The Trop was rockin' Friday night (Photo courtesy of X-Rays Spex)
The Trop was rockin’ Friday night (Photo courtesy of X-Rays Spex)

They didn’t win the World Series or clinch a playoff berth Friday night, but there was reason to celebrate — the Tampa Bay Rays became only the fourth team of the modern era to team to get back to .500 from 18 games below (joining the 1899 Louisville team, the 2004 Rays, and the 2006 Marlins). They did so by putting together their 15th shutout of the season, tagging the New York Yankees with a 5-0 loss in the series opener.

Culminating in a 7.1 IP/6 H/1 BB/8 K/116 pitches (71 strikes) line from the newly minted ace Alex Cobb, the game felt good from the get-go. Cobb started strong by putting down the first three batters in order, striking out Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter along the way. Cobb didn’t allow a walk until the eighth inning, and even that was a borderline fastball (see below).

(Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Pitch numero cinco (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball).

Despite yielding six hits on the night, Cobb only allowed one base runner to get into scoring position until the eighth inning, when he hit the pitch number 111 plateau. By that point — one out into the eighth — it was time for Brad Boxberger to mow the Yankees down.

Boxberger came into the game in a tense situation, and quickly got ahead of Derek Jeter on a pair of well located fastballs. But he missed his location on the next pitch, and Jeter popped it into right field, in front of Kevin Kiermaier. Not wanting to test the arm of the Outlaw, the runners stayed to load the bases with one out.

With the bases juiced, Jacoby Ellsbury had the opportunity to (at least) put the Yankees on the board, but Boxy wouldn’t have any of it. Boxberger sequenced Ellsbury perfectly — putting him behind in the count on a pair of pitches (change, cutter) looking, then inducing a whiff on a 95 MPH fastball. Mark Teixeira was next. The Rays’ reliable righty dropped a 2-2 center-center cutter, and Texiera was fooled badly. Boxberger escaped the bases loaded jam, and the Rays faithful erupted.

Offensively, Tampa Bay got things started early with a Desmond Jennings leadoff single and following with stolen base. Ben Zobrist moved him to third on a liner to right, while Brandon McCarthy gave Matt Joyce a free pass to load the bases with no outs. Though both Evan Longoria and James Loney hit into force outs at second base, each brought in a runner to put the Rays up 2-0.

The Rays were quiet for the next five innings until they broke things open in the seventh. Logan Forsythe reached on an error by Chase Headly, and moved into scoring position on a sac-bunt by Yunel Escobar. Curt Casali was next, plating Forsythe from second on a slow rolling, opposite field single to right.

Kiermaier and Jennings ended McCarthy’s night on a pair of bloop singles (to left and right respectively) which loaded the bases with one out. Esmil Rogers came on in relief and quickly coaxed a grounder out of Zobrist. And though the Yankees could have turned a double play, Teixeira couldn’t field the ball cleanly, and opted for the lone out at first — scoring a runner in the process, and giving Tampa Bay a 4-0 lead.

James Loney crushed a no-doubter to right on a center-center Rogers’ fastball in the eighth, giving Tampa Bay their fifth run of the night.

Joel Peralta came out for the 53rd time in the ninth, and put the Yankees down in order on a Carlos Beltran liner to right, a Chase Headly foul tip strikeout, and a Stephen Drew caught looking strikeout.

The New What Next

If I may, it felt like October at the Trop last night. The crowd of 26,000 plus was loud and raucous, and every time the New York fans got one of their silly chants started, they were drowned out by the homers in attendance. Expect more of the same tonight, when Drew Smyly takes the mound in his home debut, opposite of Shane Greene. The Rays have never faced the Yankees 25 year-old RHP who’s coming off an impressive 8.0 IP/5 H/0 R start against the Tigers. Greene features a two-seam fastball that sits at 94-95 MPH with run and sink, a low eighties slider with nasty movement (per Baseball Prospectus, it has the fourth-best movement among all sliders this season), a change-up, and a high eighties cutter which he throws most often to left handed batters when he’s ahead in the count. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview, and I’ll post the starting lineup when it becomes available.

Rays 8/16/14 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Zobrist 2B
Joyce LF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Escobar SS
Belnome DH
Casali C
Kiermaier RF
Smyly LHP

Noteworthiness

  • Breaking even never felt so good!
  • The Rays optioned Brandon Gomes back to Triple-A Durham following the game. They corresponded by recalling INF Vince Belnome. Belnome arrived at the Trop about 11 hours after getting home in Durham, after a long game there.
  • Brad Boxberger has retired all nine batters he’s faced this season with the bases loaded — six strikeouts, one double play.
  • The Rays/Tigers matchups have been announced: Tuesday, Archer vs Scherzer; Wednesday, Odorizzi vs. Porcello; Thursday, Cobb vs. Price.

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