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Morton solid in second-to-last Spring start; Rays notes

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  • Charlie Morton pitched into the sixth inning of his second-to-last start of the Spring. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Right-hander Charlie Morton worked into the sixth inning of his second-to-last start of the Spring. The Tampa Bay Rays ultimately dropped the ballgame to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2.

Morton retired the first 10 batters of the game before he allowed a one-out single to right-center.

I thought Charlie looked really good. We didn’t anticipate the sixth up, but he was so efficient that it kind of worked in our favor. Really good day as far as that’s concerned.

— Kevin Cash

Because he was able to efficiently plow through the Pirates’ lineup, Morton took the mound again in the sixth inning (to get an extra up-down). But, that’s when he ran into trouble. The right-hander walked Jacob Stallings to start the frame, then allowed an opposite-field single to Alfredo Reyes, before Morton was pulled in favor of Casey Sadler. Both runners eventually scored after Morton left.

Be that as it may, Morton hit 95 mph with his fastball and leaned on his offspeed stuff throughout his start. He finished with four punchouts and allowed just two hits (both singles) along with two walks while throwing 44 of 74 pitches for strikes (59% strike rate).

I feel good, I think my stuff is pretty good right now.

— Charlie Morton

Following the game, Rays skipper Kevin Cash told the media that Morton likely would be scaled back in his final Spring start on Saturday, against the Tigers — a subject Morton also touched on.

I’m not sure what we’re going to do because I was able to get six ups today. I think Kyle and I will talk about it and see what we want to get done next time.

— Charlie Morton

You can hear Morton’s interview below, courtesy of Rays Radio.

As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) writes it, there was a scare in the outfield on Monday.

Kevin Kiermaier made a running catch in right-center on Colin Moran and collided with Austin Meadows. Meadows had his neck jarred a bit but stayed in the game and says he should be fine.

— Neil Solondz

Brandon Lowe continued his hot Spring campaign, going 1-for-3 on Monday while picking up his team-leading 14th RBI of the Spring with a double (seventh of the Grapefruit League season) in the sixth inning off Kyle Crick.

Even though Morton made the headlines, it was also a good day for third baseman Matt Duffy, who took the next step in his recovery process by running at 90%.

Duffy had a really good day He felt good. I’ll put a soft landing on (it that) he’ll play after (the) off-day. Let’s just see how we go the next couple of days.

— Kevin Cash

Duffy will run the bases again on Tuesday, which will be followed by treatment on Wednesday. How he responds will determine whether he will be ready for game action Thursday afternoon.

The New What Next

Tyler Glasnow will take the mound on Tuesday against the New York Yankees. Jalen Beeks and Emilio Pagan are also scheduled to pitch.

Rays 3/19/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Wendle SS
  2. Perez C
  3. Choi 1B
  4. Robertson 3B
  5. Kiermaier CF
  6. Heredia RF
  7. Wong 2B
  8. Smolinski LF
  9. Bonifacio DH
  10. Glasnow RHP

Noteworthiness

— Have you pre-ordered your “Legend of Dan Johnson” t-shirt yet? If no, why not?!

The “Legend of Dan Johnson” t-shirt pre-order window

Rays reduce roster by 10; 3/17/19 pre-game notes

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  • Saturday’s ballgame in Pt. Charlotte was a washout. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

A day after the Spring finale against the Twins was washed out, the Tampa Bay Rays Rays head to Fort Myers where they will face former teammate David Price and the Boston Red Sox.

Tampa Bay made a series of roster moves on Saturday, most notably optioning RHP Austin Pruitt to minor league camp, and reassigning southpaws Ryan Merritt and Colin Poche — both of whom are scheduled to pitch Sunday — and infielder Nate Lowe.

The plan for Lowe, who was competing for a spot on the roster big league, is to go back to Triple-A Durham, where he will begin the season, and get some reps at first base.

Good impression. I told him that he’ll be the one that ultimately drives the decision. He came on so strongly last year. He did some good things. Obviously, we saw enough of the power to really appreciate how far he can hit a baseball.

Asked him to go down (to Durham) and continue to work. Value his defense as much as his offense. We know once guys get up (to the Majors), that’s really important.

— Kevin Cash

Blake Snell was able to get in some work on the back fields on Saturday, pitching in a minor league game against the Orioles. Snell threw one inning and allowed a solo homer while striking out two before that game was called because of rain. He tossed 11 of 17 pitches for strikes (65% strike rate) before finishing his work in the batting cages. All told, Snell threw about 54 pitches and got in another 3-2/3 innings in the batting cages. 

I felt really good today. Really good. I’m where I need to be, if not ahead of it. Everything was great. I was very happy with everything.

— Blake Snell

Snell’s last tuneup of the Spring will come Friday in Port Charlotte against the Pirates.

Ryan Yarbrough (2 IP) and Yonny Chirinos (4 IP) also threw in the cage to get their work in. Per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) Tampa Bay will slightly alter its position player schedule due to the rain out, but the pitching will not change much.

The New What Next

Ryan Merritt will take the mound Sunday, pitching opposite of David Price. Colin Poche is also expected to face Boston’s right-handed dominant lineup.

Rays 3/17/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Robertson 3B
  2. Pham DH
  3. Diaz 1B
  4. Garcia RF
  5. Adames SS
  6. Zunino C
  7. Heredia CF
  8. Wendle 2B
  9. B. Lowe LF
  10. Merritt LHP

Rays 3/15/19 pre-game notes; Duffy and Pham progress

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  • Mike Zunino hit a home run in Thursday’s game against the Phillies. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Another day, another split-squad game. This time the Tampa Bay Rays will host the Detroit Tigers this afternoon, and visit the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton this evening. Kevin Cash is planning to manage both. Tampa Bay is coming off a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies which snapped their three-game win streak.

Emilio Pagan opened Thursday’s ballgame and was pleased with the results after he threw two scoreless frames. Pagan gave up one hit, walked none, and struck out a batter. He spoke about being used an opener following his outing.

I figured now’s the time to play with it, see what works for me. I didn’t feel like it was too much of a difference, maybe just playing catch a little bit longer before I got on the mound than I would in a relief role. I felt like it probably worked a little bit better than just jumping straight to the mound like I did in Sarasota (on February 26, when he walked one and gave up four hits). There’s going to be some playing around with it, but I like the way today went as far as the preparation getting ready for the open.

— Emilio Pagan

Diego Castillo followed Pagan and gave up one run on two hits. Yet, Castillo also stuck out four of the eight batters he faced. Right-hander Cole Sulser — acquired from Cleveland in the Jake Bauers trade — followed Castillo and struck out four of the six batters he faced across 1-1/3 innings of work.

The New What Next

Ryne Stanek will open against the Tigers, pitching opposite of Spencer Turnbull. Jalen Beeks, Austin Pruitt, Chaz Roe, and Mike Franco also are expected to pitch as well. Wilmer Font will start for the Rays in Bradenton, pitching opposite of Joe Musgrove. Andrew Kittredge, Olive Drake, Adam Kolarek, Luis Santos, and Ricardo Pinto all are expected to pitch as well.

Rays 3/15/19 Starting Lineup vs. Detroit

  1. Robertson SS
  2. Pham DH
  3. Wendle 3B
  4. Diaz 1B
  5. Garcia RF
  6. Kiermaier CF
  7. Zunino C
  8. Bonifacio 2B
  9. Smolinski LF
  10. Stanek RHP

Rays 3/15/19 Starting Lineup vs. Pittsburgh

  1. Meadows RF
  2. Adames SS
  3. Choi DH
  4. B. Lowe 1B
  5. Heredia CF
  6. Perez C
  7. Coats LF
  8. Wong 2B
  9. Brosseau 3B

Noteworthiness

— Matt Duffy (hamstring), who has been sidelined since February 28, will hit in live batting practice against Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon. Duffy still plans to take ground balls Sunday and remains optimistic he will be ready for the March 28 opener. Meanwhile, Honeywell and De Leon will throw live BP for the second time since undergoing Tommy John surgery.

— Blake Snell will pitch in a minor league game on Saturday.

— Tommy Pham has progressed in a strengthening program (he has been limited to DH because of shoulder concerns) and is slated to return to left-field by the middle of next week.

Rays 3/14/19 pre-game notes

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  • Mr. WAR, Joey Wendle, started a gem of a 4-6-3 double play against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, in Dunedin. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After an off-day on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays will resume their Grapefruit League schedule on Thursday, with just two weeks left before Opening Day. The Rays will play the first of three consecutive home games, facing the Phillies who they beat on Monday, 8-2. Tampa Bay won three straight going into the off-day.

Not everyone had Wednesday off. Tyler Glasnow and Jose Alvarado threw in a minor league game against the Twins affiliate in Ft. Myers. Glasnow tossed 3-1/3 innings of scoreless ball, allowing three hits and two walks while fanning six. The right-hander threw 36 of 61 pitches for strikes (59% strike rate). Yet, Alvarado did not fare nearly as well, throwing just 2/3 of an inning and giving up a run on two hits. He struck out two. Alvarado threw 13 of 22 pitches for strikes (59% strike rate).

The Rays enter play with 49 players on the Spring roster — a number that will be further reduced this week. Manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) he will start locking in on a core group of players, beginning today.

The New What Next

Reliever Emilio Pagan, who has had an impressive Spring, will open the game for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of Drew Anderson. Also scheduled to throw for Tampa Bay are Diego Castillo, Colin Poche, Cole Sulser, Mike Franco, and Ricardo Pinto. The Phillies will be playing with a split-squad roster, and because of it, they are not likely to bring many name players…such as Bryce Harper.

Rays 3/14/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Zunino C
  2. Meadows LF
  3. Pham DH
  4. Choi 1B
  5. Garcia RF
  6. Diaz 3B
  7. Adames SS
  8. Robertson 2B
  9. J. Lowe CF
  10. Pagan RHP

Noteworthiness

— Matt Duffy (hamstring) told Topkin he’s feeling good, but there is still no set day for his return to the field

The plan is to play when I play.

— Matt Duffy

He will run at 70% today and should start taking ground balls on Sunday. Duffy and the team remain optimistic that he will be ready for Opening Day.

— On Wednesday, Fox Sports Sun officially announced that all 162 Rays games will be televised this season.

  • (Photo Credit: Fox Sports Sun)

Dewayne Staats will be back for his 22nd season as the play-by-play voice of the Rays alongside Brian Anderson. Kevin Burkhardt will fill in for Staats for “a package of games,” which will be roughly 20.

Additionally, Fox Sports Sun will produce three supplemental shows: Rays Inside Pitch, Rays Prospect Spotlight and Rays All-Access.

According to the network’s press release, the Inside Pitch show will include player profiles with unique insights and interviews, plus episodes offering inside access to other aspects of the team and its operations. The Prospect Spotlight show will tell the stories of the players in the pipeline and their minor league affiliate teams. And All-Access will take on various topics with the main focus of showcasing content through behind-the-scenes experiences as players, coaches and staff participate in activities ranging from special events to the routine of game days. 

Blake Snell sharp in Rays 8-2 win over the Phillies

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  • Moments before Blake Snell fanned Bryce Harper in a 1-2-3 bottom of the first. (Photo Credit: Anthony Ateek/X-Rays Spex)

Blake Snell put together his sharpest outing of the Grapefruit League season on Monday in the Tampa Bay Rays 8-2 win over Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Snell, who sought to bounce back from a poor outing against USF, threw 27 total pitches for (19 for strikes, 70% strike rate), and fanned two. His two-inning outing came against the Phillies “A” hitters, including Bryce Harper, who Snell caught looking on an inside fastball at 96 mph.

https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1105161887019421696

That fastball was set up by a filthy 82 mph curveball which Harper swung over.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1105159579933892608

Snell credited to the entire Phillies lineup, including the $330-million man, for bringing out the best in him.

That whole lineup is tough. I don’t really key in on a guy. It’s a lefty, it’s a righty, is who I focus on. I’ve got to attack the zone. They’re going to do what they do, I’m going to do what I do, so I really don’t care who’s hitting. That lineup is nasty.

— Blake Snell

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner also said it was good to face a challenge at this point in the spring.

It’s a lot easier to get ready because if you don’t, they are going to make you pay for it. No one likes to get embarrassed. (This week) taught me a lot, I’m a lot better, which I needed, which is awesome. And to come here to get it going again, to get the focus going, cause that’s when I’m at my best, when I’m focused.

— Blake Snell

The Rays employed a four-man outfield against Harper, which they also used previously against Chris Davis and Justin Smoak. Third baseman Kean Wong moved to left field, leaving shortstop Willy Adames to man the left side of the infield when the southpaw-hitting Harper stepped into the batter’s box.

Kean played left field, it makes it easiest. Why not have less movement, just go straight out to left and have Willy stay up the middle?

— Kevin Cash

Cash continued by saying that particular shift is something that will be done based on the in the game personell.

If Duffy gets healthy and he’s accustomed to playing the outfield, then he might go out there. We’ll have more thought that goes into it once the season starts. Right now let’s get the bodies out there and get everybody the reps and see it.

— Kevin Cash

Kevin Kiermaier understood the reasoning behind the shift.

It’s our job to do what they tell us to do, I understand where they’re coming from. It’s one of those things where we know we’re taking a risk if we make a play we wouldn’t have with three outfielders we’ll look like geniuses, and other times where, you know, guys hit ground balls to a certain spot where if we had the regular alignment it’s not going to look so great. Everything we do out there is all for a purpose and you hope that those guys who we do play the four-man outfield against that they hit it where we think it’s going to go more times than not. That’s the whole reasoning why. And those guys we do it against we’re okay with giving up a single because Justin Smoak, Chris Davis, Bryce Harper — the guys we’ve done it against — we’re okay with them hitting singles, we just don’t want them beating us with their strength hitting the ball in the air…

— Kevin Kiermaier

Wilmer Font, who is battling for a long relief/bulk inning job, had his longest outing of the Spring, posting 1-2/3 scoreless innings. Yonny Chirinos entered after Font and posted a strong performance, striking out four across 2-1/3 innings of work. The right-hander lit-up the in-house radar gun, hitting 97 mph with his fastball.

Offensively, both Avisail Garcia and Brandon Lowe continued their torrid Spring campaigns.

Garcia launched his second homer in as many days, and the third of the Spring.

Lowe walked and scored on Garcia’s first-inning sacrifice fly. An inning later, Lowe blasted a bases-loaded two-run double to right that nearly was a grand slam.  

https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1105176666203144194

Lowe now has six doubles (eight extra base hits), 13 RBI, and is slashing .464 BA/.516 OBP/.893 SLG/1.454 OPS on the Spring.

Kevin Cash told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) he was pleased with the pitching, and the complete effort in Clearwater on Monday.

The New What Next

The Rays will visit the Blue Jays on Tuesday. Ryan Merritt will start for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of Aaron Sanchez. Hunter Wood, Ryne Stanek, Oliver Drake, Hoby Milner, and Adam Kolarek also are expected to pitch in Dunedin.

Rays 3/12/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows RF
  2. Pham DH
  3. Choi 1B
  4. Diaz 3B
  5. Wendle 2B
  6. Robertson SS
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Heredia LF
  9. James C
  10. Merritt RHP

Noteworthiness

— Cash still doesn’t have a timetable on when Matt Duffy will be available, conceding that the third baseman may start the season on the injured list.

I don’t want to say that’s he’s going to be; I don’t want to limit him, so I’ll wait. Probably next Monday we’ll get a better sense. Obviously time is becoming crucial.

— Kevin Cash

— Outfielder Tommy Pham will be the designated hitter this afternoon and could return to the outfield by the weekend.