Jeff Niemann collects a superb victory against the Baltimore Orioles, talks about recent game
The Tampa Bay Rays smashed the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 on Monday, September 12 at Oriole Park in Camden Yards. Much of the victory’s credit was bestowed to B. J. Upton but it was Jeff Niemann who kept things quiet on the mound. The starter was up to his best
and he recovered from his last encounter against the Texas Rangers to deliver a gem.
The star conceded two runs from just six hits. He picked up five strike-outs and two walks and his ERA went down to 3.97. At the end of the day, the hurler threw 7.2 innings. The ballplayer conceded seven runs in 4.2 innings in his last game against the
Rangers and this was a significant improvement on his behalf.
"I was able to make that adjustment out there," said Niemann. "That was the biggest thing I was lacking in the previous few games. I'm pretty excited about that and happy the way things turned out."
Baltimore however did manage to break a drought against Niemann in the sixth when Matt Wieters smashed a 402-foot homer to raise the club’s runs to two in the game. The Baltimore fans got behind the team for a runs rally but that ended soon when Upton scored
the fifth run for the Rays in the seventh.
"It was one of those things where [Niemann] was pounding the zone and we weren't able to really get to him, and by the time the late innings hit, he was in a groove and we didn't have much to show for it," Orioles’ Chris Davis said.
The Rays have reached within a three game difference of the wildcard berth. They need a good series against the Boston Red Sox in the coming days to get them to the top. Niemann is now 10-7 in the season and he is looking to pick up more wins in the campaign.
Rays’ Manager Joe Maddon has a lot of faith in Niemann and there’s no doubt he will be there in Fenway Park when the series kicks off on September 15.
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