Matt Moore pitches with the Durham Bulls at the beginning of August. (Photo Credit: Durham Bulls/MiLB)
Matt Moore pitches with the Durham Bulls at the beginning of August. (Photo Credit: Durham Bulls/MiLB)

The Tampa Bay Rays officially announced the September call ups of six players on Tuesday, a list that also included lefty Matt Moore. Kevin Cash quieted any speculation of how Moore might be used when he set the starting rotation for the upcoming series against the New York Yankees — Moore had been tapped to start Saturday afternoon.

The announcement wasn’t wholly unexpected, after all Cash already said he would not go with a six-man rotation, and he certainly isn’t going to pull Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly or Erasmo Ramirez in lieu Moore. And though Nathan Karns has been a pretty good starter this season, he became the odd man out and will be moving to the bullpen — at least for the time being.

The situation fluid, and the decision to start Moore ahead of Karns on Saturday was based on a better matchup in starting a southpaw against the Yankees. Future decisions are expected to be  made similarly.

After that, going forward we don’t really have anything defined, Cash told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times). As we stated to Nate Karns and to Matt both, we’re going to kind of manage this and match up as we go. So Matt’s pitching on Saturday and then we will kind of revisit this after that.

Moore could bolster his chances of staying in the rotation if he pitches well — something he hadn’t after returning from Tommy John surgery in July. Moore struggled to a 1-3 record and an 8.78 ERA in six starts prior to his demotion to Triple-A Durham. Yet he rediscovered his past form with the Bulls, collecting a 2-1 record and slashing an impressive 3.30 ERA/8 BB/43 K line in 30 innings of work.

Cash allowed that it was “obviously a very difficult decision” and praised Karns for his handling of the at least temporary move to long relief.

If that’s what they need me to do and that’s what’s best for the ballclub, there’s no reason to be mad about that, Karns said. I’m still here and I still have an opportunity to contribute. …I’ve been told this move does not mean you’re out of the rotation.

For his part, Karns seemed to be okay with the move, saying:

If that’s what they need me to do and that’s what’s best for the ball club, there’s no reason to be mad about that. I’m still here and I still have an opportunity to contribute. …I’ve been told this move does not mean you’re out of the rotation.

The plan for the other four starters is to remain in the rotation and on a regular schedule, so the decision — barring any unforeseen circumstance or injury — will be between Moore and Karns.

For giggles, let’s assume Karns never returns to the starting rotation. The move to the bullpen shouldn’t be viewed as a demotion. Ian Malinowski (DRaysBay) spoke to that point:

The first point to make is that being a starting pitcher is hard. You have to save your strength and play the long game. Hitters have game-planned for you. They get to see you multiple times. They will adjust.

In the bullpen, though, everything you do is fresh and surprising. You can throw your heart out because you know how long your appearance will be before you start. You can concentrate on just a couple of your best pitches rather than mixing in all of your offerings to keep hitters off balance. Wade Davis was a talented pitcher who was failing as a starter, but the move to the ‘pen made him among the most dominant arms into the league. Ditto, to a lesser extent, JP Howell. Ditto, we hope, with Alex Colome.

There’s no guarantee that Karns will transition to the bullpen smoothly, because not everyone does so immediately (Alex Colome didn’t), but if he can figure out how to stay physically and mentally ready in a new role, there are dominant relief innings waiting for him.

The team also announced their 2015 Arizona Fall League participants on Tuesday. OF Jake Bauers; RHPs Buddy Borden, Brad Schreiber and Mike Franco; 1B Casey Gillaspie and SS Daniel Robertson will combine with prospects from the Cubs, Angels, Marlins and Athletics on the Mesa Solar Sox, playing at Chicago’s recently opened Spring Training facility. As it stands, teams typically send seven players, including a member on the taxi squad only able to play Wednesdays and Saturdays, so one more could be on the way at some point.

An aside, Scott Grauer (DRaysBay) put together a nice rundown of the Rays’ selections.

Leave a comment