X-Rays Spex

A Below Average Rays Fan Blog

Yonny Chirinos placed on the IL; Glasnow and Snell update

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The Rays are placing Yonny Chirinos on the 10-day IL with an inflamed right middle finger.

The Tampa Bay Rays announced Monday that right-hander Yonny Chirinos is headed to the 10-day Injured List with an inflamed right middle finger. Right-hander Austin Pruitt is coming up to take the open roster spot, at least for the time being.

The Rays are anticipating a reasonably lengthy absence — Chirinos will be shut down for at least two weeks. Kevin Cash announced that right-hander is expected to be sidelined for more than a month.

It’s unfortunate. He’s going to be out some time.

— Kevin Cash

Chirinos, who had some issue in that finger previously, said it became a more acute issue in the fourth inning of Sunday’s ballgame when he threw a slider. He was pulled after five innings.

It’s irritated. He tried to kind of work through it a little bit but we felt like after this last five-inning outing it kind of flared up on him. Took him out of the game, had some doctors and it made the most sense to shut him down.

— Kevin Cash

The Rays aren’t entirely certain how they will handle this situation over the long-term.

I’m not sure. I need some time to process it. We’ll put our heads together and do what’s best for the guys currently on the team and how we’re going to be able to pull from the minor leagues to provide pitches and innings. But we’ve got three guys that we counted on for 180-plus innings, they’re all sitting and watching games. So, not ideal. But bet on these guys to pick each other up and find a way to figure it out.

— Kevin Cash

Chirinos has been an important part of the Rays rotation which lost Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell to injury. Pruitt was promoted to take Chirinos’ place on the active roster, although he is coming off a shoulder-related IL stint at Triple-A, so it doesn’t sound like he will be a long-term solution.

Trevor Richards (who was acquired from Miami and needs to be stretched out from relief work to multi-inning duty), Jose De Leon, and Anthony Banda (who is completing his Tommy John rehab) are all in house options to take Chirinos’ place either as a starter or in a bulk-inning role.

The team did receive positive news on Glasnow and Snell. Glasnow threw from 60 feet this afternoon — his first time throwing in six weeks — and said his forearm “felt really good.” As for Snell, the left-hander told reporters that his bone-chip removal procedure went well. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner told reporters that team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Eaton removed six bone chips from his elbow (five small, one kind of large) … that he has regained a good range of motion, and feels good. He, however, won’t have any real sense of his schedule until the inflammation in his elbow subsides.

Thankfully the Rays own the second easiest schedule in remaining games in the American League, and Tampa Bay just started its softest stretch of the season. The team will play 19 consecutive games against teams that currently are below .500, with three games against the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres, four against the Baltimore Orioles, and six against the Seattle Mariners. If the Rays can weather this storm into September, when Glasnow and Snell are expected to return, they should be in good shape heading into the last stretch of the season and into the playoffs.

TNWN: Rays vs Blue Jays — a series preview, part four

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Charlie Morton will get the start in the series opener against the Blue Jays, on Monday.

After the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Marlins 7-2 on Sunday afternoon, completing a two-game sweep of Miami, they will welcome the Toronto Blue Jays into the Trop for a three-game series. The Blue Jays are coming off a series split against the Orioles.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

For the first time in franchise history, the Rays have scored six or more runs in seven consecutive games. Over that stretch, Tampa Bay has gone 6-1 and swept two consecutive series. They are a red-hot 8-2 in the last 10 games and have won three consecutive series.

The Rays offense has been very good of late, slashing a combined .333 BA/.417 OBP/.640 SLG/1.057 OPS line with a .307 ISO, a 179 wRC+, and a 21.5 wRAA over the last seven days. A caveat, however, they’ve been very lucky to the tune of an unsustainable .408 BABIP over that stretch. Be that as it may, Tampa Bay has done a good job of getting the important situational hits over the last four series (.300, .303, .290, .333 BA wRISP), during which the Rays took two-of-three from the Blue Jays.

Toronto has gotten toasty since the two clubs last met, winning five of seven games. It should be noted though, those five victories came against the dregs of the American League (the Royals and Orioles). Still, the Blue Jays played Tampa Bay very competitively three series ago, and more of the same can be expected this week.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

The Rays are 7-2 against the Blue Jays this season, having outscored them 57-41.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will throw Charlie Morton (12-3, 2.78 ERA), Ryan Yarbough (10-3, 4.01 ERA) in some capacity, and Brendan McKay (2-1, 4.38 ERA). Charlie Montoyo will counter with Jacob Waguespack (2-1, 4.80 ERA), Trent Thornton (4-7, 5.23 ERA), and a pitcher to be named before the series finale.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Charlie Morton allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks across 4-2/3 innings against the Red Sox on Tuesday. He struck out two. Morton’s previous start was also against the Red Sox, and it’s clear that Boston’s hitters made some adjustments. Still, had Morton not been pulled two outs into the fifth inning, he would have been in line for the win. The right-hander is having a great season, as he is 12-3 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 165 strikeouts across 136 innings. Morton is 0-0 with a 1.93 ERA in one start against the Blue Jays this season.

Jacob Waguespack allowed one run on three hits over six innings against the Royals on Tuesday. He struck out two and walked one. Waguespack completed six innings for the first time in six starts. The 25-year-old maintains a 4.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 2.67 K/BB over 30 innings this season. Waguespack is 0-1 with a 5.00 ERA in two games (one start) against the Rays this season. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (2-5, RBI), Travis d’Arnaud (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (1-3), Austin Meadows (1-4, 3B, RBI, BB), Tommy Pham (2-4, 2B, RBI, BB)

Ryan Yarbrough allowed four runs on six hits over 4-1/3 relief innings against the Red Sox on Wednesday. He struck out three. Yarbrough served up as many homers as he generated swinging strikes (two) over 75 pitches (51 strikes, 68% strike rate) — but the Rays offense picked him up, allowing Yarbrough to earn his fifth straight win. It was the first time the left-hander allowed more than one run in an outing since June 13. He is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA in three games (11 innings) against the Blue Jays this season.

Trent Thornton hurled six innings on Wednesday and allowed one run on five hits and no walks while striking out two. Thornton was coming off a 10-day stint on the IL with right elbow inflammation but limited Baltimore to six baserunners on five singles and a hit batsman while tossing 58 of 87 pitches for strikes (67% strike rate). He was successful despite missing few bats — he induced just six swinging strikes. The quality start came after a pair of rough post-All-Star Break outings in which the rookie surrendered nine earned runs across 4-1/3 combined frames. Thornton is now 4-7 with a 5.23 ERA and a 2.27 K/BB over 105 innings this season. He is 0-1 with a 9.39 ERA in two starts against Tampa Bay this season. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-4), Avisail Garcia (3-5, RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, BB), Austin Meadows (4-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Tommy Pham (1-4, BB)

Brendan McKay allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk over 5-1/3 innings against the Red Sox on Thursday. He struck out seven. McKay got off to an inauspicious start by allowing three of the first four hitters to reach base, including a two-run homer. He settled down though and left with a lead for his second big-league win. McKay was rocked for six runs in his previous outing, so Thursday’s effort was a positive sign for Tampa Bay.

TBA

Noteworthiness

— Jose Alvarado is scheduled to pitch in back-to-back games with Triple-A Durham on Tuesday and Wednesday. If all goes as planned, he will be activated from the IL this weekend on the road.

— Yandy Diaz (left foot bruise) ran on a treadmill Sunday, but there remains no timetable for his return.

— Brandon Lowe (right shin contusion) took ground balls before Sunday’s ballgame, the first time he has done so in several days. Lowe told reporters that a cortisone shot has greatly improved his rehab.

Hopefully, it keeps progressing and I’m back out there soon.

— Brandon Lowe

Rays look for a sweep in the Citrus Series this afternoon

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The Rays won the first game of a brief two-game set against the Marlins, 8-6, on Saturday. (Photo Credit: X-Rays Spex)

After an 8-6, come from behind win over Miami on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays look for a sweep in the short two-game set against the Marlins, on Sunday. They have won the previous three meetings with Miami this season and can sweep the season series with a victory this afternoon.

The Rays have gone streaking, winning five consecutive ballgames and have scored at least six runs in six straight games — tying the longest such stretch in club history.

Tampa Bay enters play a half-game ahead of Oakland for the last playoff spot, two games behind Cleveland for the top Wildcard spot, eight behind the Yankees in the AL East, and five-and-a-half games ahead of the third-place Red Sox, whose chances of a postseason berth fell to a season-low of 24.1%.

Rays hitters slugged four home runs en route to victory, with two coming off the bat of newcomer Erik Sogard, who became the seventh player since 2000 to homer in their first two home plate appearances with a team.

Austin Meadows and Willy Adames also hit the tying and go-ahead home runs, which led the team to victory.

Tampa Bay went 4-13 with runners in scoring position (.308 BA), which falls in line with what the team had done in the three previous series.

Another crucial component of last night’s win, three key pieces of the Rays high-leverage bullpen came up big. Diego Castillo opened the game and worked around a leadoff double with a seven-pitch (all strikes) frame. Nick Anderson, who was making his Tropicana Field debut against his former team, struck out two in a perfect seven-pitch (all strikes) eighth inning.

And Emilio Pagan allowed a two-out triple in the ninth to Jon Berti but got Brian Anderson to pop out to right to notch his ninth save.

The New What Next

Yonny Chirinos (8-5, 3.70 ERA) will get the start for the Rays, pitching opposite of Caleb Smith (7-4, 3.43 ERA).

Yonny Chirinos allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four across four innings on Sunday against Toronto. The Blue Jays jumped on Chirinos for two runs in the second inning, two in the third, and three in the fifth, although the Rays offense put up 10 runs and ultimately win the ballgame. Chirinos uncharacteristically struggled with his command at times, firing 56 of 93 pitches for strikes (60% strike rate). Ideally, this is just a bump in the road for Chirinos, who owns a 3.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 106 punchouts across 121-2/3 innings this season.

Caleb Smith allowed four runs on four hits and a walk over seven innings on Monday, while striking out nine. Miami’s offense staked Smith to a big lead with a six-run second inning, and he made it hold up. The southpaw maintains a 3.43 ERA and a 3.84 K/BB through 97 innings. Over his career, Smith is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Jesus Aguilar (1-4), Ji-Man Choi (1-4), Avisail Garcia (1-2, HR, RBI), Guillermo Heredia (1-2, 2B, 2 RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (1-2)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Marlins — a Citrus Series preview, part two

Rays 8/4/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Duffy 3B
  2. Pham LF
  3. Aguilar 1B
  4. d’Arnaud DH
  5. García RF
  6. Brosseau 2B
  7. Heredia CF
  8. Zunino C
  9. Adames SS

Noteworthiness

— Jose Alvarado (oblique strain) will pitch for the Charlotte Stone Crabs, his first outing as he comes back from his pre-All Star Break injury. If all goes well, the right-hander would pitch in back-to-back outings for Durham on Tuesday and Wednesday and could be activated during the upcoming road trip.

TNWN: Rays vs Marlins — a Citrus Series preview, part two

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  • How sweep it is! The Rays returned home after sweeping the Red Sox in three games at Fenway. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Following the rare Friday off-day, the Tampa Bay Rays will play host to the Miami Marlins for a two-game set, starting Saturday. The Rays are coming off a three-game sweep of the Red Sox, while the Marlins dropped two-of-three to the Twins.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

After dropping seven of 10 games against the Yankees, White Sox, and Red Sox after the All-Star Break, Tampa Bay bounced back to win six of their next seven, including four against the reigning World Series champs. Tampa Bay’s offense finally woke and has plated five or more runs in five consecutive games (an average of 8.4 runs per game).

The Rays typically struggle with situational productivity, however, over the last three series, they hit .300, .303, and .290 with runners in scoring position. That’s something they will try to continue against the low scoring Marlins.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Miami has performed to a 55 wRC+ over the last 14 days, and a -27.2 wRAA. Over the same stretch, the pitching staff maintained an overall 4.66 ERA and 4.68 FIP (5.75 ERA and 4.89 FIP for the starters, 2.86 ERA but a 4.33 FIP for the relievers). While Miami’s bullpen has been good, it certainly doesn’t help their cause that Sergio Romo, Zac Gallen, Nick Anderson, and Trevor Richards are no longer with the team. Anderson, who showed well on Thursday, and Richards were dealt to Tampa Bay at the deadline.

The Rays enter the series with sole possession of the second Wildcard spot, 1/2 game up on the Athletics, and are two games behind Cleveland for the top Wildcard spot. While not a must-win series per se, a series win would allow the Rays the maintain their position in the playoff chase, while also creating even more separation in the win and loss columns while the Yankees and the third-place Red Sox beat up on one another, in the Bronx.

The Rays are 2-0 in the Citrus Series, having shut out the Marlins over the previous two games (but only scoring five runs themselves in the process).

Pitching Probables

Over the next two days, Kevin Cash will likely through Jalen Beeks (5-1, 3.61 ERA) behind opener Diego Castillo (1-6, 3.73 ERA), and Yonny Chirinos (8-5, 3.70 ERA). Don Mattingly will counter with Elieser Hernandez (1-4, 4.93 ERA), and Caleb Smith (7-4, 3.43 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Diego Castillo worked as an opener last Friday for the first time this season and delivered a perfect first inning. The right-hander has a 3.73 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 2.47 K/BB across 41 innings and is 8-for-9 in save opportunities on the season.

Jalen Beeks allowed one run on four hits and two walks over four innings against the Blue Jays on Saturday. He struck out one. Beeks kept the Blue Jays scoreless over his first two innings as a bulk reliever, but he was nicked for a run in the sixth Brandon Drury’s RBI single. The left-hander bounced back to deliver a scoreless seventh inning before his exit after 73 pitches (42 strikes, 57% strike rate). Beeks has a 3.61 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and a 2.19 K/BB over 72-1/3 innings this season.

Elieser Hernandez allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out two over four innings against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. Hernandez was recently moved back into the starting rotation, and even though his outing lasted just four innings, he held Arizona to just one run. The 24-year-old maintains a 4.93 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP with 41 strikeouts over 38-1/3 innings this season. He relies primarily on a whiffy 91 mph four-seam fastball and a 79 mph slider that is below hitting speed and sweeps across the zone, while also mixing in an 82 mph changeup with some arm-side fade. Hernandez has held Tampa Bay scoreless in three relief innings extending back to 2018.

Yonny Chirinos allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four across four innings on Sunday against Toronto. The Blue Jays jumped on Chirinos for two runs in the second inning, two in the third, and three in the fifth, although the Rays offense put up 10 runs and ultimately win the ballgame. Chirinos uncharacteristically struggled with his command at times, firing 56 of 93 pitches for strikes (60% strike rate). Ideally, this is just a bump in the road for Chirinos, who owns a 3.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 106 punchouts across 121-2/3 innings this season.

Caleb Smith allowed four runs on four hits and a walk over seven innings on Monday, while striking out nine. Miami’s offense staked Smith to a big lead with a six-run second inning, and he made it hold up. The southpaw maintains a 3.43 ERA and a 3.84 K/BB through 97 innings. Over his career, Smith is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Jesus Aguilar (1-4), Ji-Man Choi (1-4), Avisail Garcia (1-2, HR, RBI), Guillermo Heredia (1-2, 2B, 2 RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (1-2)

Rays off-day links for finks

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  • Nick Anderson was impressive in his Rays’ debut against Boston last night. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays swept the Boston Red Sox last night, punctuating the three-game set with a 9-4 win in the series finale. In doing so, the Rays became the first away team to win eight games in a season at Fenway Park since the 1966 Orioles.

At the end of the day, the Rays exited Fenway with their second sweep of the season in Boston, 3-1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East, 1/2 game up on Oakland for the last Wildcard spot, and 1-1/2 games behind Cleveland for the first Wildcard spot. It was the team’s first three-game sweep at Fenway since 2010. I’d call that a success.

Both Jesus Aguilar and Nick Anderson made their debuts last night, and both were pretty impressive. Aguilar reached base four times (two singles and two walks) while Anderson lit up the radar gun in the eighth inning, allowing one hit while fanning two.

Per FanGraphs, the Rays improved their chances of a postseason berth by 6.3% with last night’s win over the Red Sox, whose chances of making the playoffs have dropped precipitously. Baseball Prospectus gives Tampa Bay a 76.7% chance of reaching the playoffs, and Boston just a 23.3% chance.

After today’s rare off-day (Oakland, also has the day off), the Rays will play host to the Marlins in for a two-game set before Blue Jays come in for three. The Rays have a chance to make hay in the month of August. They play only five games against +.500 teams (Houston and Cleveland at the end of the month) and can make up all the ground they lost in June and July, and then some.

Links For Finks

— Craig Edwards (FanGraphs) writes Second Wild Card Didn’t Ruin the Trade Deadline.

— Juan Toribio (MLB.com) listed four takeaways from the Rays’ deadline moves.

— Nick Anderson not only boasts an explosive fastball but his 85 mph “curveball” might be his best pitch, writes Danny Russell (DRaysBay).

— Speaking of new Ray Nick Anderson, the hurler surprised himself with 99 mph heat, writes Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times).

Not gonna lie, I was telling everybody not to expect that number on the board every time. I kind of surprised myself a little bit,” Anderson said. “It was awesome to get out there for the Rays and out there with the guys and try to do the best I could do.

Honestly, I don’t really know. I was feeling a little tired. Maybe it was the couple of energy drinks to try and wake me up. … Kind of locked it in and just tried to stay relaxed and usually good things happen for me when I stay relaxed and let my mechanics go through how they’re supposed to be.

When I looked up and saw 98 a couple of times and then I saw 99, I’m like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on today.’ So I was joking around and telling everybody I don’t normally throw that hard.

— Nick Anderson