After winning two of three in Cincinnati, the Tampa Bay Rays return to the friendly confines of Tropicana Field, where they’ll start a three-game series against the St. Petersburg Chicago White Sox on Friday. The South Siders dropped two of three to the Phillies.
The Rays enter play 16-3 on the season, 13 games over .500.
What looked to be another disappointing trip to the Queen City resulted in an offensive explosion in the second and third games of the series against the Reds. After a 10-0 throttling on Tuesday, Tampa Bay jumped to an early 6-0 lead and then cruised the rest of the way to the victory. Randy Arozarena had three hits while Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe each added a pair in the win. Díaz hit his sixth homer of the season leading off the game, giving Tampa Bay all the offense it would need on the day.
The Rays lead the majors in home runs (42), team batting average (.288), on-base percentage (.360), slugging percentage (.542), OPS (.903), and runs scored (133) this season.
Meanwhile, Chicago was unable to get much going offensively in the series finale Wednesday afternoon. The White Sox entered Thursday 7-12 on the season and stood fourth in the AL Central — 4.0 games behind the Twins for the top spot in the division. On Wednesday, the South Siders finished with six hits in the game with Andrew Vaughn the lone player with two in the ball game. Vaughn hit his first home run of the season in the opening inning to give the White Sox a 2-1 lead only to go scoreless the rest of the way.
Over the last week, Chicago has performed 20% below league average in wRC+, slashing .221 BA/.278 OBP/.369 SLG/.647 OPS with a -6.2 wRAA along the way.
Last season, the Rays went 2-4 against the White Sox, including 1-2 at home.
Pitching Probables
Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Calvin Faucher (0-0, 4.15 ERA, 5.97 FIP) who they are trying to stretch out, Shane McClanahan (4-0, 1.57 ERA, 2.41 FIP), and Zach Eflin (2-0, 3.27, 2.59 FIP). Pedro Grifol will counter with Michael Kopech (0-2, 6.32 ERA, 9.26 FIP), Dylan Cease (2-0, 2.01 ERA, 3.32 FIP), and Lucas Giolito (1-1, 4.29 ERA, 3.40 FIP).
Calvin Faucher is slated to be stretched out to around four innings on Friday — a similar methodology to how the Rays converted Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen to starters. Faucher will be making his second straight turn as a starter/opener. While opening in front of Josh Fleming on Saturday, Faucher covered 2.2 innings and struck out two while allowing one run on two hits and one walk. Overall, he owns a 4.15 ERA and 5.97 FIP, with a 1.27 WHIP, and a 3.00 K/BB across 8.2 innings of work.
Michael Kopech gave up three runs on six hits and four walks over five-plus innings against the Orioles. He struck out four. The right-hander seemed to be cruising toward a quality start, allowing just one run through the first five innings, however, a solo shot by Anthony Santander followed by a walk to Austin Hays to lead off the sixth chased Kopech from the game. It’s the second time in three starts the wheels have come off for him two or three times through the order. Kopech maintains a robust 6.32 ERA and 9.26 FIP, with a 1.4 K/BB through 15.2 innings on the season. He relies primarily on a 96 mph fourseam fastball and an 85 mph slider that has some two-plane movement, while also mixing in an 89 mph changeup that has slight arm-side fade and has some natural sink to it. Kopech is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one start against Tampa Bay. Key Matchup: Randy Arozarena (1-2)
Shane McClanahan allowed one run on four hits and two walks over six innings on Sunday against the Blue Jays. He struck out six. McClanahan was spotted a three-run lead to start the game, but he allowed the first three batters to reach in the bottom of the first, including an RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. However, the southpaw got out of the inning by retiring the next three batters and then cruised through five scoreless frames. McClanahan has four wins in as many tries and currently sports a 1.57 ERA and a 2.41 FIP, with a 2.45 K/BB across 23 innings. The lefthander is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts against the White Sox.
Dylan Cease allowed two runs on six hits and five walks over six innings against the Orioles. He struck out five. Despite a strong start with a four-run lead in the first inning, Cease’s command faltered and he allowed the Orioles to creep back into the contest. A crucial error by Jake Burger in the fourth inning allowed Cedric Mullins to hit a base-clearing triple, and Cease’s wild pitch in the sixth allowed Gunnar Henderson to tie the game at four runs apiece. Although Cease was relieved later in the frame, his 2.02 ERA and 3.32 FIP, 1.07 WHIP, 29.3% K%, and .143 average against reflect his status as a top hurler. He relies primarily on an 86 mph slider that has some two-plane movement and a whiffy 96 mph fourseam fastball, while also mixing in an 80 mph 12-6 curveball that has exceptional bite. Cease is 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA in three starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Wander Franco (2-3), Manuel Margot (1-4, BB), Harold Ramírez (2-4, 2 RBI)
Zach Eflin (back) reportedly looked good in a bullpen session Monday and is slated to start Sunday. Eflin was placed on the IL on April 11 due to lower-back tightness, but barring any further setbacks, he should be in line for activation when first eligible this weekend. The right-hander had pitched well before the injury, compiling a 3.27 ERA and a 2.59 FIP, with a 12.0 K/BB, and a 1.18 WHIP over 11 innings.
Lucas Giolito will start Sunday’s game against the Rays instead of Lance Lynn, who was originally the probable starter for this contest. In his last start against the Twins on Tuesday, Giolito was sensational, tossing six no-hit innings with seven strikeouts. On the season, Giolito owns a 4.29 ERA and a 3.40 FIP, with a 5.75 K/BB, and a 1.24 WHIP through 21 innings. He relies primarily on a 94 mph fourseam fastball, an 81 mph changeup, and an 84 mph 12-6 slider that has some two-plane movement. Giolito is 2-0 with a 2.27 ERA in six career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (2-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, BB), Harold Ramírez (2-5, 2B, RBI), Taylor Walls (1-3)
Noteworthiness
— José Siri (hamstring) is likely to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham this weekend. If he is able to escape the weekend free of any setbacks, he could be activated from the 10-day Injured List ahead of the Rays’ series with the Astros which starts on Monday. Siri went 7-for-22 with two home runs and a stolen base in 24 plate appearances over his first six games with the Rays before hitting the shelf.
The Music That Influenced This Preview
Samiam recently released Stowaway and let me tell you, it’s an East Bay pop-punk masterclass.