Tough day for Niemann

Not a good day for Rays pitching.

Matt Garza said he was fighting himself a little bit.

Jeff Niemann couldn't locate his fastball.

The Blue Jays scored 13 runs off the two - nine off Niemann - for a 15-4 win in front of 5,742, the largest crowd to see a game at Dunedin Stadium since it was refurbished in 2002.

Niemann, who came on with two out in the fifth, only got two outs. He allowed seven hits and walked three.

Manager Joe Maddon said before the game he is getting closer to naming his fifth starter and praised Jason Hammel for the way Hammel righted himself after two shaky innings Wednesday to finish with two solid innings in his four-inning outing.

That's what Maddon wants to see in his fifth starter: the ability to work himself out of problems and make adjustments in game.

Niemann couldn't do that against the Jays.

"I picked the worst time to have my worst game." Niemann said., who entered the game with a 0.82 ERA and left with an ERA of 7.71.