Chris Archer threw four perfect innings against Team Columbia on Friday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Tim Beckham continued his impressive spring campaign for the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, while Chris Archer threw four perfect innings for Team USA in the WBC.

Takeaways from both games (and more) follow:

— Beckham continued his torrid spring, going 1-2 with a homer and a walk.

Beckham’s opposite field homer in the third inning, off Drew Hutchison, technically was his first of the spring, although he hit a monster shot to left against Team Colombia on Wednesday. The infielder, who is looking to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster, hit another deep fly out to left in the fifth, although it was knocked down by the wind. Thus far, Beckham has slashed .375 BA/.500 OBP/.813 SLG/1.313 OPS in 16 at-bats with seven runs and four RBI.

— Matt Andriese made his first start of the spring, allowing one run on two hits and two walks, while fanning three. He, however, had a tough time with his command throwing 28 of 44 pitches for strikes.

Andriese acknowledged that he couldn’t find his groove on the mound, although he is not too worried about the outcome:

I don’t really tend to walk people too often, so when I was walking some guys…just you know, I was feeling my mechanics a little bit, and nothing really to worry about, I’ve just got to get back out the next five days and do it again.


(Audio Credit: Rays Radio)

— Hunter Wood was the most impressive Rays’ hurler on Friday. Utilizing a good cutter with a 94 mph fastball, wood struck out three and retired all seven batters he faced.

— Rays ace Chris Archer made his World Baseball Classic debut, throwing an efficient 41 pitches (30 strikes) while slashing 4.0 IP/0 BB/0 R/3 K — hitting 97 mph multiple times in Team USA’s 3-2 walk-off win over Team Colombia. The right-hander complemented his heater with 15 off-speed pitches, almost solely his slider. Archer pounded the outside corners, mostly low and away, to a Colombian lineup that found him impossible to square up.

He was using his fastball slider combo and our hitters couldn’t hit him, said Team Columbia’s manager, Luis Urueta

Limited to a four inning/60 pitch limit (whichever came first), Archer left the game and threw a cool-down session in the bullpen.

It was tough. Looking in Jim Leyland’s eyes and telling him that I had to shut it down, it was tough, Archer said. But I’m obligated to the Tampa Bay Rays. We had a plan coming in. We knew that was a possibility. … I’m glad (Leyland) didn’t put too much pressure on me to stay in, but it was definitely tough.

He also conceded that he emotional before taking the mound.

There were four or five times pregame where I got chills, honestly. I was just looking at my arm and just like, I can’t believe this. Seeing my parents’ faces when I walked in, it was special. Giving high-fives to these guys, seeing the type of competitors they are, it was a special experience.

The New What Next

The Rays travel to Fort Myers on Saturday for a contest against the Red Sox. Alex Cobb will make his third start of the spring, opposite of Chris Sale. Also expected to pitch for Tampa Bay are Jacob Faria, Neil Wagner, Jeff Ames and Diego Moreno. Kevin Kiermaier, Evan Longoria and Steven Souza Jr. will also make the trip to Fort Myers.

Rays 3/11/17 Starting Lineup

Beckham SS
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Weeks 1B
Miller 2B
Souza RF
Casali DH
McEnry RF
Sucre C
Cobb RHP

Noteworthiness

— Tampa Bay claimed RHP Jumbo Diaz off waivers from the Reds on Friday. Diaz, who is currently playing in the WBC for the Dominican Republic, spent parts of the past three seasons in the big leagues, boasting a fastball that averages nearly 96 miles per hour (down from 98.2 in 2015). Nathan Eovaldi was placed on the 60-day DL to make room for Diaz on the 40-man roster.

The 33 year-old right-hander held opponents to a 3.14 ERA in 43 innings for Cincinnati last season, although he walked 10.4% of the batters he faced, and gave up 1.67 HR/9. His K% plummeted from 27.5 percent in 2015 to 20.3 percent last season, resulting in a 5.24 FIP. If Diaz can lower his BB/9, he could be a solid acquisition. More on him later.

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