Jeff Niemann

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH The Wil Myers era will start Tuesday. The Rays decided after Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals, their sixth in seven games, that the top prospect was ready to be a big leaguer...

MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH The Rays are all about flexibility and versatility on the field. So they faced Thursday with a challenge of wanting to give Evan Longoria a day at DH as part of their plan to preserve his health the...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH Put Jeremy Hellickson back on the list of starting pitchers the Rays have questions about. After back-to-back outings that gave the Rays reason to believe he had rediscovered the form...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH There could soon be a battle for a spot in the Rays rotation. Ace David Price has done so well throwing bullpen sessions in his recovery from a mid-May triceps strain that the Rays on...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH There are a number of reason the Rays offense has been so much better this season. None are more important than the number of hitters who have been contributing. "That's a really...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH Matt Moore has gone from answer to question. For two months the most successful pitcher on the Rays staff, running his record to 8-0. But Moore's last two starts have been brutally bad,...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH If it's not one thing with Matt Joyce, it tends to be another. Constantly fiddling with his batting stroke, Joyce is now concerned he's in a fielding slump. After misplaying two...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH The Rays attempted to fill perhaps the largest hole in the organization by taking South Carolina high school catcher Nick Ciuffo with the 21st pick in Thursday's draft. "Developing...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH The Rays finally seem to have gotten their house in order, in regards to the pitching staff. Scheduling, bullpen usage, inconsistent performances and injury all combined to force the...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH Rays manager Joe Maddon gets asked often about the unlikely potential of sustaining the high level of offense his club has produced. And while the questioners are usually skeptical,...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH The Rays are hoping to restore order to their rotation. With ace David Price expected to be out until at least mid-June, they had to make several other adjustments due to a pair of...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Tampa Bay Rays - INSIDE PITCH Right-hander Alex Colome did just about everything the Rays asked of him Thursday night. Thrust into the rotation to make his major-league debut, the 24-year-old stayed calm, cool and...