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LBWMF: Jose Alvarado fans three in an otherwise unspectacular spring game

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Jose Alvarado had a bounce-back outing on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

A question begs: If something happens on Leap Day, did it actually happen? Let’s hope not, as the Tampa Bay Rays were throttled by that team from Atlanta, 12-0, on Saturday. If there is a bright side though, it has to be Jose Alvarado, who posted a bounce-back performance after not being able to finish one frame of work in his first outing of the spring.

Alvarado started the frame by hitting Peter O’Brien with a 2-2 pitch, yet the southpaw bounced back and struck out the next three hitters on 18 total pitches (11 strikes, 61% strike rate). Alvarado leaned on his cutter, sinker, and curveball during the inning.

Alvarado told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) that he and pitching coach Kyle Snyder looked at tape from last year of times where he was going well and that helped the lefty.

I felt more power in my body and I saw my command on my fastball. I felt more (normal) because I threw more strikes. …I feel different than my first time because I’m working on my legs. I’m feeling better than my first time because tonight I see more strikes.

— Jose Alvarado

Following the game, Kevin Cash said that he hopes to see Alvarado get back to his dominant, 2018 form.

That was good to see. I know him and (pitching coach Kyle Snyder) have gone back and looked at some stuff for when it was going really, really well for him. I think they’re just trying to replicate that. I don’t think he’s far off, by any means, and the adjustment isn’t a major adjustment. But if he felt good, we’ll continue to harness that one because it looked really good.

— Kevin Cash

You can hear Alvarado’s interview, in full, on the SoundCloud player below, courtesy of Rays Radio.

Atlanta scored five of their runs — three in the first inning, one in the second, and one in the third — against starter Yonny Chirinos. The right-hander, who said he focused on his splitter and sinker, did throw 26 of 38 pitches for strikes (68% strike rate).

Moving forward.

The New What Next

Right-hander Joe Ryan will make his first Grapefruit League start against the Twins On Sunday. Andrew Kittredge, Aaron Loup, Pete Fairbanks, and Oliver Drake are also scheduled to pitch for Tampa Bay.

Rays 3/1/2020 Starting Lineup

  1. Diaz 3B
  2. Tsutsugo LF
  3. Zunino C
  4. Choi 1B
  5. Arozarena RF
  6. Kiermaier CF
  7. Smith DH
  8. Wendle 2B
  9. Robertson SS
  10. Ryan RHP

Noteworthiness

— Hampered by shoulder stiffness, LHP Brendan McKay threw his first batting-practice session of the spring on Saturday. McKay threw around 25 pitches to Mike Brosseau and Miles Mastrobuoni.

It felt really good, my arm felt where it usually is at this time.

— Brendan McKay

The southpaw said he was impressed with his changeup, which he has been focusing on this spring.

I threw a lot of really good changeups, which I’m kind of happy about. I’ve been on the search for that over the last couple of years. I’ve had glimpses of it, but to throw it that consistently to righties and some lefties, it’s only building that confidence that you can throw it whenever you need to and it can be a dominant pitch.

— Brendan McKay

— Kevin Cash told reporters that Blake Snell received a cortisone shot on the outer half of his left elbow and isn’t expected to make his scheduled start next week. Cash said the team “isn’t overly concerned” at the moment.

He came in after his session, felt pretty good — but not as good as he wanted to. I think, given what took place last year, we wanted to do everything to get out in front of it.

— Kevin Cash

Per Juan Toribio (MLB.com), the Rays will be cautious with Snell, who missed nearly two months last season after undergoing left elbow surgery to remove loose bodies. Cash stressed getting the shot on the outer half of the elbow was better than getting it on the inner part — which is where the tendon area is.

LBWMF: Rays drub Nats, 8-1; Franco gets his first hit and an update on Honeywell

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18-year-old wunderkind, Wander Franco — pictured taking batting practice on Thursday — collected his first big-league hit on Friday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays collected their fourth win of the spring on Friday in an 8-1 routing of the reigning World Series champs. Ryan Yarbrough was effective albeit rather inefficient, while 18-year-old wunderkind, Wander Franco, collected his first big league hit.

Yarbrough got the start and hurled two scoreless innings, although he needed 45 pitches (27 strikes, 60% strike rate) to get six outs, including four punchouts. The left-hander acknowledged that he was nibbling too much early on before he made an adjustment to be “way more aggressive.” Yarbrough allowed an unearned run due to an error by right-fielder Randy Arozarena.

Trevor Richards followed Yarbrough and tossed a pair of shutout innings, while Jalen Beeks and Anthony Banda — both of whom threw an inning apiece — were again sharp.

Non-roster invitee RHP Sam McWilliams caught the attention of Kevin Cash and pitching coach Kyle Snyder, clocking in at 96-99 mph during his scoreless inning of work. McWilliams struck out one batter.

Franco, playing in his second consecutive exhibition game in as many days, collected his first big-league hit in the fourth and final at-bat of his day. In Franco’s first at-bat against Stephen Strasburg, he struck out, then he popped out and grounded out before lining a single to center off Kyle Finnegan.

Franco told Steve Carney (WDAE) that it was good to get finally hit it where they ain’t…in not so many words, of course.

It felt good. I was really anxious to get that first hit. And I felt like my heart dropped after I hit it.

— Wander Franco

Brian O’Grady continued his impressive spring campaign, hitting a long home run and a two-run double to lead the Rays to victory.

Back at home, in Port Charlotte, Yoshi Tsutsugo was given the day off from playing and working out. Meanwhile, Brent Honeywell Jr. (Tommy John surgery, fracture) threw his first bullpen session of the spring today.

Brent Honeywell throwing at the Trop before the start of Spring Training. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Times)
https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1233561581151191040?s=20

Honeywell said it was a big day for him, and it went well.

I was excited, I got out of it what I thought I should have got out of it, if not more. It was good to be back up there for sure (on a mound). I felt at home a little bit. I felt like I was in the right place where I was supposed to be. So it was an exciting day for sure.

— Brent Honeywell

The right-hander also felt different than last season but in a good way. Honeywell threw only fastballs and noted that 14 of the 15 pitches he threw were strikes, a good indicator that his command was still there. And while Honeywell didn’t want to put a timetable on his recovery, he feels that he is on the right track.

My command was still there, and that was the biggest thing. Honestly, it’s been my biggest focus, even coming out of Tommy John was being able to throw the ball where I’d like to throw the ball. That was really big, big point and I was really happy with today.

— Brent Honeywell

You can hear Honeywell’s interview in full on the SoundCloud player below, courtesy of Rays Radio.

The New What Next

The Rays will face Atlanta Saturday night at their new spring complex. Yonny Chirinos will get the start, while Chaz Roe, José Alvarado, and Nick Anderson (among others) are expected to pitch. We will post the starting lineup upon availability.

Rays 2/29/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows LF
  2. Renfroe RF
  3. Lowe 2B
  4. Martinez 1B
  5. Tsutsugo 3B
  6. Margot CF
  7. Adames SS
  8. Herrmann C
  9. Perez DH
  10. Chirinos RHP

LBWMF: Snell sharp in spring debut, Franco to see big-league action Thursday, the Vancouver Diamondbacks?

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Former Rays’ first baseman, Carlos Pena, chatted with Blake Snell in Port Charlotte ahead of his first appearance of the spring.

Blake Snell made his first appearance of the spring on Wednesday and put together a perfect frame in the Rays 10-8 loss to the Twins.

Snell threw 15 of 21 pitches for strikes (71% strike rate), saying he’s already ahead of last year’s pace.

I feel a lot more ahead, a lot more advanced. I can throw the ball in the zone, out of the zone. I feel a lot better than I did last year for sure. …Overall, first start, I’m happy with it. I liked the consistency of the pitches, and I liked the confidence and poise I had. Usually I’m pretty lost the first couple of games, just ‘cause I haven’t done it, but I felt a lot more in control and a lot more confident. So I felt really good about that.

⁠— Blake Snell

Snell leaned on four of his pitches, although he was frustrated that he didn’t throw a slider against a right-handed hitter — something that is a focus for him this spring.

Rays skipper Kevin Cash agreed with Snell’s assessment, saying he liked the way the southpaw mixed his pitches.

Kyle has put an emphasis on adding the slider a little bit more frequently. He did do that, which was good.

— Kevin Cash

Cash also thought that Andrew Kittredge and Diego Castillo were sharp, with Kittredge retiring all five batters he faced and Castillo putting together a perfect frame.

You can hear Cash’s post-game presser below, courtesy of Rays Radio.


Meanwhile, José Alvarado scuffled in his first appearance since enduring a season-ending elbow injury last August. Alvarado retired just one batter and struggled with his command, throwing just 12 of 27 pitches for strikes (44% strike rate). He allowed a pair of runs while striking out one.

In spite of the outcome though, Alvarado said he was “so happy” to return to the mound. He also mentioned that he’s confident his command will improve throughout the spring.

I got close to almost six months without seeing a hitter and not pitching in a game. I’m feeling great because I’m feeling the power in my arm. A little bit too quick and too early over my right arm, but everything is good. I’m feeling good.

— José Alvarado

After playing in left field on Sunday, and hitting out of the DH role on Monday, Yoshi Tsutsugo saw his first action at third base. Yoshi made one play, the only one that came his way.

Tsutsugo praised Willy Adames for his help in positioning, which both players spoke about after the game.


It should be mentioned, Tampa Bay led 5-2 before the starters left for both sides. Minnesota came back with eight unanswered runs before the Rays capped the scoring with three runs in the ninth inning for the final score.

The New What Next

The Rays will see split-squad action on Thursday, as they play host to the Tigers in Port Charlotte and will visit the Yankees just down the road from Mons Venus, in Tampa. Tyler Glasnow will get the start against the Tigers, while Aaron Slegers will get the start against New York. Of note, Wander Franco is expected to come off the bench and see his first big-league action in Port Charlotte.

Franco is the top prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline and is slated to replace Willy Adames at short halfway through the game.

Franco slashed .339 BA/.408 OBP/.464 SLG/.872 OPS across 52 games with Class-A Advanced Charlotte last season. The 18-year-old will also be in the starting lineup against the reigning World Series champions on Friday.

As Juan Toribio (MLB.com) made mentioned, Rays manager Kevin Cash has watched Franco play in instructional leagues at Tropicana Field and on television, but Thursday will be the first time he’ll get to watch the 18-year-old live in a game.

We’re looking forward to watching him play. You read about him, you hear about him. Our staff raves about him in player development all for good reason — now it’s our turn to not watch him on TV, and we get to watch him in person.

— Kevin Cash

Rays 2/27/20 Starting Lineup vs. the Tigers

  1. Austin Meadows LF
  2. Hunter Renfroe RF
  3. Yoshitomo Tsutsugo DH
  4. Yandy Díaz 3B
  5. José Martínez 1B
  6. Kevin Kiermaier CF
  7. Mike Zunino C
  8. Joey Wendle 2B
  9. Willy Adames SS
  10. Tyler Glasnow RHP

Rays 2/27/20 Starting Lineup vs. the Yankees

  1. Manuel Margot RF
  2. Brandon Lowe LF
  3. Daniel Robertson 2B
  4. Ji-Man Choi 1B
  5. Nate Lowe 3B
  6. Ryan LaMarre CF
  7. Michael Perez C
  8. Ronaldo Hernandez DH
  9. Taylor Walls SS
  10. Aaron Slegers RHP

Noteworthiness

— Interesting article by Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic; paid subscription), who wrote,

Still, the events of the past several weeks seemingly have created openings not only for the Rays, but also two other 2019 postseason qualifiers, the Twins and Athletics.

— Ken Rosenthal

Shhh Ken, don’t blow our underdog cover!

— Shocker…well, it isn’t actually a shocker at all, but according to Sean Fitz-Gerald (The Athletic; paid subscription), Stu Sternberg isn’t the only owner who has attempted/is attempting to move a team north of the border, at least temporarily. In an article titled Why officials from a Major League Baseball franchise visited Vancouver, Fitz-Gerald wrote that B.C. Place Stadium was viewed as a potential home for the Diamondbacks in the event of a structural emergency at Chase Field, in Pheonix.

The Arizona Diamondbacks visited the Canadian city in 2018 amid concerns over the state of repairs at Chase Field, in Phoenix. Vancouver was on a list of a half-dozen potential (temporary) homes the team had received from MLB headquarters.

“While working at Major League Baseball, I provided the team with numerous possibilities, including Vancouver,” Joe Garagiola Jr., who is now special advisor to the Diamondbacks’ chief executive, said in a written statement to The Athletic. “Club executives visited there to determine the reality of making it a contingency plan.”

According to a government official in British Columbia who requested anonymity, the visitors received a walking tour of the stadium and were shown archival photographs from baseball games played within its walls. It opened in 1983 and has hosted everything from the Grey Cup to the Olympics to the Pope.

— Sean Fitz-Gerald

— Let’s just call this just desserts.

LBWMF: Rays throttle the O’s, 15-2; 2/26/20 pre-game notes

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Willy Adames greeted Yoshi Tsutsugo after he hit his first home run as a Ray, on Monday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays notched their second tally in the sping win column on Tuesday, throttling the Baltimore Orioles, 15-2. Charlie Morton made his first start of the spring and showed well, while Randy Arozarena continued to rake.

Morton tossed a scoreless inning on 11 pitches (five strikes, 45% strike rate) and walked one, Chris Davis, on four pitches. The right-hander was pleased with his first outing, although he would’ve liked to have thrown a couple more off-speed pitches — Morton threw just one of 11, although he expects to mix more of his arsenal in his next outing. He topped out at 95 mph on the in-stadium radar gun.

Following his outing, Morton joked with Rays Communication Manager, Karly Fisher, that at least the four-pitch walk was efficient. He also said that one of his biggest goals for the day was to not hit anybody on the Orioles.

Last year, I hit two of their guys. I hit two of their guys back-to-back on heaters, and I felt awful about it. I’m glad that didn’t happen.

— Charlie Morton

Mike Zunino was behind the plate and was pleased with where Morton is this early in the spring.

I think he’s right where he left off. I know today with one inning it’s tough to mix in everything.

— Mike Zunino

Jalen Beeks, Chaz Roe, and Peter Fairbanks followed Morton and had clean, efficient innings against Baltimore; none of the three allowed a base runner.

In the batter’s box, Tampa Bay collected 16 hits, including a three-run blast by Michael Perez. Brandon Lowe tripled in the second inning, then scored on Daniel Robertson’s single. Later, Lowe hit a bases-loaded double in the fourth inning during a five-run frame that pushed the lead to seven runs.

Lowe, who ended the season with a 34.6% strikeout rate, said he is focusing on improving his plate discipline.

That’s the main focus early on in Spring Training. I definitely want to get up there and refine my approach. I think last year I had moments of immaturity up there.

— Brandon Lowe

Arozarena added two more hits, bringing his total to four in as many at-bats to go along with a pair of walks.

Unbelievable. He can find the barrel. He’s got a lot of confidence to get deep in the at-bat, he doesn’t care and it seems when he gets his pitch, he’s not missing it.

— Kevin Cash

The New What Next

Blake Snell will make his 2020 Grapefruit League debut on Wednesday at Charlotte Sports Park when the Rays host the Twins. José Alvarado, Ryan Sherriff, Colin Poche, and D.J. Snelten will also take the mound for Tampa Bay.

Rays 2/26/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Randy Arozarena LF
  2. Yandy Díaz DH
  3. Ji-Man Choi 1B
  4. Hunter Renfroe RF
  5. Yoshitomo Tsutsugo 3B
  6. Willy Adames SS
  7. Kevin Kiermaier CF
  8. Kevan Smith C
  9. Mike Brosseau 2B
  10. Blake Snell LHP

Noteworthiness

— Yoshi Tsutsugo blasted his first home run as a Ray on Monday, in Port Charlotte.

After Yoshi crossed the plate following the homer (against a southpaw, no less), Willy Adames bowed slightly and Tsutsugo did the same in response.

— Looking to watch wunderkind Wander Franco in action? According to Juan Toribio (MLB.com), you may only have to wait a couple of days.

A source tells MLB.com that Franco will get into Thursday’s split-squad game against the Tigers at Charlotte Sports Park, and there’s also a good chance that he will play in Friday’s Grapefruit League game against the Nationals in West Palm Beach, Fla. It’s also likely that Franco will play in other big league games throughout the spring.

Franco slashed .339/.408/.464 in 52 games with Class A Advanced Charlotte last season. The Rays haven’t made a decision on where Franco will begin the 2020 season, but it’s believed that the 18-year-old could be on Double-A Montgomery’s Opening Day roster.

— Juan Toribio

— On Monday, the Rays announced that the 1,000 or so $36 a month standing-room-only tickets sold out in an hour. The team is taking names for a waitlist and they could make more ballpark passes available.

Wait! You mean to tell me that when the Rays front office, and marketing department, approach the attendance problem in an out of the box fashion, the team has a better chance at selling tickets than it has when fans are continually badgered and belittled?!

LBWMF: Rays win spring home opener against the Yankees, 9-7

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Charlotte Sports Park before Yoshi Tsutsugo and Randy Arozarena helped light up Yankees pitching, on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays bounced back from a one-run loss on Saturday by lighting up Yankees pitching in the Grapefruit League home opener on Sunday, 9-7. Yoshi Tsutsugo collected his first big-league hit and a walk, while Randy Arozarena drove in the deciding runs in the eighth inning.

Yoshi, who played left field and hit fifth, went 1-for-1 with a walk and a sharply hit single to center in his first at-bat of the day.

In his second at-bat, Tsutsugo laid off a couple of tough pitches from Nick Nelson and ultimately drew a walk.

I think there’s a difference in the strike zone in the two countries, and also I was seeing different velocity here. This is the first game and I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

— Yoshi Tsutsugo, through a translator

He also showed well in the field, accurately hitting the cutoff man on multiple occasions while displaying solid communication with Gold Glove centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier on a Thairo Estrada fly ball hit to left-center field.

All you hear about is how he can hit and handle the bat, but he looks very comfortable out there in the outfield. I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people with what he can do on that side of the ball.

— Kevin Kiermaier

Tsutsugo will serve as the team’s designated hitter on Monday against the Red Sox, at Charlotte Sports Park. He is scheduled to hit fifth.

For the second consecutive game, Arozarena hit an extra-base hit in addition to showing off his skills on the basepaths. Arozarena went 1-for-1 with a go-ahead two-run triple in the eighth inning and two walks.

We think really highly of him. I know when we acquired him in the deal (with the Cardinals), he was a big part of that deal. We were excited about him, but any time you’re having success and finding the barrel like he has the last two days, it’s good.

— Kevin Cash

Later in the inning, Arozarena scored when Yankees catcher Wynston Sawyer overthrew the pitcher on the mound.

He seems like a very heads-up baseball player. Whether it’s outfield, at the plate, whatever it is.

— Kevin Cash

On the mound, Ryan Yarbrough got the start and tossed a scoreless first inning on 21 pitches (14 strikes, 67% strike rate). The left-hander struck out one.

For the first outing of the year, I felt really good. Everything was moving the way I wanted to and after the first couple of batters, I got ahead of the other two — it’s a matter of finishing guys off instead of just barely missing pitches. For the first outing of the year, I’ll take that every time.

— Ryan Yarbrough

Yarbrough didn’t mention any particular pitches that he is working on, although he did note that he will be progressively working on how to use certain pitches in certain scenarios throughout the season.

Andrew Kittredge was really impressive in his inning of work, fanning the side, while Diego Castillo punched out two and was charged with an unearned run in his frame.

The New What Next

Yonny Chirinos will get his first start of the spring on Monday against the Red Sox. Relievers Oliver Drake and Nick Anderson are also scheduled to pitch for Tampa Bay.

Rays 2/24/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Austin Meadows LF
  2. Yandy Díaz 3B
  3. Ji-Man Choi 1B
  4. Hunter Renfroe RF
  5. Yoshi Tsutsugo DH
  6. Willy Adames SS
  7. Kevin Kiermaier CF
  8. Chris Herrmann C
  9. Joey Wendle 2B
  10. Yonny Chirinos RHP

Noteworthiness

— José Alvarado threw live batting practice on Sunday in Port Charlotte. The southpaw tossed around 20 pitches during his session and he’s tentatively slated to pitch in his first Spring Training game on Wednesday against the Twins, at Charlotte Sports Park.