Erasmo Ramirez earns his fifth win on Wednesday — one shy of the MLB lead shared by Chris Sale and Jake Arrieta.
RHP Erasmo Ramirez has pitched so well out of the bullpen that the Tampa Bay Rays may not move him back to the rotation, even though that was the original plan.
Once we were going to go to a four-man rotation, we knew that we were going to use Erasmo in some pretty high-leverage situations, manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times). I don’t think any of us could have said he was going to be pitching this good at this point. Not discounting him at all, he’s just been unbelievable.
In 24 total innings of work, Erasmo is 5-1 with a 1.13 ERA/3.04 FIP (accruing a 1.65 ERA in 10 relief appearances). The right-hander has fired off 10-1/3 innings of one-run ball since April 19, fanning seven hitters against just one walk with an impressive 60.7% ground-ball ratio. His overall relief numbers are equally (if not more) impressive, as Ramirez has tossed 16-1/3 relief innings this season and yielded just three runs (all earned) on 11 hits and a walk with 13 strikeouts.
With Alex Cobb on the mend and not expected back until late July, Tampa Bay could turn to Blake Snell or Matt Andriese when the need for a five-man rotation arises in mid-to-late May.
If Ramirez can sustain his success, he could bolster a Rays’ bullpen that is also on the verge of getting closer Brad Boxberger (offseason hernia surgery) back as well. That begs the question, what will the Rays do to free up two active roster spots in order to activate both Boxberger and an undetermined starter should Ramirez stay in the ‘pen?
Reliever Danny Farquhar was optioned to Triple-A Durham to free up a spot for Blake Snell on April 23rd. That spot is currently filled by RHP Jhan Marinez, who has been effective in 3-2/3 relief innings with Tampa Bay, allowing one run on two hits, while ringing up three and walking none. Marinez could be optioned back to Durham in order to make room for Boxberger, however, the team would still need to clear up another spot for a starter from Triple-A, be that Snell or Andriese.
In my estimation, two pitchers are on the bubble: RHP Ryan Webb and LHP Dana Eveland ― neither of whom have options remaining.
Tampa Bay inked a deal with Webb for his ability to coax ground balls. However, the righty has allowed eight runs on 11 hits (including two homers, good for a 28.6% HR/FB) in eight innings of work. Still, a .375 BABIP (71 points over his career average) speaks to a certain amount of bad luck at play. As for Eveland, he’s allowed five runs in just 6-1/3 innings.
It’s a tough call. A left-hander with a deceptive arm slot is a desirable weapon to have in the ‘pen. However, a ground ball coaxing righty can also be a deadly option. Whatever the case, Cash has a couple more weeks to make a decision; perhaps a clear path will present itself by then.
The pre-game scene outside of Angels Stadium in Anaheim. (Photo Credit: Marc Topkin/Tampa Bay Times)
Rays 5/6/16 Starting Lineup
Forsythe 2B
Miller SS
Longoria 3B
Pearce 1B
Souza RF
Dickerson DH
Guyer LF
Kiermaier CF
Casali C
Archer RHP
Noteworthiness
― Neither Desmond Jennings nor Logan Morrison are in the lineup vs. RHP Corey Rasmus.
― The Rays are still listing Sunday starter vs the Angels as TBD, which means they could use Erasmo Ramirez or call up Matt Andriese and bump Matt Moore to Monday.
― Well, this certainly isn’t good news for the Angels and Garrett Richards, Friday’s regularly scheduled starter:
Source: Angels ace Garrett Richards has torn ulnar collateral ligament and is expected to need Tommy John surgery. https://t.co/wkbiUpTCl0
Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Steve Pearce gets a high five from third base coach Charlie Montoyo Wednesday night after his sixth inning three-run homer against the Dodgers. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
On Friday the AL East meets the AL West, as the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Los Angeles Angels in game one of a three game series at Angel Stadium.
Tampa Bay is coming off a big 8-5 win over that other team from Los Angeles. Inspite of the victory though, the Rays are just 2-4 in their last six games and 3-5 on the road in 2016. The Halos, on the other hand, aren’t red-hot either. They also have gone 2-4 in their last six games and are 6-6 at home.
To their credit the Rays have gotten solid pitching, but the offense has held them back. The team is 27th in the league in scoring, averaging just 3.46 runs per game. Evan Longoria and company have performed better of late, and the .457 SLG/.213 ISO power surge over the last 14 games has been impressive. Still they need that offense to improve overall or they could be in for a long, disappointing season.
The Angels know a thing or two about having a weak offense. Los Angeles ranks 22nd in the league in scoring, putting up just 3.75 runs per game. Led by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, the Angels are 14th in hitting (.246) and 19th in homers (25). They have shown signs of coming out of it, averaging 5.9 runs per game over their last five games. The Rays pitching staff will be tasked with stopping Trout, who is 7-13 in his last three games with two homers and seven RBI. He leads the Angels in Home runs with seven and RBI with 22, while hitting .317.
The Rays strength is the pitching staff. Ranked seventh in the league in ERA at 3.67, fourth in WHIP at 1.14 and seventh in strikeouts, Tampa Bay should be viewed as a formidable opponent when it comes to hurling small, spherical objects at opposing batters. The starters have collected a 3.69 ERA, while the ‘pen ― which has shown cracks of late ― has been decent overall, posting a 3.62 ERA.
Los Angeles, on the other hand, is ranked 14th in the league in ERA at 3.85, 15th in WHIP at 1.30 and 26th in strikeouts. Suffice it to say Logan Forsythe, Longoria, Brandon Guyer and the rest of the Rays batting order will look to take advantage of the Angels weak pitching staff.
Rays manager Kevin Cash will throw Chris Archer (1-4, 5.01 ERA), Jake Odorizzi (0-1, 3.12 ERA) and a hurler to be determined over the course of the series. Archer’s success in his last two starts has been locating his pitches and getting ahead in the count. He’s also used his changeup more often with good results. The righty is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA in five starts against the Angels, including 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA in three starts at Angel Stadium. Odorizzi has tried to get “quicker outs” in order to keep his pitch count low, and he successfully did so on Sunday against Toronto in a seven-inning no-decision. He is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in two career starts against the Angels.
Matt Moorewas scheduled to start Sunday, with the plan being to drop in a fifth starter either Monday or Tuesday in Seattle. But, instead of throwing a left-handed pitching against a team who fares well against southpaws, Cash made the decision to throw Moore on Monday or Tuesday instead. Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) wrote about the move, saying,
Kevin Cash said that Sunday’s starter is now “to be determined,” which seems to mean they are instead thinking of using the extra starter — either RHP Matt Andriese or RHP Erasmo Ramirez — against the Angels, who happen to hit markedly better against lefties.
Ramirez has been pitching extremely well out of the bullpen, and the Rays are tempted to leave him there. Andriese is 1-2 with a 3.41 ERA in six starts at Triple-A Durham but coming off a dazzling Tuesday outing in which he threw seven scoreless innings and struck out a career-high 14. He leads all minor-leaguers with 44 strikeouts.
Garrett Richards was slated to throw on Friday, however, Mike Scioscia will instead go with reliever Cory Rasmus due to Richards’ bout with fatigue.
#Angels scratch Garrett Richards from tomorrow’s start vs #Rays. Cory Rasmus gets the start.
Rasmus (0-1, 4.40 ERA) can go a maximum of four innings, and has a 2.86 ERA in seven career starts. He’s relied primarily on a whiffy 93 mph four-seam fastball and 86 mph changeup, while also mixing in an 86 mph slider and a 75 mph fly-ball inducing curveball. Key matchups: Brad Miller (1-2), Logan Morrison (1-3, BB), Steve Pearce (1-3)
Jered Weaver (3-1, 5.40 ERA) retired just three of the last 11 Brewers hitters he faced on Monday and was charged with seven runs on 11 hits in five innings. All this five days after surrendering seven extra-base hits. His ERA has jumped from 3.12 to 5.40 over the two starts. Of those 11 hits, only two were of the extra-base variety (both doubles) although he routinely caught too much of the plate. With his depleted fastball sitting in the low 80s, Weaver has been relying on his changeup, but the Brewers put that pitch in play eight times for five hits (.625 BA). Key matchups: Logan Forsythe (3-10, 2B), Evan Longoria (6-20, 3 2B, HR, RBI, 3 BB), Steven Souza Jr. (1-4)
Nick Tropeano (1-1, 3.42) allowed five runs on five hits and five walks over five innings with six strikeouts in Tuesday’s loss to the Brewers. Tropeano gave three home runs, including back-to-back shots by Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter in Tropeano’s final inning. Despite throwing 17 first-pitch strikes to 25 hitters, Tropeano’s lost hitters to walks or left mistake pitches over the plate due to his nibbling at the zone. The 25 year-old right relies primarily on a 92 mph four-seam fastball which he uses to generate whiffs and fly-balls, an 81 mph swing and miss slider and an 83 mph changeup. Key matchup: Brad Miller (1-4)
Noteworthiness
― Per Winners and Winers,
Tampa Bay is 6-15 in their last 21 games following an off day, and 4-11 in their last 15 during game one of a series. Los Angeles is 11-3 in their last 14 games following an off day, and 55-27 in their last 82 home games vs. a team with a losing record.
― Steve Pearce was 4-8 with two homers versus the Dodgers.
― Guyer is hitting .406 over his last 10.
― The Rays have matched a club record with 34 homers in 26 games.
― Corey Dickerson is hitless in the last seven games (0-20).
Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Corey Dickerson (10) after flying out to end the the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-5. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
According to Mark Simon (ESPN), the Tampa Bay Rays are still among the MLB leaders in hard contact, just behind the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
So why is it that they have nothing to show for their efforts? There are a handful of running theories.
Is it luck-dragons, as their lackluster .272 BABIP might suggest? How about the combined 26% strikeout percentage? Maybe it’s the team’s inability to defeat the shift, as the combined .256 BA/.256 OBP/.341 SLG/.597 OPS slash line might indicate. I’d argue it is all of the above.
One thing is certain, the Rays offense is a tough nut to crack. Consider this a conversation starter, and we’ll continue to analyze the team’s production moving forward. So, what say you?
14,116 baseball fans “packed” into the Trop on Tuesday to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-5. (Photo Credit: Anthony Ateek/X-Rays Spex)On Tuesday night Matt Moore, Dana Eveland and Ryan Webb combined to allow 10 runs on 12 hits and three walks in the Tampa Bay Rays 10-5 loss to the Dodgers.
Tampa Bay took a short-lived one-run lead in the first inning after Brandon Guyer was hit by a pitch for an MLB-leading seventh time. Guyer eventually scored on Evan Longoria’s one-out double into the left field corner. Even though the Rays found themselves in an early strike while the iron is hot moment, neither Steve Pearce nor Steven Souza Jr. could continue the rally, stranding Longoria on second.
That lead, however, was erased in the second inning following Howie Kendrick’s one out single into center field. three pithes into the next at-bat, Moore left a fastball up in the zone and Trayce Thompson made him pay, blasting the 2-1 pitch off the C Ring in left-center for a two-run homer and a Dodgers lead.
Two batters later, Joc Pederson crushed a solo-shot off the batter’s eye in center field on a 3-1 fastball for a two-run advantage.
Curt Casali, who went down swinging with a runner in scoring position in the second, answered two innings later with a two-run homer to left, tying the game at three apiece.
.@Curtcasali opens the 7th. He’s already left the yard tonight vs. Kaz. #RaysUp
Casali now has both his homers off former Rays lefties, with one off David Price and the other off Scott Kazmir.
Nevertheless the Dodgers were relentless and again answered in the fifth after Enrique Hernandez drew a walk off Moore. Yasiel Puig followed with a bad-hop single off the chest Longoria that, had it not taken a bad hop, may have been a double play ball.
Tampa Bay picked up its first out after Adrian Gonzalez lined to center, but Justin Turned walked on a 3-2 pitch to ― as BA would say ― juice the bases. Kendrick, who prior to Tuesday had collected just eight hits and 0 RBI, doubled past the diving Longoria, plating a pair for a 5-3 lead. Los Angeles was not done.
Thompson followed with a grounder past the dive of Logan Forsythe for a four-run advantage, chasing Moore.
The Rays were able to inch closer when The Lakeland Launcher, Steve Pearce, hit a mammoth solo homer (2) to left in the fifth.
Mopping up the mess left behind by Moore, Steve Geltz (1-2/3 innings) and Jhan Marinez (1-2/3 innings) combined for 3-1/3 scoreless frames to keep the Rays within striking distance. Be that as it may, and in spite of those quality innings, the tandem of Eveland and Webb allowed Los Angeles to take a late commanding lead.
Seager singled to center off Eveland before Kevin Cash gave him the short hook, opting for the ground ball inducing Webb. Former Ray Carl Crawford reached on a rare error by Forsythe just before Puig belted a 410 foot three-run homer to left in the ninth inning, putting the game well out of reach.
Tampa Bay made one last valiant effort by mounting a big two-out threat in the bottom of the inning against former J.P. Howell, although their efforts would go for naught. After coaxing a pair of fly-ball outs, Howell had a lapse in command that resulted in two consecutive walks and a Guyer base hit to load the bases. Longoria drove in the final run of the night on a hit by pitch, but the pinch hitting Corey Dickerson flew out to left against Kenley Jansen to end the game.
Forsythe 2B
Guyer CF
Longoria 3B
Pearce 1B
Souza RF
Dickerson DH
Jennings LF
Beckham SS
Casali C
Smyly LHP
Noteworthiness
— Souza continued his rash of poor plate appearances, going 0-4 with three strikeouts. If you’re counting, he has now struck out 10 times in his last 16 plate appearances.
— While I have grown incredibly tired of watching Souza argue balls and strikes with the umpires, at least he had a point Tuesday night. Let’s call the strike zone what it was: a royal headache of a mess.
— Talk about leaving chicken on the bone, despite scoring opportunities in the first, second, third and ninth innings, Tampa Bay went just 1-for-6 wRISP. Four of the Rays five runs scored with two outs.
— At some point a discussion needs to be made about the ineffectiveness of Ryan Webb and Dana Eveland. Webb was signed for his ability to coax ground balls, however, the righty has allowed eight runs on 11 hits (including two homers) in eight innings of work. As for Eveland, he’s now allowed five runs in just 6-1/3 innings.
If Webb is expected to work in tight ball games, I’d imagine a .500 BA/.500 OBP/1.000 SLG/1.500 OPS/.631 wOBA slash line in medium leverage situations doesn’t speak well for him. The team cut its losses early last season when they let go of Ronald Belisario and Grant Balfour. I cannot help but feel that a similar discussion on the future of Webb and Evaland would be warranted.
