The Tampa Rays closed out their home stand with a 1-0 win against David Price and the Detroit Tigers. For Tampa Bay, the team has now been involved in a major league leading 31 shutouts (16 wins) this season — six of which came by a 1-0 score. For the first time in franchise history, the Rays won a game while amassing only one hit — the first in 1,257 overall games.
If I may, this is exactly what I wanted to see out of the game — a Rays win, and dominant outings by both Alex Cobb and David Price. For Price, he became the first pitcher in the Majors to toss a complete-game one-hitter (or better) with no earned runs and lose since Andy Hawkins pitched a no-hitter in defeat for the Yankees on July 1, 1990. The only other pitcher to do it in the last 40 years is knuckleballer Charlie Hough for Texas on June 16, 1986. Price did so without allowing a walk, becoming the first pitcher to do so in the last 100 years.
Oh yeah, that run saving diving catch mentioned in the caption above? It was a doozy!
Moving forward.
The Rays will start a three game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Friday. Tampa Bay has been disappointing of late, dropping four of its last six games to the Yankees and Tigers (respectively) in two ugly, ugly series losses. Yet things in Toronto haven’t been all that peachy for the Jays either — John Gibbons’ ball club has won only one series in the month of August.
If you subscribe to the idea that the Rays still have a shot at a postseason berth (Fangraphs puts them at a 1.4% chance), this series — as with those before and after — could prove to be critical. Both teams are hungry — Toronto is four games back and the Rays stand seven out — yet both have hit a downward spiral. Despite scoring 22 runs in a three-game home sweep of Tampa Bay in late May, the Blue Jays are dead last in the majors in scoring this month (56).
Marcus Stroman: Stroman yielded five runs without getting out of the first inning last Friday. However, the 23-year-old rookie has allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of 14 starts, and completed at least six innings in 10 starts. He is 5-1 at home with a 2.70 ERA as opposed to the road (2-3, 6.33). Per his scouting report on BaseballAmerica.com, his change up still needs work, though his fastball and slider appear ready for the big time.
Mark Buehrle: Buehrle (11-8, 3.38 ERA) has struggled since soaring to a 10-1 start with a 2.10 ERA through his first 12 starts. In 13 starts since, he has a 4-7 record with a 4.76 ERA. Still, he has been a menace to the Rays this season, posting a 2-0 record while yielding only five runs in 20-1/3 innings of work. Key matchups: Yunel Escobar (6-21, 2B, RBI, BB), Logan Forsythe (5-7, 2 2B, BB), Desmond Jennings (8-19, 2B, RBI, 4 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (1-1), James Loney (6-24, 3 2B), Evan Longoria (10-33, 2 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB), Jose Molina (13-41, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 6 BB), Sean Rodriguez (7-24, 3 2B, 4 RBI), Ben Zobrist (8-21, 2B, 3 RBI, BB).
Drew Hutchison: Hutchison (8-11, 4.81 ERA) was at his best against the Rays in his first start of the season, back on April first. Since he’s yielded 11 earned runs in 10-1/3 innings of work, for an overall 5.96 ERA against Tampa Bay. Hutchison is coming off a seven inning against the White Sox which he was tagged for eight hits and seven runs. Key matchups: Yunel Escobar (2-6, BB), Brandon Guyer (1-3), Desmond Jennings (3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Matt Joyce (2-7, 2B, RBI, 3 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (1-2, 2B, RBI, BB), James Loney (3-5, HR, RBI, 2 BB), Jose Molina (1-3, RBI).
Noteworthiness
- Matt Joyce is 11-for-24 with five doubles and seven RBI against Toronto this season.
- The Rays pitching staff has produced the second best ERA (2.64) in the AL since August 1.
- Ben Zobrist has played exceptionally well in the second half of the season, posting a .324 batting average and a .412 on-base percentage while scoring 22 runs.
- Jose Reyes, who is batting .406 his last 14 games.
- Edwin Encarnacion recorded a homer and three RBI in five games since returning from the DL.
- Jose Bautista has reached base in 27 straight games — 22 with a hit — and 111 of 120 overall this season.