PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Wade Davis got off to a strong start in his campaign to keep his spot in Tampa Bay’s rotation, pitching two scoreless innings Monday in a 3-1 loss to a split-squad of Baltimore Orioles.
Alfredo Simon and three other Orioles pitchers combined to limit the Rays to one hit until the ninth inning, when Pedro Strop allowed a leadoff single to Jeff Salazar and Stephen Vogt’s one-out RBI double.
Davis won 11 games in 2011, helping Tampa Bay to its third playoff berth in four years. But with as many as eight pitchers likely to get a shot at starting games some time this season, the 26-year-old’s spot in the rotation could be at stake in the coming weeks.
The right-hander allowed one hit and struck one in a sharp spring debut.
