Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Fall in a Stinging 5-3 Loss

Kevin Kiermaier is congratulated by his teammates for robbing Prince Fielder of a two-run homer. (Photo Credit: Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
Kevin Kiermaier is congratulated by his teammates for robbing Prince Fielder of a two-run homer. (Photo Credit: Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
The first game of the Tampa Bay Rays’ critical 10-day road trip got off to a bad start after Nathan Karns put together a shaky start Friday night, while the bullpen faltered late. The team ended the night with stinging 5-3 loss, as their four-game win streak come to an end.

Karns took the hill in front of more than 100 family and friends, yet his outing did not go as he hoped for him or the team.

Tampa Bay fell behind in the bottom of the first when Karns hit his first batter, then walked the next two hitters to load the bases with none out. The righty was able to limit the damage, getting Adrian Beltre to ground into a 5-3 double play for a 1-0 lead. He followed by forcing Mitch Moreland to fly out to center to end the inning.

Tampa Bay answered in the top of the second after the red hot Asdrubal Cabrera doubled to left with one out in the second against the Rangers’ hurler Martin Perez, then moved to third on an errant pickoff attempt. The newly activated Desmond Jennings lashed a hard hit RBI single into left in his first at-bat off the DL, tying the game at one.

Unfortunately for Karns, Josh Hamilton deposited a 1-1 fastball in to the right-center stands in the bottom of the second, putting the Rangers back in front by one. The early seesaw scoring continued in the next half inning, as the Rays took their first — and only — lead of the night.

The rally started when Kevin Kiermaier beat out an infield single to second and Curt Casali was hit by a pitch. Brandon Guyer grounded into what was initially ruled a double-play grounder to third, but at the suggestion of video coordinator “Chico” Fernandez, Rays manager Kevin Cash challenged the call and it was overturned on replay review — the first of three on the night.

With two outs, Evan Longoria hit a line drive double to left-center that scored two. For Longoria, it was his eighth hit in his past 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position

Karns got into more trouble in the fourth, however, he was able to hold Texas scoreless in the frame. Adrian Beltre led the inning off with a single to center, yet Moreland came up with an unproductive out after he reached on a fielder’s choice; Beltre was out at second. Two batters later, Karns walked Elvis Andrus to put runners on first and second with two outs. Karns forced Rougned Odor into a grounder at first to end the threat.

Nathan was lifted in the fifth inning after he walked Shin-Soo Choo with two outs. Karns allowed base runners in each of the five innings in which he pitched, also allowing a season high five walks.

Xavier Cedeno came on, and thanks to The Outlaw, he finished the inning after Kiermaier robbed Prince Fielder of a two-run homer.

Cedeno followed by throwing a hitless sixth, although Hamilton reached on a fielding error by the Rays LOOGY. Still, Cedeno got through the frame cleanly.

The Rays caused some of their own problems as well. They stranded seven — including a huge bases loaded opportunity in the sixth — while hitting into three double plays. They also had runners thrown out at second and third.

They were unable to capitalize on another scoring opportunity in the seventh. Curt Casali doubled to right to start the frame, but pinch-hitter Grady Sizemore grounded hard to first. Mitch Moreland stepped on first and then fired off a throw to third in an attempt to get Casali, who was running on the play. And while Casali was initially called safe at third, he was called out after a review — the third overturned call of the night.

It was a questionable play at best. Ian Malinowski (DRaysBay) wrote about it in their game recap:

There was a weird replay where Casali was caught by a throw to third base. He slid past the bag, reaching back to hold onto it with his finger tips. The umpire at third called him out on the tag, but then called him safe when the ball popped out of Beltre’s glove after the swipe. There was a definite pause before the ball popped out, and the Rangers challenged, perhaps thinking it had happened on the transfer. The replays turned out to clearly show that Casali’s hand had never come off the bag, but he was called out, with the replay officials perhaps deciding that Beltre had gotten his shoulder with the swipe before the rest of the play even started.

Cash told the media after the game the overturned play was right call, “Beltre tagged him on the back before Casali reached the bag.”

Steve Geltz took the mound in the bottom of the seventh and quickly collected the first two outs of the inning on eight pitches. But with two outs in the seventh, Geltz allowed a 3-1 homer to Delino DeShields to tie the game at three. It was the first Major League homer for DeShields.

Malinowski wrote about Geltz’s errant meatball as well:

…against Deshields he made a mistake. Brian Anderson broke it down well. Geltz was trying to go down and away, but he lost his mechanics and the ball sailed high and armside on him. Usually when this happens, the pitch misses the strike zone by about three feet, the batter dives out of the way, and everyone has a good chuckle and tries again, but because of the intended location, Geltz’s straight meatball sailed right into Deshields’s wheelhouse…

But the team looked like they may rally in the eighth after Cabrera and Jennings collected a pair of two out, back-to-back singles. Reliever Sam Dyson had other plans in mind, however, and the righty fanned Tim Beckham (looking) on three pitches to end that threat. It was questionable for Cash to send Beckham to the plate against Dyson with the left handed bat of James Loney available off the bench. Despite a down year at the plate, the likelihood of Loney putting the ball into play was greater than Beckham.

Finally tasked with preserving the tie, Jake McGee allowed two runs in the bottom of the frame and the Rangers pulled ahead. With one out, Beltre singled to center and moved to third on Moreland’s single up the middle. Kiermaier fielded the play and threw to third instead of second, which allowed Moreland to advance 90 feet. Kiermaier called the throw, “a bonehead play on my part.” Josh Hamilton hit a deep sacrifice-fly to center (allowing both runners to advance) giving Texas a 4-3 lead, and finally Andrus capped the rally with an RBI single to center.

Per FanGraphs, Tampa Bay ended the night with a 16.3% chance of a postseason birth. This, after starting the night with a 22% chance of making the playoffs. They simply cannot afford to lose winnable games like this at this point of the season.

The New What Next

Chris Archer (10-8, 2.62 ERA) will make his 25th start of the season Saturday night, opposite of RHP Colby Lewis. According to STATS LLC, opposing hitters have missed on 31 percent of swings against Archer, which ranks second in the American League to Chris Sale of the White Sox. He last faced the Rangers on May 7, allowing five earned runs and going a season-low 3-1/3 innings. Lewis is 8-2 with a 4.55 ERA in his last 13 starts and he is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts against Tampa Bay (in regular season starts) since joining the Rangers in 2010. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.

Rays 8/15/15 Starting Lineup

Jaso DH
Sizemore RF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Forsythe 2B
Cabrera SS
Jennings LF
Kiermaier CF
Rivera C
Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

— Tonight’s lineup has Jennings in LF, Sizemore in RF, Loney at 1B, Forsythe back at 2B, and Rivera catching.
— A big thank you to all who attended our watch party last night; that’s why we do what we do! Our next watch party is tentatively scheduled for September 25, when the Rays take on the Blue Jays in Toronto. It should be a doozy of a ballgame!

Rays 8/14/15 Starting Lineup, X-Rays Spex Watch Party, Etc

Never Forget.
Never Forget.
As the Blue Jays and Yankees ready themselves for a battle for the top seed in the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays, too, are set for a three-game series that could have postseason implications in Arlington Texas. Tonight Nathan Karns will toe the rubber opposite of Martin Perez and the Rangers in the first of three meaningful games.

Rays 8/14/15 Starting Lineup

Guyer RF
Shaffer DH
Longoria 3B
Forsythe 1B
Cabrera SS
Jennings LF
Beckham 2B
Kiermaier CF
Casali C
Karns RHP

Noteworthiness

― Desmond Jennings is back in the lineup for the first time in 3-1/2 months, hitting sixth and playing in left field. Richie Shaffer, too, is in the lineup as the designated hitter.In reinstating Jennings from the 60-day DL, the Rays today made their 110th roster move since opening day.

― Read about tonight’s Karns/Perez pitching matchup in our Rays/Rangers series preview. If you already have, make it a two-fer.

― As if you really needed a reminder, just a few short hours remain until our watch party at Green Bench Brewing Company. Tell a friend, and bring a friend!

The New What Next: Rays vs. Rangers, Part Two ― A Series Preview

Nathan Karns, who is scheduled to take the mound on Friday, reacts after striking out Travis d'Arnaud during a game against the Mets earlier this month. (Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
Nathan Karns, who is scheduled to take the mound on Friday, reacts after striking out Travis d’Arnaud during a game against the Mets earlier this month. (Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
Down by three runs on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to walk away with a 9-6 win against the Braves, a series sweep, and their third consecutive series win. At 58-56 on the season the Rays now have won four straight games, and they’ll make their way to Arlington where they are set to start a three-game series against the Rangers.

Tampa Bay will try to continue its ascension in the Wildcard race with its fourth consecutive series win, while the Rangers (56-57) seek a season-high fifth consecutive home win. And though they rank near the bottom of the majors in most offensive categories, they Rays have been toasty of late ― hitting .296 with 13 home runs, while averaging 5.6 runs per game over a seven game span.

On the other hand, despite winning 14-of-25 since the All Star Break, the Rangers amassed just five runs during a three-game skid before salvaging a 2-4 road-trip with a 6-5 win in the series finale against Minnesota, on Thursday.

Nathan Karns, Chris Archer, and Drew Smyly will take the mound for the Rays against Martin Perez, Colby Lewis, and Yovani Gallardo. Karns (7-5, 3.52 ERA) has limited opponents to two or fewer runs in 14 of his last 18 starts, although he allowed four runs over five innings of Saturday’s 5-4 win over the New York Mets. In his only other meeting with Texas on May 8, Karns allowed two runs on four hits while fanning nine over seven innings of an 8-2 win. Archer (10-8, 2.62 ERA) allowed three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out 10 on Sunday against the Mets, but received no decision. Smyly (0-1, 2.70 ERA) will return to the mound on Sunday; his status was initially dependent upon a pre-game bullpen session he tossed Friday, in Arlington (more on that below).

The teams split a four-game series at the Trop in May, but the Rays have won five of six in Arlington since 2013, including a game 163 play-in.

Rays and Rangers series starters over the last 14 days (unless noted otherwise).
Rays and Rangers series starters over the last 14 days (unless otherwise noted).
Rays and rangers offensive production over the last 14 days.
Rays and rangers offensive production over the last 14 days.
Rays and Rangers by the numbers.
Rays and Rangers by the numbers.
Martin Perez (1-2, 5.81) will make his sixth start since returning from Tommy John surgery. After going 0-2 with a 10.50 ERA in his first three outings, the left-hander has gone 1-0 with a 1.88 mark in his past two. Perez is 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA in two games against Tampa Bay. Key matchups: Asdrubal Cabrera (1-2, 2B), Desmond Jennings (1-2), Evan Longoria (3-4, HR, 2 RBI), Grady Sizemore (2-3).

Colby Lewis (12-5, 4.61 ERA) picked up his 12th win despite allowing seven runs on 10 hits over six innings Monday against Houston. All seven runs came on three homers, including a fourth inning grand slam with the Rangers up 11-3. It’s been written of Lewis, “With an offense like that, it’s no wonder Lewis can have a 12-4 record with a 4.68 ERA.” The fastball/slider/change/curveball throwing Lewis owns a 1-1 record with a 2.45 ERA against the Rays in two starts since 2012. Key matchups: Grady Sizemore (1-2, 2B, BB).

Yovani Gallardo (8-9, 3.33 ERA) took a no decision Tuesday against the Twins despite throwing 5-2/3 shutout innings. He allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out one. However, Gallardo ― being a nibbler ― needed 100 pitches (55 strikes) to get through those 5-2/3 innings. The name of his game weak contact. Nevertheless, Tampa Bay tagged Gallardo for four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks in 5-1/3 innings on May 8. Key matchups: John Jaso (1-2, BB), Desmond Jennings (1-3), James Loney (6-20, 2B, 3 RBI, BB).

Noteworthiness

― Smyly’s bullpen session went well, “It went good.” The Rays will have to make another move before they officially activate Smyly (either a position player or Kirby Yates). They also will have to create a spot on the 40-man roster.

― Asdrubal Cabrera has led the Rays’ offensive surge, batting .490 while recording at least one hit in 13 of his last 14 games. He’s also gone 7-for-17 in his last four games against the Rangers.

― Desmond Jennings is expected back after missing 3-1/2 months due to left knee surgery.

― Mitch Moreland had a career-high four hits ― including his 17th home run ― on Thursday, and Adrian Beltre added three hits after going 3-for-27 over his previous seven.

― Josh Hamilton isn’t expected to be available for a third straight game due to soreness in his left knee. The club has ordered an MRI on the 34-year-old slugger.

 

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Rally Late to Sweep the Braves

Brandon Guyer celebrates with Curt Casali after scoring off of on an error by first baseman Joey Terdoslavich during the seventh inning on August 12, 2015 . (Photo Credit: Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Brandon Guyer celebrates with Curt Casali after scoring off of on an error by first baseman Joey Terdoslavich during the seventh inning on August 12, 2015 . (Photo Credit: Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Down by three runs late in the game, the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves to walk away with a 9-6 win, a series sweep, and their third consecutive series win. At 58-56 on the season, the Rays now have won four straight games and end the night just 1-1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Angels in the Wildcard race.


Source: FanGraphs

Atlanta scored three two-out runs in the second inning for a three-run advantage. With two on and two out, Joey Terdoslavich laced a double to left on a first pitch hanging curveball for a 1-0 Atlanta lead. Pedro Ciriaco followed with a two-run, opposite field single on a 1-2 pitch for an, as of then, commanding three-run advantage.

Tampa Bay got one run back in the second inning on a Kevin Kiermaier comebacker off Matt Wisler with the bases loaded. Wisler bobbled then regained control of the ball to get an out at first as James Loney scored.

But the Braves struck again in the fourth when Ciriaco lined a homer over the left-field wall into the 162 Landing — his first homer of the season giving the Braves a 4-1 lead. Yet Grady Sizemore brought the Rays within two runs in the fifth on his sixth homer of the season — a mammoth blast off the C ring in right. Curt Casali helped bridge the gap when he drove in Asdrubal Cabrera at third on a hard liner in the sixth, where the Braves got a 6-4 fielder’s choice at second.

However, Atlanta answered with two runs in the top of the seventh off Alex Colome to pull ahead by three. Colome allowed two inherited runners to score in the seventh after coming on for Jake Odorizzi with a pair of runners in scoring and none out with the Rays down by one.

That set the stage for the wild late inning rally.

Down 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Sizemore got the ball rolling on the seventh inning rally when he drove a ball to the left-center gap that initially appeared catchable, yet fell between Michael Bourn and Cameron Maybin, and bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. Evan Longoria followed with an infield single near second base which allowed Sizemore to advance to third, and put runners on the corners with none out. Loney hammered the first pitch he saw from lefty Matt Marksberry into the right field corner for an RBI double, bringing the Rays within two.

Kevin Cash made a wise decision, and pinch-ran Tim Beckham for Loney — a decision that paid almost instantaneous dividends. Logan Forsythe hit an RBI sacrifice-fly to deep center, with Beckham advancing to third, and bringing Tampa Bay within one. Asdrubal Cabrera popped out to second for the second out, but the speedy Beckham scored on a two-out wild pitch to knot the game at six.

They weren’t done. Brandon Guyer hammered a double into the left-field corner, bringing The Outlaw to the plate. Kiermaier hit a hard grounder wide of first, and Marksberry missed the bag trying to beat a hustling Kiermaier to the base. Guyer scored on the error, and the Rays held their first lead. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez  saw enough of Marksberry, and called upon 27 year-old righty Ryan Kelly. After Kiermaier swiped second, Curt Casali then belted a two-run blast to cap the six-run rally.

The rally put Alex Colome on the winning side of the ledger.

Jake McGee threw an impressive 1-2-3 eighth, which included a swinging strikeout of supreme dick-head AJ Pierzynski.

Brad Boxberger entered the ninth and walked Jace Peterson and Terdoslavich, sandwiched around a Eury Perez swinging strikeout. With runners on first and second and one out, Boxberger fanned Ciriaco after an extended nine pitch at-bat, and coaxed a weak fly ball out from Michael Bourn to earn his 29th save.

The game was ugly and fraught with gaffes by both the Rays and Braves. Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) said it best:

Their usually tight defense was sloppy, with balls dropping that are usually caught. They wasted several chances to score or tack on runs. And starter Jake Odorizzi was not sharp.

Despite all that, Tampa Bay walked away with a huge home win ahead of a lengthy 10-game road trip, starting Friday.

Kevin Cash talked about the team showing resiliency after the game:

[youtube_sc url=”youtu.be/0-bsmS7vPZw”]

The Rays will kick off a three-game set against the Texas Rangers on Friday; Nathan Karns (7-5, 3.52 ERA) will make the start. Join us at Green Bench Brewing Company just a stones throw from the Trop for our next Rays Watch Party.

Noteworthiness

— The Rays optioned OF/DH Joey Butler to Triple-A Durham to make room on the roster for OF Desmond Jennings, who will be reinstated from the DL on Friday.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Ramirez, Kiermaier, and the Rays Blank the Braves, 2-0

Chris Archer dumps Gatorade over Erasmo Ramirez after the Tampa Bay Rays' 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
Chris Archer dumps Gatorade over Erasmo Ramirez after the Tampa Bay Rays’ 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
Unsure that he would even be able to start Tuesday night’s contest after suffering a jammed thumb on Saturday, Kevin Kiermaier hit his first homer since June 3rd, breaking a scoreless tie, and giving the Tampa Bay Rays a two-run advantage they wouldn’t relinquish. Erasmo Ramirez and two relievers combined for a six-hit shutout of the Atlanta Braves, giving Tampa Bay its third straight win. At 57-56 on the season, the Rays moved over .500 for the first time since July 18th, and now find themselves just 2-1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Angels in the Wildcard race.

Erasmo Ramirez got the start for the Rays, and pitched efficiently into the eighth inning. He, at one point, retired 16 straight batters, and needed just 68 pitches through the front seven frames. Yet the outcome could have been very different if it wasn’t for the defenders behind him. Erasmo was hit hard through the first two innings, but he settled in as the game progressed.

Atlanta had a chance to score in the first after Cameron Maybin singled to right-center then tried to score (from first) on Nick Markakis’ double to right. Daniel Nava, Logan Forsythe and Curt Casali executed a perfect 9-4-2 relay to cut down Maybin.

The Braves also had a pair of two-out hits in the second, but Evan Longoria made a sharp in-between hop pick on Eudy Perez’s grounder to third to end that threat and the inning.

Nevertheless, from the third inning on, Ramirez attacked the bottom and both sides of the zone without giving up hard contact. Kevin Cash allowed Erasmo to start the eighth with a pair of relievers warming in the bullpen, but the hurlers night was done after he allowed a seeing-eye single to Adonis Garcia. His final stat line: 7 IP/o ER/5 H/0 BB/4 K on just 70 pitches.

Brandon Gomes entered in relief and quickly fanned Andrelton Simmons, then retired the next two batters to end the eighth. He came back out in the top of the ninth and got Maybin to pop out. Xavier Cedeno replaced Gomes with one out and allowed a single to Nick Markakis. But A.J. Pierzynski grounded into a 3-6-3 double play to end the game. Cedeno now has 12 consecutive scoreless appearances, and became the seventh Rays player to record a save this season.

Offensively speaking, the Rays put Erasmo on the winning side of the ledger in the bottom of the seventh after Asdrubal Cabrera reached on an infield hit on a hard grounder toward second. After Daniel Nava flew out to deep right-center, The Outlaw proceeded to mash his fifth homer to right-field on a 1-2 breaking pitch from Williams Perez on the outer third of the plate.

Prior to the seventh, the Rays had their best chance to score in the second when Forsythe singled to left with one out, and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a ground-rule double to right, moving Forsythe to third. However, Nava’s fly-ball out to left wasn’t deep enough to score Forsythe, and Kiermaier flew out to right.

Let’s not kid ourselves, Perez wasn’t particularly good. He walked four batters and Tampa Bay squared up its fair share of balls…but just never at the right time. And the couple of times a batter walked with less than two outs, they were immediately doubled off. The one thing Perez had going for him was the ability to force a ground-ball to Simmons and company when he needed a crucial out.

The New What Next

Jake Odorizzi (6-6, 2.77 ERA) will get the start for the Rays in the series finale, opposite of rookie Matt Wisler (5-2, 4.85 ERA). Odorizzi received a no-decision after surrendering just two runs on four hits in six innings against the Braves on May 20 at Turner Field. After pitching to a 3.10 ERA in five starts prior to the All-Star Game, Wisler has posted a 7.04 mark in four trips to the hill since the break. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.

Rays 8/12/15 Starting Lineup

Jaso DH
Sizemore LF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Forsythe 2B
Cabrera SS
Nava RF
Kiermaier CF
Casali C
Odorizzi RHP

Noteworthiness

— Ramirez talked about his outing after the game, saying, “I’m super happy we got the win. Executing pitches was the big deal for the game today.”

— An interesting note, all 15 MLB home teams won last night — the first time that’s happened since league expanded to 30 teams in 1998.

— Desmond Jennings is slated to return to the Rays lineup on Friday. He is scheduled for one last rehab game Wednesday night with the Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs. Jennings already went through a seven-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham, but the extra time serves two purposes: it gives him the opportunity to play a full game in the field, and for his return to come on grass in Arlington on Friday rather than on the Trop’s artificial turf.

The Rays will likely option Joey Butler to Durham to make room on the roster for Jennings.

— Drew Smyly could rejoin the Rays as soon as Sunday in Texas. The team will have to decide if he is ready after he got through only four innings on 94 pitches for Durham on Tuesday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out five.

They will likely to wait and see how Smyly feels this afternoon, and after a bullpen session on Thursday. Tampa Bay is in need of a fifth starter by Tuesday in Houston.

— Since the team made up two plus games in the Wildcard race, what better way is there to celebrate than with us on Friday, at Green Bench Brewing Company when the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Rangers to start a series that could have playoff implications?!