Tampa Bay Rays look to bounce back from tough 2-0 loss; on Ramos and Odorizzi

Lucas Duda got a hit in his first plate appearance in his Tropicana Field debut as a Ray last night. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

It’s true what they say, you can’t win games if you don’t score runs. And as social media was alit with ruminations about Tim Beckham’s 4-for-4 night with Baltimore, the Tampa Bay Rays squandered scoring opportunities over the first four innings Friday night. It bears mentioning that one player — in this case Beckham — does not a team make, as the Orioles fell 5-2 in their contest.


Source: FanGraphs

The Rays found themselves with the bases loaded in the first and second innings, and with runners in scoring position in the third and seventh, yet they couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities and went 0-for-7 wRISP — allowing the pitching gems of Jacob Faria and Jose Alvarado to go by the wayside.

When the dust settled, Faria dropped his second game of the season after tossing an impressive 6 IP/4 H/1 ER/2 BB/9 K/104 pitches (65 strikes) outing, while Alvarado became the 83rd big league pitcher to throw an immaculate inning — the third Ray, joining Rafael Soriano (8/23/10) and Brad Boxberger (5/8/14).

After the game, Rays manager Kevin Cash spoke (below) about some of the challenges ing facing a pitcher for the first time … a challenge  they will have to overcome with Davies and Nelson starting Saturday and Sunday. Tampa Bay’s starters should keep them in the ball game, but will they be able to take advantage?

The New What Next

The Rays and Brewers will play the second game of the series on Saturday. Alex Cobb (9-7, 3.89 ERA, 4.42 FIP) will get the start for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of Zach Davies (12-5, 4.42 ERA, 4.65 FIP).

Cobb posted his worst outing of the season on Monday, allowing eight runs on nine hits over three innings en route to a loss. He, however, is 5-3 with a 2.59 ERA in nine starts at the Trop this season.

Davies allowed three earned runs over seven innings in a loss to the Cubs on Sunday. A 4.42 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 6.2 K/9 belie the fact that he has 12 wins on the season. Davies relies primarily on a 90 mph sinker with slight arm-side run, while also mixing in a 74 mph 12-6 curveball, an 80 mph changeup with slight arm-side fade, and an 87 mph cutter. Davies has been much better on the road season, performing to a 2.80 ERA away from Miller Park. Key Matchup: Wilson Ramos (3-6, RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview.

Rays 8/5/17 Starting Lineup

Dickerson LF
Duda DH
Longoria 3B
Morrison 1B
Souza Jr. RF
Miller 2B
Hechevvaria SS
Smith CF
Sucre C
Cobb RHP

Noteworthiness

— Wilson Ramos is in the throes of an extended slump, collecting just four hits in his last 35 plate appearances. As for his power profile, part of the reason he was signed in the first place, you have to go all the way back to June 7 for his last home run. Perhaps it would be wise for Cash to lean on Jesus Sucre for a bit. After all, Sucre is slashing .248 BA/.268 OBP/.388 SLG/.656 OPS overall — not great, but better than The Buffalo — and more importantly, .343 BA/.341 OBP/.429 SLG/.770 OPS wRISP.

— I’m not saying correlation is causation, but … As Ryan Braun was heckled from the left-field stands in the bottom of the first inning, a Brewers fan (family in tow) got very uppity and tried to start a fight with those he was offended by. He was ultimately relocated to a “safe place” where he didn’t have to hear the infuriating chants of “Ryan Braun sucks,” or “Ryan Braun used PED’s.” I can see how the comments of someone, whom one has no personal connection with, could really affect one’s psyche.

It dawned on me: in all my years of attending baseball games, and having been around some pretty crappy fans (I’m looking at you Phillies Fanatics and MassHoles), it wasn’t until I took in a Rays/Brewers game that I witnessed something like this. Sure, I’ve been around heckles and slurs, and I’ve seen someone get the boot for throwing a perfectly good Cuban sandwich onto the field, but a Brewers fan trying to start a fight because of a “Ryan Braun used PED’s” chant? C’mon now!

— Jake Odorizzi made a rehab start with the Stone Crabs last night, going three innings in Dunedin, and allowing two runs on three hits. He fanned six.

Odorizzi said his back felt great during the rehab start, and he could hit all of his spots. The right-hander is set to rejoin the team after Monday’s off-day. The rotation will then be: Pruitt, Odorizzi, Faria, Cobb and Archer, with Odorizzi getting the start Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Rays option Blake Snell to Triple-A Durham, 8/4/17 starting lineup and pregame notes

Blake Snell was optioned back to Triple-A Durham on Friday for the second time this season. (Photo Credit: MLB.com)

In a flurry of roster moves Friday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Rays have optioned struggling southpaw Blake Snell back to Triple-A Durham for the second time this season. They also recalled hard-throwing left-handed reliever Jose Alvarado, initially to take Snell’s spot on the roster, and activated INF Daniel Robertson off the DL.

Snell lasted just two batters into the fifth inning Thursday night after throwing 90 pitches. In 14 starts this season, the left-hander is 0-6 with a 4.98 ERA.

Snell was sent back to Triple-A in May, however, he was recalled in June after performing to a 2.66 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP over 44 innings, with 61 strikeouts and 15 walks (4.06 K/BB). Those numbers didn’t translate on the big league squad though, which Jason Collette (The Process Report) noted earlier:

With an off-day on Monday the team has several options to fill Snell’s spot, which include keeping RHP Austin Pruitt in the starting rotation when Jake Odorizzi comes off the disabled list next week, or a calling up top prospect Brent Honeywell … which would require a roster move to add him to the 40-man roster.

Rays 8/4/17 Starting Lineup

Dickerson LF
Duda 1B
Longoria 3B
Morrison DH
Souza RF
Miller 2B
Ramos C
Smith CF
Robertson SS
Faria RHP

Noteworthiness

— You can read about tonight’s pitching matchup, and so much more, in our series preview.

The New What Next: Rays Vs. Brewers — a series preview

(Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a long and grueling eight-game road trip, the Tampa Bay Rays return to the domed confines of the Trop, where they’ll start a three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

The Rays are coming off a big three-game series win against the Astros, and are winners of four of their last five. The Brewers took two of three from the Cardinals after coming off a series loss to the first-place Cubs.

(Stats: ESPN)

Both teams sit four games over .500 and still very much in the division chase and the Wildcard race.

Had you told me the Rays would bounce back from a 1-and-3 series in New York — and a 14-7 loss in the first game of the series against the Astros — to win three consecutive games against the best team in the AL, I’d have laughed. Yet they snapped out of their slumber and are again winning games after dropping 8-of-10 (July 20-29). The Rays start the series with the Brew Crew 3-1/2 games behind the Red Sox for first, 1-1/2 games behind the Yankees for the top Wildcard, and 1/2 game behind the Royals for the final playoff spot.

Leading the NL Central going into the All-Star Break, the Brewers fell on hard times in the middle of July and lost six games straight, and 8-of-11. Kindred spirits … akin to what Tampa Bay went through, Milwaukee is mired in an offensive funk and averaging just 2.25 runs per game over an eight game stretch. They are currently 1-1/2 games behind the Cubs for the division lead.

Over the next three days Kevin Cash will lean on Jacob Faria (5-1, 2.93 ERA, 3.80 FIP), Alex Cobb (9-7, 3.89 ERA, 4.42 FIP), and Chris Archer (8-6, 3.89 ERA, 3.19 FIP). Craig Counsell will counter with Brandon Woodruff (6-5, 4.46 ERA, 4.43 FIP), Zach Davies (12-5, 4.42 ERA, 4.65 FIP), and Jimmy Nelson (9-5, 3.37 ERA, 3.11 FIP).

(Stats: FanGraphs)

Pitching Matchups

Faria has been one of the Rays best pitchers since being promoted from Triple-A Durham on June 7, notching quality performances in eight of 10 starts. He has delivered a quality start in each of his four outings at the Trop. A caveat: while he’s been a strike-throwing machine, Faria battled with command in his last start, allowing three runs on three hits and five walks while striking out eight over four innings of work.

Woodruff will make his big league debut against the Rays on Friday. The 24 year-old right-hander is recently had a stretch of three-games where he performed to a 6.75 ERA, although he threw five shutout innings in his last start. Baseball America gave a scouting report on Woodruff:

Woodruff was a hard-throwing wild man in college who was dropped from Mississippi State’s rotation and fell to the 11th round in 2014, but the Brewers cleaned up his mechanics, quickened his tempo and rhythm and found themselves a steal.

Woodruff pitches regularly at 93-94 mph with sink and can get up to 97 mph. He pounds the lower half of the strike zone with his fastball and above-average slider and was able to survive in Colorado Springs because of that, recording a 1.38 groundout-to-airout ratio. He also has an average changeup.

With a bulldog approach, three usable pitches and a ground-ball tendency, Woodruff projects as a mid-rotation starter as long as he maintains the solid control he has found as a professional.

Cobb posted his worst outing of the season on Monday, allowing eight runs on nine hits over three innings en route to a loss. He, however, is 5-3 with a 2.59 ERA in nine starts at the Trop this season.

Davies allowed three earned runs over seven innings in a loss to the Cubs on Sunday. A 4.42 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 6.2 K/9 belie the fact that he has 12 wins on the season. Davies relies primarily on a 90 mph sinker with slight arm-side run, while also mixing in a 74 mph 12-6 curveball, an 80 mph changeup with slight arm-side fade, and an 87 mph cutter. Key Matchup: Wilson Ramos (3-6, RBI)

Archer saw his streak of six consecutive quality come to an end on Tuesday after he allowed four runs — two of which on a pair of solo homers. He did go six-plus innings, so he has pitched at least six innings in 14 consecutive starts. Archer cruised through the first four innings, giving up just one single. He, however, found himself in deep counts against a team that has struck out the fewest times in all of baseball. That, paired with some loud contact, speaks to the fact that Archer really wasn’t that dominant.

Nelson leads Milwaukee with 13 quality starts on the season, including a 3-2 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday. He has never faced the Rays, although he is 4-2 with a 4.66 ERA in 10 road starts this season. Nelson relies primarily upon a 94 mph worm-burner of a sinker and a whiffy 95 mph four-seam fastball. He also tends to mix in a hard 85 mph curveball, and a fly-ball inducing 80 mph slider. Key Matchups: Peter Bourjos (1-2, 3B, 2 RBI), Adeiny Hechavarria (2-3), Wilson Ramos (2-3, HR, RBI), Mallex Smith (1-2, 3B, RBI)

Noteworthiness

— INF Taylor Featherston has been optioned to Triple-A Durham, likely making room for UTL/INF Daniel Robertson, who will be activated from the disabled list. Robertson had been on the DL with neck spasms and played Wednesday for Durham.

— Jake Odorizzi (lower back strain) will make a rehab start in Dunedin for the Charlotte Stone Crabs Friday night. Jose De Leon (lat strain) is expected to pitch in that game as well. Odorizzi is projected to come off the DL early next week.

LBWMF: Austin Pruitt, Rays blank the Astros at home, 3-0

King Austin threw 6-1/3 scoreless innings Wednesday night. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Tampa Bay was able to get to Dallas Keuchel early, while right-hander Austin Pruitt posted the best big league outing of his career. When the dust had settled, the Rays walked out of Minute Maid Park with their second consecutive win, 3-0, and their fifth win in nine tries. They start the day a half game back of Kansas City for the last playoff spot, 2-1/2 games behind New York for the top Wildcard spot, and 3-1/2 back of the Red Sox in the AL East.

Considering the pitching line Pruitt has performed to this season, paired with the fact that the Rays were going up against one of the best pitchers in baseball, a Rays win probably didn’t appear in anybody’s crystal ball. Yet low and behold Pruitt went 6-1/3 innings, outlasted Keuchel, and worked around just five hits and a walk, while striking out three.

Pruitt’s biggest jam came in the third inning after Alex Bregman doubled to left and Jake Marisnick bunted toward the mound. Pruitt fielded the ball and threw to third in an attempt to get the lead runner. But Bregman avoided a tag from Evan Longoria putting runners on the corners with none out. Pruitt bared down, however, and struck out Derek Fisher for the first out of the frame. Three pitches later, Pruitt got Jose Altuve to ground into a 4–3 double play, ending the threat.

Pruitt also cajoled another huge double play to end the sixth, getting Yuri Gurriel to ground into a 5-4-3 twin-killing with runners at first and second and one out.

All of the the hits Pruitt surrendered led off an inning, yet the right-hander played off of Houston’s aggressiveness and pitched to the margins. In doing so he induced weak contact and coaxed mishits, held the Astros to 0-for-6 wRISP — Houston went 0-for-9 overall — and kept his pitch count low. In the battle for Texas, Austin reigned supreme over Dallas.

Meanwhile, the Rays took a first inning lead and never looked back. Trevor Plouffe lined a one-out single to left, before Logan Morrison drilled a two-run homer to right.

It was the second homer in as many days for Morrison (his 28th of the season) and just the eighth allowed by Keuchel this year.

Tampa Bay was able to tack on an insurance run in the third inning after Wilson Ramos worked a full count walk ahead of Adeiny Hechavarria, who singled to right. Brad Miller also singled to right, driving home The Buffalo from second.

Kevin Cash went to the bullpen one out into the seventh after Pruitt gave up a leadoff double to Marwin Gonzalez, then got Carlos Beltran to pop out to left. Steve Cishek took over and walked Brian McCann, but got Alex Bregman to bounce into an inning-ending 6–3 double play — the third double play turned by the Rays.

Cishek took the mound once more in the eighth and quickly got the first two outs of the inning. However, the side-armer made an errant throw on Altuve’s bunt toward the mound, and he ended up at second. Cash called upon Dan Jennings to face the switch hitting pinch-hitter Evan Gattis. After Altuve swiped third uncontested, Jennings got Gattis to pop out to end the threat.

Finally, Alex Colome worked around a one-out walk to earn his 32nd save.

Tampa Bay Rays on Twitter

Those two guys are paying great dividends.” https://t.co/pSDhDNz7p4

Credit where it’s due, Colome got (more than) a little help from Hechavarria, who robbed Beltran of a one-out hit.

The New What Next

The Rays and Astros wrap up the season series on Thursday when Blake Snell (0-6, 4.87 ERA, 5.08 FIP) takes the mound, opposite of right-hander Collin McHugh (0-0, 4.22 ERA, 4.65 FIP).

Snell has fared better since making an adjustment two games ago, moving from the third-base side of the rubber to the center. The southpaw allowed three runs over 5-1/3 innings in his most recent outing on Saturday. Despite the fact that he is still searching for his first win of the season, there were some positive takeaways for Snell in his last start, as he limited damage and walked only two.

McHugh made his second start of the season (after missing the first half with an elbow injury) on Saturday, tossing six innings of one-run, four hit ball. He struck out seven. The right-hander sailed through the first four frames before he allowed a run in the fifth inning. So far this season he has relied upon a 92 mph four-seam fastball with average velocity, an 80 mph whiffy slider that sweeps across the zone, and a whiffy 76 mph curveball slight glove-side movement. He’s also mixed in a 91 mph sinker from time-to-time when he needs a weak popper. Even though he’s performed to a 2.52 ERA against Tampa Bay, he’s lost all four career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Adeiny Hechavarria (1-3), Logan Morrison (4-13, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB)

You can read about the series in our preview.

Rays 8/3/17 Starting Lineup

Dickerson LF
Duda 1B
Longoria 3B
Morrison DH
Souza RF
Miller 2B
Ramos C
Smith CF
Hechavarria SS
Snell LHP

Noteworthiness

— Souza has reportedly tested his left foot running this afternoon, and said more than likely he’ll play tonight. He told reporters there is still some discomfort, however, it’s muted by the peace of mind of a negative MRI.

— The Rays received good news during ball game. Steven Souza Jr., who is dealing with a sore foot after fouling a ball off of it, was a late scratch from the lineup on Wednesday. Souza was sent for more tests on his foot, and the results came back negative.

— Jake Odorizzi’s bullpen session at Tropicana Field reportedly went well, and he could rejoin the rotation as soon as Tuesday.

— After a nine inning rehab game for the Durham Bulls, Daniel Robertson (neck) will be reassessed to see if he could be activated from the DL.

— Thursday marks the first day post-trade deadline that players can clear waivers and be available to be dealt.

LBWMF: Archer, Rays bounce back with 6-4 win against the Astros

Not only did Evan Longoria hit for the cycle, he also became the Rays all-time leader with 766 runs scored. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Rays plated six runs on Tuesday, and Evan Longoria became the second player in franchise history to hit for the cycle, as Tampa Bay hung on to beat the AL leading Astros, 6–4. The Rays are now four games behind the Red Sox in the AL East, and just 1-1/2 games behind the Royals in the Wildcard race.

Tampa Bay took the lead in the first inning after Lucas Duda hit a one-out single to second, then was wild pitched to second by right-hander Mike Fiers. Longoria followed with a moonshot to left — off the train above the Crawford Boxes — his 17th home run of the season. Not one to be outdone, Logan Morrison crushed a no doubter to right field — his 27th homer of the season.

It was a Major League Baseball leading 12th time the Rays have gone back to back this season.

They then were able to extend the lead two innings later. With none on and one out, Duda doubled to left before Longoria tripled him home to make it a four-run game. Adeiny Hechavarria capped the scoring with a two-out single, extending the lead to 5–0. Unfortunately Brad Miller — doing his best impersonation of Tim Beckham — was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning.

From that point on Fiers buckled down and kept the Astros in the ball game, benefitting from double-plays in the fourth and fifth innings, and working around a leadoff walk in the sixth.

Meanwhile, Chris Archer cruised through the first four innings, giving up just one single. He, however, found himself in deep counts against a team that has struck out the fewest times in all of baseball. That, paired with some loud contact, speaks to the fact that Archer really wasn’t that dominant.

To be fair, Archer owes Peter Bourjos (who handled one of those rather loud outs) a beer. Alex Bregman took Archer deep to center to leadoff the third, yet Bourjos leaped and made a spectacular catch before crashing into the wall.

Archer could only keep Houston off the board for so long, and the Astros began a comeback effort in the fifth inning after Carlos Beltran hit a one-out homer (his 13th homer of the season). Then with two outs, Bregman homered into the Crawford Boxes in left, making it a 5–2 ball game.

The Rays were able answer in the seventh inning. With one out, Corey Dickerson walked chasing Fiers. Against southpaw Reymin Guduan, Duda fell one foot shy of hitting his fourth home run in five days. Thankfully Longoria and Morrison hit back-to-back singles, plating Dickerson and putting the Rays up again by four. That insurance run was important, because the Astros rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.

The lineup turned over for the third time in the sixth inning, yet Archer made it through that frame unscathed. However, knowing his propensity to jump the shark the third time though the order, it was rather shocking to see him back out on the mound to start the seventh. Forget not that Archer has performed to a .321 BA/.392 OBP/.509 SLG/.901 OPS/.386 wOBA slash line the third time through the order this season.

Marwin Gonzalez made the most of Kevin Cash’s gift with a double to left, then scored on Beltran’s single to center. Archer’s night was done.

Steve Cishek entered in relief and quickly gave up a line drive double to Evan Gattis, putting a pair of runners into scoring position. Bregman followed by hitting an RBI dribbler to first that scored a run on the first out of the inning. After Jake Marisnick popped out to second, Dan Jennings entered the game to face LHH Derek Fisher … and walked him on five pitches.

With the productive right-handed hitter Jose Altuve making his way into the batter’s box, Cash called upon the Rays best reliever Tommy Hunter, who got him to ground out to short. Hunter followed a perfect eighth — the seventh time this season he didn’t allow a run, and got four outs or more. Finally, Alex Colome followed with an efficient and perfect ninth for his 31st save of the season.

As for Longoria…

Longoria homered in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the seventh, and doubled in the ninth — joining BJ Upton, who hit for the cycle on October 2, 2009, as the second Ray to hit for the cycle. While Longoria was originally called out at second, the play was overturned after a crew chief review. That became the first cycle under the current replay system (2014-) that involved umpire review/manager challenge on any of the hits.

The New What Next

The Rays look to make it two straight with a win at Minute Maid Park tonight. Austin Pruitt (5-2, 6.63 ERA, 4.13 FIP) will get the start for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite of Dallas Keuchel (9-0, 1.94 ERA, 3.31 FIP).

Pruitt made his first start of the season on Friday in place of the injured Jake Odorizzi. The right-hander gave up three homers and five runs (all earned) over five innings against Masahiro Tanaka and the Yankees.

Keuchel made his first big league start since June 2 on Friday. He needed 63 pitches to get through two innings and ultimately lasted only three, allowing three runs in his only start in which he did not notch a win. Keuchel won’t overpower opposing batters — among 94 of the pitchers who qualify for the ERA title this season, the southpaw is ranked 88th in velocity at 88.7 mph — rather the name of his game is command and control of the zone. He, however, is 1-4 with a 4.70 ERA in seven career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Tim Beckham (4-7, 2B, 3B, RBI, BB), Corey Dickerson (1-3), Adeiny Hechavarria (1-3), Evan Longoria (5-18, 2 RBI), Brad Miller (4-13, RBI, 2 BB), Logan Morrison (3-9, 2B), Steven Souza Jr. (2-5)

You can read more about the series sin our preview.

Rays 8/2/17 Starting Lineup

Dickerson LF
Plouffe 1B
Longoria 3B
Morrison DH
Ramos C
Hechavarria SS
Miller 2B
Bourjos CF
Smith RF
Pruitt RHP

Noteworthiness

— Steven Souza Jr. is again a late scratch from the lineup as he is still dealing with a sore foot after he fouled a ball off of it on Sunday in the Bronx. The Rays are sending Souza for more tests on his foot right now, and are hoping it’s nothing more than a bruise.

— Kevin Kiermaier’s return to the lineup will be delayed past his August 8 target due to back trouble. As Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) wrote, Kiermaier is experiencing significant pain in his lower back.

Kiermaier has been having “siginificant pain” when bending to field ground balls, manager Kevin Cash said, and has been shut down from all baseball activities for the rest of the week.

“Little movements are grabbing him,” Cash said. “I don’t think this is a major thing but it is going to derail Aug. 8-9 I would think.”