The known known: with so many players on the Rays’ Injured List, those remaining are going to have to step up and contribute if the team is going to weather this storm. Last night, Isaac Paredes was the first one up to do just that, hitting three home runs and driving in four en route to a 5-4 win over the Yankees. In so doing, Paredes became the seventh player in franchise history to hit three home runs in one game.
With the victory, the Rays enter play six games over .500 with the opportunity to win their first series since June 7-9 versus the Cardinals.
Jalen Beeks opened things up for Tampa Bay and posted 1.2 innings of two-run ball in only the third appearance out of 18 where he’s given up a run. In all fairness, Shawn Armstrong gave up the runs Beeks was charged for to DJ LeMahieu on a second-inning single to centerfield after the left-hander exited the contest — the only base runner Armstrong allowed across 1.1 frames.
On the other side of things, Paredes hit his first two homers against left-hander Nestor Cortes, whom the Rays had faced a week ago. Cortes had a lot of success against Tampa Bay in his two previous starts, so why fix a game plan that didn’t appear to be broken? After all, he had allowed just two runs in those starts. Much to his chagrin, however, the game plan now appears to be broken. With one out in the first inning, Paredes and Harold Ramírez went back-to-back for a two-run lead. It was the sixth homer for Paredes and the third for Ramírez this season. Interestingly enough, registering at just 85.4 mph, Ramírez’s home run had the lowest exit velocity of any over-the-wall homer of the Statcast era. It would have been a home run in just one big-league ballpark, the Trop, and he broke his bat when he hit the ball.
As soon as I break that bat, I just (think it’s a) fly ball to left field. So I just got excited it was a home run. …The wall is low, so that helped me a lot.
— Harold Ramírez
After New York tied things up in the second, Paredes hit his second homer off Cortes, also to left-field, allowing the Rays to regain the lead. It was the first big-league game in which Cortes had allowed three home runs.
In the fifth inning, Yandy Diaz lashed a one-out base hit to center, spelling the end of Cortes’ night with the specter of Paredes looming on deck. Enter Clarke Schmidt. New pitcher, same outcome; Paredes wasted no time, launching a first-pitch fastball over the wall in left, extending the lead and capping Tampa Bay’s scoring.
Matt Wisler was the next man up on the mound and the right-hander bounced back from an ugly outing on Sunday with two scoreless frames, surrendering just a LeMahieu double.
Meanwhile, Ryan Thompson and Brooks Raley hurled a pair of perfect frames in the sixth and seventh innings. Thompson, in particular, looked very good Tuesday night, pounding the zone and putting down the side on just seven pitches. The right-hander is at his best when he is in attack mode (and doesn’t issue stupid homophobic statements while using religion as a crutch…whoops, did I just say that?) instead of pitching around the fringes of the zone.
Brooks Raley started the eighth, but he certainly didn’t finish it, as he walked LeMahieu and Josh Donaldson to begin the frame. Kevin Cash had seen enough after Anthony Rizzo flew out to left for the first out of the inning. Enter Jason Adam.
Adam, who saw his 18-appearance scoreless streak end on Monday, coaxed a spectacular 6-4-3 double play from Giancarlo Stanton to end the threat. Adam now has stranded 15-of-16 inherited runners.
Finally, Colin Poche came on to close things but quickly walked Gleyber Torres on four pitches — looking rather bereft of fastball command along the way. Poche’s fastball velocity was noticeably down from his last appearance, and he had a difficult time getting his heater up in the zone (if not just above it). After Torres moved up to second on a passed ball, Aaron Hicks struck out and Kyle Higashioka grounded to short. However, Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-run shot into the front row of the left-field seats on a 92.7 mph middle-middle fastball, not only bringing New York within one but the pinch-hitting Aaron Judge to the plate. With all the damage Aaron Judge has incurred on the baseball this season, he was still just 1-13 in pinch-hitting opportunities, so you had to feel somewhat okay with the at-bat. And while Judge hit a fly ball to the warning track, that fly ball ended up inside of Randy Arozarena’s glove, thus ending the contest.
The New What Next
Shane Baz (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will get the start in the series finale with the Bronx Bummers, pitching opposite Jordan Montgomery (3-1, 2.72 ERA).
Shane Baz got the start Friday and yielded two hits over six scoreless frames against Baltimore. He struck out seven. Baz looked much better in his second start of the season, allowing just three baserunners in the clean outing. He threw 48 of 76 pitches for strikes (63% strike rate), including 14 whiffs (18% SwStr%), and struck out the side in his final frame. He now sports a 5.40 ERA — down from 19.29, mind you — through 8.1 frames, with a 3.98 FIP, a 0.96 WHIP, and a 3.00 K/BB.
Jordan Montgomery gave up two runs on three hits and a walk over six innings on Friday against the Blue Jays. He struck out five. The left-hander tossed only 54 of 93 pitches for strikes (58% strike rate) but bore down when he needed to, and Montgomery got a chance to relax after the Yankees erupted for an eight-run fifth inning. He’s now fired off five straight quality starts. Montgomery maintains a 2.72 ERA and a 3.54 FIP, with a 0.95 WHIP, and a 5.06 K/BB through 72.2 innings on the season. He relies primarily on a whiffy 93 mph sinker that has some natural sinking action, an 82 mph changeup that has slight cut action, and a hard 80 mph 12-6 curveball, while also mixing in a 92 mph four-seam fastball that has some natural sinking action, and an 88 mph worm-killer cutter. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-3), Manuel Margot (6-16, 4 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB), Francisco Mejia (2-5, HR, RBI, BB), Taylor Walls (1-2, BB)
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.
Rays 6/22/22 Starting Lineup
- Díaz 3B
- Ramírez DH
- Choi 1B
- Arozarena LF
- Paredes 2B
- Mejía C
- J. Lowe CF
- Bruján RF
- Walls SS
Noteworthiness
— Ben Whitelaw (RBLR Sports) put out his pregame notes with some important nuggets to consider:
— FWIW:
— Wanderful news: