December 12, 2011

Players A to Z, J.P. Howell

J.P. Howell pitches in relief for the Tampa Bay Rays. Howell returned from shoulder surgery that forced him to miss all of the 2010 season. He got off to a rough start, and through July had enough poor outings that his ERA was extremely high. His main problem was control, as he walked 6.3 batters per nine innings his first three months back. August and September taken together tell a different story, as his walk rate dropped along with his ERA. He did not walk a batter during his last 11 appearances, giving the Rays hope he’ll be back to normal in 2012.

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