One day after their final Spring off-day, the Tampa Bay Rays will face the Red Sox once again this afternoon. Looking backward before we move forward, Tyler Glasnow pitched into the fifth inning on Wednesday against his former team.
Glasnow went four innings plus one batter in Bradenton, allowing six hits and a walk while striking out seven. The right-hander threw 49 of 76 pitches for strikes (64% strike rate) and increased his pitch count by nearly 20 pitches.
Glasnow sprinkled in a few changeups and threw somewhere in the neighborhood of 21 cut sliders that ran in on left-handed hitters and appeared to be very effective when they were located down in the zone.
He told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) that he felt good and was pleased he was able to land his secondary stuff while behind in the count.
Everything was consistent throwing strikes. I think the counts in which I threw stuff I was working on might be a little different than in season.
— Tyler Glasnow
Meanwhile, Austin Meadows turned on a 96 mph inside fastball from Mitch Keller and sent it deep to right. It was his fourth homer of the Spring.
Seeing a lot of pitches is key for me right now. My timing feels really good, and I feel like I’m on the fastball like I showed today. Being able to turn on something inside like that.
— Austin Meadows
Non-roster invitee Stetson Allie threw another scoreless frame on Wednesday — an outing that had Rays skipper Kevin Cash gushing.
If we can get his strike zone percentage rate up, we feel like he falls right in line with some of the elite fastball-slider combinations coming out of right-handed throwers.
—Kevin Cash
Glasnow, who worked out with Allie this off-season, again beat the drum for the right-hander.
He’s not only a good pitcher but a (good) clubhouse guy. I’m glad we have him because he’s a top-end bullpen arm for sure.
— Tyler Glasnow
Cash told Solondz “Allie is understanding the importance of tunneling his pitches and they are thrilled with where he’s at, as he’s landing more pitches in the zone with each bullpen and appearance.”
Meanwhile, Collin McHugh went three innings on the backfields of Port Charlotte and was reportedly sharp with all of his pitches. Brent Honeywell — who had good carry on his fastball — Trevor Richards and Dietrich Enns also threw in in the intrasquad game.
The New What Next
Chris Archer, who last pitched on Friday, will start this afternoon against the Red Sox, and pitch alongside Rich Hill and Michael Wacha. Archer and Hill are expected to go in the neighborhood of three innings apiece, while Wacha will have an outing where he doesn’t have a start but provides length. The idea is to get the three of them comfortable with pitching behind an opener. Ryan Sherriff, Andrew Kittredge, and Joey Krehbiel are also slated to pitch.
Rays 3/19/21 Starting Lineup
- Tsutsugo 1B
- Zunino C
- B. Lowe 2B
- Diaz DH
- Kiermaier CF
- Adames SS
- Wendle 3B
- Boldt RF
- Lukes LF
- Archer RHP