"Wade Davis traces the moment when it clicked for him during his rookie season to the start against the Twins before he went on the disabled list with a strained shoulder last August. "I was out there and I didn't care about what I was doing against that team because I was more concerned about just getting through it," he said. "We had a long game the night before, and (catcher Kelly) Shoppach came out to me and said just grind it out. "I was still getting guys out. It wasn't pretty, but I was getting guys out with minimal stuff, and from there, it was kind of like I expected to come to the field with mediocre stuff and figure out a way to get guys out. And anything that was better was a plus." Davis took the loss that night, but he learned to relax. He learned to worry less about the quality of his pitches and focus more on throwing strikes and getting ahead in the count. He returned from the DL on Aug. 24 and finished off a season in which he went 12-10 to lead AL rookies in wins. With veteran Matt Garza departed and rookie Jeremy Hellickson joining the rotation, Davis, the quiet outdoorsman from Lake Wales, is set to take on more responsibility in 2011. Although his promotion to No. 3 starter is more about the Rays' matchup evaluations than a proclamation he has hurdled Jeff Niemann in the order - Davis has a better record in day games, and the third starter is slotted to pitch more day games early in the season than the fourth - there's no question Davis has become one of the main guys. Saturday's 9-2 spring loss to the Twins in which Davis gave up eight runs on nine hits in 31/3 innings - including a three-run homer to Delmon Young - isn't anything like what the Rays expect Davis to look like during the regular season. "He was down pretty good (sick) a couple of days ago, and his strength level was not good," manager Joe Maddon said. "He got his number of pitches in (83), the velocity was good. I would liked for him to have done better, but primarily, where he's coming from right now, I was happy just to get the 80 pitches." There was a time last year when it appeared Davis might need a stint back at Triple A to get his confidence back and recalibrate his fastball. After starting the season 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA in five starts while facing the opposing team's No. 1 starter each time, Davis went 2-8 with a 5.90 from May 8-July 3." Read more: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/ma...davis-focuses-on-staying-relaxed/sports-rays/
