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The New What Next: Rays vs Rangers — a series preview; Kiermaier injury update

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Blake Snell is coming off a quality start in which he gave up no runs, yet walked five. (Photo Credit: Unknown)

A pair of American League teams, that are off to disappointing starts, are set to start a three-game series in St. Petersburg, when the Tampa Bay Rays play host to the Texas Rangers starting Monday night.

Tampa Bay completed a three-game Interleague set with the Phillies on Sunday, yet were drubbed by Gabe Kapler’s crew for the second consecutive game, thus handing Philadelphia a three-game sweep. The Rays are now sitting in the basement of the American League with a 3-11 record. Meanwhile, after dropping five in a row, the Rangers won the last two games of their series against the Astros to improve to 6-11 on the season.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

The Rangers took the season series in 2017, 4-2, sweeping a three game set at Tropicana Field from July 21-23, 2017.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days Kevin Cash will lean on Blake Snell (1-1, 3.60 ERA), *Yonny Chirinos (0-0, 0.00 ERA), and Jacob Faria. Jeff Banister will counter with Martin Perez (1-1, 11.88 ERA), Matt Moore (0-3, 8.76 ERA), and Cole Hamels (1-2, 4.50 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Blake Snell allowed one run on one hit, yet five walks, over six innings on Tuesday against the White Sox. While Snell’s control was questionable, the southpaw had an otherwise great outing, punching out 10 batters. Talk about a bounce-back, in his previous two starts, Snell had struck out just seven combined batters over nine innings. After making three starts, Snell owns a respectable 3.60 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, but a shaky 4.73 FIP and a very lucky .182 BABIP.

Martin Perez took the loss after he allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and four walks across three innings. He struck out two. Perez has now given up 11 earned runs on 19 hits (including a pair of homers) and four walks over 8-1/3 combined innings. This season, the 27 year-old has relied on a 92 mph sinker, while also mixing in a firm 84 mph circle changeup, a 77 mph curveball, and a fly-ball inducing 91 mph four seam fastball. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (5-18, 2B, 3B, 6 RBI), Daniel Robertson (1-2), Jesus Sucre (1-2)

Yonny Chirinos allowed four hits and one walk 5-1/3 shutout innings on Wednesday against the White Sox. He fanned five. The right-hander has flummoxed big-league hitters over his first three MLB outings, throwing 14-1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox (twice) and White Sox lineups, and allowing just eight hits and a pair of walks, while striking out 12. His ground ball rate is a solid 50%, and his strikeout rate is a pristine 14.41 K/9 (9.00 K/BB). Should he start Tuesday — a starter for that game has yet to be officially announced — and if he again performs well, he will have made a good case for cementing himself in the starting rotation.

Matt Moore took the loss on Wednesday after he allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out two. The former Ray threw just 57 of 96 pitches for strikes (59% strike ratio), although Wednesday’s outing was the longest of the young season. …So that counts for something, right? In no uncertain terms, Matty Moe’s 8.76 ERA and 1.29 K/BB over 12-1/3 innings were not what the Rangers hoped for when they acquired him. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (1-3), Matt Duffy (1-3, HR, RBI), Denard Span (2-6)

Jacob Faria took a no-decision against the Phillies on Friday, although he gave up just one earned run on two hits over 5-1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out seven. It was a nice bounce-back for the right-hander, who was lit up for eight earned runs over just 1-2/3 innings by Boston in his previous start. He, however, still has issued more walks than strikeouts over his first 11 innings, with 10 free passes against nine K’s.

Cole Hamels came away with a no-decision in a loss to the Astros, after he allowed just two runs on six hits (including two solo homers) and two walks over six innings. He fanned seven. The two George Springer solo shots were the only blemishes on his line for the night. Hamels threw 68 of 106 pitches for strikes (64% strike ratio) in his first quality start of the season. Home runs are a problem for the southpaw — he’s now given up seven over 22 innings, overshadowing a 2.72 K/BB. Key Matchups: Matt Duffy (3-9, 3 RBI), Carlos Gomez (6-22, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Adeiny Hechavarria (11-29, 2B, 4 3B, 4 RBI, BB), Rob Refsnyder (1-1, BB), Denard Span (8-30, 2B, 2RBI, 4 BB), Jesus Sucre (4-6, 2B, 2 RBI)

Noteworthiness

— For a third straight season, Kevin Kiermaier will miss a significant number of games because of an injury, this time to his right thumb, after he sustained a torn ligament. Kiermaier will undergo surgery to repair the ligament and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks. An official announcement from the team is expected Monday afternoon.

The injury occurred after Kiermaier blooped a single in front of Phillies left-fielder Rhys Hoskins in his first at-bat. When Hoskins bobbled the ball, the centerfielder took off toward second base, diving headfirst and “jamming” his right thumb on the bag he tried not to slide past.

I go in there and I knew it was going to be a close play and just kind of got caught on the ground, and the thumb kind of got caught at a weird angle, Kiermaier said quietly in the Rays clubhouse while wearing a soft cast on his right hand.

It was one of those things where I thought I had a chance to overslide the bag, which I’ve done a couple times in my career, and I was just trying to hold on. I don’t know if that’s what made my thumb go at the angle it did, but I definitely thought I jammed it. I didn’t like the way my thumb felt after that as far as how it was looking and how it was moving.

He was pulled from the game in the top half of the inning after testing his thumb out, by gripping a ball, in the dugout.

It wasn’t right. We’ll get further tests tomorrow and final word what’s going to happen, but it’s just unfortunate, Kiermaier said. It’s just another freak accident. I can’t believe I’m saying this for a third year in a row now. The hardest part about all this is I feel like I let a lot of people down. My teammates, the community, coaches. I harped on this in spring training all year, I said I just want to stay healthy for my teammates and put my talents on display for a full year, and that’s in jeopardy right now.

Suffice it to say, no one in the clubhouse is too excited prospect of the Outlaw again being placed on the disabled list, including manager Kevin Cash.

He’s going to get an MRI (exam) tomorrow. Not too excited the potential of it, manager Kevin Cash said. I don’t want to get too far ahead of it, but he’s going to be out.

Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) noted that Mike Trout underwent a similar procedure last season, and bounced back within seven weeks:

Based on the similarity of the injury to what Angels star Mike Trout sustained last year on a similar play, that could mean an absence of at least seven weeks.

Kiermaier, though, injured the thumb on his right hand, which he uses to grip the ball to throw, and could mean a longer absence.  Trout tore the ligament in his left, non-throwing, hand, had surgery and came back with no issues.

Johnny Field, who made his big league debut on Saturday, stepped in for Kiermaier on Sunday. He could be considered a candidate to fill in for the Gold Glove winning centerfielder

It, however, seems likely that the team will shift Carlos Gomez from right to center. Another option could be to play Mallex Smith in center, although his defensive concerns might make him a liability in the biggest part of the park.

Topkin also listed the candidates that could take Kiermaier’s spot on the roster while he is on the mend:

As for replacing Kiermaier on the roster, the Rays could turn to lefty hitters Micah Johnson, who was impressive during spring training, or newly acquired Jeremy Hazelbaker, though either would also have to be added to the 40-man roster. Another option would be to call up prospect Jake Bauers, though he is primarily a first baseman and has not gotten off to a good start.

Another factor in the decision on the replacement is that lefty hitting Brad Miller is aiming to come off the DL by the end of the week, so either the Kiermaier replacement, Field or Rob Refsnyder would seem likely to go then.

Tampa Bay Rays 4/13/18 pre-game notes and starting lineup

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Per Marc Topkin, Vaseline left Kevin Kiermaier with a wonderful homecoming care package on Friday. (Photo Credit: Marc Topkin)

The Tampa Bay Rays will kick off a 10-game home stand on Friday night with a three-game Grapefruit League series against the visiting Clearwater Phillies.

Prior to the series, and as I intimated earlier, the Rays added Johnny Field to the roster, giving the team a full compliment of position players. St Petersburg native Ryan Weber was optioned to Triple-A Durham to make room for Field on the 25-man roster, then subsequently designated for assignment to make room for him on the 40-man. Tampa Bay had been carrying an extra pitcher since Brad Miller was placed on the DL with a groin injury. This is the first call-up for Field, who was the last man cut in Spring Training.

Apparently Vaseline’s corporate contingent has been paying attention, as Kevin Kiermaier had a homecoming care package waiting for him today in clubhouse, with a personal letter and a few of their products (see picture above). If you are unfamiliar with the reference, Kiermaier had planned to cover his body with Vaseline to handle the cold during the team’s eight-game road trip.

Injury Notes

According to Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) Kevin Cash told reporters that starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi played catch on the field earlier Friday, only weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. Cash also said that infielder Brad Miller continues to ramp up his rehab, but has not done any field work yet as of Friday afternoon. The Rays placed Miller on the DL with a groin strain following Sunday’s game against the Red Sox.

Rays 4/13/18 Starting Lineup

Span DH
Kiermaier CF
Gomez RF
Cron 1B
Wendle 2B
Duffy 3B
Smith LF
Ramos C
Hechavarria SS
Faria RHP

The New What Next: Rays vs Phillies — an interleague series preview

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The Rays will choose the contract OF Johnny Field from Triple-A Durham, and a corresponding move is expected on Friday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays return home from an eight-game, 2-6 road trip, and will welcome the Philadelphia Phillies into the Trop for a three-game series, starting Friday. The Rays took two of three from the Chicago White Sox to cap an otherwise abysmal cold weather trip. Phlly has played better of late, having won three in a row and are currently 6-5 after a sweep of the Reds.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

Despite a very slow start to the season, Tampa Bay’s offense appears to have turned a corner. The team has improved on its wRISP batting average since the Opening Series, from .176 to .235 against the Yankees, and .240 again vs Boston to .286 vs the South Siders. The Rays look to further continue that trend this weekend.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

To their credit, the Rays also have reduced their strikeout rate by 2% (give or take) and have increased their walk rate. Of consequence, the team’s on base percentage is now a few ticks over .300. They have shown what they can do by earning a lot of free passes over the last two games, to the tune of +15, while also putting balls in play. They still aren’t a slugging team, nor are they built to be one, yet they have started to figure out a way to plate runs.

Now if only the bullpen could keep it together later in games … I digress.

One caveat: the Rays have left a lot of chicken on the bone over the last few games — especially in the series finale with Chicago, when they scored just one single tally. They must play perfect baseball, and take advantage of any and all scoring opportunities, if they are to win those close affairs. As Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) put it in his “Takeaways” column on Wednesday, if the opposing starter is going to walk five of your first 10, and allow a hit to another, as James Shields did, you have to take advantage. The Rays got nothing, and it cost them because they should’ve had more than a 1-0 lead.

Pitching Matchups

Over the next three days Kevin Cash will lean on Jacob Faria (0-1, 14.29 ERA), Chris Archer (1-0, 5.94 ERA), and the bullpen (1-6, 4.64 ERA). Former friend of the Rays, Gabe Kapler will respond with Vince Velasquez (1-1, 5.19 ERA), Jake Arrieta (0-0, 4.50 ERA), and Ben Lively (0-1, 5.56 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Jacob Faria will try to make amends for his previous disastrous start, in which he finished just 1-2/3 innings and gave up five hits and eight earned runs. He didn’t fan a single batter yet walked five. Since that ill-fated outing, Faria had a long talk with pitching coach Kyle Snyder, and chose to return to the between-starts drills he had gotten away from.

I have a tendency to doubt myself a lot. I’m my own toughest critic, Faria said. That’s the thing Kyle is really good at is reinforcing to everybody really is if you’re here it’s because you belong here. Just go out and do what you know how to do.

He also threw an encouraging bullpen session which has the right-hander feeling better ahead of his next start.

Vince Velasquez looks to go above .500 for the first time this season, after starting 0-1 and then winning his second start to even his record. Velasquez pitched well in the win, allowing just one earned run on four hits over six innings. He walked just one batter and struck out six. The right-hander relies upon a changeup with glove side movement, an 11-5 curveball with eight inches of drop, a “rising” fastball, and a whiffy mid-to-upper 90’s fastball that he uses coax swings and misses from within the zone. To put it another way, plenty of pitchers are able to get swings and misses out of the zone, writes Jeff Sullivan (FanGraphs). Velasquez looks like someone who could be able to get swings and misses in the zone, and that’s tougher. Key matchups: Adeiny Hechavarria (2-7, 2B, RBI, BB), Mallex Smith (1-2), Denard Span (1-2)

Chris Archer gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks while fanning eight batters over 5-2/3 innings in Monday’s 5-4 victory over the ChiSox. For the second consecutive game, Archer struck out eight batters in less than six innings of work. However, home runs remain an issue for the right-hander, as he gave up a two-run shot to Nicky Delmonico in the fifth inning. Over the first three games (16-2/3 innings) of the season, Archer has surrendered three home runs. It certainly doesn’t help that right-hander has leaned on his changeup just 5.7% of the time, relegating him to, effectively, a two-pitch hurler.

Jake Arrieta allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks while fanning five in his season debut on Sunday. Arrieta surrendered all of his earned runs in his first inning of work, then allowed just two baserunners thereafter. Thus far, he has relied primarily on a 92 mph sinker with obvious tailing action, while also mixing in a 79 mph biting curveball, and an 89 mph cutter. Key matchups: Matt Duffy (4-9, 3B), Carlos Gomez (3-10, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Adeiny Hechavarria (2-5), Wilson Ramos (3-4, RBI, 2 BB), Mallex Smith (1-3)

The Rays will rely upon the bullpen on Sunday, yet the “starter” has not yet been determined.

Ben Lively allowed five runs on nine hits — including a homer — and a pair of walks while striking out seven over 5-2/3 innings on Monday. He did not factor into the decision. Thus far he has relied primarily on a whiffy 92 mph four-seam fastball and a 76 mph curveball with slight glove side movement, while also mixing in a 92 mph sinker with arm side run and an 84 mph slider.

Noteworthiness

— After Wednesday’s game, the Rays announced that Johnny Field would be called up on Friday. Reliever Ryan Weber, was optioned back to Durham.

To add Field, the Rays will have to make room on the 40-man roster, and that move is expected to be announced on Friday.

In spite of a strong spring campaign, the Rays opted to go outside the organization and acquired Rob Refsnyder. It is not yet clear how Field will be used, although with Mallex Smith struggling defensively, and Rob Refsnyder able to play infield in place of Brad Miller (groin strain), there should be opportunity.

Per a scouting report, Field has the makeup managers look for, is a consistent performer and won’t be outworked. The right-handed hitting outfielder can handle both southpaws (.281 BA/.352 OBP/.453 SLG/.805) and right-handers (.272 BA/.333 OBP/.455 SLG/.788 OPS) while providing defensive depth in the field

LBWMF: Rays win second straight, 6-5; acquire Jeremy Hazelbaker from Arizona

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The Rays walked away with their first series win of the season on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays continued their “winning ways” on Tuesday, edging the Chicago White Sox, 6-5, in what became a ninth-inning nail-biter. Shocker, I know.

What follows are The Good, The Bad, and The Argyle from the matinee ball game.

The Good

— After an unlucky start to the season, with the Rays performing to a .267 BABIP over the first nine games, the luck dragons now appear to be nipping at the heals of opposing pitchers. Tampa Bay put up a .385 BABIP against Boston on Sunday, a .419 BABIP on Monday, and a .400 BABIP Tuesday afternoon. To be certain, gaudy BABIP’s as such are not sustainable. However, a subpar .267 figure also shouldn’t be expected over the long haul.

In the words of our buddy Robert Smith — no, not the singer of the Cure — So many things went wrong during the Yankee and Red Sox series. No way those threads would continue.

This offense isnt great. Many people think it will be worse than last year. But people equate HRs with effectiveness. We were 25th int he league in runs. It was not a good offense.

I think when all is said and done, that this offense will score more runs than we did last year.

— For the second consecutive day, everyone in the lineup reached base. Carlos Gomez crushed a massive 424 foot home run to center (see below) and reached on a single, Mallex Smith reached on a pair of base hits, Daniel Robertson continued to rack up solid OBP figures with two singles and a walk, and Joey Wendle continued his five game hitting streak with a single (also reaching on three walks).

— A mere 10 games after he first strode out onto the field on Opening Day, Wilson Ramos plated his first run of the season, driving in Duffy from second.

— Three hours and 48 minutes makes for a long game, however, the Rays did a good job at being patient at the plate and working good at-bats. Tampa Bay’s batters reached base 22 times on 11 hits, 10 walks, and one hit by pitch. Egad, it’s almost like the Rays of old, under the watchful eye of Joe Maddon, where a walk was as good as a hit!

— The Rays went 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position, good for a .313 wRISP batting average. To that end, those numbers also appear to be improving; Tampa Bay has improved its wRISP batting average over the course of the first three series, from .176 in the Opening Series to .235 against the Yankees, then .240 again vs Boston. They also went 5-15 wRISP on Monday, good for a .333 batter’s average.

— Blake Snell fanned 10, induced seven ground outs, and gave up just one hit and one run. From a boxscore perspective, he looked unflappable. He also finished six innings which put the bullpen in a reasonable position. All that glitters is not gold, however, which I’ll talk about that in the next section.

The Bad

— Snell yielded five walks and got himself into 12 three-ball counts. At points in the game he appeared to get ahead of batters only to fall behind, and admittedly tried to get a little “too nasty” in the hope that he could get Chicago’s free-swinging batters to chase. At other points in the game his command was all but there. 114 pitches (2018 high water mark; 62 strikes) over six innings really isn’t the model of efficiency.

— Oh my, that ninth inning…

With a cushy five run lead in the ninth, Ryan Weber made his first appearance in a Rays uniform. But, Weber promptly allowed a lead off double to Tim Anderson, whose grounder got by Duffy at third and dribbled down the foul line, caroming off the wall. In all fairness, Anderson did not exactly hit a bullet, rather the odd carom factored into the two-base hit. Nevertheless, the shortstop easily swiped third and scored on a sacrifice-fly, drawing Chicago within four.

With the base paths clear, Wendle bobbled a routine grounder which allowed Leury Garcia to reach first base. After Weber walked Yoan Moncada, Cash decided to bring in Alex Colome to what now was a save situation.

Colome coaxed a weak comebacker from the first batter he faced, allowing the base runners to move up 90-feet … albeit with two outs and a four-run lead. Colome jumped out in front of the next batter, Jose Abreu, with an 0-2 count when he went for the game ending punch out. Yet Colome didn’t bury his put-away cutter, and instead of swinging over the off-speed offering, Abreu golf-clubbed a three-run homer to center — bringing the White Sox within one.

Adding insult to injury, Colome walked the next batter, which brought the winning run, represented by Omar Narvaez, to the plate. Narvaez, however, lashed a line drive to Mallex Smith in right for the final out.

The Argyle

— This Leverage Index graph clearly is not as benign as it looks.


Source: FanGraphs

The New What Next

The Rays will try for the sweep on Wednesday with Yonny Chirinos (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on the mound. He’ll be opposed by “Big Game” James Shields (1-0, 5.73 ERA).

Yonny Chirinos was dominant over his five inning, 54-pitch (38 strikes, 70.3% strike ratio) outing, relying primarily on a heavy sinker that coaxed a lot of early in the count ground ball outs. The right-hander didn’t walk a batter and struck out four, giving up just three hits along the way — none of which were struck particularly well by Boston’s lineup.

James Shields, former friends of the Rays, struggled over his first two starts of his 2018 campaign. He has given up seven runs over 11 innings, while walking two and striking out just one. He, however, has been very good against his former team, coasting to a 3-0 record with a 1.35 ERA over three starts. He has fanned 23 along the way. The Rays have not faced Shields since 2016. Key matchups: Carlos Gomez (4-9), Adeiny Hechavarria (3-10), Kevin Kiermaier (1-2, 2B), Brad Miller (4-10, 2B, HR, RBI, BB), Wilson Ramos (1-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB)

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs ChiSox — a series preview

Rays 4/11/18 Starting Lineup

Span DH
Kiermaier CF
Gomez RF
Cron 1B
Wendle 2B
Duffy 3B
Smith LF
Hechavarria SS
Sucre C
Chirinos RHP

Noteworthiness

— Following the game Tuesday, the Rays acquired outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker from Arizona in exchange for cash considerations. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Tampa Bay transferred RHP Jose De Leon to the 60-day disabled list.

Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors) wrote about the deal, saying:

Hazelbaker, whom the D-backs designated for assignment late last week, will head to Triple-A Durham. De Leon underwent Tommy John surgery during Spring Training, so he’ll be out for the entirety of the 2018 season.

The 30-year-old Hazelbaker will give the Rays some depth across the board in the outfield, as he’s plenty experienced in center and in both outfield corners. The left-handed-hitting Hazelbaker was the talk of MLB two years ago when he broke camp with the Cardinals and posted an absurd .317/.357/.683 slash in the month of April. However, he cooled off considerably over the remainder of the season and was ultimately waived by St. Louis and claimed by Arizona.

Last year with the D-backs, Hazelbaker logged 61 plate appearances and again posted some eye-popping numbers, hitting .346/.443/.577 with two doubles, two homers and two triples. In all, Hazelbaker is a .258/.327/.500 hitter in in 285 MLB plate appearances, and he owns a .277/.336/.452 slash in parts of seven Triple-A seasons.

LBWMF: Rays halt losing skid at eight in 5-4 defeat of the White Sox

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Joey Wendle hit his first home run of the season on Monday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays put to bed their ugliest losing skid of the last few years on Monday, eking out a 5-4 win against the Chicago White Sox — their first win since Opening Day.

For the second straight game Tampa Bay collected double-digits in hits, thanks in part to outfielder Mallex Smith who went 4-for-4 with two stolen bases.

All told, Tampa Bay amassed a season-high 14 hits, including multi-hit games from the aforementioned Smith, Matt Duffy, Joey Wendle, and Wilson Ramos.

The Rays struck first and took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame after Carlos Gomez singled with two outs, moved to second on a walk to C.J. Cron, then came home on an infield single by Duffy.

Be that as it may, the White Sox answered in the bottom of the inning against Chris Archer, who was bereft of command right out the gate. Archer allowed a run to cross the plate without the benefit of a hit — walking a pair of batters and hitting another to load the bases, before he allowed a sac-fly to Yolmer Sanchez.

In the third inning, Archer was able to work around a Yoan Moncada leadoff double, keeping the score knotted at one until the top of the fourth.

Daniel Robertson started the rally when he worked a one-out free pass before he advanced to second base on a wild-pitch. The baseball gods allegedly took pity upon the Rays and allowed Smith to steal back the lead with an RBI triple to center, his second hit of the day.

Then in the top of the fifth inning, Joey Wendle hit a 2-0 leadoff laser-shot to right, his first homer of the season.

Later in the inning, Matt Duffy singled home Gomez (who reached on a double) giving the Rays a three-run lead — their biggest lead of the day. The difference didn’t last long, however.

Archer couldn’t put together that all important shutdown inning, ultimately allowing a two-out, two-run homer to Nick Delmonico on a hanging 0-2 slider, bringing the ChiSox within a run.

Fortunately enough, the Rays were able to add an important insurance run in the sixth inning after Denard Span singled home Smith from third base. The extra tally proved crucial, as Archer allowed an RBI double to Omar Narvaez in the home half of the frame, once again making it a one-run contest. Archer’s day was done.

Chaz Roe entered in relief and got the final out in the sixth and the first out of the seventh. Jose Alvarado followed and picked up the second out before Sergio Romo finished out the frame.

Romo took the mound once more in the eighth and struck out a pair of batters, putting an end to yet another White Sox rally, and setting the stage for a dramatic ninth.

Brett Phillips (DRaysBay) did an excellent job narrating what could have been another disastrous ninth inning, so without further adieux…

Colome did his darnedest to give this game away in the ninth. I mean it, he really, really did. First off, he walked Jose Abreu, who was 1-for-6 with 4 K’s against Colome lifetime. Then, he allowed a hit to Nicky Delmonico to put men on first and second. Colome was missing his spots, and missing badly. After going ahead 0-2 to the next batter (who was swinging away and not bunting), Colome just decided to do his work for him and advance the batters anyway. A wild pitch put them at second and third with no outs. At this point I nearly turned the game off, but I’m glad I didn’t. Because like I said before, this was the game nobody wanted to win.

Delmonico chopped a weak ball back to Colome for the first out. Then Cash pulled the infield in, and put a very strange shift on Tim Anderson, with three men on the left side pulled in. You could see the game-winning hit coming a mile away. Except, as it turns out, this was a perfect defensive alignment. Like clockwork, Anderson chopped it right to Duffy, who almost tagged out Abreu at third with a modest lead. Dewayne Staats then said “Colome would really like a ground ball to first base here” and, as if by magic, three seconds later Leury Garcia chopped an easy grounder to C.J. Cron at first, sealing the Rays win. It happened by the skin of their teeth, and it happened basically because of some offensive ineptitude by a Chicago team in full-rebuild…but it happened.

The New What Next

The Rays will play the second game of the series on Tuesday, when Blake Snell (0-1, 5.00 ERA) takes the mound opposite of Carson Fulmer (0-0, 5.40 ERA).

Snell was tagged with a loss after he allowed five runs on four hits and three walks over 3-1/3 innings Wednesday. He struck out five. Snell allowed a leadoff single to Brett Gardner, then served up a mammoth two-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton two batters later. The southpaw allowed another two-run shot in the third inning — this time to Gary Sanchez — before he was chased after recording just 10 outs on 90 pitches.

Fulmer was impressive in his season debut last Wednesday, giving up three runs in five innings while walking just one. He struck out five. Fulmer has above-average arm speed and relies primarily on a 91 mph fastball with modest arm-side run and late life, a big breaking 11-5 curveball with significant depth, an 87 mph cutter with average movement and average control, and a show me changeup that he throws to lefties. He does have occasional inconsistency at release, and sometimes over-throws. This will be Fulmer’s first start against Tampa Bay.

You can read about the series in our preview.

Rays 4/10/18 Starting Lineup

Span LF
Wendle 2B
Gomez CF
Cron 1B
Duffy 3B
Smith RF
Ramos C
Hechavarria SS
Robertson DH
Snell LHP

Noteworthiness

— Rays of hope…

Tampa Bay has improved its wRISP batting average over the course of the first three series, from .176 in the Opening Series to .235 against the Yankees, then .240 again vs Boston. If Monday’s game is any indication, the Rays could be getting better in the batter’s box, as they went 5-15 wRISP for a .333 batter’s average.

What’s more, the Rays luck could be improving. The Rays put up a .385 BABIP against Boston on Sunday, and a .419 BABIP on Monday on the south side of Chicago. This, after they performed to an unlucky .267 BABIP over the first nine games of the season.