Tyler Glasnow was dominant against Atlanta on Thursday, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out seven across four dominant frames.
Glasnow threw 34 of 52 pitches for strikes (65% strike rate) and retired 11 consecutive batters after Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the contest with an infield hit to third. Glasnow walked Marcell Ozuna with two down in the fourth inning before he struck out former teammate Travis d’Arnaud to end his outing.
I felt really good,. The timing was good. I think just incorporating the slider and the changeup made everything a lot easier.
— Tyler Glasnow
Glasnow said he threw the slider and changeup for strikes — using at least six or seven changeups — and also tossed a few of his new slider/cutter toy. He mixed in his big curveball too, while his heater hit 99 mph on the in-house radar gun. Glasnow told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) that he tried to have the mentality of treating it like a regular game, and it made him more consistent.
Rays skipper Kevin Cash had nothing but superlatives for the right-hander.
He was just outstanding. The slider looked good early on, the fastball was there, he was able to get back in the count. To show that much trust with the new pitch is very encouraging.
— Kevin Cash
After a bout with food poisoning, right-hander Pete Fairbanks made his Spring debut. The right-hander allowed a two-out opposite-field, wind-aided homer, but otherwise worked a clean seventh inning.
Felt really good, getting the first real inning since last year. I would have liked to have gotten into two-strike counts, seen if I could have executed, but when they’re swinging they’re swinging.
— Pete Fairbanks
Collin McHugh made his second appearance of the spring — also his second in more than 18 months. After working a scoreless fifth, the right-hander gave up a solo homer to Acuña with one out in the sixth, then loaded the bases on two walks and a single before he got d’Arnaud to ground into an inning-ending double play.
McHugh is still in line to work three or four innings by the start of the season and he’s prepared for a variety of roles.
He was really good the first inning. It’s been a long time since he’s been on the mound, so we’ve got to show him plenty of patience — and we will. He and (pitching coach Kyle Snyder) were talking after the outing — what felt good, what still was not quite as in line as he’d like.
— Kevin Cash
Right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. is reportedly “close” to facing hitters in live batting practice, the Rays’ manager said. Honeywell might not appear in Grapefruit League games, however, his rehab is going well, and the coaching staff is “actually way more excited” about how Brent looks now compared to when he was on the postseason taxi squad.
We’ll see how his upcoming live situations go. They’re actually way more excited about where he is right now than where he was during the bubble and all the stuff that was going on during the postseason.
— Kevin Cash
The New What Next
Chris Archer will get the start on Friday against the Red Sox, in Fort Myers. He is tentatively set to throw two innings depending on the outcome of his first inning of work. The right-hander’s last outing came in an intra-squad game on Sunday. Right-handers Trevor Richards, Chris Mazza, and Ryan Thompson, as well as left-hander Ryan Sherriff, are also slated to pitch.
Rays 3/12/21 Starting Lineup
- Phillips RF
- Arozarena LF
- B. Lowe DH
- Margot CF
- Franco SS
- Padlo 1B
- Walls 3B
- Odom C
- Mastrobuoni 2B
- Archer RHP
Noteworthiness
— Per Marc Topkin, the Rays are expected to be very creative with how they handle pitchers at the beginning of the season.