It may have taken him the entire spring, but Rays starting pitcher Matt Moore finally produced an encouraging performance. Moore yielded just one hit -- a single -- over four scoreless innings during Tampa Bay's Grapefruit League outing against Detroit on Saturday.
Most importantly, Moore also walked just one batter and struck out five as he trimmed his ERA under four for the first time in exhibition play (3.80). He needed 25 pitches to complete the first inning before firing 29 the rest of the game.
The left-hander had issued at least two walks in each of his previous five Grapefruit League appearances and finished with 14 total walks over 21 1/3 innings.
"That's what he's supposed to look like, that's what he can look like," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "As he regains his confidence, you'll see that on a more consistent basis."
Moore is slated to start the Rays' third game of the season Thursday against Baltimore. He was 2-2 with a 1.83 ERA in four starts versus the Orioles last year.