Shields Gets No Support

James Shields and Aaron Rowand are first cousins but sometimes Shields must feel like he is Dan Haren’s long lost twin brother because both pitchers suffer from a serious lack of run support this season. In tonight’s game, Shields went seven innings. allowing eight baserunners, one run, while striking out four but picked up his sixth no decision on the season rather than his seventh win. The only offense the Rays were able to muster for Shields tonight came on a bases-loaded walk against a rookie pitcher, Mark Rzepczynski, that was making his major league debut.

Shields has now made eighteen starts on the season and leads the Rays staff with eleven quality starts but still only has a .500 record at 6-6 with a 3.38 ERA. With an ERA that low, one would think Shields would be better than a .500 pitcher but the run support behind him has been very inconsistent. In his six wins, the Rays have scored an average of 5.5 runs a contest but in his six losses and six no decisions, the Rays have scored an average of 3.1 runs a game. The only other pitcher on the staff that approaches Shields’s lack of support is the other .500 pitcher – Matt Garza. Jeff Niemann’s ERA is nearly a full run higher than Shields’s, but the Rays are scoring 7.3 runs per game in Niemann’s contests which has helped Niemann compile a team-leading seven wins.

If the Rays are going to continue contending for a playoff spot in the American League, they need to become more consistent with the offense. Yes, they have the highest run differential in the American League and, yes, they have scored the second most runs in the American League but the fact the two best pitchers on the staff are both sitting at .500 despite strong ERA’s is a tough pill to swallow.

Tags: James Shields, Matt Garza, offense, run support