The Tampa Bay Rays returned to the Trop, following a grueling 10-game road trip last Monday, riding high on a huge wave of momentum after going 5-5. Yet they just left for the West Coast Sunday after going 1-5 over the six game span of their most recent Tropicana Field residency. In short, they’re struggling to keep their heads above water at the moment. The first stop on their forthcoming trip is Seattle, where they’ll take on the 19-18 Mariners.
The Mariners made improvements over the winter, adding Robinson Cano, Logan Morrison, Corey Hart, John Buck, and Willie Bloomquist to the fold. The moves bolstered a roster that already included King Felix and Hisashi Iwakuma — both of whom will pitch against the Rays. However, the roster improvements haven’t fully proven valuable to this point — the Mariners sit toward the bottom of the league in offensive production. As in previous years, the pitching staff has carried the team. Led by Hernandez, the Mariners reside in the top third of the AL, as it relates to on base percentage, slugging, OPS, ERA, and the number of home runs given up.
It’s not going to be easy against King Felix and Iwakuma, though if ever there was a time to face Hernandez, it’s now. The Rays could be catching Seattle’s ace at the right time following his first outing without a strikeout in six years. Hernandez is hungry for his first win in more than a month, while the slumping Rays hope to take advantage of the slumping righty. Hernandez is 0-1 with a 3.70 ERA and 14 strikeouts in his last four starts for the Mariners.
For the Rays, it’s the same old story — they need to put together consistent pitching, and the offense needs to step it up in key moments. Tampa Bay did much better wRISP in the series against the Indians, hitting .348. From there, it’s a matter of being able to drive in one or two key runs when they are needed — cough, like the eighth or ninth innings, when they’re down by one or two runs. One of the bright spots in the rotation, Cesar Ramos, will get the start Monday night. Ramos was pulled one out shy of a quality start last Wednesday, in a game where he relinquished only two runs and three hits over 5-2/3 innings. If you recall, he was pulled after throwing only 72 pitches (in favor of Brandon Gomes) because of the pitching match-up against Adam Jones, not because Ramos didn’t have good stuff. I’d argue that Ramos did a better job in his last start, than David Price (who gets the start Wednesday, opposite of Iwakuma) did in his. Odorizzi will close out the series Wednesday afternoon.
Felix Hernandez: You should know what to expect out of Hernandez by now. King Felix likes to pitch the outer regions of the zone (inner to lefties), in an attempt to get the batter to whiff at one of his plus pitches (be it a fastball or curve), or to coax a ground ball with his sinker or slider — especially against righites. The Mariners ace has been tough on the Rays in his last four outings, posting a 2-1 record and a 1.41 ERA. Key match-ups: David DeJesus (10-31, 3 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB), Evan Longoria (6-19, RBI, 3 BB).
Hisashi Iwakuma: Tampa Bay had some success against Iwakuma in his previous two starts against the Rays, forcing a pair of no-decisions, while tagging the 33 year-old RHP with a .298 BAA, and a 3.86 ERA. Still, the Mariners strike thrower has been exceptionally tough this season — his numbers (above) speak to that. Iwakuma is a ground ball inducing machine, so expect to see the Rays attempt to force mistakes up in the zone. Key match-ups: Yunel Escobar (1-4), James Loney (1-4), Evan Longoria (1-3), Jose Molina (2-5, RBI), Ben Zobrist (4-6, 2B).
Brandon Maurer: Maurer has been called the opposite of Iwakuma, especially when you compare their May 8th and 9th, back-to-back starts. On Thursday, Iwakuma pitched eight innings of four-hit shutout ball in a 1-0 defeat against the Royals. Compare that to Friday, when Brandon Maurer allowed 14 hits and six runs in the Mariners 6-1 loss. Nevertheless, he has a max-effort delivery where he uses a variety of arm-angles to add deception to his release, and features a four-pitch-arsenal with a fastball (sitting 89-93), a slider, an above average change-up which has a nice velocity separation from his fastball, and a curve ball.
Noteworthiness
- Desmond Jennings (left hand) is day-to-day after being hit by a pitch during Sunday’s game.
- “I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t a little bit stressed out. I don’t think we’re playing bad games. I think we’re playing the game the right way. We’re just getting beat.” — Evan Longoria