The Tampa Bay Rays lost Brandon Lowe to the Injured List this afternoon a series after Manuel Margot was placed on the IL. And while causation is not correlation, the Rays had a tough time without them, losing 3-2 in the first of a three-game set against the Tigers.
At 21-15 on the season, the Rays end the night six games over .500, while the Tigers have won four straight.
The Tigers started the day with the fewest homers in baseball at 16, yet they hit a pair of homers which accounted for all of their runs.
Corey Kluber got the start and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out eight over six innings on 90 pitches (61 strikes, 68% strike rate). Kluber gave up both earned runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run blast by Jonathan Schoop, but he was otherwise solid on a day the Rays’ offense struggled. It was a positive sign to see the right-hander bounce back following a horrendous outing his last time out, and he’s now surrendered two runs or fewer in three of his last four starts. The right-hander now maintains a reduced 4.29 ERA, with a 1.21 WHIP, and a 5.83 K/BB across 35.2 innings.
Harold Castro — without a homer entering the series — drove home the game-winning run with a two-out blast to right-center off Andrew Kittredge. Tampa Bay now has given up 42 homers; the third-most in baseball. As for Kittredge, the right-hander has surrendered three homers in his last five turns (5.2 innings). More concerning, the right-hander has coaxed just eight whiffs on his last 49 pitches, and none Monday night. Cash has used Kittredge three times in the last four days raising questions about overuse. This could also be an effect of not being able to option and recall players to and from Triple-A Durham as readily as they once had. Hopefully, the Rays could give the typically dependable hurler a couple of days rest heading into Thursday’s off-day.
Meanwhile, Brett Phillips, who was mired in a 1-25 stretch heading into the contest, provided Tampa Bay with all the offense, going three-for-three with a double, homer, single, and two runs scored.
The New What Next
Shane McClanahan (2-2, 2.52 ERA) will get the start in the middle game of the series, pitching opposite Beau Brieske (0-2, 3.86 ERA).
Shane McClanahan scattered three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings while striking out 11 on Wednesday against the Angels. The southpaw put together the best start of his young career, tying his career-high in strikeouts — set just two starts prior — while posting an eye-popping called plus swinging strike rate of 40% on his 100 pitches. McClanahan maintains a 2.52 ERA and a 2.67 FIP on the season, with a 0.92 WHIP and a dominant 5.80 K/BB through 39.1 innings. He is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA in one career start against Detroit.
Beau Brieske allowed three runs (two earned) across six innings on Thursday against Oakland. He walked three and struck out two. Brieske pitched reasonably well for the fourth straight time to begin his rookie campaign, although he has two losses and two no-decisions to show for it. The right-hander went exactly five innings in each of his previous three turns, so this was a new high-water mark for innings. Brieske has also allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his four outings, which has propelled him to a solid 3.86 ERA but a 6.60 FIP for the season, with a 1.19 WHIP and a 1.10 K/BB across 21.0 frames. He relies primarily on a 95 mph four-seam fastball and an 81 mph changeup that has a lot of backspin and slight arm-side fade, while also mixing in an 85 mph slider that has 12-6 movement, and a 78 mph 12-6 curveball.
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.
Rays 5/16/22 Starting Lineup
- Diaz 3B
- Franco SS
- Ramirez DH
- Choi 1B
- Arozarena LF
- Kiermaier CF
- Brujan 2B
- Zunino C
- Phillips RF
Noteworthiness
— The Rays announced on Tuesday that Brandon Lowe has a stress reaction in his lower back and he will be held out of baseball activities for three weeks before he’s re-evaluated. At that point, the club will determine a potential return to baseball activities and a timeline to return to the lineup.
— JT Chargois (oblique) and Chris Mazza (back) are slated to throw live batting practice on Tuesday in Port Charlotte.
— Tampa Bay has scored 19 runs in the last eight games, hitting .179 during that stretch.