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Blake Snell headed to 10-day IL; 4/16/19 pre-game notes

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  • Left-hander Blake Snell has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Sunday, April 13, with a fractured toe.

Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell is headed to the 10-day injured list (IL) with a fractured toe, retroactive to Sunday, April 13. Right-hander Emilio Pagan will take the open roster spot.

The news is less concerning than it would appear at first glance though, as the southpaw is expected to miss just one start. The Rays will hold him out longer if necessary, although the injury seems only to be nothing more than a blip. Snell will be eligible to return on April 24th, the final game of the Rays home series against the Royals.

According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), Snell broke his toe Sunday night at home while he was getting out of the shower at which point he decided to move a decorative stand in the bathroom. Snell didn’t realize the stand was in two parts, as the bottom piece — made of granite — fell on his right foot.

The left-hander was off to a strong start, turning in 2-1 record across 25 innings, with a 2.16 ERA. He has averaged a 13 K/9 against a 1.4 BB/9 so far, entering Tuesday tied with Gerrit Cole for the AL lead in strikeouts with 36 — 33 of which have come in his past three starts (totaling 19 innings).

Pagan will make his Rays debut after spending time in the last two years with the Mariners and Athletics. The right-hander owns a 3.85 ERA across 112-1/3 big league frames up to this point. He appeared out of the ‘pen 55 times for Oakland last season, posting a 4.35 ERA and striking out more than a batter per inning. Prior to his promotion, Pagan fanned 10 batters in six scoreless innings over four relief appearances at Triple-A Durham. He could be utilized in a multi-inning capacity.

The New What Next

Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 0.53 ERA) will get the start in the series opener against the Orioles Tuesday night, pitching opposite of Dylan Bundy (0-1, 8.76 ERA).

Tyler Glasnow earned the win against Chicago on Wednesday by fanning 11 and allowing just two hits and one walk across six scoreless innings. The right-hander’s only trouble came during the third inning when he had a pair of runners in scoring position with only one out, yet Glasnow struck out Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu to end the threat. He has enjoyed a dominant first three starts to the season with a 7/1 K/BB across 17 innings.

Dylan Bundy allowed six runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts over five innings of a loss to Oakland on Thursday. The eight punch outs were impressive, yet Bundy suffered thanks to the long-ball. In his last 8-2/3 innings, Bundy has served up six homers. He has also yielded 15 hits in 12-1/3 innings of work thus far. Bundy relies primarily on his 91 mph four-seam fastball that has good “rising” action and a whiffy 81 mph slider with two-plane movement, while also mixing in an 84 mph changeup. Over nine career starts against the Rays, the right-hander is 3-4 with a 6.30 ERA and is 1-2 with a 9.00 ERA in four starts at the Trop. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-4), Avisail Garcia (4-7), Kevin Kiermaier (4-9, 2 HR, 6 RBI, BB), Micahel Perez (1-3)

You can read about the series in our preview, and the starting lineup is below.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Orioles — a series preview

Rays 4/16/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows DH
  2. Pham LF
  3. Choi 1B
  4. Diaz 3B
  5. Lowe 2B
  6. Garcia RF
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Robertson SS
  9. Perez C
  10. Glasnow RHP

TNWN: Rays look to win the series against Toronto on Sunday; X-Rays Spex watch party

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  • Blake Snell dominated the Blue Jays in his six innings of work on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a tough loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to bounce back and take the series this afternoon in Toronto. The Blue Jays are just 1-5 in their last six games following a win, and 1-4 in Marcus Stroman’s last five home starts.

Snell was terrific on Saturday and has allowed just one run total in his last three starts. The lefthander didn’t allow a hit over the first five innings, fanning eight while walking one. After Snell notched a ninth punch out to start the sixth, Luke Maile lined a 1-0 fastball into left field for Toronto’s first hit of the game. However, Freddy Galvis grounded into an around-the-horn double play to end the threat four pitches later. That ended Snell’s day after just 82 pitches (52 strikes, 63% strikes rate). His pitch selection and usage follows:

  • Fastball: 40 thrown, 30 Strikes (75% strike rate), 7 whiffs
  • Curveball: 25 thrown, 17 strikes (68% strike rates), 9 whiffs
  • Changeup: 15 thrown, 5 strikes (33% strike rate), 3 whiffs
  • Slider: 3 thrown, 1 strike (33% strike rate), 1 whiff

Many were befuddled by Kevin Cash’s decision to pull Snell after only six innings of work and 82 pitches thrown. On one hand, the overarching mantra going into the season has been to win that day’s ballgame, and if the Rays end up missing out on a postseason berth, who’s to say that Saturday’s contest will not make Cash and the team regret the decision? On the other hand, though, the conservative handling of Snell — which worked well in 2018, mind you — was behind yesterday’s decision and falls in line with the team’s approach to keeping the southpaw healthy all season. The Rays skipper defended his judgment call after the game.

Blake threw a tremendous ball game. He probably had more in the tank. But I like the way that we have stayed consistent to our thought process coming out of the gate. … The thought is we’re going to benefit from that throughout the season.

— Kevin Cash

Even though Snell had thrown 102 and 100 pitches in his previous two turns, he was working on four days’ rest rather than an extra day as the team would prefer to give him. As a result, pitching coach Kyle Snyder and Cash had Snell on a six-inning and/or 85 pitch limit yesterday.

We want to win the marathon, not the sprint. As important as pitching and the health of a staff is in 2019, I’m always going to err on the side of being conservative with our guys. That was the case last year, and I’m not going to change this year.

— Kyle Snyder

For his part, Snell was fine with the decision.

It was a shorter week for me to get ready. This is their plan, and I believe in it 100 percent. I think it’s all about longevity.

— Blake Snell

At the end of the day, the Rays stranded six men on base and went 1-11 wRISP. Had they taken a commanding lead with Snell on the mound, the move wouldn’t look nearly as controversial as it had. Instead, they couldn’t push across crucial runs when they needed too, while Chaz Roe — who previously allowed just one run all season — looked rusty, culminating in an ugly loss.

Turn the page.

The New What Next

The Rays will try to end their opening road trip on a high note with Charlie Morton (2-0, 2.25 ERA) on the mound. He’ll be opposed by Marcus Stroman (0-2, 2.41 ERA).

Charlie Morton gave up a two-run shot to Yoan Moncada in the bottom of the third inning, although he otherwise kept the White Sox off balance by leaning on his fastball (both two and four-seam, 46 thrown, 29 strikes, 63% strike rate), curveball (30 thrown, 15 strikes, 50% strike rate), and his cutter (14 thrown, 11 strikes, 79% strike rate).

The two runs were all that Morton allowed across five innings of work. The right-hander scattered three hits and three walks while striking out seven.

Marcus Stroman continues to look for his first win of the season. The right-hander has recorded 18 strikeouts over his first three starts of the season. In his last start against Cleveland, Stroman surrendered three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six across six innings. The right-hander relies primarily on his 85 mph sweeping slider with two-plane movement, a 93 mph sinker with natural sinking action, and a 91 mph worm-killer cutter. Stroman is 5-5 with a 4.58 ERA in 13 career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-2, RBI), Ji-Man Choi (1-4), Avisail Garcia (5-9, 2B), Kevin Kiermaier (9-31, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB), Michael Perez (1-2, 2B), Tommy Pham (1-1, RBI), Mike Zunino (1-3, HR, 2 RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Blue Jays — a series preview

Rays 4/14/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows LF
  2. Diaz DH
  3. Choi 1B
  4. Garcia RF
  5. Lowe 2B
  6. Robertson 3B
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Adames SS
  9. Perez C
  10. Morton RHP

Noteworthiness

— Free today?

On Sunday, April 14, 2019 X-Rays Spex and Golden Dinosaurs Vegan Deli will team up to host a shirt release celebration and Rays watch party, when the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Toronto Blue Jays, in Toronto. We’re bringing all the camaraderie of the game, and some delicious foodstuffs, at one of the areas best new restaurants!

First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 pm, so be sure to get down to Golden Dinosaurs early to grab a bite to eat and an ice-cold brew. Don’t forget to snatch our newest shirt design (pictured) titled “The Legend of Dan Johnson,” so you can wear it to the Trop the following weekend when our guys take on the reigning World Series champs.

Throughout the afternoon Golden Dinosaurs will offer some select specials. We’ll also raffle off some great Rays swag between the innings, among other fantastic things. Mention X-Rays Spex and get 10% taken off your order.

See you April 14, and be sure to tell a friend!

LBWMF: Rays look to extend their win streak after defeating Toronto Friday night, 11-7

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  • Brandon Lowe (pictured) and Austin Meadows had a blast in Toronto Friday night, combining to hit four home runs against the Blue Jays.

After holding on to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, 11-7, the Tampa Bay Rays look to win their fifth straight series, as well as extend their win streak on Saturday.

The Rays set season highs in runs scored (11) and home runs (5) last night and now have plated 35 runs in the past four games. They have also scored 69 in 14 games this season, for nearly five runs per game (RPG).

Tampa Bay continued to score early runs last night, thanks in part to three home runs by Austin Meadows (2) and Brandon Lowe (1) in the first three frames.

In the first inning, Meadows hit a leadoff homer to right.

It was the seventh consecutive contest in which the Rays had scored in the first, extending a franchise record. If you’re counting, Tampa Bay has outscored opponents 18-1 in the first, making them the first American League team to score in the opening inning in seven consecutive games in 13 years (Cleveland, 2006).

Then, Meadows led off the third by belting a massive 436-foot blast to right field of Thornton. It was his sixth homer of the season and fourth in three games. Three batters later, after Yandy Diaz earned a free pass, Lowe crushed a ball essentially into the same spot.

Per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio), going into Friday’s action, only 20 homers had been hit into the 500 level at the Rogers Centre since it opened in 1989, and only three to right field. In the third inning, two Rays left-handed hitters belted balls up there.

Lowe went on to mash his second homer of the night in the seventh inning, while Willy Adames hit an important two-run blast in the ninth (his first of the season) en route to an 11 run walloping.

Still, Yonny Chirinos and Diego Castillo almost let the game slip away. For this I turn to Solondz, who succinctly recapped the dramatic seventh and eighth innings when things got out of hand:

But it almost got away, as Toronto scored six runs in the seventh against Yonny Chirinos, who threw a scoreless fifth and sixth. Justin Smoak walked, Randall Grichuk singled to center and Teoscar Hernandez doubled to left-center, scoring a run to get the Blue Jays on the board. Lourdes Gurriel Jr then doubled to left, bringing home two more runs to make it 8–3. After a Richard Urena groundout moved Gurriel to third, Alen Hanson singled in a run to make it 8–4. Former Rays player Luke Maile followed with an opposite-field homer, a two-run shot, making it 8–6.

Adam Kolarek entered, and got the second out, then allowed a double to Freddy Galvis. Diego Castillo followed, and two pitches later Galvis was thrown out trying to move to third on a ball in the dirt, ending the rally. The play looked close, but the Jays didn’t ask to have the play reviewed.

Then in the eighth against Castillo, the Jays got runners to first and third with one out. However, the righty struck out pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez, but Urena hit a ground ball through the legs of Ji-Man Choi for a two-base error. Smoak scored, making it 8–7. Hanson was walked intentionally to load the bases, and Maile had the count at 3–0, then took three straight strikes, and struck out looking to end the frame.

— Neil Solondz

Jose Alvarado came on in the ninth inning and plowed through Toronto’s lineup in order, fanning two while coaxing the game-ending ground-out from Justin Smoak on a 98 mph sinker. Alvarado pounded the zone, throwing nine of his 10 pitches for strikes. The Rays still have not allowed a ninth-inning run this season.

The New What Next

Blake Snell (2-1, 2.84 ERA) will get the start for the Rays in the second game of the series, pitching opposite of Clay Buchholz, who makes his first start for Toronto.

Blake Snell allowed just a single run on six hits across the first six frames. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out 11.

Snell fanned five of the first six batters he faced and didn’t allow a runner beyond second base until the fifth inning when he gave up a two-out homer to left to Jose Rondon.

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner got in trouble in the sixth inning, nevertheless, Mr. .083 BA wRISP did not break. Snell allowed a double to Leury Garcia to start the inning and an infield hit to Tim Anderson that glanced off of Snell’s glove, putting runners at the corners. However, the southpaw buckled down and struck out Jose Abreu, Welington Castillo, and Yoan Moncada to keep the lead intact.

Snell has now struck out 24 batters in his last two starts, the most he’s ever had in back-to-back outings. Snell coaxed 24 swings and misses, after a career-high 25 in his last start.

Clay Buchholz went 7-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 16 starts before his arm wore down last season and was placed on the injured list with a right flexor strain. After signing a $3-million deal with Toronto in the offseason, followed by a minor league rehab assignment to finish off Spring Training, Buchholz is ready for his first start of the season. In his words, expect a wily pitcher that tries to keep hitters off balance.

I’ve evolved into a different kind of pitcher. I’ve proven you don’t have to throw 98 to get guys out. You have to throw four pitches for strikes, mix it up, and keep guys off balance. That’s what I do.— Clay Buchholz

Last season Buchholz relied primarily on an 86 mph cutter, and a 91 mph four-seam fastball, while also mixing in a 76 mph curveball, a 78 mph circle changeup, and a 91 mph sinker. He is 9-8 with a 2.67 ERA in 23 career outings (21 starts) against Tampa Bay.

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Blue Jays — a series preview

Rays 4/13/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows RF
  2. Pham LF
  3. Choi 1B
  4. Diaz 3B
  5. Lowe 2B
  6. Garcia DH
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Zunino C
  9. Adames SS
  10. Snell LHP

Noteworthiness

— Free on Sunday?

On Sunday, April 14, 2019 X-Rays Spex and Golden Dinosaurs Vegan Deli will team up to host a shirt release celebration and Rays watch party, when the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Toronto Blue Jays, in Toronto. We’re bringing all the camaraderie of the game, and some delicious foodstuffs, at one of the areas best new restaurants!

First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 pm, so be sure to get down to Golden Dinosaurs early to grab a bite to eat and an ice-cold brew. Don’t forget to snatch our newest shirt design (pictured) titled “The Legend of Dan Johnson,” so you can wear it to the Trop the following weekend when our guys take on the reigning World Series champs.

Throughout the afternoon Golden Dinosaurs will offer some select specials. We’ll also raffle off some great Rays swag between the innings, among other fantastic things.

See you April 14, and be sure to tell a friend!

— INF Joey Wendle reportedly had a good day running Friday at Tropicana Field and is tentatively slated to start a short rehab (or extended spring) assignment in Port Charlotte in the middle of the week, with the idea of rejoining the Rays for the weekend series vs. Boston.

— On Saturday, Jose De Leon, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, will throw in a game for the first time since before being hurt in spring training 2018. He is expected to throw one inning or 25 pitches in an extended spring appearance.

— Because Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) said it … it’s narrow parameters, but the Rays are the fifth team in the past 10 years to double their opponents’ runs through the first 13 games, 58-26. What’s interesting is that the other four all made the playoffs: 2009 Dodgers, ’12 Rangers, ’13 Braves, ’16 Cubs.


LBWMF: Rays hold on to beat Chicago, 10-5, and win fourth straight series

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365 days later, there was no snow on the ground this go around. (Photo Credit: Sarah Wright)

It has been said a win is a win is a win. And while the Tampa Bay Rays 10-5 victory over the White Sox wasn’t pretty, that they were able to put another tally in the win column is all that matters. The Rays, now 9-3 on the season, have won four consecutive series and have built a six-game cushion in the W/L columns.

For the fifth consecutive game, Tampa Bay took the lead in the opening inning. This time around Austin Meadows singled to right off Ervin Santana, swiped second, moved up to third on Tommy Pham’s fly-ball out to right-center, then scored on Brandon Lowe’s sacrifice fly to center field.

The team tacked on three more runs in the second inning, starting with Avisail Garcia’s solo homer to center off Santana.

It was Garcia’s third career home run off Santana and his first as a Ray.

Then with two outs, Willy Adames worked a free pass before Meadows homered to right-center, capping the rally.

It was Meadows’ third homer this year.

The Rays scored again the next inning, when Brandon Lowe belted a homer to left center, for a 5-0 advantage.

The Rays weren’t done at the plate. They added a pair of runs in the fourth, chasing Santana when Michael Perez and Adames went back-to-back with one-out doubles. Finally, with two on, Meadows hit an RBI single to right-center — the seventh, and final, run charged to Santana.

On the other side of the plate, Morton gave up a two-run shot to Yoan Moncada in the bottom of the third inning, although he otherwise kept the White Sox off balance by leaning on his fastball (both two and four-seam, 46 thrown, 29 strikes, 63% strike rate), curveball (30 thrown, 15 strikes, 50% strike rate), and his cutter (14 thrown, 11 strikes, 79% strike rate).

The two runs were all that Morton allowed across five innings of work. The right-hander scattered three hits and three walks while striking out seven.

Kevin Cash handed the ball over to Wilmer Font, who was charged with two runs (after he left the game) across 2-2/3 innings of work. The right-hander threw 57 pitches (36 strikes, 63% strike rate) and averaged 94 mph with his four-seam fastball, which hit 97 mph. Up until his final inning of work, Font showed signs of improvement, much like when he came over from Oakland last season.

(Font) did a good job. He really picked us up. It’s good to see him get out there and get his pitch count, I think he got close to mid-50s, maybe a tick higher than what we would like, but the velo was good. We needed to get to the end of the game and he got us pretty close.

— Wilmer Font

While Tampa Bay scored a run on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth, things got messy in the bottom of the frame.

After Font was pulled from the game with two outs and a pair of runners on base, Ryne Stanek, the third hurler of the day couldn’t retire a batter. The right-hander allowed an RBI single to right to Tim Anderson, then walked Welington Castillo, loading the bases. Eloy Jimenez followed with a slow roller past Stanek for an infield hit to draw Chicago within four. It made for an odd play, as Lowe and Adames collided as they attempted to field the ball.

Cash then called upon Jose Alvarado, who became the third pitcher of the inning. The typically dependable Alvarado walked pinch-hitter Jose Rondon on a full-count pitch to force home a run. Pinch-hitter Adam Engel, representing the go-ahead run at the plate, worked the count full then swung at what would have been ball four, ending the inning.

Feeling the air escaping from the stadium, Tampa Bay bounced back to score two more insurance runs in the ninth when Kevin Kiermaier singled home Lowe, then Meadows walked with the bases loaded to force home the tenth and final run.

Adam Kolarek took over in the ninth inning and put together a quiet frame. All told, Rays batter collected a total of 13 hits and eight walks, while every starting position player reached base at least once.

A win is a win is a win indeed.

The New What Next

The Rays and White Sox are slated to play the final game of the series on Wednesday, weather permitting. Tyler Glasnow (2-0, 0.82 ERA) will start opposite fellow righty Reynaldo Lopez (0-1, 10.00 ERA).

Tyler Glasnow went to work in the bottom of the first, against San Francisco, with a plate appearance by the former face of the franchise, Evan Longoria, looming. The right-hander quickly disposed of the first two batters on five pitches, bringing Longoria to the plate.

Glasnow promptly got ahead in the count before he spotted up a well-placed curveball on the inner third of the plate, locking up Longoria.

The first at-bat against the former face of the franchise culminated in a punch out, as the 1-2-3 first set the tone for the afternoon against the tall right-hander.

All told, Glasnow scattered three singles and allowed a walk, while striking out six. He threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of 23 batters (74% first-pitch strike rate), and 59 of 82 pitches overall for strikes (72% strike rate).

Reynaldo Lopez is looking to shake off his latest start against Seattle where he allowed six earned runs and walked four across five innings of work. Lopez has yet to reach the sixth inning in 2019 after going just four innings in his first start on March 30. Lopez relies primarily on his 94 mph four-seam fastball, while also mixing in an 81 mph slider with some two-plane movement and an 84 mph changeup with a lot of backspin. Lopex is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in one career start against the Rays. Key Matchups: Yandy Diaz (1-2, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-3)

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays Vs. White Sox — a series preview

Rays 4/10/19 Starting Lineup

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

LBWMF: Blake Snell, Rays stymie ChiSox, 5-1

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Blake Snell tore through the White Sox’s lineup on Monday, allowing one just one run across six innings. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

On Monday, Blake Snell threw six impressive innings en route to the Tampa Bay Rays eighth win of the season, 5-1, on the south side of Chicago.

The Rays bats swarmed early, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings against right-hander Carlos Rodon, who previously allowed just two earned runs total in his first two starts.

In the first inning, Yandy Diaz singled to right-field, Tommy Pham walked — extending his on-base streak to 43 games — and Daniel Robertson hit a single to right, loading the bases. After Avisail Garcia went down swinging on a 93 mph fastball on the inside corner, Guillermo Heredia walked, forcing home the game’s first run. Ji-Man Choi followed with a sacrifice-fly that Adam Engel ran down in left-center, preventing an extra-base hit.

Then in the second inning, Willy Adames led off with a double to left-field before he was wild-pitched into third base. Pham walked for the second time in as many innings, and Robertson followed with a perfectly executed safety squeeze bunt for an RBI hit, extending the lead and moving Pham up 90 feet.

After Robertson and Pham swiped second and third (respectively), the Pham came home on a Garcia’s RBI base hit for a four-run advantage.

Yet while Tampa Bay had chances to add on more, the team left a lot of chicken on the bone — stranding 13 men on base (.188 BA wRISP), despite collecting 11 hits and eight walks. Suffice it to say, it made for a frustrating 5-1 win.

Be that as it may, the Rays were able to tack on one last run against reliever Carson Fulmer in the eighth inning on a bases-loaded walk to Austin Meadows, capping the scoring. On the bright side, they have scored four or more runs in five of their last seven games — inching their runs per game (RPG) average up to four after starting the season with 2.75.

Snell allowed just a single run on six hits across the first six frames. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out 11.

Snell fanned five of the first six batters he faced and didn’t allow a runner beyond second base until the fifth inning when he gave up a two-out homer to left to Jose Rondon.

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner got in trouble in the sixth inning, nevertheless, Mr. .083 BA wRISP did not break. Snell allowed a double to Leury Garcia to start the inning and an infield hit to Tim Anderson that glanced off of Snell’s glove, putting runners at the corners. However, the southpaw buckled down and struck out Jose Abreu, Welington Castillo, and Yoan Moncada to keep the lead intact.

Snell has now struck out 24 batters in his last two starts, the most he’s ever had in back-to-back outings. Snell coaxed 24 swings and misses, after a career-high 25 in his last start.

Hunter Wood, who was recalled from Durham, followed Snell and threw three scoreless innings, for his first big league save. Wood struck out three, allowing just three hits.

It was awesome. I was grateful to get the opportunity to go in, and kind of hopefully prove myself. I want to be here and I want to help this team out any way I can. … I know the bullpen was kind of running low so it was really big to step up and save the bullpen for a day.

— Hunter Wood

The New What Next

The Rays look to win their fourth series in a row on Tuesday afternoon with Charlie Morton (1-0, 1.64 ERA) on the mound. He’ll pitch opposite of Ervin Santana (2018, 0-1, 8.03 ERA).

Charlie Morton is looking for his third consecutive quality start as a member of the Rays. In two starts this season, the right-hander has struck out 14 batters across 11 innings and has a 1.64 ERA. In two career outings against the White Sox (totaling 12-2/3 innings of work), Morton has been good, going 2-0 with a respectable 3.55 ERA.

Ervin Santana, who the White Sox signed to a minor league deal, only made two Cactus League appearances in his extended Spring, and in doing so he gave up six runs on 12 hits across nine innings. Given his late start, he’s remained in Arizona to keep working to get ready for when the White Sox would need a fifth starter. Santana relies primarily on his 83 mph slider, a whiffy 91 mph four-seam fastball with natural sink, and an 85 mph changeup with slight cut action and a lot of backspin, while also mixing in a 91 mph sinker. Santana is 7-7 with a 5.31 ERA across his career against the Rays. Key Matchups: Avisail Garcia (7-27, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB), Mike Zunino (3-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB) 

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays Vs. White Sox — a series preview

Rays 4/9/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows LF
  2. Pham DH
  3. Choi 1B
  4. Lowe 2B
  5. Diaz 3B
  6. Kiermaier CF
  7. Garcia RF
  8. Perez C
  9. Adames SS
  10. Morton RHP

Noteworthiness

— Willy Adames collected three hits and is 6-for-11 since his 1-for-27 start. Yandy Diaz has hits in nine of his 10 games played.

— Rays manager Kevin Cash said both Brandon Lowe, who tweaked an ankle running the bases, and Yandy Diaz, who hit his head diving back into second, were fine.

— According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) … Tommy Pham walked in the first inning to extend his team-record streak of reaching base to 43 games, crossing the halfway point to Ted Williams’ 1949 record of 84.

— Tampa Bay has given up two runs or fewer in nine of the team’s 11 games, and have allowed just 20 runs total. Yet, of the 20 runs, 11 have come via the long ball. The bullpen overall has allowed just 10 runs across 44 innings.