LBWMF: Taylor Motter and the Mariners punish the Rays, 12-4

Taylor Motter rounds the bases following his grand slam in the first inning off Jake Odorizzi. (Photo Credit: Seattle Times)

The Seattle Mariners jumped on Jake Odorizzi and the Tampa Bay Rays early Friday night, ultimately trouncing the good guys and taking the first game of the series, 12-4. Thanks a lot, Mark Zuckerberg.


Source: FanGraphs

Going into the game, Odorizzi had the third highest fastball whiff rate in the American League at 27.4%. That, however, changed last night after Odo gave up five runs on 48 pitches in the first inning alone. The Mariners whiffed on just one pitch out of the first 20 thrown, and just three times overall. In short, they spat on changeups in non-full counts, and waited for the mistake pitches they could punish…which they did. That said, the Rays right-hander certainly didn’t get any help from the defense behind him, namely Brad Miller.

Miller, just activated from the disabled list, failed to make a play on a ground ball that was hit toward him by leadoff hitter Ben Gamel, and then booted the next ball hit to him, which should have been a double play.

Obviously just didn’t catch it and put Odo in a pretty tough spot to battle through there. The first one I don’t even know if I backhand it. He’s the leadoff hitter and he can run pretty well. I don’t know about that one. The second one, not even close. It’s got to be made. Got to get that out.

Odorizzi almost worked his way out of the mess, fanning Nelson Cruz and getting Kyle Seager to line to first. Yet, Danny Valencia walked, which forced home a run, then former Ray Taylor Motter hit a grand slam to left after falling behind 0-2, giving Seattle a five run lead. Motter fouled off 11 pitches, nine with two-strikes against him.

Motter did not hide the satisfaction he got from beating his former team.

That was definitely something to remember right there, Motter said. Especially against them. …There are a lot of things that run through my head to answer that question, but specifically they got rid of me to let me come here. To do it against them means more than anything. They gave me my chance in baseball, but I’m going to succeed somewhere else. And I’m glad to show them that.

The Mariners were able to knock Odorizzi out of the game in the third inning. Robinson Cano singled to right, then moved up to second as Cruz walked. Two batters later, Valencia belted a three-run homer to left, making it an eight run game.

The Rays tried to chip away at the lead, and got on the board in the fourth against starter Christian Bergman. Colby Rasmus and Tim Beckham went back-to-back with solo homers, their seventh and ninth (respectively).

It also was the MLB leading seventh time this season where the Rays went back-to-back.

They, however, were the only runs Bergman gave up over the course of his six inning outing — this despite not throwing a perfect frame.

They did draw a little closer in the top of the seventh inning after Corey Dickerson singled to left, giving him yet another multi-hit game — his league leading 25th. Kevin Kiermaier followed with his third homer in as many games, and seventh of the season, to bring the Rays within four.

However, Seattle answered with a four run frame in the bottom of the inning, against former Mariner Danny Farquhar. Valencia singled in a run, Jarrod Dyson hit a two-run single off the glove of Miller, and Mike Zunino plated the final run on a sacrifice-fly.

The biggest positive of the game for the Rays was Ryan Garton throwing 3-2/3 inning of scoreless relief. Granted they weren’t the highest leverage innings, notching just a .14 LI (at the highest leverage point of his outing) per FanGraphs, but it’s a start.

The New What Next

Game two of the series is on Saturday when Alex Cobb (4-4, 3.67 ERA, 4.13 FIP) starts opposite Sam Gaviglio (1-1, 3.50 ERA, 6.04 FIP).

Cobb gave up run on six hits against the Twins on Sunday, coming away with a no-decision in the 16 inning marathon ball game. He is 3-1 in his last four decisions, with the only loss coming against the Blue Jays when he held them to two runs over eight innings.

Gaviglio, the rookie right-hander, picked up his first career win against the Rockies in his last outing — becoming the first pitcher in Mariners history to earn his first big league win on Memorial Day. He is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts since moving into the starting rotation. Gaviglio, however, hasn’t thrown more than 76 pitches in any of his starts to date. This season he has relied primarily on a heavy 88 mph four-seam fastball, and an 83 mph slider. He also has mixed in an 84 mph changeup with good arm side run.

You can read more about the series in our preview.

Rays 6/3/17 Starting Lineup

Dickerson DH
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Morrison 1B
Souza Jr RF
Rasmus LF
Beckham SS
Robertson 2B
Norris C
Cobb RHP

The New What Next: Rays vs Mariners — a series preview

Steven Souza Jr. has hit five homers in his last eight games. Prior to the series finale with the Rangers on Wednesday, he was slashing .444 BA/.531 OBP/.963 SLG/1.494 OPS over that span. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays head out to the Emerald City for a showdown with the Seattle Mariners, following their series win against the Rangers.

(Stats: ESPN)

Tampa Bay starts the day with a +.500 29-27 record, sitting four games back of first in a very competitive AL East. The Mariners, on the other hand, are in the AL West cellar, sitting 13 games behind the division-leading Astros. The Rays have really turned it on as of late — winning six of their last 10, and 10 of of their last 15 — while the Mariners haven’t been great at home, losing three of their last four games in Seattle.

The Rays came away with a 7-5 victory over the Rangers in Arlington, though it took them 10 innings to finish off the Rangers. Nevertheless they are now 4-2 on their current nine-game road trip.

Tampa Bay starts the month of June on a high note after taking part a successful May campaign. Power hitting and starting pitching led the way for the Rays during the second month of the season.

(Credit: ESPN)

The Mariners won their fourth straight game on Wednesday, beating the Rockies in a 5-0 and holding the dangerous lineup to just four hits. It was a coup for a Mariners pitching staff that has struggled for much of the season. M’s pitchers have a combined 4.64 ERA — the sixth-worst in the majors.

The Rays are 4-1 in their last five games against the AL West, and 6-2 in their last eight road games. The Mariners, however, are 1-6 in their last seven games against AL East, although they hold a +.500 record against the Rays extending back before 2012.

(Stats: FanGraphs)

Kevin Cash will throw Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 3.14 ERA, 4.68 FIP), Alex Cobb (4-4, 3.67 ERA, 4.13 FIP), and Erasmo Ramirez (3-0, 3.66 ERA, 3.80 FIP) over the next three days. Scott Servais will counter with Christian Bergman (2-2, 4.67 ERA, 5.52 FIP), Sam Gaviglio (1-1, 3.50 ERA, 6.04 FIP), and Ariel Miranda (5-2, 4.17 ERA, 4.72 FIP).

(Stats: FanGraphs)

Pitching Matchups

Odorizzi allowed two runs on seven hits in 5-2/3 innings against Minnesota on Saturday. He allowed 11 base runners to reach, leading him to burn through 118 pitches in fewer than six innings of work. Still, Odorizzi has allowed two earned runs or fewer in all but two starts this season. He is 3-1 in his last four decisions and has four quality starts in those outings.

Bergman has been excellent in two of his four starts since being promoted, including seven scoreless innings on four scattered hits in his last start — becoming the first Mariners hurler in a decade to pitch at least seven innings without allowing a run in a game in Fenway Park. A double play inducing machine, Bergman was helped out by Boston, which grounded into a double play in each of the first four innings of the game. He also threw 7-1/3 shutout innings on two hits against the Athletics in his only Safeco start. This season he has relied primarily on his 89 mph four-seam fastball with nice sinking action, and an 86 mph cutter with very little cutting action. He’s also mixed in an 88 mph fly-ball inducing sinker, an 81 mph changeup with arm side fade, and a 78 mph 12-6 curveball. Key matchups: Derek Norris (2-6, HR, 2 RBI), Rickie Weeks Jr. (1-1)

Cobb gave up run on six hits against the Twins on Sunday, coming away with a no-decision in the 16 inning marathon ball game. He is 3-1 in his last four decisions, with the only loss coming against the Blue Jays when he held them to two runs over eight innings.

Gaviglio, the rookie right-hander, picked up his first career win against the Rockies in his last outing — becoming the first pitcher in Mariners history to earn his first big league win on Memorial Day. He is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts since moving into the starting rotation. Gaviglio, however, hasn’t thrown more than 76 pitches in any of his starts to date. This season he has relied primarily on a heavy 88 mph four-seam fastball, and an 83 mph slider. He also has mixed in an 84 mph changeup with good arm side run.

Ramirez, a day after earning a 12-pitch save against the Twins, started against the Rangers but did not fare well. The right-hander allowed four runs on six hits over 2-1/3 innings. He is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three appearances (one start) against his former team, but is 3-8 with a 4.57 ERA in 23 appearances (18 games) at Safeco Field.

Miranda allowed one run over 5-1/3 innings in Seattle’s 3-1 win over Cleveland. His fastball sits at 90-93 mph, touching 95 from time-to-time. When his delivery lapses, he lives either up in the zone or out of it altogether. He’s able to throw plenty of strikes, just not always where he wants to. His 79 mph slider is more effective when it has more depth, especially when he’s trying to bury it in the dirt rather than throw it in the strike zone. Finally, his 81 mph split/change lives his arm speed more than run and fade.

Noteworthiness

— Per Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), the Rays will activate 2B Brad Miller from the 10-day DL for tonight’s game. OF Mallex Smith has been optioned back to Triple-A Durham to make room for Miller, with Michael Martinez staying on as outfield depth.

Making the case for Corey Dickerson: 2017 All-Star candidate

Corey Dickerson in the dugout after scoring on the sacrifice-fly by Logan Morrison in the seventh inning of the game between the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, May 19, 2017. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

The Tampa Bay Rays capped a 17-13 month of May with another dramatic come from behind extra inning victory Wednesday night, beating the Texas Rangers 7-5. Much of that success comes courtesy of OF/DH Corey Dickerson.

Called a beast by some — and a “big giant freak” by others — Dickerson finds himself in the top five in batting average, hits, multi-hit games and OPS, and shows no signs of slowing down. Suffice it to say, his All-Star worthy production is part and parcel for the Rays’ overall success thus far.

Dickerson was acquired prior to the start of the 2016 season season because of his raw ability to hit the ball. Even though he posted numbers that were somewhat disappointing in his first campaign with Tampa Bay, his fierce determination to atone for his lack of production has made him the best hitter on the team and in the league, placing him just behind Bryce Harper in wRC+ (168).

Dickerson’s made the most of his prodigious skills this season, slashing .341 BA/.384 OBP/.607 SLG//.991 OPS/.415 wOBA over 230 plate appearances, with a league leading 73 hits and 31 extra base hits (17 doubles, 2 triples, 12 homers), and 40 runs scored. What’s even more impressive, he’s doing almost all of his damage from the leadoff spot, including an MLB matching five leadoff homers.

Compare that to last season when his slashed .245 BA/.293 OBP/.469 SLG/.762 OPS/.319 wOBA with 125 hits, 63 extra base hits, and 57 runs scored over 548 plate appearances. He has increased his production in under half the number of plate appearances.

His .394 BABIP suggests a there is measured amount of luck in play. Although when you compare that figure to his career .334 BABIP — which includes his career worst .285 BABIP season last year — measured becomes the operative word. That is, the bulk of his production might not go anywhere, even when/if he cools down. That should impose fear in opposing pitchers.

Not only does Dickerson crush baseballs, but something Jeff Sullivan (FanGraphs) noted is his highly unusual, Guerrero-esque, ability to put junk pitches into play.

Yes, that pitch DID bounce off the dirt.

Since 2013, Dickerson is tied for the MLB lead in number of hits off pitches less than one foot off the ground. He also is tied for second place in number of hits off pitches more than four feet off the ground.

Corey Dickerson heat map. (Credit: ESPN)

Moreover, he’s hitting pitches both inside and outside of the zone. According to Sullivan, Dickerson’s contact-rate difference comes out to 7.6 percentage points. The average difference is 24.6 percentage points. Dickerson is tied for the very lowest difference in the sample, with Pablo Sandoval. And that, in this way, makes for a fitting comparison. Dickerson hits kind of like peak Sandoval did, and the situation in 2017 is even more extreme. This year, so far, Dickerson has made 75% in-zone contact, and 74% out-of-zone contact. Dickerson hasn’t actually excelled when he’s put bad pitches into play, but he’s made himself tough to attack, and challenging to put away.

That red dot represents Corey Dickerson. (Credit: FanGraphs)

In short, Dickerson covers the plate (rather, plate area) well, and will put a pitch in play regardless if it’s a strike.

Being a member of a small-market ball club is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, the media pressure is much lower which allows players to grow and evolve in relative peace. However, the crux of it is that players like Dickerson largely go unnoticed, and leaving them overshadowed by the Aaron Judges of the world.

Sadly Dickerson is running a distant fourth in All-Star voting behind bigger named players, like Edwin Encarnacion or Nelson Cruz, who haven’t been as productive as the Rays’ OF/DH.

Corey is a force of nature, and deserves your vote to represent the Rays in the All-Star Game.

Rays shuffle roster once more; 5/31/17 pre-game notes and starting lineup

King Diamond or Colby Rasmus? (Screen Grab: Jason Collette)

The Tampa Bay Rays shuffled the roster once again on Wednesday, placing right-handed pitcher Matt Andriese on the 10-day DL with a mild groin strain, and recalling right-handed pitchers Austin Pruitt and Ryan Garton, and outfielder Mallex Smith from Triple-A Durham.

Hurlers Chih-Wei Hu and Hunter Wood were optioned back to Durham and Montgomery respectively.

Andriese is not expected to miss much action, but with two off-days (Thursday, June 1 and Monday, June 5) in a five day stretch it seemed wise to add a few more arms to the ‘pen.

Pruitt was on the Opening Day roster, but was demoted to Triple-A after he posted a 7.52 ERA and 3.72 FIP over 20-1/3 innings. Since, however, Pruitt has allowed just one earned run on four hits over 8-2/3 innings with the Bulls.

Smith takes the place of OF Peter Bourjos, who was placed on the 10-day DL with tennis elbow on Tuesday, on the 25-man roster. The addition of the speedy outfielder restores the Rays four-man bench.

In other disabled list news, 2B Brad Miller is scheduled to start a short rehab stint tonight with the Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs.

The New What Next

After falling to Texas last night, the Rays seek to take the rubber match, and win their fifth consecutive road series, tonight in Arlington. Chris Archer () will get the start, opposite of Austin Bibens-Dirkx (0–0, 3.97 ERA, 4.80 FIP).

Archer allowed two runs on five hits and a walk over 7-2/3 innings on Friday. He struck out 11. The right-hander, who is poised to break the club record for strikeouts in a month, has now recorded double-digit strikeouts in four of his last five starts. His 51 strikeouts in May leave him three behind David Price’s mark, set in June 2014. He has slashed 3.82 ERA/1.06 WHIP/51:10 K:BB in 33 innings over that stretch.

Bibens-Dirkx at 32 years old is making his first Major League start, writes Neil Solondz (Rays Radio Blog). In four relief appearances, Bibens-Dirkx has allowed only eight hits and three walks over 11.1 innings. The 32-year old made his big league debut after 11-plus seasons in the minor league system earlier this month in a game against the Mariners.

You can read more about the series in our preview, and I’ll post the starting lineup upon availability.

Rays 5/31/17 Starting Lineup

Dickerson DH
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Morrison 1B
Souza Jr RF
Rasmus LF
Beckham SS
Norris C
Robertson 2B
RHP Archer

Rays promote Hunter Wood and Chih-Wei Hu; place Peter Bourjos on the 10-day DL

The Rays made another surprising roster move this afternoon, promoting Hunter Wood (pictured) from Double-A Montgomery. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Times)

The Tampa Bay Rays added two fresh arms to the bullpen before the game Tuesday, calling up right-handed pitchers Hunter Wood from Double-A Montgomery, and Chih-Wei Hu from Triple-A Durham.

To make room on the 25-man roster, Tampa Bay placed OF Peter Bourjos on the 10-day DL with tennis elbow. The team sent RHP Jose De Leon back to Durham following the game last night.

Wood, 23, was summoned because it was his start day and he could be available to provide length if needed, similar to De Leon on Monday. While it’s an aggressive move on the part of the organization — much like the promotion of Jose Alvarado from Double-A previously — the Rays didn’t have a pitcher at Triple-A on the 40-man roster available to be called up. RHP Austin Pruitt seemed the most likely option, but he threw three innings on Sunday and was not ready. He, however, could be recalled Wednesday or the weekend.

Daniel Russell (DRaysBay) made mention of what Wood has to offer:

Hunter Wood has a slight frame but a big enough fastball with plenty of downward plane. The 2013 draft pick also has a decent cutter, which can work against either hand, but hadn’t developed a legitimate change as of the end of last season, which gave him a bullpen projection overall, even though he returned to Double-A as a starter this season.

Six home runs allowed in nine starts at Double-A have inflated Wood’s numbers, where his continued 24% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate seem to indicate he is the same pitcher he was last season. In his most recent outing on May 24, Wood went 7.2 IP, striking out ten and walking two with only two earned runs allowed.

In an earlier promotion with the big league squad in April, Hu made two appearances in which he walked one, struck out one, and allowing one unearned run to score against eight batters. Since being demoted back to Triple-A Durham, Hu — who previously was a starter — made six relief appearances and allowed just one earned run over 7-1/3 innings, while fanning 10.

This season Hu’s relied upon a whiffy 95 mph fastball, a hard 88 mph changeup with arm-side run, a biting 76 mph 12-6 curveball, an 87 mph slider, and what is called a “palmball” that, per Russell, acts like a changeup with two-seam movement.

The moves leave the Rays short a position player, although as Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) noted, Michael Martinez can play outfield if needed. OF Mallex Smith should be available once the Rays get their bullpen back in order.

Noteworthiness

— Speaking of getting their pitching back in order, RHP Matt Andriese left Wednesday night’s ball-game with what has been graded as a mild groin strain.

According to the Rays broadcast team of BA and DeWayne, the Rays hope can make his next start. If he cannot, Kevin Cash can alter the rotation with off-days on Thursday and Monday since they don’t need a five-man rotation until next Saturday (June 10).