Nathan Karns continued his bid for the fifth starter spot with a three inning, 49 pitch outing, relinquishing two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk. Karns told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) was pleased to go three innings and get in work on his change-up; a pitch he wants to improve. His change, though not wholly consistent, was effective enough to get Carlos Beltran to whiff. In an ideal world, the outcome of that at-bat will resonate with Karns as a growth moment.
Category Archives: Looking Backward While Moving Forward
Rays Spring Training Update, Day 14: Rays Fall to Philly, 5-4; Injury Update
Chris Archer took the mound for the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday afternoon, in what amounted to a sloppy error filled game against the Philadelphia Phillies — sans any base runners until the fifth inning and no scoring until the eighth. Suffice it to say, it wasn’t pretty. Despite everything, there were a few bright spots.
PECOTA Projects the Rays to Lead the AL East in 2015
A little less than a week after we wrote about Steamer’s 2015 projections for the Tampa Bay Rays, Baseball Prospectus released their PECOTA projections for the upcoming season. While many saw Matt Silverman’s off-season moves as detrimental to the organization, in the present tense, the PECOTA projections are surprising to many; finding the Rays leading the AL East, alongside the Boston Red Sox — both of whom are projected a mean average of 86 wins. While it may not be enough to silence the doomsayers at the moment, the PECOTA projections offer a fairly optimistic glimmer of hope for Rays fans.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Drop Season Finale, 7-2
Put a fork in it, the Tampa Bay Rays’ most disappointing season since 2007 came to a close in disappointing fashion, with the Rays falling to the Cleveland Indians 7-2. The Rays ended the season with a 77-85 record, and their lowest offensive output since the Devil Rays days (more on that below). Alex Cobb took the mound against Indians starter TJ House and allowed ten hits, including a rare two homer second inning. Meanwhile House, while lasting only 49 pitches, proved to be effective, ultimately limiting the Rays to one run in five innings.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Alex Colome Impressive in Rays 2-0 Win
I thought it would be interesting to compare the three pitchers vying for the fifth starter spot next season (assuming that Jeremy Hellickson isn’t traded in the off-season). In doing so, I looked that Colome, Hellickson, and Karns’ body of work over the last 30 days.