Scott Kazmir News

All-Star Ben Zobrist hit a three-run homer and had an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave Tampa Bay a 10-9 victory over Toronto on Wednesday night.

Already showered and dressed, Scott Kazmir sat in front of his locker following his start Wednesday night and waited for the few reporters still left in the clubhouse to make their way over to him.

Scott Kazmir has struggled going back to the All-Star break last season. This raises a question to me.

Ben Zobrist hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning on Wednesday as the Rays beat the Blue Jays, 10-9, on a walk-off hit for the second straight night.

The Tampa Bay Rays continued to struggle at the plate in their series opener against Toronto, but managed to extend their home winning streak to six games.

Rays at Blue Jays When/where: 1:07 today; Rogers Centre, Toronto TV/radio: FSN; 620-AM, 680-AM Probable pitchers: RAYS: RHP James Shields JAYS: LHP Ricky Romero Watch for Strong Shields: Shields leads the Rays staff with 10 quality starts, including his last one, a no-decision against the Marlins in which he gave up three runs in 6 2/3 innings.

Carl Crawford lines up with his fellow All-Stars before the game in San Francisco.

With right-hander Tommy Hunter set to pitch for Texas on Friday, it will likely be the left-handed-hitting Gabe Gross playing right field for Tampa Bay.

The expectations are greater, and so is the competition. But the Rays finally are starting to prove last year was far from a fluke.

Rookie right-hander Jeff Niemann admits he's still a "work in progress in terms of being consistently good." The 6-foot-9 Texan has shown flashes of dominance, such as in a complete-game shutout against the Royals.

On the surface, looking strictly at the numbers, the move the Rays made late Friday night to bring Scott Kazmir back into the rotation might have seemed the obvious call.

The Rays didn't need to hit the Marlins with their best shot. A ninth-inning bloop single and stolen base by , a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by were enough for a thrilling 3-2 win that extended their perfect Saturday night concert series record to 11 straight over two seasons before '80s rocker Pat Benatar took the stage.

Where do you begin to rebuild a career? Practicing your delivery surrounded by a roomful of mirrors in a yoga studio in New York? Or driving to a high school field in Monmouth, N.J., to throw a bullpen session for a pitching coach you haven't worked with in five years? Do you wear an iPod with the music blaring so you get the sense of rhythm as you ...

Lefty Scott Kazmir makes his first start in more than a month today when the Tampa Bay Rays look for a second consecutive win over the Florida Marlins in their intrastate, interleague series at Tropicana Field.

LHP Scott Kazmir feels his road back to the majors is complete. After throwing 78 sharp pitches for Triple-A Durham on Monday and driving back 11 hours overnight with assistant to the pitching coach Brian Anderson , Kazmir said "everything feels good" and pronounced himself set to rejoin the rotation.

Ben Zobrist, right, gets a high five from Carlos Pe? after hitting a two-run homer in the first to pull the Rays within 4-3. Times] ST.

Well then, this just got a whole lot more interesting. 0 recs 22 comments Comments Niemann to pen please or Sonny to AAA, let Price pitch, hes too good to be this bad Rotation: 1. James Shields 2. Matt Garza 3. David Price 4. Jeff Niemann 5. Andy Sonnanstine...... Coming Soon: Wade Davis......Scott Kazmir? reply actions and Shields - Kazmir - ...

Scott Kazmir is close to returning to the Rays, if Monday night's performance for Triple-A Durham is any indication.

LHP Scott Kazmir 's route back to the big leagues included a three-day side trip to New York to consult with former Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson .

Fans will get to see a rare matchup of major league pitching talent at Durham Bulls Athletic Park tonight.