After bouncing back with a 3-0 shutout win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays for a series win in Arlington this afternoon.
At 37-23 on the season, Tampa Bay enters play 14-games above .500 and ahead of the Boston Red Sox by a game in the division. They enter play 22-10 on the road this season, which is the most wins by any team in the American League away from home. Their overall record is the second-best in baseball behind San Francisco.
Rich Hill was again fantastic on Saturday, scattering two hits and a walk across five scoreless frames. He struck out three. The left-hander extended his latest scoreless streak to 12 innings with his performance, dating back to the final two frames of his outing against the Royals on May 25. Hill added a new weapon to his arsenal, a changeup, which he rolled out a handful of times during his outing. Because of it, he got a couple of welcomed ground ball outs.
I like to be creative out there, and if I feel that it’s the right time to throw it, I’ll throw it. … It’s just a feel. It’s like, ‘Oh, hey, let’s, you know, changeup.’ There’s just so many things that I love about pitching. … Being able to control the timing and changing speeds. So changing speeds changes the bat speed, and being able to do that is something that is part of the craft that I really love.
— Rich Hill
Since the start of May, Hill has performed to a 0.68 ERA, an 0.81 WHIP, and 3.00 K/BB across 39-2/3 innings.
Meanwhile, the Rays offense struck early and late, although they came up empty-handed in between.
In the first inning, Manuel Margot earned a five-pitch leadoff walk to spark the first rally. Yandy Díaz followed with a single to center, allowing Margot to move up to third on the hit; Díaz also advanced into scoring position on the throw into third. Austin Meadows capped the early rally when he lined a base hit to right-center, plating a pair and giving Meadows a team-best 46 RBI.
Then in the eighth, Tampa Bay tacked on a run in the eighth after Margot homered to left off Joely Rodriguez for Margot, for a 3-0 lead.
The New What Next
The Rays announced that Tyler Glasnow’s start will be pushed back to Tuesday since they have off-days on Tuesday and Thursday. In so doing, they will go with a bullpen day in the series finale. Michael Wacha (1-1, 4.63 ERA) will open for the Rays, pitching opposite of Dane Dunning (2-4, 4.67 ERA).
Michael Wacha allowed an earned run on one hit across 1-2/3 innings in his last outing against the Yankees. He did not issue a walk or record a strikeout. The right-hander continued to perform reasonably well, with his one hiccup coming on a solo home run against Miguel Andújar for the Yankees’ only run of the game. All three of his appearances since returning from the injured list (due to a hamstring strain) have come in relief, while Wacha has allowed three earned runs on six hits across 6-2/3 frames. He has worked between 1-2/3 and 3 innings in his three post IL appearances.
Dane Dunning allowed two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out three across 4-2/3 innings against Colorado on Tuesday. The brief outing could be considered a bounce-back effort for Dunning after he surrendered seven runs over four frames in his previous turn. He threw 78 pitches (59 strikes, 76% strike rate) and departed with a pair of runners on base two outs into the fifth. Dunning hasn’t pitched a full five innings in three of his past four starts, logging a 6.27 ERA and 1.66 WHIP over that stretch. Dunning blanked the Rays across four innings on two hits and a pair of walks in April. Key Matchups: Austin Meadows (1-2, 2B), Brett Phillips (1-1, 2B)
Rays 6/6/21 Starting Lineup
- Lowe 2B
- Arozarena LF
- Wendle 3B
- Meadows DH
- Díaz 1B
- Walls SS
- Margot RF
- Mejía C
- Phillips CF
- Wacha RHP