Drew Smyly: 3-1 with a 1.70 ERA and 41 strikeouts in seven starts since joining the Rays; Smyly’s ERA is the lowest for any pitcher in their first seven starts in Tampa Bay Rays history.
David Price: 2-3 with a 4.96 ERA and 53 strikeouts in seven starts since the trade.
Author Archives: Schmitty
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Post 19th Shutout of the Season
At this point in the season, when it – as a whole — has been largely conceived as a waste, the best a fan can do is look for the little things to celebrate; a good pitching performance, setting a franchise record, watching a team shutout one of the best teams in baseball. As a fan, I’ve resolved myself to do just that, while also look at the Rays in the future context with the simple question in mind: What are the Rays doing in the present tense, that may carry over into Spring Training and the 2015 season? If the last two games are indicative of anything, the pitching staff looks like it will be solid once more, while the offense is going to need some offseason work on situational hitting.
Rays 9/5/14 Starting Lineup, Etc
Rays 9/5/14 Starting Lineup Zobrist CF Guyer LF Longoria 3B Myers RF Loney 1B Escobar SS Forsythe 2B Hanigan C Rodriguez DH Cobb RHPP Noteworthiness Joe Maddon on Thursday’s loss, “In a microcosm kind of a way, that’s 2014 right there.” He went on, “We’ve exceeded cardinal sins, mortal sins, original sins,” Maddon said. “We’ve passed …
The New What Next: Baltimore Vs. Tampa Bay Part Six — A Series Preview of Sorts
The Rays welcome the Orioles for the sixth and final series of the season. For Tampa Bay, the wanton desire to finish off the season on a high note hasn’t translated to tallies in the win column. Rather, it feels like a slow dragging grind to game 162 — akin to a funeral procession. The Rays, coming off their 17th shutout of the year, have fallen short in 13 of their last 19.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Drop Second Straight, 7-4
I must confess; between celebrating my brother’s birthday and writing a piece on the Rays infield moving forward, I didn’t get a chance to write about the 7-4 loss at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. Let’s be honest, Chris Archer yielding six runs and a power outage — both literal and proverbial — don’t really make for a compelling game of baseball. The short and narrow, Tampa Bay dropped its first home series to Toronto for the first time since April 2007 — a span lasting 21 series. Ouch.