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TNWN: Rays vs. Rangers — a series preview

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Randy Arozarena hit two homers against the Yankees over the weekend. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After taking two of three from the Yankees over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays will continue their opening homestand on Monday, when they welcome the Texas Rangers into the Trop for a four-game series. The Rangers are coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Padres.

Tampa Bay has won two of the first three series of the season, taking two of three from Miami before getting swept by the Red Sox. Yet, following the depressing three-game set against Boston, their fortunes changed against the Yankees who they just faced. Meanwhile, Texas won the final two games of the series against the Blue Jays earlier in the week only to be swept by San Diego because of awful production at the plate which included two shutout losses, as well as being the recipient of Joe Musgrove’s no-hitter.

Despite uneven production, the Rays are still averaging 4.56 runs per game, ranking them at 12th in baseball. Yet, therein lies a problem — they also own a 5.18 team ERA. That, however, is juxtaposed by a 3.33 team FIP. Meanwhile, the Rangers are scoring an average of 4 runs per game on the season, while the pitching staff enters the series with a 5.53 team ERA and a 5.22 team FIP.

The Rays showed glimpses of what we could expect, both offensively and on the mound, against a very good Yankees ball club. And while friend of the Rays, Nate Lowe, as well as a few others, got off to a good start, the Rangers are not of the same caliber as the Yankees or even the Red Sox. Does that mean the Rays should take a laissez-faire attitude toward the series? Absolutely not. It is to say, however, that they can use this four-game set as a springboard for the following series against the Bronx Bummers.

Tampa Bay is 7-3 in the last 10-games against Texas.

Pitching Probables

Over the next four days, Kevin Cash will turn to Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 0.75 ERA), Ryan Yarbrough (0-1, 5.06 ERA), Rich Hill (1-0, 7.20 ERA), and a pitcher to be named before the series finale. Chris Woodward will counter with Dane Dunning (1-0, 1.80 ERA), Kyle Gibson (1-0, 7.11 ERA), Kohei Arihara (0-1, 5.00 ERA), and Jordan Lyles (1-0, 4.50 ERA).

Tyler Glasnow got the start for Tampa Bay on Tuesday tasked with putting together a quality outing as well as shutting down a Red Sox offense that plated 11 runs the night before. Given how dominant he was on Opening Day, the question begged: would Tyler be able to put up similar numbers in his second outing of the season? The answer was yes and no. Was Glasnow as dominant on Tuesday as he was on Opening Day? No. However, he was very good nonetheless. The right-hander made some big pitches when he needed to and limited Boston to one run across six innings.

Glasnow got into trouble in the first inning when he gave up a leadoff double to Christian Arroyo that chopped its way down the left-field line. The one time Ray moved up to third on a groundout by J.D. Martinez that was full of indecision by Willy Adames, who had an opportunity to tag Arroyo as he made his way to third. Arroyo later came around to score on a wild pitch to Xander Bogaerts, who subsequently struck out on a 99 mph fastball.

From there Glasnow went to work, scattering three other hits and two walks across five scoreless frames. He used roughly the same mix of pitches as he had against Miami, although he coaxed fewer whiffs: 52 four-seam fastballs (six whiffs, 33% called strikes+whiffs), 34 cut-sliders (five whiffs, 21% called strikes+whiffs), and 10 curveballs (three whiffs, 40% called strikes+whiffs). And while Glasnow did not have the eye-popping 75% strike rate of five days ago, the results speak favorably for the Rays’ ace. His final line: 6 IP/4 H/2 BB/1 R/9 K on 97 pitches (60 strikes, 62% strike rate, 16.2 pitches per inning). Glasnow is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one career start against Texas.

Dane Dunning pitched five innings and allowed one run on three hits and no walks while striking out six on Tuesday against the Blue Jays. The right-hander looked like he might be in for a tough night after Bo Bichette clubbed a solo homer off him in the first inning, yet that was the only run Dunning allowed during the contest. He was expected to tandem start with Wes Benjamin on Tuesday, however, Dunning was efficient enough with his pitch count — tossing 70 pitches (51 for strikes, 73% strike rate) — that he remained in the game long enough to earn the win. Dunning relies primarily on a 92mph sinker, an 82 mph slider, and a 92 mph four-seam fastball, while also mixing in an 86 mph changeup and a 79 mph curveball.

Ryan Yarbrough allowed six runs on nine hits and a walk while fanning two across five innings against the Red Sox on Wednesday. The lefty opened the season with a strong performance against Miami, tossing 5-2/3 shutout frames while striking out three, however, he wasn’t able to repeat the feat against Boston, as he barely managed to complete five innings. Yarbrough held the Red Sox without a run through the first three innings, but the wheels fell off in the fourth inning and he was eventually chased in a six-run fifth. Yarbrough is 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA in two career outings (one start) against the Rangers.

Kyle Gibson threw six shutout innings on Wednesday against Toronto. He scattered six hits and a walk while striking out eight. Gibson had a nightmarish first start of the season against the Royals, allowing five runs on four hits and three walks over one-third of an inning. Yet, he successfully quieted the Blue Jays’ bats, allowing him to lower his ERA to 7.11. Gibson is 4-5 with a 5.12 ERA in 11 career outings (10 starts) against Tampa Bay. Gibson relies primarily on a 93 mph two-seam sinker and an 84 mph slider, while also mixing in an 85 mph changeup, a 93 mph four-seam fastball, and a 79 mph curveball. Key Matchups: (3-4, HR, RBI), Mike Brosseau (1-1, 2B, 2 RBI), Yandy Díaz (1-3), Brandon Lowe (2-7, 2B, 3B, RBI), Brett Phillips (1-3), Joey Wendle (3-10, 2B, 3B)

Rich Hill took the mound on Friday with a monkey on his back after he allowed four runs in his four-inning Rays’ debut. The veteran lefty retired his first eight batters before Tyler Wade sparked a two-out rally in the third inning, reaching on an infield hit near second base. D.J. LeMahieu followed with a ground-rule double that bounced over the wall in center field, putting runners at second and third, before Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single against the shift, plating a pair of runs and tying the game at two. Aaron Hicks capped the four-run rally with a two-run homer.

Yet, Hill settled down and settled in, retiring the final 10 batters he faced in order and collecting two of his seven strikeouts in a 10-pitch inning that followed New York’s uprising. Hill ended up throwing six efficient innings and tossed 61 of 83 pitches for strikes (73% strike rate, 13.8 pitches per inning) without walking a batter. Hill is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in three career outings (one start) against the Rangers.

Kohei Arihara allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out a batter over four innings against the Padres on Friday. Arihara ran into trouble after the first innings, allowing two runs in the second and an additional one in the third on a pair of extra-base hits and a sac-fly. He has been capped at 73 pitches in each of his first two turns, meaning he typically won’t pitch deeply. While the Rangers haven’t given him much run support, Arihara hasn’t been impressive either, allowing 11 hits and five earned runs in nine innings while striking out just two batters. Arihara relies primarily on a low-90’s two-seam and a four-seam fastball, a high-80’s splitter, a low-80’s slider thrown to right-handed hitters, a cutter, and a mid-70’s changeup, that he throws against left-handed hitters.

TBA

Jordan Lyles allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one across 4-1/3 innings on Saturday against the Padres. Lyles got through the first three innings cleanly before giving up a pair of home runs to Eric Hosmer and Ha-Seong Kim. The 30-year-old is coming off a poor start and boasts a 7.02 ERA and 1.56 WHIP thus far. Lyles is 0-0 with a 1.69 ERA in two career outings (one start) against the Rays. He relies primarily on a 93 mph four-seam fastball and an 80 mph knuckle curveball, while also mixing in an 86 mph slider and an 87 mph changeup. Key Matchups: Austin Meadows (2-3, HR, 2 RBI), Mike Zunino (2-6)

Three takeaways from the Rays first two series

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At least the Rays opening home series has gone better than the previous set. (Photo Credit: Brett Morgan)

As I think the reader can guess, this piece may not be all too positive! Opening Week overreactions are some of the most common things ever. We’re fans! Of course, we’re going to blow up small things out of proportion and press the panic button! And, while it has been noted already that yes, the Rays had this exact same start last year with that sweep at the hands of Baltimore, it’s not just safe to assume these Rays will do the same thing and turn things around. The easy takeaway to make from Opening Week, and mainly the Boston series, is to say, “this team stinks!”, so here are some more in-depth looks at what needs to change the most.

The bullpen needs to be way better than this

The Rays and bullpening have almost become synonymous at this point due to how brilliant and relied upon the organization is at finding arms from bargain bins to turn around as well as using their pen in ways other teams aren’t doing things to get more value out of it. The bullpen was vital in last year’s postseason with the super trio of Anderson, Fairbanks, and Castillo being relied upon heavily, and with a starting staff much weaker from last year, the pen is going to be even more important. What we’ve seen so far hasn’t been the standard. Guys the Rays expect to be on this roster all year like Thompson, McHugh, and Mazza look like stinkers. Some more surprise players like Springs and Reed have looked very encouraging so far but with Anderson out until July, some previously earlier inning arms are going to have to step into bigger roles and reach new levels to make signature tight Rays’ ballgames much more in favor for Tampa.

The veteran starter free agents are concerning me

The whole narrative of the offseason for the Rays has been about replacing the giant-sized hole Snell and Morton leave in the rotation, and the Rays addressed that by giving one-year deals to veterans Wacha, Archer, Hill, and McHugh. The plan sounded a bit iffy at first but thinking about the Rays and the past with letting veterans rediscover their old mojo, I had faith. That faith might’ve been lost a bit. Wacha actually managed to still look good, pitching stuff-wise, despite the scoreline from the Sox game but what we’ve seen from the rest has been ugly. The Hill-Archer tandem in the Marlins game was really bad with both combining for 7 ER’s over 7 innings (though Archer could’ve gotten some defensive help) and god I hope McHugh does not turn into a starting option based on what’s been seen. Maybe switching him into the rotation full time would help, maybe it wouldn’t, either way, that signature curve needs to start being effective because he looks dreadful.

If this trend continues, Neander and Co. should really consider the two young lefties in Fleming and McClanahan seeing how lights out they looked in spring training and how much of an upgrade they could be over the current pitchers.

The offense is as expected (but still lots of room for improvement)

Good news! The hitters the Rays will be relying upon most for offensive production in Arozarena, B-Lowe, and Meadows look fantastic! Randy is proving he’s not a fluke with a .300 BA and catch of the year worthy highlights. Lowe is an on-base machine so far with a .500 on-base and a 27 percent walk rate to go with it! While more actual hits are needed from Meadows, the fact that the power stroke looks to be found again is extremely encouraging as he embarks on a bounce-back year. This is great and all, but for a team like the Rays to rely on only three hitters to carry the lineup is just so unlike the Rays and isn’t going to work. This is a team with depth everywhere and the rest of this lineup needs to be adequate for it to function.

Yandy Diaz has the chance to take his game to new heights if he can stay healthy this year. The power, the contact, and the eye are all there, now it’s just time for him to start lifting the ball and become a great home run hitter and an on-base machine. Manuel Margot might be seeing a lot of time in center with KK hitting the IL as usual and that could be a good thing! Margot looked super solid last year in limited time and the playoffs, so the chance for him to start every day could get him in some type of groove and play premium defense with good base stealing abilities.

As for Willy Adames, I think we all know what might be coming sooner than some expect if he doesn’t start playing some good baseball (Pleaaasse let us see Wander, Erik!!!!). Oh, and one more side note: Yoshi Tsutsugo should not be leading off or to be quite frank, starting at all! We’d see better results from making Brosseau a starter over Yoshi at this point.

LBWMF: Rich Hill, as well as the Rays’ offense, snap the four-game skid, 10-5 against the Bronx Bummers

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I cannot articulate how happy I was to be in attendance at a baseball game again after a year and seven months. (Photo Credit: X-Rays Spex)

The Rays scored runs across four different innings, while left-hander Rich Hill put together a gutsy six-inning start, as Tampa Bay snapped its four-game skid on Friday, defeating the Yankees 10-5.

After all of the Opening Day pomp and circumstance, Hill took the mound with a monkey on his back after he allowed four runs in his four-inning Rays’ debut. The veteran lefty retired his first eight batters before Tyler Wade sparked a two-out rally in the third inning, reaching on an infield hit near second base. D.J. LeMahieu followed with a ground-rule double that bounced over the wall in center field, putting runners at second and third, before Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single against the shift, plating a pair of runs and tying the game at two. Aaron Hicks capped the four-run rally with a two-run homer.

Yet, Hill settled down and settled in, retiring the final 10 batters he faced in order and collecting two of his seven strikeouts in a 10-pitch inning that followed New York’s uprising. Hill ended up throwing six efficient innings and tossed 61 of 83 pitches for strikes (73% strike rate, 13.8 pitches per inning) without walking a batter.

He was outstanding the entire game.

— Kevin Cash

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay took the initial lead in the second inning against veteran right-hander Corey Kluber. Yandy Díaz reached on a one-out throwing error by de facto third baseman D.J. LeMahieu, who was playing in place of Gio Urshela after he was placed on the COVID-19 related IL.

Joey Wendle moved Díaz up 180 feet when he rolled a single into right before Willy Adames doubled off the top of the right-field wall for a one-run lead. Brett Phillips capped the scoring on a sac-fly to center.

Then, down by a pair in the third, Tampa Bay moved in front for good against Kluber and Nick Nelson. Yoshi Tsutsugo ripped a single off the wall in right before Austin Meadows walked to put two on for Randy Arozarena, who plated a run on a base hit to right. Díaz walked to load the bases, and Yankees skipper Aaron Boone had seen enough.

Nick Nelson entered in relief, and Joey Wendle welcomed him with a two-base hit over the head of Mike Tauchman in left, scoring two and putting Tampa Bay up by one.

But, Tampa Bay wasn’t done, as they added three more runs in the following frame.

After Mike Zunino was hit by a 1-2 pitch, Tsutsugo earned a free pass, and Meadows lined a single to right, loading the bases. Lowe made up for a caught-looking strikeout the inning prior by lining a double to the left-center gap, scoring three and putting the Rays up by four. Díaz plated one last run in the inning, ripping a base hit to right.

Willy Adames capped Tampa Bay’s offensive onslaught with a seventh-inning homer to right field.

All told, the Rays scored 10 runs on 13 hits, three walks, and a hit by pitch, while going 6-for-16 wRISP (.375 BA). Every Ray plated a run except Phillips who drove in an RBI.

Hunter Strickland, who was recalled Friday morning when Pete Fairbanks went on the IL, followed Hill for two innings, striking out three and walking one while allowing a solo homer to Giancarlo Stanton. Chris Mazza closed things out, working around a pair of singles in the ninth to end the game on a high note.

The New What Next

The Rays will face the Yankees in the second game of the three-game set on Saturday afternoon. Chris Archer (0-1, 13.50 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of Domingo Germán (0-1, 9.00 ERA).

Chris Archer entered Saturday’s contest against the Marlins in the fifth inning following Rich Hill and allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk across two innings. He struck out two. For his part, Archer was able to get first-pitch strikes on eight of the 11 batters he faced, although it took him a whopping 52 pitches to get just six outs. Then again, if his FIP and BABIP against speak to anything, it’s that Archer was the recipient of bad luck due to misplays by the fielders behind him. Yes, he gave up the run-scoring hits and allowed a lot of hard contact, but his final line does not give an accurate depiction of how he performed in his first outing of the season. The right-hander is 6-7 with a 3.14 ERA in 18 career starts against the Bronx Bummers.

Domingo Germán surrendered three runs on four hits and a walk while fanning two across three innings on Sunday against Toronto. Germán tossed nine scoreless frames during Spring Training, striking out 13 and walking just one, yet he wasn’t able to replicate those results in his season debut and lasted just three innings before being lifted. He is 3-0 with a 5.14 ERA in five outings (four starts) against Tampa Bay, and 1-0 with an 8.10 ERA in three outings (two starts) at Tropicana Field. In 2019, his last big league season, Germán relied primarily on an 82 mph curveball and a 94 mph four-seam fastball, while also mixing in an 87 mph changeup and a 94 mph sinker. Key Matchups: Yandy Diaz (2-6, HR, RBI), Brandon Lowe (1-3), Austin Meadows (3-6, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs. Yankees — a series preview

Rays 4/10/21 Starting Lineup

  1. Tsutsugo DH
  2. Meadows LF
  3. Arozarena RF
  4. B. Lowe 2B
  5. Díaz 1B
  6. Wendle 3B
  7. Adames SS
  8. Phillips CF
  9. Mejía C
  10. Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

— The Tampa Bay Rays raised their championship banners before the game, and boy do they look pretty.

(Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

LBWMF: Rays fall in extras, 6-5

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Tyler Glasnow, pictured during Spring Training, tossed a gem on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays)

In an uneven game filled with miscues, gaffes, and weird plays, the Tampa Bay Rays dropped their third straight game (and second to those Massholes) in extra innings, 6-5.

Glasnow got the start for Tampa Bay on Tuesday tasked with putting together a quality outing as well as shutting down a Red Sox offense that plated 11 runs the night before. Given how dominant he was on Opening Day, the question begged: would Tyler be able to put up similar numbers in his second outing of the season? The answer was yes and no. Was Glasnow as dominant on Tuesday as he was on Opening Day? No. However, he was very good nonetheless. The right-hander made some big pitches when he needed to and limited Boston to one run across six innings. 

Glasnow got into trouble in the first inning when he gave up a leadoff double to Christian Arroyo that chopped its way down the left-field line. The one time Ray moved up to third on a groundout by J.D. Martinez that was full of indecision by Willy Adames, who had an opportunity to tag Arroyo as he made his way to third. Arroyo later came around to score on a wild pitch to Xander Bogaerts, who subsequently struck out on a 99 mph fastball.

https://twitter.com/ballyrays/status/1379610643444199431?s=21

From there Glasnow went to work, scattering three other hits and two walks across five scoreless frames. He used roughly the same mix of pitches as he had against Miami, although he coaxed fewer whiffs: 52 four-seam fastballs (six whiffs, 33% called strikes+whiffs), 34 cut-sliders (five whiffs, 21% called strikes+whiffs), and 10 curveballs (three whiffs, 40% called strikes+whiffs). And while Glasnow did not have the eye-popping 75% strike rate of five days ago, the results speak favorably for the Rays’ ace. His final line: 6 IP/4 H/2 BB/1 R/9 K on 97 pitches (60 strikes, 62% strike rate, 16.2 pitches per inning)

Meanwhile, the Rays took the lead in the third inning when Manuel Margot singled to shallow right, allowing Yandy Díaz and Mike Zunino to score. Zunino previously reached base on a single to left, while Díaz worked a four-pitch walk. Three innings later, pinch hitter Joey Wendle added a third tally to the score when he drove home Brandon Lowe, who reached on a lead-off full-pitch walk. Yet the Rays could have scored more in the inning if not for a running error by Willy Adames, who was slow out of the box on a long single at the left-field wall — his second mental gaffe of the night. Instead of ending up in scoring position, Adames got caught between first and second and was subsequently tagged out as he attempted to slide back into first. Willy was later tagged out as he attempted to swipe a bag in the top of the eighth.

It also bears mentioning that the Rays should have added onto their lead in the seventh inning, however, an awkward double play took place when Margot “flew out to left” doubling up Arozarena off second. In reality, however, left fielder Franchy Cordero caught the ball after it caromed off the wall and into his glove, which you can see in slow motion in the video above.

As fate would have it, the Red Sox would score single tallies against The Stable in the eighth and ninth innings (respectively) when Martinez drove in Alex Verdugo on a double to deep right, and Vasquez homered to left, sending the game into extra innings.

In the 11th inning, Adames redeemed himself when he doubled to shallow left, scoring Lowe from second. Yet, the Red Sox answered against Andrew Kittredge in the bottom half of the frame when Rafael Devers singled to left, scoring Bogaerts.

Kittredge — making his first appearance at Fenway since his injury-shortened 2020 outing — came up big, striking out Bogaerts (swinging) with runners in scoring position, keeping the score knotted up at four runs apiece.

At any rate, Tampa Bay again took the go-ahead lead when Zunino was wild pitched to third, then came around to score on Arozarena’s RBI groundout to short. However, that lead again slipped away for good in the bottom of the 12th when Martinez hit a two-out, two-RBI extra-base hit to right field that Randy Arozarena got all sorts of twisted up on (four the third time in four days, no less), allowing Boston to win the 36-out affair, 6-5. 

The New What Next

Salvage mode. The Rays will cap their road trip in an afternoon matinee on Wednesday with Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on the mound. The left-hander will pitch opposite of Nathan Eovaldi (0-1, 1.69 ERA).

Ryan Yarbrough got the start for Tampa Bay and retired the first nine batters in order by doing what he is wont to do: forcing weak contact. In fact, the left-hander limited hard contact all night; just two at-bats resulted in exit velocities of +95 mph, and even then both resulted in fly-ball outs. Yarbrough allowed base runners in the fourth inning, yet a Garrett Cooper double play ended the threat. Then in the fifth inning, he allowed a two-out base hit to Jazz Chisholm Jr., but a ground ball out by Jorge Alfaro whacked Miami’s mole, ending the inning. After giving up a two-out double to Starling Marte that bounced down the third base line, Yarbrough was lifted. He was efficient, throwing 65 pitches (41 strikes, 63% strike rate) total, and leaned heavily on his cutter/changeup combo while sprinkling in a few sinkers and curveballs for good measure. Yarbrough’s final line: 5.2 IP/4 H/3 K/0 BB/4 groundouts/5 fly ball outs.

Nathan Eovaldi gave up one run on four hits and a walk over 5-1/3 innings while striking out four. The right-hander found himself in a pitchers’ duel with John Means and exited the game in the sixth inning with the score still knotted up at zero, but Eovaldi got saddled with the loss when former Rays hurler Matt Andriese allowed his inherited runner to score. Eovaldi is coming off a strong 2020, posting career highs in strikeouts and walk rates. Even so, Eovaldi is 2-5 with a 5.48 ERA in 10 career outings (eight starts) against Tampa Bay. Last season, he relied primarily on a 98 mph four-seam fastball and a 93 mph cutter, while also mixing in an 80 mph curveball, an 88 mph splitter, and an 89 mph slider. Key Matchups: Michael Brosseau (1-1), Yandy Díaz (2-7, RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (3-11, 3B, 4 RBI), Manuel Margo (1-2), Austin Meadows (5-9, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI), Joey Wendle (5-7, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview, and I’ll try to post the starting lineup upon availability.

Rays 4/7/21 Starting Lineup

  1. Tsutsugo 1B
  2. Meadows LF
  3. Arozarena RF
  4. Lowe 2B
  5. Diaz DH
  6. Wendle 3B
  7. Margot CF
  8. Mejia C
  9. Adames SS
  10. Yarbrough LHP
Glas.jpeg

LBWMF: Glasnow dominant, and Meadows comes up big in the Rays 1-0 Opening Day win over Miami

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Austin Meadows drove in the game’s only run on an eighth-inning blast on Thursday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Tyler Glasnow fired six shutout innings on Opening Day, while Austin Meadows hit a crucial eighth-inning homer, as the Tampa Bay Rays edged out the Miami Marlins on Thursday, 1-0.

Glasnow made his first-ever Opening Day start and was dominant, allowing only a first-inning, two-out infield dribbler to third off the bat of Jesus Aguilar.

Leaning heavily on his four-seam fastball (40 thrown, 24 strikes, 60% strike rate, 18% SwStr%) and his newfound cut-slider (26 thrown, 16 strikes, 62% strike rate, 19% SwStr%), Glasnow kept Miami’s over-anxious batters off-balance, limiting hard contact while coaxing seven ground outs to three fly ball outs. His fastball sat at 98 mph, although he hit the century mark on more than one occasion. And after Glasnow relinquished his lone hit, he retired his next 16 batters in a row, collecting six strikeouts overall. The right-hander threw 57 of 76 pitches for strikes (75% strike rate) and, impressively, found himself in just two three-ball counts.

I think the last couple starts in spring, I’ve kind of opened up my eyes to like, ‘Wow, I’ve been really kind of getting by on two pitches when I really should have not been. I just think it makes it so much easier for me in terms of options and guys aren’t selling out.

— Tyler Glasnow

Meanwhile, Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara was nearly as effective across six frames, limiting Tampa Bay’s lineup to two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts despite loading the bases in the first inning.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1377743960689491971?s=20

Ryan Thompson followed Glasnow with a scoreless seventh, including a swinging strikeout of Starlin Marte on a filthy 79 mph slider that started on the inside part of the plate and ended up in the left-handed batter’s box.

Then in the Rays’ half of the eighth, Meadows drove in Tampa Bay’s only run on a blast to right-center. The outfielder, who was impacted by COVID-19 last season, came up with two outs against right-hander Yimi Garcia. After working the count to 2-0, Meadows turned on a 95 mph fastball and sent it 419 feet away. The hit registered 108 mph off the bat.

From there, it was up to the Stable — Pete Fairbanks and Diego Castillo — to lock things down for Tampa Bay. Fairbanks entered the contest in the home half of the eighth and allowed a one-out infield single to Jorge Alfaro, who later stole second with two outs. After Fairbanks walked pinch-hitter Garrett Cooper, former Rays outfielder Corey Dickerson flew out to Kevin Kiermaier in center, ending that threat.

Finally, after leaving the bases loaded (again) in the Rays’ half of the ninth, Diego Castillo came on and promptly struck out Marte on three pitches. But, they weren’t out of danger just yet; Aguilar put a scare into every Tampa Bay player and fan when he launched a fly-ball to deep left-field. He, however, flew out at the warning track as everyone let out an audible sigh of relief. The right-hander punched out Duvall to end the game, keeping Tampa Bay on the winning side of the ledger.

The New What Next

Ryan Yarbrough will get the start for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of Pablo Lopez in the second game of the season.

Ryan Yarbrough allowed two earned runs on three hits across 5-1/3 innings in his final spring outing against Atlanta. He struck out four and hit a batter. Yarbrough accomplished his solid line against Atlanta’s regulars, turning in a much better performance than when he faced them a week earlier. The left-hander finished Grapefruit League play having allowed two runs or fewer in three of his four turns and posted an impressive 5.5 K/BB across 13-2/3 innings.

Pablo Lopez had a solid spring, posting a 2.63 ERA and 9 K/BB across 13-2/3 frames, as the 25-year-old is looking to take another step forward. Last season he posted a 3.61 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 24.1% strikeout rate. Lopez is 1-2 with a 4.24 ERA in three career starts against the Rays. Last season, Lopez relied primarily on a 94 mph four-seam fastball, an 88 mph changeup, and a 94 mph sinker, while also mixing in a 91 mph cutter and a 79 mph curveball. Key Matchups: Yandy Díaz (1-3, RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (1-4, 2 RBI), Austin Meadows (1-4, 2B), Yoshi Tsutsugo (2-2, HR, RBI), Joey Wendle (4-8, 2B, HR, RBI)

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

Can’t Hardly Wait: Rays vs. Marlins — an Opening Series preview

Rays 4/2/21 Starting Lineup

  1. Tsutsugo 1B
  2. Meadows LF
  3. Arozarena RF
  4. B. Lowe 2B
  5. Diaz 3B
  6. Wendle SS
  7. Margot CF
  8. Mejia C
  9. Yarbrough LHP

Noteworthiness

— The pitching staff looked fantastic on Thursday, however, the offense looked less so, going 0-5 wRISP while stranding five runners on the base paths.