After a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays will look to bounce back against Atlanta this afternoon.
Right-hander, Michael Wacha, got the start yesterday and was impressive across four shutout frames. Leaning primarily on his four-seamer, Wacha limited the Twins to just one hit — a Luis Arraez double — and struck out three on 53 pitches (36 strikes, 68% strike rate). His fastball hit 94.9 mph, according to Statcast — a tick above where it sat last season with the Mets.
The Twins whiffed on four of the 10 changeups he threw (40% SwStr), while all three of his strikeouts came on that pitch.
I was pretty happy with how everything was coming out. I felt like I was getting ahead of guys and then able to put them away whenever I needed to and stuff. Overall, I was happy with the four-pitch mix, how I was working it. Me and (catcher Francisco Mejía) got on a little groove there.
— Michael Wacha
Wacha also threw his cutter — which Adam Berry (MLB.com) noted the right-hander tweaked during Spring Training — about 25% of the time.
Wacha has already taken big steps forward with his cutter. He threw the pitch more than ever last season, looking for a pitch that would veer away from right-handed hitters and bear in on lefties, but opponents hit .314 with a .571 slugging percentage against it. Wacha said he lowered his arm angle last year to get the desired movement on that pitch, but he’s been able to raise his arm slot back up this spring while still getting the horizontal break he wants on his cutter.
‘It’s been a good pitch for me so far this spring, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it translates into the season,’ Wacha said.
— Adam Berry
Rays skipper Kevin Cash was very pleased by Wacha’s outing.
It’s still really, really early, but I think everything we’ve heard about the guy — just the character — has been right on, spot on. The poise that he shows on the mound. I think he’s taken the simple messages that Kyle’s giving and he’s trying to put it to use.
— Kevin Cash
Ryan Thompson also had an impressive outing on Saturday, throwing just nine pitches (eight strikes, 88% strike rate) — six sliders, two four-seamers, and one sinker — in a perfect seventh inning. Thompson struck out a pair.
Meanwhile, Mike Brosseau accounted for the lone run with a second-inning opposite-field homer off Kenta Maeda. Randy Arozarena also had a pair of hits for the Rays.
The New What Next
The Rays will play host to Atlanta on Sunday. Ryan Yarbrough will get the start for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of fellow left-hander Max Fried. Yarbrough threw 3-1/3 innings his last time out, despite having a stomach bug that put him on the shelf for a few days. David Hess, Cody Reed, and Yacksel Rios are also expected to pitch for the Rays.
Rays 3/21/21 Starting Lineup
- Kiermaier CF
- Arozarena RF
- B. Lowe 2B
- Diaz 1B
- Tsutsugo DH
- Adames SS
- Wendle 3B
- Zunino C
- Boldt LF
- Yarbrough LHP