LBWMF: Tampa Bay Rays win seventh straight at the ‘Big A’, 6-3

Alex Cobb threw 7-2/3 innings of one-run ball Saturday night. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Alex Cobb worked at least seven innings for the fourth time in his last five starts Saturday night, as the Tampa Bay Rays cruised to a 6-3 victory over the Angels. The Rays (49–43) start the day six games over .500, and within 2-1/2 games of the first place Red Sox after winning their seventh consecutive game at the Big A, in Anaheim.

Cobb didn’t have his best stuff Saturday night, although he didn’t allow a runner past second base until the seventh inning — when Luis Valbuena tagged him for a solo-shot to put Los Angeles on the board. By that time, the Rays were firmly in control.

The right-hander coaxed a lot of long, loud outs, especially early on, and he didn’t miss many bats. Cobb, however, was efficient. In spite of lapsed command — 59 of his 105 pitches went for strikes; 56% strike ratio — Cobb’s pitch count was only in the 50’s through the front five, and it didn’t start to climb until late in his outing. He struck out four and walked three.

Cobb found himself in just three jams.

With a pair on and none out in the second inning, he fanned Andrelton Simmons before inducing an inning ending 4-6-3 double play from Valbuena. In the third, Cobb picked off Cliff Pennington who initially reached on a four-pitch walk. Then in the sixth, the right-hander got Albert Pujols to ground out with two on to keep the Angels off the board.

Meanwhile, the Rays took a one-run lead in the second inning against J.C. Ramirez. After Adeiny Hechavarria reached on a one-out single to center, Shane Peterson smoked a base hit down the right field line. Both runners moved up 90 feet when Ramirez uncorked a wild pitch before Hechavarria scored on Jesus Sucre’s groundout.

That was the first of two RBI for the Rays’ backup catcher, who now has driven in 18 RBI wRISP (23 overall). In fact, Tampa Bay now has 57 RBI from its catchers – two more than all of last season.

In the third inning, Corey Dickerson doubled to right, tagged up and went to third on Evan Longoria’s fly-ball out, and then came home on Logan Morrison’s two-run homer to left-center — his career high 25th of the season.

In the fourth, Shane Peterson hit a one-out bloop (and hustle) double to left, then scored on Sucre’s single to right-center.

Then in the seventh, Mallex Smith reached on a bloop single and then swiped second. Dickerson followed by hitting a high fly-ball that got lost in the non-existant catwalks and/or roof … you know, because the Rays are on the road and not at home. Somehow the ball managed fall directly between a confused looking Mike Trout and Cole Calhoun, allowing Dickerson to reach. For his part, Calhoun backed up the play well and fired the ball in quickly, preventing Smith from advancing past third. Longoria followed with a sacrifice-fly to Trout, which allowed Smith to tag and easily score on the play.

After Valbuena hit the above mentioned seventh inning homer, Steven Souza Jr. responded with a blast into the batter’s eye in centerfield, putting the Rays up by five.

Valbuena capped the scoring by hitting his second homer of the night, a two-run shot off Jumbo Diaz in the ninth.

With action in the bullpen, Diaz retired the next two batters to finish the game and earn the save.

The New What Next

The Rays will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon with their ace, Chris Archer (7-5, 3.95 ERA, 3.16 FIP) on the mound. He’ll be opposed by Parker Bridwell (3–1, 3.24 ERA, 5.81 FIP)

Archer allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks over 6-2/3 innings on Sunday. He struck out eight. The ace was solid for most of the afternoon, with the exceptions of a leadoff homer by Mookie Betts, and a two-run shot by Dustin Pedroia in the seventh inning, costing him a shot at his eighth win of the season. Despite the home run issues, Archer has coaxed whiffs at a high rate, and carried a career-high 10.8 K/9 into the All-Star Break. While he has failed to produce as many shutdown performances as we’ve grown accustomed to this season, Archer has already posted 12 quality starts and will look to be a bit more consistent over the second half.

Per the inimitable Neil Solondz (Rays Radio), Bridwell threw six shutout innings against the Twins his last time out on July 5th. He’s given up three runs or fewer in five of six appearances. However, Bridwell has given up seven homers in 33.1 innings, and has struck out just 19.

You can read about the series in our preview.

Rays 7/16/17 Starting Lineup

Smith CF
Dickerson LF
Longoria 3B
Morrison 1B
Souza RF
Miller DH
Beckham 2B
Hechavarria SS
Sucre C
Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

— Corey Dickerson broke out of his pre-All Star Break slump with a four hit night, while Shane Peterson had a three hits.

— Wilson Ramos will likely sit out of today’s game after tweaking his left hamstring on Friday when he scored the winning run from first.

— The Rays activated Tim Beckham from the DL after the game, and optioned Taylor Featherston to Triple-A Durham.

— Outstanding ruminations on Arrested Development and Anchorman by BA and DeWayne last night. Also, never forget this gem:

LBWMF: Rays move into sole possession of second place with 2-1 win over the Angels

A dominant outing by Alex Colome capped the Rays seventh extra inning win Friday night. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays picked up right where they left off Friday night, beating the Los Angeles Angels in extra innings, 2–1. The Rays moved five games over .500 for the first time this season with the their seventh extra-inning victory this season. Moreover, with the Rays’ win and the Yankees’ loss, Tampa Bay now claims sole possession of second place in the AL East.

Tampa Bay struck first in the first inning when Evan Longoria hit a solo no doubter to left, his 13th homer of the season.

Longoria’s solo home run

Evan Longoria connects for a solo home run to left-center field to open the scoring for the Rays in the top of the 1st inning

However, Los Angeles countered in the bottom of the second when Albert Pujols homered to center — a long ball that just eluded the glove of a leaping Mallex Smith at the wall.

Nolasco settled in against the Rays from there, allowing just one base runner over the next five innings on a Smith walk in the third.

In the Rays corner though, Faria was also tough even without his best stuff. The rookie stranded runners in scoring position in the second, third and fourth innings — holding the Angels to 0-for-6 wRISP in those spots.

Faria did receive some help in the third inning, when Wilson Ramos gunned down Cameron Maybin as he attempted to swipe second. Ramos’ throw almost sailed past Adeiny Hechavarría, who somehow was able to simultaneously save the ball from hurling into centerfield, and tag the foot of Maybin as he slid.

(Screen Shot Credit: FoxSports Sun)

It was a highly improbable play that Hechavarría made look routine.

Brad Miller, on the other hand, had the opportunity to do the same against Mike Trout as he stole second after reaching on a single to center. Miller made no attempt of a tag on a throw from Ramos that beat Trout to the bag. It was a lackadaisical play by the infielder, and the first of three gaffes on the night.

Faria finally settled down at the end of the fourth inning, after he coaxed a bases loaded popper from Maybin that ended the frame. That started a stretch where the cool-as-a-cucumber right-hander retired seven consecutive batters, and nine of his final ten.

When all was said and done, Faria gave up just a run, struck out four, scattered five hits, two walks, and hit a batter. He now has thrown quality starts in the first seven outings of his MLB career. Faria went the first 6-2/3 innings, and Tommy Hunter got the next four outs. That set the stage for Brad Boxberger, who plowed through the Angels on just 12 pitches in the ninth inning.

The Rays were able to break the deadlock in the top of the 10th against Cam Bedrosian, the fourth Angels hurler. The Buffalo started the rally with a rocket to left, before Miller hit a towering double off the wall in right-center — scoring Ramos from first as he was off on contact with two outs.

Up by a run, Alex Colome finished off the contest with a perfect bottom of the tenth, punctuated by a three pitch strikeout of Trout to end it. Don’t look now, but the beleaguered Rays bullpen has given up just one run in the last 14-2/3 innings.

The New What Next

The Rays and Angels will play the second game of three on Saturday. Alex Cobb (7-6, 3.75 ERA, 4.12 FIP) gets the start opposite Jesse Chavez (5-10, 4.99 ERA, 5.25 FIP).

Cobb was brilliant over 7-2/3 innings, relinquishing just two singles, while not allowing a runner beyond first. He struck out three. The right-hander didn’t have his whiffy stuff, although the split-change (the Thing) was more prevalent this time than last — throwing it for strikes 11 of 19 times, with four swings-and-misses. The Thing had a decent 6.68 inches of break, which is a positive, although he relied heavily on his fastball and knuckle-curve to great effect. Cobb used his repertoire to pitch to contact and miss barrels. His two best outings of the season have come over his last three starts.

Chavez allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings in his last start, absorbing the loss Saturday against Texas. He struck out six. This season, he has relied primarily upon a kitchen sink repertoire of pitches — a 92 mph four-seam fastball and an explosive 91 mph cutter, while also mixing in a firm 86 mph changeup with arm side fade, a 92 mph two-seam fastball/sinker that results in a fair number of fly balls, an 84 mph worm-burner of a slider, and a 77 mph curveball with slight glove-side movement. The 33 year-old right-hander is 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA in eight appearances (one start) against the Rays. Key Matchups: Taylor Featherston (2-2), Logan Morrison (6-19, 3 HR, 3 HR, 7 RBI), Jesus Sucre (2-7)

You can read about the series in our preview.

Rays 7/15/17 Starting Lineup

Smith CF
Dickerson DH
Longoria 3B
Morrison 1B
Souza RF
Miller 2B
Hechavarria SS
Peterson LF
Sucre C
Cobb RHP

Noteworthiness

— At 13-8 since June 8 (a .619 clip), the Rays have improved their odds of a postseason berth from 25% to 36.2% (per FanGraphs). Since it will likely take somewhere between 87 and 90 wins to earn a spot in the postseason, Tampa Bay will have to win 40 of the remaining 71 games; i.e. the Rays would have to perform at a .563 clip, which is feasible if they can continue to rack up series wins.

(Credit: FanGraphs)

— By way of BaseRuns, the Rays should have an overall 50-41 record — one prospective win better than the AL East leading Boston Red Sox.

Tampa Bay Rays 7/14/17 starting lineup and pregame notes

A photo of the 1962 Los Angeles Angels of the PCL. There is no direct relationship to the modern day Angels ball club. (Photo Credit: Unknown)

Following the well needed four-day break, the Tampa Bay Rays kickoff a weekend series tonight against the Los Angeles Angels. At 47-43, Tampa Bay can reach a new high-water mark with a victory tonight.

Rays 7/14/17 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

— LHP Jonny Venters has been assigned to Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs, another step in what would be a great comeback story for the hurler.

— Tampa Bay is expected to have Tim Beckham (left ankle) activated on Sunday, the last game of this series. Rickie Weeks Jr. is to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham next week.

— Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) updated the short-term post-Rasmus situation with the Rays: Brad Miller can take some of the DH at-bats when not in the field, and Corey Dickerson can play left and has done so fairly well. In addition, Kevin Kiermaier is eligible to come off the DL on August 8th, and Kevin Cash indicated yesterday the hope that Kiermaier will return on that date, or fairly close to it.

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

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

The Rays start the ceremonial second-half of the season four games over .500, and tied for second place in the AL East. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

With the first-half of the season behind them, the Tampa Bay Rays will begin a three-game weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels Friday night, at Angel Stadium. The Rays find themselves four games over .500, tied for second place in the AL East, and firmly in contention for a postseason berth. The Angels, on the other hand, are just two games under .500 and in second place in the AL West, but are 16-1/2 games behind the division leading Astros.

(Stats: ESPN)

Coming off a huge series victory against the Red Sox, Tampa Bay has an excellent opportunity to add some separation between the win and loss columns on the ledger, as the team will play their next 12 games against current sub-.500 teams Boding in their favor, the Rays are currently averaging 4.76 runs per game (ranking 13th in the Majors) and are hitting .257 as a team. Moreover, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff boasts a solid 4.10 team ERA, good for 10th in the Majors.

The low-scoring Angels are only averaging 4.10 runs per game (ranking 10th in the Majors), and own a .241 team batting average. The pitching staff isn’t terrible, carrying a decent 4.20 team ERA — good for 13th in the Majors.

Mike Trout, who was on track for arguably his best season before a thumb injury put him on the DL for seven weeks, will be activated prior to the first game of the series. Even so, the Rays are 21-8 in their last 29 games in Anaheim, and 2-2 against the Angels this season — both scenarios feature Trout in some capacity.

(Stats: FanGraphs)

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will lean on Jacob Faria (4-0, 2.11 ERA, 3.17 FIP), Alex Cobb (7-6, 3.75 ERA, 4.12 FIP), and Chris Archer (7-5, 3.95 ERA, 3.16 FIP). Mike Scioscia will likely counter with Ricky Nolasco (4-10, 5.06 ERA, 5.62 FIP), Jesse Chavez (5-10, 4.99 ERA, 5.25 FIP), and a hurler to be named later.

(Stats: FanGraphs)

Pitching Matchups

Faria will take the mound for the seventh time of the season, looking to continue his dominant performance. Faria limited Boston to just one run over six strong innings, and recorded the fourth win of his rookie campaign. The right-hander boasts a stifling 2.11 ERA and a minuscule 0.97 WHIP over 38-1/3 innings of work. He also has tallied 37 strikeouts and has allowed six hits or fewer in each of his six starts.

Nolasco surrendered eight runs and lasted just 1-2/3 innings against Texas in his last start, and was tagged with the loss. The veteran right-hander is having a tough season, posting a bloated 5.06 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP to go along with a 4-10 record over 101-1/3 innings of work. He was hit-hard in his last start against the Rays, allowing five runs in six innings, and now sits with a 3-7 record and an obscene 6.67 ERA in 10 career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Evan Longoria (6-21, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Logan Morrison (2-5, 2 2B, BB), Trevor Plouffe (2-7, 2B, HR, RBI, BB), Steven Souza Jr. (3-6, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI)

Cobb was brilliant over 7-2/3 innings, relinquishing just two singles, while not allowing a runner beyond first. He struck out three. The right-hander didn’t have his whiffy stuff, although the split-change (the Thing) was more prevalent this time than last — throwing it for strikes 11 of 19 times, with four swings-and-misses. The Thing had a decent 6.68 inches of break, which is a positive, although he relied heavily on his fastball and knuckle-curve to great effect. Cobb used his repertoire to pitch to contact and miss barrels. His two best outings of the season have come over his last three starts.

Chavez allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings in his last start, absorbing the loss Saturday against Texas. He struck out six. This season, he has relied primarily upon a kitchen sink repertoire of pitches — a 92 mph four-seam fastball and an explosive 91 mph cutter, while also mixing in a firm 86 mph changeup with arm side fade, a 92 mph two-seam fastball/sinker that results in a fair number of fly balls, an 84 mph worm-burner of a slider, and a 77 mph curveball with slight glove-side movement. The 33 year-old right-hander is 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA in eight appearances (one start) against the Rays. Key Matchups: Taylor Featherston (2-2), Logan Morrison (6-19, 3 HR, 3 HR, 7 RBI), Jesus Sucre (2-7)

Archer allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks over 6-2/3 innings on Sunday. He struck out eight. The ace was solid for most of the afternoon, with the exceptions of a leadoff homer by Mookie Betts, and a two-run shot by Dustin Pedroia in the seventh inning, costing him a shot at his eighth win of the season. Despite the home run issues, Archer has coaxed whiffs at a high rate, and carried a career-high 10.8 K/9 into the All-Star Break. While he has failed to produce as many shutdown performances as we’ve grown accustomed to this season, Archer has already posted 12 quality starts and will look to be a bit more consistent over the second half.

Colby Rasmus to “step away from baseball”; Rays the best defensive team in MLB

Colby Rasmus was hitting .281 BA/.318 OBP/.579 SLG/.897 with nine home runs in the 37 games he played with the Rays this season. (Photo Credit: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

With the hours and minutes ticking down to the ceremonial second-half of the season, the Tampa Bay Rays announced that Colby Rasmus will “step away from baseball.” In better news, the Rays ended the first-half of the season as the best defensive team in baseball, by way of defensive runs saved (DRS).

So long Colby, we barely knew you

Rasmus was signed to a one-year, $5-million contract this offseason, and was making hay in the 37 games he played with the Rays  — hitting .281 BA/.318 OBP/.579 SLG/.897 with nine home runs — until he started experiencing pain in his left hip in the middle of June. The outfielder was placed on the 10-day DL with hip tendinitis, likely the consequence of his 2016 hip surgery.

The Rays, issued a statement (above) yet offered no explanation for Rasmus’ sudden departure; he likely will not return to the team this season. One line in the statement sticks out and leads one to believe that there could be more to the story than we know:

Respecting the privacy of Colby and his family, the Rays will have no further comment.

Then again, per Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), it may just be a matter of Rasmus being frustrated by recurring injuries, and preferring to spend time with his family.

Your Tampa Bay Rays: the best defensive team in baseball

The Rays start the ceremonial second-half of the season four games over .500, tied for second place in the AL East, and firmly in contention for a postseason berth thanks large in part to the defense. According to Mark Simon (ESPN) the numbers give credence to why they are where they are. Tampa Bay is leading all of Major League Baseball in defensive runs saved (DRS).

Kevin Kiermaier and Evan Longoria are at the head of the pack in DRS with +10 and +9 respectively. They are followed by Alex Cobb (+4), Adeiny Hechavarria (+3) — who’s appeared in just 11 games with the Rays — Corey Dickerson (+2), Steven Souza Jr. (+2), and Logan Morrison (+2).

Stepping away from the subject of DRS for a moment, and as Daniel Russell (DRaysBay) noted, even though Hechavarria has appeared in just 31 total games this season, he ranks second in baseball in UZR/150 with a score of 14.8, ahead of Andrelton Simmons (13.7) in shortstops that have accrued a minimum of 200 innings.

Back on topic, how does Tampa Bay’s outfield and infield stack up? Let’s take a look.

Even without Kiermaier, who’s been shelved since June 8, the Rays outfield is the third best in baseball.

And even with average play at short (prior to the acquisition of Hech) and an unsteady Brad Miller, the Rays have the best infield in the American League.

Additionally, both Jesus Sucre and Wilson Ramos have bolstered the team behind the plate.

(Credit: Baseball Prospectus)

The Baseball Prospectus leaderboard finds that Sucre (35 appearances) ranks 19th thus far, while Ramos (nine appearances) already ranks 27th.

All in all, the Rays are a good team once again, and are thankfully relevant going into the second half of the season. We already knew that they were an offensive juggernaut, and Simon’s findings show that they have been able to bolster the offense without sacrificing the defense.

Moving forward, it fails to be seen whether the front office will add a few players here or there leading up to the trade deadline, or if they will stand pat.

Noteworthiness

— What might the Rays do now without Rasmus? Adam Sanford (DRaysBay) listed some options both internally or potentially available via the trade market.