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A Below Average Rays Fan Blog

Rays look to win sixth straight after beating the Angels on Friday, 8-3

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Make that five in a row, and six of their last 10. The Rays enter the day tied for third place in the AL East. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Blake Snell bounced back to post a solid 6-2/3 inning start, while Wilson Ramos homered twice on Friday night. When all was said and done, the Tampa Bay Rays won their fifth consecutive game, 8–3 over the Los Angeles Angels. With the win, the Rays clinched a winning 11-game road trip, pulled to within a game of .500, and enter the day tied for third place in the AL East.


Source: FanGraphs

Snell didn’t put together a perfect inning until the sixth, yet he made big pitches when he needed to, holding the Angels scoreless until the fifth when Andrelton Simmons hit a two-run, two-strike single to center with one out — cutting the lead to four runs. Still, the southpaw stranded leadoff doubles in the second and third innings, and held Los Angeles to 1-9 with runners in scoring position.

After the Simmons single, Snell retired his next seven batters, collecting three punch outs along the way. He scattered four hits and two runs over 6-2/3 innings, walking three and fanning eight. Snell threw 70 of 114 pitches for strikes (61% strike rate).

Daniel Robertson got the Rays on the board with a solo shot in the second inning, but he was not the only Ray to go yard Friday night.

Ramos hit a pair of homers, giving him six on the season and 100 in his big league career. His first long-ball, a two-run blast to center, came off Nick Tropeano in the third inning when the Rays were up by one. Later in the frame, Mallex Smith drove in a run on a single, chasing Tropeano after just 2-2/3 innings — Tropeano’s shortest start this season, and the first time an Angels starter had allowed more than three runs since April 28th.

Ramos homered again the fifth inning off Cam Bedrosian, while Christian Arroyo later added a run-scoring hit for a six run advantage.

Tampa Bay was not content with five runs, and put up a six spot after Johnny Field laid down a bunt in the seventh inning, which was mishandled by Martín Maldonado, scoring Arroyo from third base; he initially reached third when he laced a triple into the right-field corner.

And while Mike Trout got off the schneid by hitting a homer in the eighth inning off Chaz Roe, Field capped the scoring in the top of the ninth when he singled home Smith from third. Jonny Venters took over one out in the eighth and got the final five outs of the game.

All told, the Rays collected 15 hits, three from Brad Miller and Smith. Robertson reached base three times, and over the first two days of the series, the infielder reached base in eight consecutive plate appearances.

The New What Next

The Rays will look to get back to .500 on Saturday for the first time since March 30th. Sergio Romo will get the start and will be followed by Ryan Yarbrough (3-2, 3.93 ERA). Mike Scioscia will counter with southpaw Andrew Heaney (2-2, 3.93 ERA).

Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run on five hits and three walks over five innings to earn his third win of the season on Monday against the Royals. He struck out four. Yarbrough put together a somewhat surprising outing, in that his strike to ball rate sat at 60% as he walked three batters. It will be interesting to see if the southpaw can bounce back against Mike Trout and the Angels, who he has never faced.

Andrew Heaney fanned 10 over eight solid innings of one-run ball against the Astros on Monday. He later described the outing as the best of his career. Heaney has pitched to a 1.80 ERA over his last four starts for the Angels, although he is 6-4 with a 4.16 ERA in 17 starts at home. This season the left-hander has relied primarily on his 92 mph swing and miss sinker and a hard 80 mph curveball, while also mixing in a firm 84 mph worm-killer changeup with armside fade and natural sink. He has never faced the Rays. Key Matchup: Brad Miller (2-2)

You can read about the series in our preview.

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

Rays 5/19/18 Starting Lineup

Robertson ss
Cron 1B
Duffy 3B
Ramos DH
Arroyo 2B
Refsnyder LF
Field RF
Smith CF
Sucre C
Romo RHP

Noteworthiness

Medically speaking…

— Even though Adeiny Hechavarria felt better on Friday, he acknowledged he was still quite sore after straining his hamstring th night before. Because of it, Hechavarria is headed to the DL.

The Rays have recalled a fresh arm, Ryne Stanek, since Robertson can cover shortstop and Arroyo is already on the 25-man roster and can cover multiple infield positions.

— RHP Nathan Eovaldi (arthroscopic elbow surgery) returned to the mound for his third rehab outing, throwing 47 pitches (35 strikes) over three innings for the Charlotte Stone Crabs. He allowed two hits (one homer) struck out four, and hit 99 mph on the stadium gun. He is slated to work out with the Stone Crabs for a few days and then the team will decide if he needs to make a planned fourth rehab start or rejoin the big league squad, possibly as soon as Wednesday.

— RHP Yonny Chirinos (forearm strain) threw a bullpen session Friday and will advance to live batting practice on Monday.

Rays 5/18/18 starting lineup and pregame notes; pitching shuffle for Saturday’s contest

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The Tampa Bay Rays won their fourth in a row late last night against the Angels, 7-1. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays look to win a fifth consecutive game tonight, and clinch a winning road trip, after taking down the Los Angeles late last night, 7-1. The Rays are 5–3 on an 11-game three-city trip.

The Rays hit three home runs on Thursday, accounting for five of the team’s seven runs and giving them more than enough offensive production to take down one of the best teams in the American League.

Tampa Bay did suffer another injury, as shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria left with a mild right hamstring strain after hitting a single to left field in the second inning. When Hechavarria reached first base, he grabbed at the back of his leg/hamstring. He was re-evaluated Friday, and while nothing official has been announced by the team, it doesn’t appear that the Rays are making a roster move, so they must have gotten a good report from Hechavarria.

In any case, Hechavarria became the third player to be injured on this trip, following Carlos Gomez (right groin strain), and Matt Duffy (right hamstring tightness). Neither Duffy nor Hechavarria are in the lineup tonight, however, Duffy is expected to return to the fold on Saturday.

The New What Next

Blake Snell (4-3, 3.12 ERA) will get the start tonight for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of Nick Tropeano (1-2, 3.64 ERA).

Blake Snell took his third loss of the season on Sunday and is dealing with a sore right hip. The revelation came during manager Kevin Cash’s postgame press conference following a forgettable outing in which the left-hander allowed five earned runs on six hits over 3-1/3 innings against Baltimore. According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) Cash made sure to emphasize that it is a “minor, minor injury,” but also conceded the discomfort was the primary reason why he opted to pull Snell after just 73 pitches, allowing that he didn’t think the Snell “looked quite like himself.” Snell has faced the Angels just once, but walked away as the hard luck loser after he put together a 6 IP/4 H/2 ER/7 K performance. Prior to that outing, Snell had allowed two runs or fewer in six consecutive starts.

Nick Tropeano was credited with a no-decision in his last start on Saturday against Minnesota after the right-hander yielded three runs over six innings. This season he has relied primarily on his 91 mph four-seam fastball with natural sinking action and slight armside run, and an 80 mph 12-6 slider, while also mixing in an 82 mph splitter that dives down out of the zone, an 89 mph sinker with obvious tail, and a whiffy 82 mph changeup. He is 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA in two career starts against the Rays, but has not faced them since 2016. Tropeano is also 3-4 with a 4.56 ERA in 14 career starts at Angel Stadium. Key Matchup: Brad Miller (3-9, 2 HR, 3 RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview.

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

Rays 5/18/18 Starting Lineup

Span LF
Cron DH
Wendle 2B
Ramos C
Miller 1B
Robertson SS
Smith CF
Arroyo 3B
Field RF
Snell LHP

Noteworthiness

— The Rays are plotting something different and unusual for Saturday, starting the game with RHP Sergio Romo, then switching to LHP Ryan Yarbrough, based primarily on matchups.

According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) the thinking is that Romo’s combination of slow, sweeping breaking balls will stymie the six or so aggressive right-handers at the top of the Angels order.

In theory, that would allow the Rays’ southpaw to come in against the bottom third of the order and work deeper into the game without facing Mike Trout, Justin Upton, Zack Cozart, Albert Pujols, Andrelton Simmons and Ian Kinsler for a third time through the order.

The way that their lineup stacks generally speaking is very heavy right-handed at the top, manager Kevin Cash said when asked about the plan after Thursday’s game.

It allows us in theory to let Sergio to come in there and play the matchup game in the first, which is somewhat unheard of — up until Saturday anyway.

Then Yarbs can, in theory, have the availability to get deeper in the game. There’s no more secret about the third time through the order, everybody knows that. And that’s kind of what this is about.

Romo has never started a game in his 11-year major-league career, yet Cash said the right-hander is beyond excited to start the ball game, saying:

I can tell you this: Sergio Romo’s really excited about this. He might be the most excited of anybody in baseball.

Rays 5/13/18 starting lineup, pregame notes, and roster news; on Archer and Longo

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…The irony when a makeup game, for a weather postponement, itself almost gets rained out. Hey Baltimore, how about less of this today?!

After splitting a double header in Baltimore on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to split the four-game series against the Orioles Sunday afternoon. Tampa Bay snapped a five-game skid, winning the nightcap of the double header 10-3.

Tampa Bay did make multiple roster moves heading into today’s game, option to add a fresh arm in calling up RHP Austin Pruitt.

RHP Ryne Stanek, who gave up a grand slam in the first game of the series was optioned back to Triple-A Durham. Also, he 26th man in the doubleheader, RHP Anthony Banda, was sent back to Durham even though he didn’t pitch in the night-cap.

The New What Next

Blake Snell allowed one run on four hits and two walks over 6-1/3 innings on Tuesday against the Braves. He struck out five. The southpaw threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of 25 batters and induced 13 swinging strikes, allowing him to Atlanta’s lineup off balance for most of the night. His only real mistake came on a solo home run from Ronald Acuna in the third inning, on a slider that hung up over the middle of the plate. His loss was of the hard luck variety, as it was due to a lack of run support. Otherwise, Snell has been outstanding over his last six starts, allowing two runs or fewer in each while posting a 4.78 K/BB over that span. Snell is 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA in three career starts against Baltimore,

Dylan Bundy allowed seven runs on five hits and two walks while not recording an out in the 15-7 loss to Kansas City on Tuesday. Bundy allowed four home runs over over a seven batter span, and managed to do so with only 28 pitches. Over his last three outings, Bundy has allowed 22 runs (19 earned) on 23 hits (including nine home runs) across just nine innings. Bundy started the season with a fantastic 1.42 ERA across 31-2/3 innings — with 40 punch outs and only one home run allowed — but has recently looked like a completely different pitcher. Bundy has relied primarily on his 92 mph four-seam fastball and an 82 mph slider, while also mixing in a 75 mph curveball, 84 mph changeup and 92 mph sinker. The right-hander is 1-3 with a 7.61 ERA in six career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Carlos Gomez (1-4), Brad Miller (4-11, 2B, HR, RBI), Mallex Smith (4-7, RBI, BB), Joey Wendle (2-3, 2B, RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview, part two

Rays 5/13/18 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

— Carlos Gomez will have today off, while Wilson Ramos — who can tie the franchise record for consecutive games with a hit at 19 (Jason Bartlett, 2009) — will hit cleanup.

— Congratulations are in order to two-way prospect Brendan McKay, who was promoted to advanced Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs, effective Monday.

McKay has performed to a 2-0 record and a 1.09 ERA across six starts (24-2/3 innings). The southpaw has allowed just eight hits and two walks, while striking out 40.

At the plate, McKay has hit .254 with a homer, 16 RBI, 28 walks (compared to 13 strikeouts), a .484 OBP and an .817 OPS.

From the beginning we’ve know this is a really unique player, and the two-way profile means there’s a lot of uncharted territory for his development path, Rays senior VP Chaim Bloom told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times).”But it was just clear to everybody that he is more than advanced enough to have earned this promotion. The approach he has shown on both sides of the ball, to say nothing of the performance, has been exceptional.

McKay, signed for a $7,005,000 bonus after being the overall number four pick in the 2017 draft, is slated to take the mound for the Stone Crabs on Friday, and will his other time between first base and designated hitter.

Bloom continued,

The results we’ve seen have been so phenomenal that he would be really hard-pressed to match that as a hitter. But he’s shown such as advanced approach at the plate, in fact to the point it felt at time he was being pitched around at that level.

— Sigh, because it needs to be mentioned again…

By now you are likely aware of the recent comments by former face of the franchise, Evan Longoria, which you can read here. Rays hurler Chris Archer followed with similar sentiment before his start on Saturday. Both players made a few great points, although they, by and large, missed the mark with their tone deaf comments.

What follows is what I wrote in response yesterday (albeit slightly edited), since it all relates:

Our market size is not comparable to others, although we are the 13th largest media market in the country — ahead of Portland (22), Las Vegas (40), Charlotte and Nashville. Longoria seems to have forgotten that Major League Baseball likely would not allow for the relocation of a team from a larger media market to a smaller one.

What’s more, sports fans in the Tampa Bay region have three professional teams — not to mention a wide variety of outside activities — to support with our remaining disposable income. As it was stated elsewhere, the Tampa Bay core is not as wealthy or populated as other pro cities with three teams. As a result, Tampa Bay has never had all three teams thriving at the gate.

There is a belief that pro sports can thrive here, which I agree with, and the Rays are clearly pulling a profit in spite of what others may claim; after all there is a reason Stu Sternberg won’t open the books. Yet there will always be a contrary perception since fans in the area choose not to drive across a bridge, regardless of where a stadium is located, to support the team. That is to say, the problem with attendance really has nothing to do with the current facility — although I do believe the Rays would do better with a new facility, even if just marginally so — or accessibility, rather it has to do with people choosing to attend games over the wide variety of activities in the area.

The bridge did not become longer over the last 5-10 years, and the traffic entering Pinellas is far batter than the traffic going in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, the Lightning has done a far better job at marketing the team, making it “cool,” and drawing fans away from both the Buccaneers and the Rays. If you haven’t noticed, neither team has done much to inspire their fan-base since 2013 (in the very least) and the attendance for both has steadily fallen.

I’m sorry, but the Rays biggest problems are perception and marketing, and rightly so — Sternberg, for better or worse, is the face of the franchise, and to be frankly honest he is an asshole. Just ask anyone off the record. Yes, the team could use a new stadium, however, that facility will be built in a community that commits the most resources toward the project, not the location favored by those who can, yet don’t, make it out to the ball park.

If both players have done one thing, it’s give Sternberg something which he will bandy about in order to build leverage, not good will, in the stadium saga. If anything, Sternberg should use Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s example toward making the team vibrant, fun, and cool again.

Rays 5/11/17 lineups and doubleheader notes; on that thing Longoria said

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The Rays will try to get back on the winning side of the ledger in a pair of games on Saturday in Baltimore. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a 9-4 loss to the Orioles on Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to get back on the winning side of the ledger with a doubleheader on Saturday in Baltimore. Since pulling within a game of .500, the Rays dropped four consecutive games, while Baltimore enters play on a three-game win streak.

In all four losses, the Rays have out hit the opposition yet they have struggled with runners in scoring position, going 6-33. Tampa Bay collected 15 hits last night, but all but three were singles, while only one came with a runner on base. Baltimore hit four homers, including a Manny Machado grand slam, accounting for eight of its nine runs.

On the bright side, Wilson Ramos enters the double header on a 17-game hit streak, two shy of tying the franchise record of 19 set by Jason Bartlett in 2009.

The New What Next

In the first game of double header, Chris Archer (2-2, 5.32 ERA) will toes the rubber opposite of David Hess (2-0, 2.12 ERA) who will make his big league debut. Matt Andriese (0-1, 3.92 ERA) will throw in the nightcap, pitching opposite of former Ray Alex Cobb (0-4, 7.61 ERA)

Chris Archer fanned six, walked none and scattered five hits over seven strong innings on Sunday. Previous to this start, Archer had performed to a 6.05 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP, but he notched his second consecutive quality start and his third in his last four outings. His current peripherals still aren’t pretty, and he hasn’t been striking out batters at quite as prolific a rate as he had in the past, but he appears ready to move past his early season struggles and start to hack away at those ugly peripherals. Archer is 6-8 with a 4.92 ERA in 17 starts against Baltimore, including a 5-1/3 inning, four-run outing on April 26th.

David Hess has made six starts with Norfolk and will be pitching on three days rest after throwing seven shutout innings against Rays affiliate Durham in his last start. Hess leans heavily on his 93 mph fastball, working it inside and low most often as it lacks horizontal movement, and gets barreled up when it’s elevated. He has fringe command of his slider which features hard tilt, sweeping action and late movement. He also has a get-me-over curveball with mild depth and spin, and a firm changeup with very mild fade.

Rays 5/11/18 Starting Lineup (game one)

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

Matt Andriese last started on April 29th, when he threw 3-1/3 scoreless frames against the Red Sox. Anthony Banda has been called up from Durham, and is the 26th man for Tampa Bay in the twinbill.

Alex Cobb allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk, while striking out five over six innings in a loss to the Athletics on Sunday. Cobb has put together back-to-back quality starts, although he is bereft of his first win of the season. His offense failed him Sunday, as the Orioles were able to push across just one run. In spite of solid performances in his last two outings, Cobb still sits with a 7.61 ERA/5.32 FIP and 2.03 WHIP as a result of a disastrous start to the season. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (1-3, 2B, 2 RBI), Brad Miller (4-9, 2B, 2 RBI, BB), Daniel Robertson (1-2, 2B), Mallex Smith (1-2), Denard Span (2-3, 2B), Joey Wendle (2-3, RBI)

Rays 5/11/18 Starting Lineup (game two)

Span DH
Cron 1B
Wendle 3B
Ramos C
Miller 2B
Robertson SS
Smith CF
Gomez RF
Field LF
Andriese RHP

You can read more about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview, part two

Noteworthiness

— By now you are likely aware of the recent comments by former face of the franchise, Evan Longoria.

Honestly, and this is maybe not something I should say, but my gut tells me that the best decision might be to move the team, Evan Longoria said Thursday. I say that only because I look at the example of the Miami Marlins, and (a new stadium) didn’t really solve their attendance issues. So from purely an attendance standpoint, somewhere else might be better.

It pains me to say that, but players want to play in a place where you have consistent support. It’s a selfish thing to say probably as a player, but, I don’t know, does anyone really want to play in front of 10,000 a night? I don’t know. I’m glad I won’t have to hear the backlash again this time (for making comments about attendance, as when he played there).

There are a lot of dedicated Rays fans … and obviously it would be a shame for those people to lose the team. But you just hope there is consistent fan support, and it historically hasn’t been there. I don’t know that it’s the easiest case to lobby to build a new stadium in the area. It’s not a slam dunk.

If there is going to be a new stadium built in the Tampa Bay area, Longoria said it definitely should be on the Tampa side, although he did not agree with the Ybor City site that has been identified as the top choice.

I think they should move across the street from Raymond James. They should build a stadium that looks just like Houston, or very similar to (Minute Maid Park, which has a retractable roof). You can’t play outside there (in Tampa Bay), it has to be a retractable. And obviously it should be grass. If you can do it in Houston you can do it in Florida – you can grow grass in Florida indoors.

Longoria made a few great points (Ybor is a bad location, Westshore is the best spot in Tampa) though he, by and large, missed the mark with his tone deaf comments.

Our market size is not comparable to others, although we are the 13th largest media market in the country — ahead of Portland (22), Las Vegas (40), Charlotte and Nashville. Longoria seems to have forgotten that Major League Baseball likely would not allow for the relocation of a team from a larger media market to a smaller one.

What’s more, sports fans in the Tampa Bay region have three professional teams — not to mention a wide variety of outside activities — to support with our remaining disposable income. As it was stated elsewhere, the Tampa Bay core is not as wealthy or populated as other pro cities with three teams. As a result, Tampa Bay has never had all three teams thriving at the gate.

There is a belief that pro sports can thrive here, which I agree with, and the Rays are clearly pulling a profit in spite of what others may claim; after all there is a reason Stu Sternberg won’t open the books. Yet there will always be a contrary perception since fans in the area choose not to drive across a bridge, regardless of where a stadium is located, to support the team. That is to say, the problem with attendance really has nothing to do with the current facility — although I do believe the Rays would do better with a new facility, even if just marginally so — or accessibility, rather it has to do with people choosing to attend games over the wide variety of activities in the area.

The bridge did not become longer over the last 5-10 years, and the traffic entering Pinellas is far batter than the traffic going in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, the Lightning has done a far better job at marketing the team, making it “cool,” and drawing fans away from both the Buccaneers and the Rays. If you haven’t noticed, neither team has done much to inspire their fan-base since 2013 (in the very least) and the attendance for both has steadily fallen.

I’m sorry Evan, but the Rays biggest problems are perception and marketing, and rightly so — Sternberg, for better or worse, is the face of the franchise, and to be frankly honest he is an asshole. Just ask anyone off the record. Yes, the team could use a new stadium, however, that facility will be built in a community that commits the most resources toward the project, not the location favored by those who can, yet don’t, make it out to the ball park.

Evan, if you have done one thing, it’s give your former boss something with which he will bandy about in order to build leverage, not good will, in the stadium saga. If anything, Sternberg should use Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s example toward making the team vibrant, fun, and cool again.

LBWMF: Rays finish April on a high note, with a 3-2 win over le Tigre

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A win is a win, is a win. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Jacob Faria and Jordan Zimmerman found themselves locked up in a pitching duel Monday night, although the Tampa Bay Rays rallied in the top of the ninth to take a go ahead lead. In spite of a shaky ninth by the “A” bullpen, the Rays edged out the Detroit Tigers, 3-2 — their ninth win in 10 days.


Source: FanGraphs

Faria became the first Tampa Bay hurler to pitch eight full innings in a ball game since Alex Cobb in July of 2017. After a first inning walk of the number two hitter, Jeimer Candelario, the right-hander coaxed a ground ball double play and went to work. Faria was sharp over the balance of his start, mixing fastballs and off speed stuff, while limiting deep counts, and maintaining a quick pace.

Faria also managed to pick off JaCoby Jones, and avoided the self inflicted wounds that at other times put his starts in peril.

All told, he pitched eight scoreless innings and allowed just three hits and one walk. Faria fanned six, relying heavily on his four-seam fastball to set up his splitter, which he got most his whiffs on.

Tampa Bay finally got on the board in the top of the ninth against Shane Greene, the third pitcher of the night for Detroit. Denard Span started the rally with a nine pitch at bat that culminated in a walk. Greene then fell behind C.J. Cron, 2-0, before he grooved a 95 mph fastball over the outer third of the plate, which Cron powered to right-field for a two-run home run.

Two batters later, Brad Miller went yard with the bases empty, giving the Rays a three run lead.

That insurance run proved important in the home half of the ninth.

Alex Colome apparently was unavailable to close out the game, since he pitched on Sunday, so Rays skipper Kevin Cash turned to Chaz Roe. At times the right-hander has no idea where the ball is going — he has said as much — and this happened to be one of those nights. Roe fanned the first batter before he plunked Jones with a fastball that ran inside. Candelario followed with a base hit to put runners at the corners with one out.

Roe appeared to sharpen his repertoire, getting ahead of Nicholas Castellanos 0-2, but then he hit the outfielder with a fastball, consequently loading the bases. Cash had seen enough and pulled Roe in favor of southpaw Jose Alvarado and his 10 K/9. Alvarado has inherited twelve runners this season, yet only two have come around to score. That changed Monday

Unfortunately the first batter, Victor Martinez, hit a ground ball just past Alvarado to score two runs, putting the Rays up by just one. After James McCann flew out to left, Alvarado walked John Hicks to re-load the bases, bringing Dixon Machado to the plate. With a 2-2 count, Alvarado coaxed a weak grounder to short to end the game, giving the Rays their 13th win of the season; finishing the month of April with a 13-14 record after starting the season 1-8.

The New What Next

Chris Archer (2-1, 6.61 ERA) will get the start Tuesday, opposite of Matthew Boyd (0-2, 2.74 ERA).

Chris Archer allowed four earned runs on 11 hits while walking one and striking out seven over 5-1/3 innings on Thursday, allowing him to earn the win against the Orioles. Still, it was another rough outing for the Rays ace as he continued his undesirable streak of allowing a home run in each of his starts. On the positive side, he did fan seven and coaxed 19 whiffs, showing that he still has plenty of deception in his stuff. Both his BABIP and strand rate indicate that things should improve over time, although his current stat-line remains unsightly.

Matthew Boyd gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts over just 3-2/3 innings to take a loss Wednesday against the Pirates. Boyd finally showed weakness after opening the season with three fantastic outings. He was undone by a three-run homer off the bat of Jose Osuna in the second inning, and struggled with his control all day. Boyd threw just 12 first-pitch strikes to 21 hitters and walked three batters over the span of his outing, needing 94 pitches to get just 11 outs. This season he has relied primarily on his 90 mph four-seam fastball and an 80 mph slider, while also mixing in a 73 mph curveball with good glove side movement, a 78 mph changeup, and an 88 mph sinker. He has started just one game against the Rays since 2015, and is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA after he allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over five innings. Key Matchups: Rob Refsnyder (2-3, 2B, RBI)

You can read about the series in our series preview.

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

Rays 5/1/18  Starting Lineup

(Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)