Kazmir's season may be over

August 30, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Ryan Dodson

With any postseason play out of the question, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are in no mood to jeopardize the future of their staff ace, starting pitcher Scott Kazmir (shoulder). After being placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday, Aug. 25, for the second time in the past two months, the Devil Rays are going to take their time bringing him back. The team confirmed Sunday, Aug. 27, that Kazmir will not make an appearance until he can fully complete his warmups and his delivery returns to normal. 

"I would like to see him pitch before the end of the season, but if he doesn't that's not going to be the end of the world," said Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon. "This guy is way too important, and I just don't see the upside in pushing him at this point."

The Devil Rays had been concerned with slight changes in his delivery as he threw different pitches in bullpen sessions and games. He will have to change his arm slot to what it was earlier in the season when he was among the best in the majors. He also needed more time to get ready and his velocity was dropping. The last is of great concern as Kazmir could start trying to force his velocity back up, which could result in a worse injury. He is currently on the disabled list with tightness in his left shoulder. 

It hardly needs to be said how important Kazmir has been to the Devil Rays this season. He became only the fifth left-handed pitcher since 1900 to reach 300 strikeouts before their 23rd birthday earlier this season. He was the fourth youngest pitcher to ever win five games before May 10. He posted a 10-8 record this season, with a 3.24 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings pitched. All these are reasons why the Devil Rays don't want to take a chance with someone who could be a top player for them for the next decade.

What does this mean for the Devil Rays in the short-term? Starting pitcher J.P. Howell will take Kazmir's spot in the rotation and will get a start Sunday, Sept. 3, against the Baltimore Orioles. Howell will be the starter for the immediate future, although long-term expect Kazmir to return healthy. The team will be doing all they can to get him better, and with his young age, he should be able to respond to treatments. It is also not so much the injury that is keeping him out, but what could happen if he continued delivering his pitches as he has been. Kazmir noted that if the Devil Rays were in a pennant race right now, he would be able to pitch through the pain.

For your fantasy team, it will be hard to replace him but one option would be Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Esteban Loaiza. In the month of August, Loaiza has posted a 4-0 record with a 1.48 ERA while playing for the streaking Athletics. In his last start Monday, Aug. 28, he held the Boston Red Sox to five hits and no runs over seven innings. Before that he limited the Toronto Blue Jays to only four hits in a complete-game shutout. He is highly recommended.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Matt Garza is another option. He struggled in his first starts in the majors, but in his last two starts he has gone a combined 13 2/3 innings, giving up only two runs and 10 hits. He also struck out 10 in his last start. Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Cha Seung Baek could also be worth a look as he has looked good against two tough teams, the Red Sox and New York Yankees. Against the Yankees, he went five innings, giving up three earned runs while striking out six. Against the Red Sox he picked up the win, going 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs.

But keep an eye on Kazmir. He could return soon if he can fix the problems in his delivery and he should then be back to dominating hitters as he did earlier this season.

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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