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Rays win 7-2, Blake Snell makes proper in-game adjustment

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Brad Miller congratulating Rickie Weeks on Sunday, is expected to get a start at shortstop on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

After a second consecutive seven-run game, the Tampa Bay Rays will return home to face the Minnesota Twins in the second game of the Knutson Cup. On the heels of the 7-2 stymying of the Phillies on Monday, Alex Cobb will make his first start of the spring, opposite of Hector Santiago, on Tuesday.

Takeaways from Monday’s ball-game

— The flu, eh? Nick Franklin, one of only three members of the major-league squad to make the trip north to Clearwater, told reporters he was feeling sick and not expect too much from him performance wise. He, however, went 2-2 with a double to deep center, accepted a walk and scored a run.

He also reportedly doused the Phillie Phanatic with water prior to the game.

— Corey Dickerson = one-man wrecking crew. Not only did he walk and score in the first inning, he also hit a two-run homer in the fifth, extending the lead to 5–2.

Not your prototypical speedster, Dickerson — aided by the loss of 25-pounds in the offseason — went from first to third on Franklin’s single.

Really, that was probably the highlight of my day, Dickerson said. Get on the bases and be able to go first to third was pretty nice for the first time I got on base (in the game) and feel like I can run a little bit.

You can hear more of his post game interview below.


(Audio Courtesy of Rays Radio)

— Minor adjustments make a major impact. Blake Snell, who allowed one-run on four hits over his two innings of work, fanned only one Philly, largely due to the fact that he threw just three of his first nine pitches for strikes. However, the southpaw identified the issue and made an in-game adjustment. He finished his outing by throwing 17-22 strikes. The culprit? His left shoulder was coming open during his delivery.

It was kind of cool to see I was shaky at first with the fastball. I threw no strikes with it, and the next inning throwing nothing but strikes with it, Snell said. It was coming out good. I felt more confident. Not that I wasn’t confident to start, but I finally felt like I knew what I was doing again.


(Audio Courtesy of Rays Radio)

Overall, Rays skipper Kevin Cash was pleased with what he saw out of Snell, although he added that the lefty needs to continue to work on his fastball command:

You look at his overall performance, really, it was pretty good for a young pitcher.

I think that’s going to vault him into a higher confidence going into the season. … Nothing really from a pitch-choice standpoint, but I think as soon as Blake can establish throughout this league that he can come in and throw strikes with his fastball, he’s going to put himself in a really good category of starting pitchers.

… I think what Blake has that maybe a lot of young pitchers don’t is four of what we view as quality pitches. Rarely do you see a 6-foot-4 power left-hander who can throw four quality pitches.


(Audio Courtesy of Rays Radio)

Ryan Garton also made his first appearance on the mound and allowed a solo shot over 1-2/3 innings. In his second appearance of the spring, Ryne Stanek fanned the only batter he faced.

The New What Next

As mentioned above, Cobb will get the start against the Twins on Tuesday, in Port Charlotte. Evan Longoria is slated to make his spring debut against the visiting Twins at third base, then is expected to DH on Wednesday against the visiting Phillies.

Brad Miller will get some reps at shortstop this spring, beginning onTuesday.

Rays 2/28/17 Starting Lineup

Dickerson LF
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Miller SS
Weeks DH
Casali C
Beckham 2B
Franklin RF
Bauers 1B
Cobb RHP

Noteworthiness

— Alex Cobb told Bill Chastain (MLB.com) he feels healthy after recovering from Tommy John surgery, and is ready for the 2017 season.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Drop Third Straight, 6-5

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Yunel Escobar holds a throw to first base in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels. Outfielder Mike Trout singled on the play. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Yunel Escobar holds a throw to first base in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels. Outfielder Mike Trout singled on the play. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

To put it bluntly, after the 11-1 debacle against the Royals Monday, and the subsequent demotion of Jeremy Hellickson Tuesday, Tampa Bay really needed a big performance out of Roberto Hernandez. And with the exceptions of a Mike Trout blast in the fourth, and an unlucky break in the seventh, a solid performance they got.

Sadly, Hernandez’s best outing in some time went to waste after Jake McGee and Fernando Rodney let another save slip away, in the 6-5 loss to The The Angels Angels of Anaheim. The Rays start the day two-and-a-half games behind the Red Sox after Boston crushed the Orioles by a score of 13-2. Bulleted game peripherals are below:

  • I’d imagine the only consolation for Roberto Hernandez might be that he wasn’t charged with the loss. Hernandez looked good Tuesday night, however his 6 IP/8 H/3 ER/3 BB/6 K/2 GDP slash line on 94 pitches (60 for strikes) was for naught. Seriously, dude can’t catch a break — he is still 0-4 against the Angels. Even though the opposing batters reached safely in all but one inning, Hernandez was effective in making that big pitch to get a strikeout or ground out; Roberto struck out three batters to end the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, while inducing eight ground ball outs — including a pair of big double plays. The key to his success: He was able to command his sinker, fastball, and change-up — largely keeping it down and on the periphery of the strike zone.  The only pitch he had a hard time with was, surprise surprise, his slider — of the 15 he threw, only six went for strikes (one whiff). To Roberto’s credit, the blast Mike Trout hit in the fourth was on a good pitch down in the zone and on the outside corner. And to be fair, color Hernandez unlucky in the seventh — Roberto gave up a lead-off single to Nelson, who was moved to second on a Grant Green bunt base hit that never rolled foul. With two on and no outs, Jake McGee came on in relief and quickly gave up a walk, RBI fielder’s choice, and an RBI single — cutting the Rays lead to an uncomfortable one run.
Roberto Hernandez at-bat results. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)

Roberto Hernandez at-bat results. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)

  • Like Hernandez, CJ Wilson was able to make the big pitch to get out of innings relatively unscathed. Unlike the Rays righty however, Wilson pitched out of the stretch for the majority of his 5 IP/8 H/3 ER/5 BB outing. Say what you will about McGee and Rodney blowing the game, I’d argue that going 3-13 wRISP while stranding 12 men on the bags (including eight in scoring position) had an equally negative impact on the outcome of the game. Wil Myers, Desmond Jennings, and Evan Longoria all came up short in big situations, going 0-10 overall and combining for four strikeouts. Granted they collectively walked five times, the Rays could only convert one of those walks into a run.
  • Jose Molina had a huge night, going 3-4 with two doubles and three RBI. What’s more, he gunned down Nelson at second to end the top of the second inning. Yet as with Hernandez, his big night was for naught. A bummer indeed — lord knows when he may put together another career night at the plate.
  • Fernando Rodney blew his eighth save of the year after giving up two runs in the ninth (one earned) on a walk, error, stolen base, and an RBI double. To be frank, Rodney looked like crap. Is Jesse Crain ready yet?
  • Desmond Jennings’ ninth inning error proved costly. Instead of a runner on second with one out, the Angels were primed with two on and no outs, and the winning run at first. That was a play that Jennings has made time and again, and simply misplayed the ball this time around. That error could prove important at  this point in the season with 30 some games left.
  • Let’s be honest, five runs should have been enough to beat a sub .500 team.

The New What Next

Chris Archer will get the start Wednesday, tasked with putting an end to the current three-game losing streak. Archer will take on Jerome Williams. You can read about the pitching match-up here.

Rays 8/28/13 Starting Lineup

DeJesus LF
Zobrist 2B
Longoria 3B
Joyce DH
Myers RF
Loney 1B
Jennings CF
Lobaton C
Escobar SS
Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

  • Over last 13 games, Rays catchers Lobaton & Molina have combined to hit .340 BA/.392 OBP/.596 SLG with 2 HR, 10 RBI, 4 2B, 1 3B.
  • Since Desmond Jennings has slumped it up, he’ll be hitting seventh, while David DeJesus hits in the leadoff spot.

The New What Next: The Rays and the Diamondbacks, Part Deux

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Jason Bourgeois was recalled to fill in for the ailing Desmond Jennings

Jason Bourgeois was recalled to fill in for the ailing Desmond Jennings

The Rays made their way to Pheonix Monday, in anticipation of their second two game series in a week against the Diamondbacks. Since leaving St. Petersburg Wednesday night, Arizona has been busy. They lost a makeup game against the Rangers and dropped two of three in Boston. They traded Ian Kennedy for LHPR Joe Thatcher, reinstated Brandon McCarthy from the DL, dumped reliever Tony Sipp and called up Tuffy Gosewisch after putting C Miguel Montero on the DL. They have lost six of eight overall.

The Rays, on the other hand, took two of three from the San Francisco Giants, lost Desmond Jennings to the 15-day DL because of a fractured finger, recalled OF Jason Bourgeois to take Jennings’ place, and averaged over 28,000 fans over the span of the three game set. Tampa Bay enters Arizona a half game out of first in the AL East, having not lost a series since the middle of June.

Rays and Diamondbacks series starters.

Rays and Diamondbacks series starters.

Rays and Giants offensive production at home, away, and over the last 14 days.

Rays and Giants offensive production at home, away, and over the last 14 days.

Rays and Diamondbacks, by the numbers.

Rays and Diamondbacks, by the numbers.

Wade Miley: Per Rotowire, “Miley evened his record at 8-8 after picking up the win against the Rays on Wednesday. He didn’t allow the opposition to score a run and struck out eight over 6.1 innings.” Not much has changed for Miley in a week. Here’s what we mentioned about Miley last week, “At first glance, Miley looks terribly average. His fastball sits around 89-92 mph and his secondary offerings don’t appear to be plus pitches. Miley works in plenty of change-ups that routinely miss the strike zone. Wade also spins a slider that has improved dramatically in 2012, and rare curve. Miley’s pitching breakout: fastball (89-93), change-up (79-82), slider (81-85), curve.” Then again, he did two-hot the Rays a week ago, so… Miley has won four of his last five starts, lasting at least into the seventh inning in each of those victories. Key Match-ups: Wil Myers (1-2, BB), Ben Zobrist (1-3, 2B).

Zeke Spruill: Spruill, 23, was recently recalled from Triple-A. Per The Scouting Book, “A big, durable workhorse, righty Zeke Sprull is a big strong starter originally ID’d by Atlanta before moving to Arizona as part of the Justin Upton deal of early 2013. A straightforward fastball and decent stuff combined with a bulldog mentality and fearlessness helps Sprull pitch better than his tools suggest he should. He’s looking pretty MLB ready after posting a full-season 3.67, 1.262 over 162 innings with AA Mississippi. He doesn’t strike out a ton of guys, but he gets the outs that matter. A true pitcher, not just a stuff-laced thrower.“

Noteworthiness

  • Miley has limited opponents to a .198 average in his last five outings.
  • Jeremy Hellickson will be trying to win his fifth straight road start after posting a 3.27 ERA over his last four.
  • The Diamondbacks will start the series without shortstop Cliff Pennington, who’s out with a sore left foot.
  • The Rays are a major league-best 12-3 in interleague play.
  • Jason Bourgeois has be recalled to fill in for the ailing Desmond Jennings. The Rays CF is on the 15-day DL, having incurred a fractured finger in Saturday night’s game against the Giants.
  • In the Baseball America “Best Tools” survey, James Loney and Yunel Escobar were voted the second best defenders at their position, with Evan Longoria just behind at third. Also in the survey, Matt Moore was listed as the third best pitcher, while newcomer Jesse Crain was ranked as the second best reliever. Fernando Rodney has the third best changeup, per the survey.

 

 

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: A Rumble Was Brewing in the Trop…

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Jonny Gomes vs Luke Scott? Nobody wins in that fight...except all of us watching!

Jonny Gomes vs Luke Scott? Nobody wins in that fight…except all of us watching!

What to say about last night’s rumble in the ‘Burg that hasn’t already been said? Hmmm. I think Gordon Edes summed things up well,

“The object of the Rays’ ire was Sox starter John Lackey, who barked and gestured at their dugout in the second, then drilled Matt Joyce in the back with a fastball in the sixth, a “bush league move,” as Joyce described it afterward.”

The Boston Red Sox came out the victors of a 10-8, five-hour and 27 minute marathon, in what could be described as a very weird game. If I may, why does this kind of game always seem to happen when it’s being nationally televised on ESPN? I digress.

Last night’s match-up had everything — From a bench clearing aborted brawl, to a Rays team that could not seem to drive in runners in scoring position, who however was able to chink away at the armor of the Red Sox, ultimately grinding out eight runs. You guessed it, it’s time for another episode of The Good, The Bad, and The Argyle: A Bulleted Game Summary.

The Good

  • Alex Cobb did a good job of bouncing back after a six run first inning. In a very uncharacteristic start by Cobb, the Rays dependable RHP gave up six runs in a 39 pitch first inning — all with no outs. In fact, all of the Red Sox hitters got to face Cobb in the first, while eight men reached base on four singles, three doubles, and a walk. But something miraculous happened, Cobb wouldn’t relent another hit or run. In fact, he would only allow two other base runners on a pair of walks throughout the balance of his outing. It wasn’t easy, nor was it pretty. However I’m very encouraged by his ability to make adjustments in the game, which ultimately gave the Rays an opportunity to catch up to a Red Sox team that is — on average — outscoring is opponents by two runs per game, on the road. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying that his outing was sparkling — his line speaks to that, as does the fact that he and Moore have given up 15-runs over the course of nine innings. However, he was able clean things up, giving the Rays a fighting chance.
  • Ben Zobrist is an absolute beast! After a fairly quiet month of May, Ben Zobrist has started to pour it on. Zo went 5-for-7 with a run and an RBI Monday night, setting a career-high for the Rays utility player. Furthermore, he became only the second Rays player to collect five hits at the Trop. Going nine-for-13 with four doubles and one home run in the last three games, it’s nice to see Zo starting to come around.
  • Alex Torres did it again. Torres came on in relief of Alex Cobb in the fifth inning and looked great once more. Lasting a pair of innings, Torres was able to strike out four (a pair of swinging strikeouts on — you guessed it — his change-up), while inducing a weakly hit come-backer, and a line-out to left. Torres now has 13-1/3 innings under his belt, allowing only three hits, zero runs, and three walks. Did I mention that he’s wrung up 18 batters?
  • Watching the Rays offense grind it out was great. Forget that the Rays looked horrible wRISP — we’ll get into that below. Matt Joyce, Evan Longoria, James Loney, and Jose Lobaton all went yard Monday night, while Yunel Escobar went 2-for-5 and crossed the plate twice. They took advantage of quality pitched innings by Alex Torres, Joel Peralta, Jake McGee, and Jamey Wright, slowly and surely driving in a run or two — here and there — keeping the Rays in the game throughout the duration of the 14-inning marathon.

The Bad

  • Luke Scott, need I say more? I will. Luke went 0-7 Monday night, becoming the only player in the lineup — who started the game, that is — to not reach base even once. What’s more, the Rays designated out…urm, hitter stranded four men on the bags, while popping or flying out four times. I said it once, and I’ll say it again, “After Luke Scott’s less than outstanding 0-7 night at the plate, the initially far-fetched thought of cutting him in favor of Wil Myers has gained favor with many — myself included.”
  • The Rays looked horrible wRISP. Tampa Bay went 3-for-16 last night, while going 9-for-70 against the Red Sox this season. Comparatively speaking, they’ve hit .330 (148-for-448) with RISP against all other opponents. 13 men were stranded on base, including eight in scoring position. A runner was stranded at third in five different innings. Sure Cobb, Fernando Rodney, and Cesar Ramos gave up far too many runs. However, I’d argue that had the Rays hitters done their part when given the opportunities, Rodney never would have pitched two innings, and Cesar Ramos never would have given up the go-ahead runs in the top of the 14th, after putting together two scoreless innings prior to the final inning of the night.
  • The bottom of the 10th was particularly painful. The Rays could do nothing more with the bases loaded and no outs, after scoring a pair of runs on Jose Lobaton’s solo shot, and a Kelly Johnson bases loaded walk. Evan Longoria ground into a third to catcher to first double play, while Sam Fuld ground out to first on a surprise bunt. The bunt almost worked, but Pedroia read the play well, springing to the ball and getting it to the first baseman for the final out. Had Fuld dribbled it to the pitcher, Fuld is safe at first and the Rays win 9-8.

The Argyle

  • What you all have been waiting for, the aborted brawl. It all started in the second inning when Matt Joyce launched a massive 3-0 foul ball, that would’ve been a homer had it stayed fair — Joyce initially dropped his bat as if it had remained fair, this fact is relevant. After Joyce grounded out to end the inning, John Lackey was seen yelling something curt at the Rays dugout as he made his way off the field. In kind, Sean Rodriguez was seen yelling something right back him, but at that moment we didn’t know what either of them had to say. Fast forward to the sixth inning. With two outs in the Rays half of the sixth, Lackey drilled Joyce in the back. Though Lackey attempted to act like it was unintentional, it was obvious that the act was quite deliberate. Joyce clearly mouthed, “That’s bullshit” as he walked toward first base, and the benches cleared. No punches were thrown — surprising if you ask me, considering the personalities on each squad — and warnings were issued. Ben Zobrist followed the debacle with a single to right, moving a heated — angrily muttering — Joyce to third. He, arguably, could — and should — have scored from first, though he was held up at third to end the inning.
  • I mentioned that I’d talk a bit about how Matt Joyce’s bombastic foul, and Sean Rodriguez’s subsequent response to Lackey, applied to the aborted brawl. The folks at Rays Index delved into that very subject,

“Earlier tonight, John Lackey hit Matt Joyce and the benches emptied. This happened a few innings after Lackey got into a shouting match with Sean Rodriguez.Well, after the game, the Red Sox studio crew tried to explain the plunking of Joyce and boy do they sound like complete idiots. And if they are right, well the Red Sox are complete idiots.

The studio crew says Joyce got hit because he “dropped his bat” on a long foul ball after hitting a home run earlier in the game. They believe Joyce has not earned the right to “pimp” his home runs. Because apparently dropping a bat is “pimping a home run.”

To add to their idiocy, they point to Lackey yelling at the Rays dugout and say he is yelling at Joyce. YOU CAN SEE JOYCE IN THE PICTURE. Lackey is not yelling at Joyce.

They then go on to blame Luke Scott for the pushing and shoving as if Lackey never hit anybody on purpose. This is a hundred types of dumb. Here’s the video…

The New What Next

The Rays are back at it tonight, with a somewhat erratic Roberto Hernandez on the mound, and I’d imagine that warnings may be issued prior to the first pitch. He’ll be up against a very good Jon Lester. You can read more on the pitching match-up here.

Rays 6/11/13 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Rodriguez LF
Zobrist RF
Longoria 3B
Escobar SS
Loney 1B
Roberts 2B
Molina C
Joyce DH
Hernandez RHP

Noteworthiness

  • Jennings back in the leadoff spot, Johnson gets night off, and Joyce dropped to ninth vs LHP Lester.
  • The Rays have called up Jake Odorizzi — who was to start tonight for Durham — so there’s a fresh arm in the pen. In turn, Alex Cobb has been placed on the bereavement list due to death of his grandmother, and will miss at least three games.
  • Matt Joyce and Joe Maddon’s response to the events of last night were practically mirror images of one another. Joyce called Lackey’s actions, “bush-league,” while Maddon went on to chide Lackey, calling him a “bad teammate,” for potentially getting one of his own players hurt.
  • Per Roger Mooney of the Trib, “Price said he’s not heard from ump Hallion, who’s working series, about apology stemming from incident in Chicago earlier this season.”

“That can’t happen in a major league game.”

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That friends, is a ball by all accounts...except this one. (GIF courtesy of Cork Gaines/Rays Index)

That friends, is a ball by all accounts…except this one. (GIF courtesy of Cork Gaines/Rays Index)

Forget the fact that the Rays went 2-12 wRISP. Forget the fact that they are now 0-9 with the bases loaded, and 0-11 extending back to 2012. Forget the fact that Tampa Bay seemed to be a half step behind the Rangers all night; this has absolutely nothing to do with that.

The scenario: Down by one in the ninth with two outs, Sean Rodriguez at first and Molina at third, a very hot hitting Ben Zobrist came to the plate with hopes of either knotting things up, or extending the inning for Evan Longoria, who was on deck. Zobrist took strike one — a pitch that was clearly a ball, well outside the zone. Nathan proceeded to throw three straight balls and a borderline strike to put Zobrist in a 3-2 count. He followed that up by throwing a pitch that was well off the plate, and in the dirt. That pitch was clearly a ball to everyone by Foster. As Zobrist took off his helmet and gloves, starting to take his rightful base, Foster called the pitch strike three to end the game.

Marty Foster’s call on the final pitch of the game was, easily, one of the most atrocious calls I’ve ever seen in my life. Hell, even Joe Nathan couldn’t believe the call, mouthing the word “Wow” after Foster called the pitch a strike. “That can’t happen in a major league game,” said Joe Maddon in his post game presser. There are not enough words.

Both pitches number one and six -- both called strikes -- were absolutely horrendous. Bring us the head of Marty Foster! (Pitch f/x courtesy of Brooks Baseball)

Both pitches number one and six — both called strikes — were absolutely horrendous. Bring us the head of Marty Foster! (Pitch f/x courtesy of Brooks Baseball)

In a pool interview following the game, home-plate umpire Marty Foster was quoted as saying,

”I saw the pitch and of course don’t have the chance to do it again, but had I had a chance to do it again, I wouldn’t call that pitch a strike.”

Regardless of Foster’s admission, the Rangers’ 5-4 victory — and Joe Nathan’s 300th career save — is still on the books. Ben Zobrist summed things up well,

”Umpires make mistakes just like players do. It was a tough time to have a bad call… I hope it doesn’t ending up costing us playoffs in the end. I know it’s the first week of the season. But every win is important and we might have had a chance to win that one. Everybody makes mistakes. What are you going to do?”

Maddon took the field following the botched call — clearly perturbed — arguing well after the stands began to clear. According to Yahoo Sports, umpire crew chief Tim Welke indicated that he didn’t foresee a scenario in which Maddon would be disciplined.

Foster went on to say of Maddon,

”He was frustrated and I understand, he acted probably the best he can under that situation.”

It will be interesting to see how things pan out on the field Tuesday night, when the Rays again take on the Rangers in the second game of their 10-game road trip.

Noteworthiness: