David Huff made this start knowing that he was on a short leash, and although he'll probably get to make another start, I don't think his performance today made his job any safer. He got through five innings with three runs allowed, but he struggled to get that far. He walked more than he struck out, bring his season total to 16 strikeouts and 16 walks, along with 51 hits allowed in 43.0 innings. These are not promising ratios.
Jason Donald got to Tampa in time to make his major-league debut, and with his family in attendance went 2-3 with a walk, an excellent way to start your career. With Asdrubal Cabrera out for a couple of months a fractured forearm and Luis Valbuena looking horrible at shortstop, it looks like Donald will have a golden opportunity to earn an everyday job.
Other than Donald's excellent debut, there wasn't much to cling to. Huff left the game two on and nobody out in the sixth, and in retrospect, should have been pulled after getting out of a jam in the fifth. Hector Ambriz came in to quell the sixth inning rally but couldn't, allowing four runs to score, which put the game out of reach. Jhonny Peralta and Travis Hafner hit back-to-back doubles in the eighth to make it a three-run deficit, but a Carlos Pena singled to push the lead back up four, and there it remained.
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Jason Donald | .109 | Hector Ambriz | -.237 |
| Mark Grudzielanek | 056 | Austin Kearns | -.131 |
| David Huff | .037 | Trevor Crowe | -.104 |