Wade Davis has rough outing against Marlins

Tampa Rays veteran pitcher Wade Davis had a rough outing Sunday against the Miami Marlins in his fight to gain the last spot in the starting rotation.

In 4 2/3 innings, the right hander was tagged for two homers, gave up seven hits and three walks while allowing four runs (all earned) with three walks and a wild pitch. He threw 91 pitches with 52 going for strikes.

"I fell behind way too much and that is what caused me to throw balls over the plate," Davis said. "But I took some positives from it. I threw some good sliders and couple of good change-ups and good fastballs early. I felt really good about my approach in the first. I was real aggressive and was making good pitches. After that I got a little sluggish and had to battle up hill."

Davis said he realized he could be destined for the bullpen, but was prepared to deal with that and promised he would still pitch tough and give it his best if that turns out to be his fate.

"I would've loved to have done a lot better, but it's one of those things where it's tough to analyze," Davis said. "I have definitely excelled more this year (in spring) than I have in the past, but at the same time you want to do better. I have added more weapons to my repertoire, but ultimately it is not up to me."