After salvaging a game on the south side of Chicago, the Tampa Bay Rays will continue their extended residency on Monday, when they start a three-game set against the Cubs. The North Siders are coming off a series split against the Colorado Rockies.
At 5-5 on the season, the Rays look to get back above the .500 mark over the next three days.
Tampa Bay’s stay at Comiskey Park US Cellular Field was not only cold on the field but also cold in the results. Of the Rays’ 13 combined runs scored, only four were scratched across on Friday and Saturday. The other nine came in the series finale when they salvaged the final game of the set. Yet, with the exception of Chris Mazza — who, on Sunday, threw 42 of 62 pitches with runners on the base paths, and found himself in consecutive bases-loaded situations — the pitching was pretty damn good, as Tampa Bay limited the White Sox to three runs per game.
They’ll be facing a Cubs team that hasn’t pushed as many runs across the plate, yet Chicago has outperformed the Rays in almost every other offensive category including ISO (.164 vs .141), wOBA (.339 vs .300), and wRAA (5.1 vs -2.0). Even so, the Cubs have been a tad luckier with their hits, as measured by BABIP, which could account for the 13% difference in offensive production, as measured by wRC+.
Pitching-wise, the Rays have been a better team than the Cubs thus far to the tune of a combined 3.83 ERA and 3.61 FIP vs a 4.30 ERA and 4.18 FIP. It will be up to Tampa Bay’s hurlers to navigate a fairly tough lineup and keep their team in the game. Meanwhile, one can only hope the Rays left some in the tank after the nine-run, 12-hit explosion on Sunday.
Tampa Bay is 8-5 against the Cubs in head-to-head matchups and they split a two-game series at Wrigley in 2017.
Pitching Probables
Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Shane McClanahan (0-1, 3.00 ERA), Josh Fleming (1-1, 4.05 ERA) in some capacity, and Drew Rasmussen (0-1, 5.00 ERA). David Ross will counter with Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 7.00 ERA), Justin Steele (1-0, 1.93 ERA), and Marcus Stroman (0-1, 6.00 ERA).
Shane McClanahan allowed three runs on two hits and three walks across 4.2 innings against the Athletics on Wednesday. He struck out eight. The left-hander had his strikeout stuff working in the outing, coaxing 16 swinging strikes and racking up eight punchouts. Yet, he also walked three batters. The totality of the damage against him came on a three-run homer off the bat of Sean Murphy. All told, McClanahan has recorded 15 strikeouts over nine innings across his first two starts of the 2022 campaign.
Kyle Hendricks surrendered six runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out four across 3.2 innings on Wednesday. Hendricks struggled with his command, throwing only 42 of his 78 pitches for strikes (54% strike rate). After Willson Contreras gave him a one-run lead with a solo shot in the top of the first, Ben Gamel blasted a two-out, three-run homer off Hendricks in the bottom of the frame. He later surrendered three more runs and wasn’t able to make it through the fourth inning. The right-hander got off to a slow start last season, posting a 6.23 ERA through his first seven starts before going on a hot streak in the middle of the season. Hendricks relies primarily on an 80 mph whiffy changeup, an 87 mph worm-killer four-seam fastball that has heavy sinking action, and an 87 mph sinker, while also mixing in a 74 mph curveball that has exceptional bite. Key Matchups: Francisco Mejia (1-2, HR, RBI, BB), Brett Phillips (3-3)
Josh Fleming gave up five runs (three earned) on seven hits across 3.1 innings on Thursday, against Oakland. He struck out six and walked one. Fleming replaced Luis Patino (oblique) in the rotation and threw a season-high 67 pitches. While he got into trouble in every inning, the 25-year-old displayed the potential to be a high-strikeout hurler after posting a 5.6 K/9 in 26 starts last year. To his credit, he limited hard contact although balls found holes, not gloves — his 0.36 FIP and .636 BABIP over the last seven days speak to that. Through 6.2 innings this season, Fleming has recorded 11 punchouts compared to just one walk.
Justin Steele allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four across 4.1 innings against Colorado on Thursday. Steele allowed plenty of traffic on the basepaths in the outing, but all five hits against him were singles, and he wiggled out of a few jams to surrender just two runs. Whatever the case, he needed 80 pitches to get through 4.1 frames and allowed two of the final three batters he faced to reach base. Even so, the left-hander has been a pleasant surprise early in the season, allowing just two runs and posting a 3.0 K/BB across 9.1 frames across two starts. Steele relies primarily on a 93 mph worm-killer four-seam fastball that has natural sinking action and an 82 mph slider that sweeps across the zone, while also mixing in a 91 mph sinker that has natural sinking action and a 77 mph curveball that has slight glove-side movement.
Drew Rasmussen allowed three runs on five hits over five innings on Friday, while striking out two against the White Sox. The first run to score against Rasmussen came in the second inning when he fired a wild pitch. Then, he gave up a solo shot to Jake Burger in the third, followed by an RBI single in the fifth. Rasmussen, who was not the recipient of solid defense behind him, tossed 47 of 68 pitches for strikes (69% strike rate), including nine whiffs.
Marcus Stroman allowed five runs on six hits across four innings on Friday against the Rockies. He walked one and struck out four. Stroman struggled to find his footing at Coors Field, although he looked good through the first three innings. But, the Rockies tallied five runs on four hits and a walk in the fourth. The big blow was a three-run shot by Alan Trejo. The tough outing pushed Stroman’s season ERA to 6.00. Over his career, the former AL East stalwart is 5-7 with a 4.57 ERA in 15 starts against the Rays. Stroman relies primarily on his 92 mph sinker with heavy sinking action and an 85 mph slider that has some two-plane movement, while also mixing in an 86 mph changeup that dives down out of the zone and a 91 mph cutter with heavy sink. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (3-10), Kevin Kiermaier (9-33, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB), Brandon Lowe (2-7, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Manuel Margot (2-5, HR, 2 RBI), Brett Phillips (1-2), Mike Zunino (1-3, HR, 2 RBI)
Noteworthiness
— In anticipation of RHP Javy Guerra joining the active roster on Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays optioned RHP Tommy Romero to Triple-A Durham following Sunday’s contest.
On Saturday, the Rays acquired Guerra from San Diego for cash considerations. The right-hander was designated for assignment earlier this week. Tampa Bay moved Shane Baz to the 60-day Injured List to make room on the 40-man roster.
Guerra has pitched 27.2 big league innings over the last three-plus seasons, including two frames in the Padres’ 10-5 win over the Diamondbacks on April 10. Injuries have hampered the converted infielder’s progress, not to mention some roster constrictions given that he is out of options.
Guerra’s fastball boasts arm-side movement and touches the 100 mph. He also has a 90 mph slider.