will not play Saturday against the Yankees in Tampa.
Sunday?
“I’m hoping. I’m hoping,” Maddon said.

Who are these guys?
Baldelli’s absence in the right-field platoon has created playing time for Jon Weber and John Rodrigez. Maddon praised both before Friday’s game with the Phillies. Rodriguez then drew a bases-loaded walk, and Weber walked and scored. Both are playing well defensively.

This & That
Matt Garza makes his second start of the spring Saturday against the Yankees in Tampa. He made his first start Monday in Lakeland against the Tigers. Those are two pretty potent lineups to face when you’re trying to impress your new bosses … Maddon said he will field his regular season lineup against the Yankees, meaning Carl Crawford will be in left and Jonny Gomes will likely play right. Will Evan Longoria be at third base?

- Roger Mooney, Herald Staff Writer