PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Jeff Niemann helped his case for a spot in the Tampa Bay rotation with five sharp innings, and the Rays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 Wednesday night.
Niemann allowed a run on five hits and didn't walk a batter in front of a crowd of 6,771, the seventh sellout at the Rays' new spring training stadium.
"I still have no idea what's going on," Niemann said. "I just needed to go out there and throw strikes and turn in a good one. I felt pretty good about it. I just wanted to do my best to give me the nod. Eventually one of us is going to have to close the door on it."
Niemann bounced back from his last outing, when he allowed nine runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Blue Jays.
He is competing with Jason Hammel for the final spot in the rotation with the runner-up headed to the bullpen as the long man.
Pittsburgh's Jeff Karstens is vying with Ross Ohlendorf and Virgil Vasquez for one of the last two spots in the Pirates' rotation. He allowed five hits, including a two-run homer to Adam Kennedy, over five innings. Karstens walked two and struck out five.
"That's all up to them," Karstens said of the decision. "It's all out of my hands. I was happy with the way I threw the ball for the most part."
Pirate manager John Russell was pleased with what he saw from Karstens.
"He kept the ball down and moved it in and out," Russell said. "He pretty much hit his spots."
Notes
Kennedy hit his first home run of the spring. The second baseman will play left field against the Tigers in Lakeland on Thursday as part of Rays manager Joe Maddon's effort to turn Kennedy into a super utility player. ... Pirate shortstop Jack Wilson left the game after the first inning because of his asthma. "The air was very dry here, and I was having a hard time catching my breath during batting practice. It didn't get any better in the first inning, and I didn't want to risk it," he said.
