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The New What Next: Rays set for the final home game of the season after another stunning loss; Jose Fernandez passes away in tragic accident

Brad Miller's 80 RBI are two shy of his total for the past two seasons combined. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays) — Brad Miller’s 80 RBI are two shy of his total for the past two seasons combined. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Less than 24-hours after Danny Farquhar’s misplaced changeup (that also didn’t break) resulted in a grand slam off the bat of Dustin Pedroia, the Tampa Bay Rays will take the field at home for the last time this season. While Boston walked away from last night’s ballgame having clinched a playoff berth for the second time in three years, for Tampa Bay, the come-from-behind loss offered an inglorious — yet fitting — end to the contest; analogous to that of the entire season.

Source: FanGraphs

In the end the bullpen did what its done all season, falter late when it mattered the most. Consider that the relievers, per FanGraphs, maintain a 112-to-70 shutdown-to-meltdown rating, and a -2.17 WPA — nestling the bullpen somewhere between poor and awful. Sure, the ‘pen has improved from the first half of the season to the second, however, the -0.1 combined fWAR speaks volumes.

That’s not to say there haven’t been any rays of light, after all Alex Colome is the fourth best closer in the AL, while Matt Andriese and recent additions Chase Whitley (should he be used as a reliever next season) and Eddie Gamboa have shown their effectiveness out of the ‘pen. They, however, appear to be the exceptions to the rule. Matt Silverman likely will have a busy offseason trying to rebuild the ‘pen.

Look at the bright side: with last night’s crowd of 25,641, Tampa Bay has drawn 1,259,720 (an average of 15,747), surpassing last year’s total of 1,247,668 (15,403 average).

That is neither here or now though, as the Rays have one more home game before they close out the season on the south side of Chicago then Arlington.

The New What Next

Jake Odorizzi (9-6, 3.73 ERA) will take the mound for the Rays, opposite of Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7, 4.84 ERA). Odorizzi is coming off his MLB-most 16th no-decision on Sunday in Baltimore. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 20 of his starts. Odorizzi is 3-3, with a 4.05 ERA in 12 starts against Boston, although he is 2-0, with a 1.01 ERA in four starts at Trop.

The righty told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) he see this turn as being akin to that of a playoff start:

For me, I kind of look at this start as a playoff test, like this would be the first round of the playoffs. It’s going to be a playoff-caliber team, and it’s nice to go against them at the end when they’re trying to clinch.

Rodriguez is coming off a win Tuesday at Orioles. He is 2-4, with a 3.21 ERA in 12 starts since the All-Star Break, allowing three earned runs or fewer in 10 of those games. Rodriguez allowed nine runs on 11 hits over 2-2/3 innings against Tampa Bay on June 27.

Rays 9/25/16 Starting Lineup

ctnizi4wyaa-f6t — (Photo Credit: Roger Mooney/Tampa Bay Times)

Noteworthiness

— Tragic news has come out of Miami this morning, one of baseball’s foremost young stars, RHP Jose Fernandez (ex-Alonso HS standout), died in a boating accident early Sunday morning.

Fernandez was among three people who were found dead after police responded to a 3:00 a.m. call regarding the accident. The 30-foot boat they were on overturned after crashing into rocks off Miami Beach. As a result of the news, the Marlins have cancelled this afternoon’s game against the Braves.

The team released a statement this morning:

The Miami Marlins organization is devastated by the tragic loss of Jose Fernandez. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at a very difficult time.

Fernandez was 24. Our thoughts are with his family and the Marlins organization on this tragic Sunday.

— From the Rays: Given today’s tragedy, we are canceling our pregame ceremony recognizing David Ortiz, per his wishes.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Archer, Rays fall to Boston, 2-1

Mikie Mattock's solo shot accounted for the Rays only run Friday night. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays) — Mikie Mahtook’s solo shot accounted for the Rays only run Friday night. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Chris Archer allowed a first inning homer to David Ortiz on Friday, yet the Tampa Bay Rays were unable to recover from the deficit as they fell to the Boston Red Sox, 2-1. Despite turning his 10th quality start in 12 turns, Archer now holds the franchise record for losses in a season at 19.

Source: FanGraphs

The solo shot, his 37th on the season, followed Xander Bogaerts’ one-out walk, and gave Ortiz 124 RBI — the most ever by a player in his final season.

Archer was able to bounce back, pitching in an out of trouble over the next five innings as he held Boston scoreless for the remainder of his start.

Following the contest, Archer was grateful for never again having to see Ortiz in the opposing batter’s box, saying, “I’m not trying to be funny, but I’m really glad I’m not going to have to face that guy again. He’s a really good hitter.” It’s no wonder, Boston’s DH has been a chronic thorn in the side of Archer over his career, posting a .375 batting average (15-40) with four doubles, four homers, and 19 RBI.

On the other side of the coin, Drew Pomeranz was just as effective over his five innings of work. Mikie Mahtook was the only Ray that was able to produce against the former Padre, taking the southpaw deep to left-field on the first pitch he saw in the second inning.

Off the bat at 107 mph, @Statcast says.@MikieMahtook8 is crushing.#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/4gdBtdL4cC

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 23, 2016

Tampa Bay did have a couple chances to get even against Pomeranz, yet to no avail. In the third inning, Luke Maile lashed a one-out double to left-center, then went to third on a groundout. But Kevin Kiermaier flew out to left, ending the threat. Then in the fourth inning, Pomeranz got Corey Dickerson to ground into an inning-ending double play with runners at the corners and one out. For Dickerson, a player who has been very productive of late, that all important big hit escaped him at an incredibly crucial juncture in the ballgame.

Tampa Bay didn’t get another runner into scoring position until the seventh inning, when Dickerson hit a two-out ground-rule double to right-center off Robbie Ross Jr. (cough, three innings too late). Nick Franklin came in to pinch-hit against Matt Barnes, but popped out to short to end the frame.

The Rays had one last shot to win the ballgame in the ninth, and it all started with Evan Longoria’s double to left-center against Brad Ziegler. However, Brad Miller popped out to short, Mikie Mahtook struck out swinging on four pitches, and — after Dickerson was walked intentionally — Juniel Querecuto struck out to end the game. Boston’s five relievers (over the final four innings) held the Rays to two hits and two walks.

The New What Next

Matt Andriese (8-7, 4.41 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay on Saturday, opposite of Cy Young Award contender Rick Porcello (21-4, 3.08 ERA). Andriese has won consecutive starts for the first time since the beginning of June. He is 1-1 with 4.58 ERA in five career appearances (three starts) against Red Sox. Porcello has hurled at least seven innings and allowed three or fewer runs in each of his past 11 starts, tying Cy Young and Pedro Martinez for longest such streak in Red Sox history. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.

Rays 9/24/16 Starting Lineup

Forsythe 2B
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Miller 1B
Dickerson LF
Franklin DH
Mahtook RF
Ramirez SS
Casali C
Andriese RHP

Noteworthiness

— Prior to the ballgame, the Rays handed out their franchise awards. Evan Longoria received two awards: the Don Zimmer Award as the Rays MVP, and the Paul C. Smith Champion Award, given to the Ray who best exemplifies the spirit of true professionalism on and off the field. LHP Blake Snell was named the Rays rookie of the year.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Red Sox — the FINAL series preview

Logan Forsythe scored on Brad Miller's first inning, RBI single. The Rays tallied one more run on Thursday en route to their eighth shutout of the season. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays) — Logan Forsythe scored on Brad Miller’s first inning RBI single. The Rays tallied one more run Thursday night, en route to their eighth shutout of the season. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After losing the series against the New York Yankees, but salvaging in the series finale, the Tampa Bay Rays are set to begin their final home series of the season Friday against the Boston Red Sox. Sentimentality aside, this will be David Ortiz’s last trip into Tropicana Field and I honestly couldn’t be happier! Seriously…ding-dong the witch is dead; so on and so forth!

The Red Sox have won eight straight games against AL East opponents for the first time in 26 years, including a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles — pushing their lead to 5-½ games in the East, and reducing their magic number to five to clinch the division in doing so.

The Rays hurt New York’s playoff hopes with a 2-0 win on Thursday — their eighth shutout of the 2016 campaign. And though Evan Longoria’s seven-game hitting streak came to pass, he is just three hits shy of equaling his career high in hits (169, 2010), and five RBI from reaching 100 for the first time since 2010.

Kevin Cash will lean on Chris Archer (8-18, 4.05 ERA), Matt Andriese (8-7, 4.41 ERA), and Jake Odorizzi (9-6, 3.73 ERA) over the next three days. John Farrell will counter with Drew Pomeranz (10-12, 3.40 ERA), Rick Porcello (21-4, 3.08 ERA), and Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7, 4.84 ERA).

Rays Series Starters

Archer gave up three earned runs on seven hits (including a pair of homers) and a walk over 6-1/3 innings on Friday, striking out four. Despite hurling a quality start — his fourth in a row — the righty once again walked away sans a win. After a disappointing first half, Archer has built some momentum heading into the offseason with a solid 3.20 ERA/.208 OBA and 91 strikeouts over the second half of the season (78-2/3 innings).

Andriese allowed two runs on six hats and no walks, while fanning three over 5-1/3 innings in a win against Baltimore. The righty moved back above .500 with the victory Saturday. Two sacrifice flies in the first three innings put the Rays behind by a pair, however, Tampa Bay’s bats responded in the fourth and sixth innings, taking the lead for good. Since relinquishing seven runs in back-to-back starts, Andriese has allowed just three runs over his last 10-1/3 frames.

Odorizzi gave up just an earned run on five hits over six innings while fanning three on Sunday. The righty shut down the Orioles lineup on 105 pitches (71 strikes). His only mistake ended up as a 407-foot solo shot by Manny Machado, and Jake has now posted four straight starts where he has given up at least one long-ball. Still, the outing represented the sixth quality start in his last seven turns.

Red Sox Series Starters

Pomeranz has shown signs of fatigue in his last two turns, allowing nine runs over 5-2/3 innings. The lefty will attempt a rebound at Tropicana Field on Friday, where he is 1-1 with a 1.64 ERA in two career starts. In his last start against Tampa Bay, Pomeranz allowed three runs on five his over 6-2/3 innings in a 3-4 loss on August 30th. Key matchups: Mikie Mahtook (1-3, 2B, RBI), Luke Maile (2-5, HR, 2 RBI), Brad Miller (5-11, HR, 3 RBI)

Porcello allowed just two runs on four hits, while striking out seven in a complete game against the Orioles on Monday. The righty stymied the Orioles, earning his 21st win of the season on just 89 pitches (65 strikes). Porcello has been really good over the second half of the season, extending his quality-start streak to 11 games with his last outing. Porcello maintains a 2.23 ERA and a 13.2 K/BB over that span. He allowed back-to-back three run outings against the Rays on August 24th and 29th (respectively), although Tampa Bay won the former meeting. Key matchups: Logan Forsythe (8-27, 3B, RBI, BB), Luke Maile (1-1, 2B, RBI), Bobby Wilson (4-11, 2B, RBI)

Rodriguez hurled 6-1/3 innings of two-run ball on Tuesday, striking out seven and allowing just four hits and a walk. The southpaw continued his success in Baltimore, taking a no-no into the fifth inning after throwing four no-hit innings in his last start in Charm City. Rodriguez rebounded nicely from a 2-1/3 inning start against the Yankees last Wednesday. The Rays hammered the lefty to the tune of nine runs on 11 hits over 2-2/3 innings on June 27th. Key matchups: Logan Forsythe (3-7, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Nick Franklin (2-2, 2B, 3 RBI), Evan Longoria (4-7, 2B, RBI), Mikie Mahtook (3-6, 2B, RBI)

Noteworthiness

— Corey Dickerson is 21-58 with six doubles, five homers and 11 RBI in the last 15 games.

— Kevin Kiermaier snapped a 1-14 skid with three hits on Thursday, although his streak of 18 straight stolen bases was also snapped.

— The Rays have dropped nine of 16 against Boston this season.

— Hanley Ramirez has 12 homers and 31 RBI since August 30th (a span of 21 games).

— Asshole slugger David Ortiz moved within one of Lou Gehrig (1,190) for 10th place on Major League Baseball’s all-time list for extra-base hits.

— Mookie Betts is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak.

Rays 9/21/16 pregame notes, Juniel Querecuto promoted, etc

The #Rays will select INF @JunielQuerecuto from @BiscuitBaseball and place OF Steven Souza Jr. (hip) on the 60-day DL tomorrow. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays) — The Rays will select the contract of INF Juniel Querecuto from the Montgomery Biscuits and place OF Steven Souza Jr. (hip) on the 60-day DL Thursday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays look to bounce back tonight with Alex Cobb on the bump in this, his final home start of 2016. Cobb has been impressive in three starts for Tampa Bay coming off of Tommy John surgery.

The New What Next

Cobb (1-0, 3.06 ERA) will get the start opposite of Masahiro Tanaka (13-4, 2.97 ERA).

The Rays right-hander worked around a trifecta of walks to allow just one run on two hits while fanning four over 6-2/3 innings on Wednesday. Even though he wasn’t as sharp as his first two outings of the season, Cobb has yielded just four walks over 17-2/3 innings. That’s not to suggest that he was terrible in this turn, after all he did snag the win, thanks in part to the run support he received early on. In his career, Cobb is 5-2 with a 2.13 ERA against the Yankees.

Tanaka threw seven excellent innings on Thursday against Boston, surrendering just one run on four hits while walking three in a no-decision. He, however, did not notch a strikeout for the first time in his career. He put together a strong performance against the division-leading Red Sox while lowering his ERA to 2.97. Tanaka has been especially tough on Rays, allowing seven total runs in four starts, and going at least seven innings in each of those appearances.

Rays 9/21/16 Starting Lineup

Forsythe 2B
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Miller 1B
Dickerson LF
Ramirez SS
Decker RF
Shaffer DH
Wilson C
Cobb RHP

Noteworthiness

— The Rays’ streak of 14 straight games with a homer was snapped last night. They did hit two triples and Brad Miller, who now has 43 RBI since the All-Star Break, drove in two runs.

— Steven Souza Jr. underwent successful, albeit season-ending surgery today in Nashville. Souza is expected to be ready for the start of spring training. To fill the hole in the active roster, the Rays have selected the contract of INF Juniel Querecuto, who was in Spring Training with the ball club, from the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. The move makes sense, as the Rays are short up the middle with Nick Franklin’s injury. They, again, have sent a clear message to Tim Beckham and Taylor Motter.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Yankees — the FINAL series preview

Corey Dickerson was one of Tampa Bay's sluggers who helped the Rays bash home runs in 10 straight road games for the first time in franchise history. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays) — Corey Dickerson was one of Tampa Bay’s sluggers who helped the Rays bash home runs in 10 straight road games for the first time in franchise history. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays return to the Trop where they will open a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday — the start of their final home stand of the season. The Rays are fresh off a 5-6 road trip, while the Yankees limp in to St. Petersburg on the heels of a four-game sweep by their bitter rivals, the Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees were red-hot the last time they faced Tampa Bay, having won seven in a row and going for a four-game sweep of the Rays. However, they lost the series finale which began their current 1-7 downward spiral. New York has lost five straight and slipped to sixth place in the Wild-Card race. The Evil Empire also lost second baseman Starlin Castro (hamstring) and Jacoby Ellsbury (knee) over the weekend, with Ellsbury listed as day-to-day.

On the other side of the ledger, it was announced that Steven Souza Jr. will undergo left-hip surgery to alleviate an impingement on Wednesday, and he expects to be 100% for spring training. Depending on Nick Franklin’s status, as he sustained a hamstring injury in the series against Baltimore, either he or Jaff Decker will likely get Souza’s at-bats.

Going into this, the final meeting between the two teams this season, Tampa Bay holds a 7-9 record against the Yankees (4-2 at the Trop).

Kevin Cash will throw Drew Smyly (7-11, 4.98 ERA), Alex Cobb (1-0, 3.06 ERA), and Blake Snell (5-8, 3.87 ERA) over the span of the series. Joe Girardi will counter with Michael Pineda (6-11, 4.94 ERA), Masahiro Tanaka (13-4, 2.97 ERA), and Luis Cessa (4-2, 4.44 ERA).

Rays Series Starters

Smyly threw 5-2/3 innings of two run baseball on Tuesday, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out four. The two runs came on a two-run homer by Russell Martin, leading to his removal two outs into the sixth.

Cobb worked around a trifecta of walks to allow just one run on two hits while fanning four over 6-2/3 innings on Wednesday. Even though he wasn’t as sharp as his first two outings of the season, Cobb has yielded just four walks over 17-2/3 innings. That’s not to suggest that he was terrible in this turn, after all he did snag the win, thanks in part to the run support he received early on.

Snell was shelled early on in his start on Thursday, pitching 4-1/3 innings while allowing four runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out six. After being given a three-run lead in the top of the first inning, Snell allowed four runs in the bottom of the frame. In all fairness he did settle down and held Baltimore scoreless for the next 3-1/3 innings until he was pulled in the midst of a self inflicted, fifth-inning jam.

Yankees Series Starters

Pineda, winless since August 5th, tossed four shutout innings against the Dodgers on Wednesday before inclement weather ended his night. He allowed two hits and two walks, and struck out five. The righty matched Clayton Kershaw in the early innings, before the weather cut his start short, after 82 pitches. And while the weather cannot be blamed on him, Pineda still hasn’t finish the fifth inning in each of his last three starts, while hurling seven innings only twice all season (29 starts). He posted 4-1/3 innings of work against Tampa Bay on September 9th, allowing two runs on six hits (including two homers) while walking two and striking out seven. Key matchups: Corey Dickerson (6-10, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI), Logan Forsythe (5-12, 2B, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (4-15, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 4 BB), Luke Maile (1-3, 2 RBI), Brad Miller (5-15, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB)

Tanaka threw seven excellent innings on Thursday against Boston, surrendering just one run on four hits while walking three in a no-decision. He, however, did not notch a strikeout for the first time in his career. He put together a strong performance against the division-leading Red Sox while lowering his ERA to 2.97. He was even better against the Rays on September 10th, slashing 7.1 IP/5 H/1 ER/1 HR/10 K. Over his past eight starts (53-1/3 innings), Tanaka is 6-0 with a 1.86 ERA and 48 strikeouts. Key matchups: Corey Dickerson (3-11, 2B, RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (4-8, 3B, HR, RBI), Bobby Wilson (1-3, HR, RBI)

Cessa has been on the losing end of his last two starts, but New York reportedly feels like those have been decent outings. He’ll be facing a Rays ball club that tagged him with three homers on September 11th in New York, handing the righty his first big league loss. Key matchups: Corey Dickerson (2-6, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Logan Forsythe (1-4, HR, RBI), Evan Longoria (2-6, 2B, 3 RBI), Brad Miller (2-7, HR, RBI)

Noteworthiness

— Evan Longoria is 10-22 with three homers and eight RBI while maintaining a five game hitting streak.

— Didi Gregorius is 7-15 during a four-game hitting streak.

— Gary Sanchez has homered in his last two games, giving him 16 home runs in 41 games this season.