After reaching the 40-win plateau before any other team in baseball following a 4-2 win over the Orioles on Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to collect another series victory Saturday afternoon at the Trop.
At 40-24 on the season, the Rays can move to 17 games above .500 for the first time this season with a win.
Apparently, MLB felt the need to do everything in its powers to undo the Rays success Friday night, refusing to overturn a pair of awful calls including the one seen above. Still, the Rays overcame the seeing eye test, or lack thereof, thanks to a few key moments.
Ryan Yarbrough got the start and allowed two unearned runs on three hits across six solid innings. He struck out six Orioles and walked none on 79 pitches (56 for strikes, 71% strike rate). The only runs to score on Yarbrough came on a third-inning two-run shot off the bat of Trey Mancini, although they weren’t marked as earned runs since they followed a fielding error by the left-hander. Yarbrough lowered his season ERA to 3.63 and moved above .500 for the first time this season. He hasn’t taken a loss since April 30 and now owns a 4.92 K/BB.
The Rays got a run back after Mike Zunino singled off the left-field wall, and Kevin Kiermaier followed with a base hit to centerfield. Zunino moved into third on a ball in the dirt before Manuel Margot drove him home on an RBI groundout. Margot would later cap the scoring with an RBI single.
Then in the fourth inning, Randy Arozarena singled and Mike Brosseau followed with a base hit. Arozarena moved into third, yet Brosseau was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. Be that as it may, Lowe followed and launched a 1-2 fastball to right-center for the go-ahead lead.
Tampa Bay is now 21-5 over a 26-game stretch and 10-2 in the last 12 home contests. They open play with the best record in the American League, and the second-best record in all of baseball.
The New What Next
Rich Hill (5-2, 3.05 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay on Saturday, pitching opposite of Jorge Lopez (2-6, 5.30 ERA).
Rich Hill was again fantastic last 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.
Jorge López allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out two in five innings to earn the win against Cleveland on Sunday. López earned his first win since April 16 in Sunday’s matchup, and he’s now lasted at least five innings in each of his last four starts. The righty has posted a 5.30 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 56 innings across 12 starts to begin the season. He relies primarily on a 95 mph sinker with slight arm-side run, a whiffy 95 mph four-seam fastball, and an 82 mph curveball with sharp downward bite and 12-6 movement, while also mixing in a firm 88 mph changeup with arm-side fade and natural sink. López is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three career outings (two starts) against the Rays, although he has not faced them this season. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (1-3, HR, 2 RBI), Mike Brosseau (2-5), Kevin Kiermaier (2-5, 2B), Brandon Lowe (2-3), Manuel Margot (1-1)
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.
Rays 6/12/21 Starting Lineup
- B. Lowe 2B
- Díaz 1B
- Walls SS
- Meadows DH
- Wendle 3B
- Margot LF
- Kiermaier CF
- Zunino C
- Phillips RF
- Hill LHP
Noteworthiness
— Tampa Bay will be adding Matt Wisler, acquired from the Giants on Friday, to the bullpen before the game this afternoon. To make room on the active roster, Ryan Sherriff was optioned to Durham. You can learn more about Wisler via our write-up on the hurler.
— Right-handed stable hand, Pete Fairbanks, approves of Pete’s General and Flat Bread and Butter — two fantastic food providers in St. Pete. So do we, Pete!