TNWN: Rays vs Cardinals — a series preview

After a 6-3 road trip, culminating in a third consecutive series win, the Tampa Bay Rays return home to the Trop, where they will start a three-game series against the Cardinals on Tuesday. St. Louis dropped two of three to the Rockies over the weekend.

At 68-46 on the season, the Rays enter play 22 games above .500 with 48 games left to play.

Tampa Bay continues to slip out of the July doldrums, having averaged 6.67 runs per game against the Tigers, and 4.57 runs per game over the last seven days. Over that stretch, the Rays have put up a .252 BA/.329 OBP/.443 SLG/.772 OPS, with a 119 wRC+. More importantly, Rays’ hitters have not only been able to slug the ball, but also get runners on, over, and home — something that had eluded them in recent times.

The Cardinals have performed similarly to the Rays — putting up a .276 BA/.323 OBP/.467 SLG/.790 OPS line with a 115 wRC+ — over the last week, yet the results haven’t been there. Over that span, they haven’t struck out much, although they haven’t earned many walks.

The Rays enter play with an overall 3.79 ERA and 3.88 FIP (3.70 ERA and 3.53 FIP for the starters, 3.89 ERA, and 4.29 FIP for the relievers). Over the last seven days, however, Tampa Bay, has looked like, well … Tampa Bay, maintaining a combined 3.46 ERA and 3.11 FIP (2.97 ERA and 3.36 FIP for the starters, 4.15 ERA and 2.76 FIP for the relievers).

Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ pitching staff has held the team back, pitching to an overall 4.58 ERA and 4.13 FIP (4.71 ERA and 4.29 FIP for the starters, 4.40 ERA, and 3.89 FIP for the relievers). They’ve been better over the last seven days, putting up a combined 3.67 ERA and a 3.60 FIP (5.23 ERA and a 3.48 FIP for the starters, 1.27 ERA and a 3.03 FIP for the relievers).

Tampa Bay went 3-0 against the St. Louis last season, outscoring them 17-6.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Zach Eflin (12-6, 3.46 ERA, 2.92 FIP), potentially Tyler Glasnow (5-1, 3.15 ERA, 3.18 FIP) pending the status of his back, and Zack Littell (2-2, 4.04 ERA, 3.36 FIP). Oliver Marmol will counter with Miles Mikolas (6-7, 4.29 ERA, 3.76 FIP), Dakota Hudson (2-0, 4.10 ERA, 4.12 FIP), and Matthew Liberatore (1-4, 6.93 ERA, 5.26 FIP).

Zach Eflin allowed just three hits over six scoreless innings against the Yankees. He struck out five. Eflin showed no ill effects Tuesday after departing his previous start with knee discomfort, firing six scoreless frames against the Bronx Bummers. It was the type of effort Tampa Bay needed from Eflin after he allowed five runs in two of his previous three turns. The 29-year-old right-hander now sports a 3.46 ERA and a 2.92 FIP, with a 1.00 WHIP, and a 7.12 K/BB across 21 starts (122.1 innings) on the season.

Miles Mikolas gave up up three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk over seven innings against the Twins on Tuesday. He fanned seven. The right-hander was able to take his normal turn through the rotation while waiting to hear the results of his appeal on a five-game suspension, and Mikolas delivered his ninth quality start of the season on 109 pitches (72 strikes, 66% strike rate), although he came up short in a pitchers’ duel with Pablo Lopez. All told, Mikolas has posted a 4.29 ERA and a 3.76 FIP, with a 1.29 WHIP, and a 3.62 K/BB on the season. He relies primarily on a 93 mph sinker, a 93 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action, and an 87 mph slider, while also mixing in a 76 mph curveball that has exceptional bite, and an 85 mph changeup that has slight arm-side fade.

Tyler Glasnow allowed one run on three hits and two walks over seven innings against the Yankees. He struck out eight and threw 94 pitches (61 strikes, 65% strike rate, 18% SwStr%). Glasnow now has eight or more strikeouts in six of his last seven starts while pitching to a 2.08 ERA in that span. He has returned to elite form after missing the first two months of the season with an oblique injury. Overall, Glasnow’s ERA is down to 3.15 with a 3.18 FIP, a 1.08 WHIP, and 4.36 K/BB across 12 starts (68.2 innings) this season. 

Dakota Hudson allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out seven batters over seven innings against the Twins on Wednesday. Hudson has spent most of the season in a long-relief role, but he was moved into the rotation after the Cardinals traded Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty. Hudson got through six scoreless frames before Matt Wallner tagged him for a three-run homer in the seventh. The right-hander finished with a quality start. Hudson maintains a 4.10 ERA and a 4.12 FIP, with a 1.37 WHIP, and a 2.00 K/BB on the season. He relies primarily on a 92 mph sinker that has some natural sinking action and a whiffy 86 mph cutter with heavy sinking action, while also mixing in a 92 mph worm-killer fourseam fastball, and an 81 mph slider that has exceptional depth and short glove-side cut. Key Matchups: Manuel Margot (1-4, 2B), Harold Ramírez (1-3)

Zack Littell scattered three hits and one walk over six scoreless innings against Detroit on Friday. He struck out one. The Rays gave Littell a nice cushion early and he cruised, completing six frames on 74 pitches. It wasn’t a dominant performance in terms of whiffs — Littell coaxed just five swinging strikes (7% SwStr%) — but he was efficient, limited hard contact, and kept the ball on the ground. All told, Littell lowered his ERA and FIP to 4.04 and 3.36 (respectively), with a 1.35 WHIP, and a 5.17 K/BB across 35.2 innings.

Matthew Liberatore, the former Rays farm hand, allowed five runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Twins. He struck out one. Most of the damage against Liberatore came in the second inning when he was tagged for four runs on a pair of homers. He now maintains a 6.93 and a 5.26 FIP, with a 1.78 WHIP, and a 1.28 K/BB across nine starts (37.2 innings) this season. Liberatore relies primarily on a 94 mph fourseam fastball and a whiffy 76 mph curveball that has exceptional bite and slight glove-side movement, also mixing in a blazing 94 mph sinker, an 86 mph hard slider that has some two-plane movement, and an 87 mph changeup.

Noteworthiness

— After leaving last Wednesday’s contest in the fourth inning due to tightness on the outside of his forearm, Shane McClanahan made his way to Los Angeles, where he sought the opinion of specialist Dr. Neal El Attrache. Again, there was no definitive diagnosis, and the team had no update. The southpaw plans to see Texas-based Dr. Keith Meister, next week; he previously had an MRI and was examined by team orthopedist Dr. Koco Eaton late last week.

— Tampa Bay could receive reinforcements this week in one, Andrew Kittredge. The right-hander has been with Triple-A Durham for each of his last nine appearances (9.0 innings). He’s allowed seven earned runs across 13 innings — six of which came in just one-third of an inning in an outing on July 23 (resulting in a bloated 7.00 ERA, but a 2.93 FIP), and one run five days later — but has otherwise been effective.

TNWN: Rays vs Le Tigre — a series preview, part deux

Don’t look now, but Wander Franco is getting toasty. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After taking two of three from the Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays cap their nine-game road trip in Detroit, where they will start a three-game series against the Tigers on Friday. Detroit most recently split a two-game set with the Pirates.

At 66-45 on the season, the Rays enter play 21 games over .500 with 51 games left to play.

The Rays, slowly but surely, continue to slip out of the offensive malaise that’s plagued them throughout the month of July. The long ball reemerged in Houston and New York resulting in a hefty .464 SLG and .235 ISO over the last seven days. They are still having a difficult time getting timely hits with men on the bags, resulting in a .176 batting average with runners in scoring position against the Astros, and a .083 wRISP batting average against New York. Part of that is due to poor base running — I’m looking at you, Manuel Margot, and René Pinto — but they also continue to be unlucky in the box; Rays’ batters put up a .254 BABIP over the last seven days. All they can do is continue to put together quality at-bats, earn their walks, and make solid contact. The batting average will eventually regress to the norm and change in Tampa Bay’s favor.

The Tigers are 4-6 over the last 10 games, and it’s easy to see why. They average a little more than three runs per game and have slashed .228 BA/.306 OBP/.349 SLG/.655 OPS over the last seven days, resulting in an 87 wRC+ and a -5.6 wRAA. They have also kept the ball on the ground (1.73 GB/FB) across that stretch resulting in a light .349 SLG. Credit where it’s due, they don’t strike out at an extreme rate … well, that is unless their name happens to be Javier Báez.

The Rays enter play with an overall 3.80 ERA and 3.91 FIP (3.73 ERA and 3.56 FIP for the starters, 3.88 ERA, and 4.32 FIP for the relievers). Over the last seven days, however, Tampa Bay improved a touch (as compared to the previous seven days), maintaining a combined 5.54 ERA and 4.27 FIP (4.75 ERA and 4.03 FIP for the starters, 6.65 ERA and 4.61 FIP for the relievers).

Meanwhile, the Tigers have been okay on the bump, pitching to an overall 4.48 ERA and 4.17 FIP (4.75 ERA and 4.23 FIP for the starters, 4.15 ERA, and 4.10 FIP for the relievers). The pitching staff regressed over the last seven days, putting up a combined 5.55 ERA and a 4.09 FIP (6.23 ERA and a 3.62 FIP for the starters, 4.62 ERA and a 4.73 FIP for the relievers).

Tampa Bay is 3-0 this season against the Tigers this season.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Zack Littell (1-2, 4.39 ERA, 3.35 FIP), Aaron Civale (5-2, 2.34 ERA, 3.54 FIP), and Tyler Glasnow (5-1, 3.15 ERA, 3.18 FIP). AJ Hinch will counter with Reese Olson (1-4, 4.71 ERA, 4.08 FIP), Tarik Skubal (1-1, 4.57 ERA, 1.33 FIP), and a pitcher to be named before the series finale.

Zack Littell allowed two runs on eight hits over five innings against the Astros on Sunday. He struck out four. While Sunday’s game was expected to be a bullpen day for the Rays, Littell managed to last five innings and was stretched out to 82 pitches (58 strikes, 71% strike rate, 13% SwStr%) after having thrown fewer than three innings in all but one of his appearances this season. While he scattered eight hits, Littell held the Astros scoreless heading into the fifth, where he allowed back-to-back singles and a double during a two-run frame. Overall, he maintains an improved 4.39 ERA and 3.35 FIP, with a 1.48 WHIP, and a 6.00 K/BB across 29.2 innings.

Reese Olson allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings against the Marlins on Friday. He struck out two and did not record a walk. Olson made his third straight start since the All-Star Break and completed at least six innings for the first time this season. However, Olson continues to struggle with the long ball, having now allowed four over his past three turns and eight across 11 total appearances. Olson has been able to eat up innings at the big-league level, but his results have been subpar and his role remains in flux. Overall, he maintains a 4.71 ERA and a 4.08 FIP, with a 1.13 WHIP, and a 4.70 K/BB across 49.2 innings. Olson relies primarily on a 95 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action and an 85 mph slider that has short glove-side cut, while also mixing in a firm 88 mph changeup that dives down out of the zone, a 95 mph sinker that has slight arm-side run, and a 79 mph curveball that has exceptional bite and has slight glove-side movement.

Aaron Civale tossed six shutout innings while allowing three hits and two walks. He struck out four. Civale worked an efficient outing after needing only 81 pitches (51 strikes, 63% strike rate, 9% SwStr%) to complete six frames. He has allowed five hits or fewer in each of his six starts in July and capped things off this month with his fourth quality start. Overall, he maintains a 2.34 ERA and a 3.54 FIP, with a 1.04 WHIP, and a 2.64 K/BB across 77.0 innings.

Tarik Skubal allowed four runs on six hits across 4.2 innings on Sunday against the Marlins. He had no walks and struck out four. One game after logging five scoreless frames, Skubal was less dominant, and he failed to complete five innings for the fourth time in five starts. The Tigers are being cautious with their lefty in his return from flexor tendon surgery, and he was limited to 77 pitches in this contest. Overall, Skubal maintains a 4.57 ERA and a 1.33 FIP, with a 0.97 WHIP, and a 9.00 K/BB across 21.2 innings. He relies primarily on a whiffy 96 mph four-seam fastball that has some natural sinking action and an 88 mph work-killer slider, while also mixing in an 85 mph changeup that dives down out of the zone, a 96 mph sinker, and a 76 mph curveball that has sharp downward bite. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (2-4), Manuel Margot (1-3), Harold Ramírez (1-2, 2B)

Tyler Glasnow allowed one run on three hits and two walks over seven innings against the Yankees. He struck out eight and threw 94 pitches (61 strikes, 65% strike rate, 18% SwStr%). Glasnow now has eight or more strikeouts in six of his last seven starts while pitching to a 2.08 ERA in that span. He has returned to elite form after missing the first two months of the season with an oblique injury. Overall, Glasnow’s ERA is down to 3.15 with a 3.18 FIP, a 1.08 WHIP, and 4.36 K/BB across 12 starts (68.2 innings) this season. 

TBA

Noteworthiness

— Another day, another injury. After leaving Wednesday’s contest in the fourth inning due to tightness on the outside of his forearm, Shane McClanahan made his way back to St. Pete where he underwent imaging. The MRI showed “something,” and the team placed the left-hander on the 15-Day Injured List. The Rays still don’t have a set diagnosis from initial testing, and McClanahan is slated for further evaluation in the coming days. He will need at least two weeks on the shelf. We will have more on this as news becomes available.

— Tampa Bay could receive reinforcements this weekend in one, Andrew Kittredge. The right-hander has been with Triple-A Durham for each of his last seven appearances. He allowed six earned runs across just one-third of an inning in an outing on July 23 (resulting in a bloated 9.00 ERA, but a 3.32 FIP), and one run five days later, but has otherwise been effective.

Rays trade deadline acquisitions

The Rays acquired right-hander Manuel Rodriguez from the Cubs on Tuesday.

While the bulk of Tampa Bay’s trade deadline moves came on Monday, and over the last few months, the Rays were able to make a handful of under-the-radar moves on Tuesday by the 6:00 pm deadline. Tampa Bay acquired pitchers Adrian Sampson and Manuel Rodriguez — as well as international free-agent bonus pool space — from the Cubs for farmhand  Josh Roberson. They also acquired catcher Alex Jackson from the Brewers for right-hander Evan McKendry. It should also be noted that Tampa Bay parted ways with right-hander Luis Patiño for cash considerations from the White Sox.

Adrian Sampson

Sampson joined Chicago’s rotation last season as the team dealt with injuries to Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly, and Wade Miley. The right-hander responded well, stringing together 21 outings (19 starts) with a 3.28 ERA and a 3.79 FIP. His low strikeout rate and .288 BABIP suggest that a measure of good luck was at play.

Sampson was optioned to Triple-A after he lost the Cubs’ fifth-starter battle to Hayden Wesneski. Then, in May of this season, he hit the Injured List due to a meniscal debridement procedure on his right knee. As a consequence, he was removed from the Cubs’ 40-man roster once he recovered and, after he accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, he struggled to a 10.17 ERA and 7.42 FIP across 23 innings, with a 1.96 WHIP and a 1.47 K/BB.

Sampson is a kitchen sink kind of hurler that relies primarily on a 90 mph sinker, an 81 mph slider that has exceptional depth and short glove-side cut, and a whiffy 90 mph and fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action, while also mixing in an 83 mph changeup that has some natural sink and obvious arm-side fade. He could be a nice bulk guy with a few tweaks to his repertoire.

Manuel Rodriguez

Rodriguez is the bigger get for the Rays. The 26-year-old righty logged a total of 31.1 innings out of the Cubs’ bullpen from 2021-22 with limited success … especially in 2022, when he performed to a 3.29 ERA and 4.87 FIP, albeit with a 1.39 WHIP, and a 0.89 K/BB across 13.2 innings. He was bumped from the 40-man roster in January to make room for Julian Merryweather before he was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa.

Boasting an 89 mph slider that has exceptional depth, a blazing 97 mph sinker that has some arm-side run and natural sinking action, and a 97 mph worm-killer fourseam fastball, Rodriguez has posted interesting numbers despite an unlucky 4.42 ERA thanks to a .409 BABIP; his 2.93 FIP bears that out. In 38.2 frames, Rodriguez has managed to punch out 32.7% of the batters he has faced, although he’s walked 10.5% of batters. He’s also an extreme worm-killer hurler, boasting a groundball rate of 58.4% to pair with his minuscule 0.47% HR/9.

Both Rodriguez and Sampson will start their Tampa Bay tenure at Triple-A Durham.

Alex Jackson

Jackson, 27, made his big league debut with the Braves in 2019. Even though he’s appeared in the big leagues every season since he’s never managed to stick on a major league roster. He also hasn’t been able to put up big numbers in the majors, slashing just .141 BA/.243 OBP/.227 SLG/.470 OPS in 185 major league plate appearances. However, he’s hit much better in the minor leagues, with a career slash line of .244 BA/.327 OBP/.523 SLG/.850 OPS across 905 plate appearances at Triple-A. Because of it, Jackson is an interesting addition for Tampa Bay, which needed additional catching depth after Francisco Mejia was placed on the IL on July 21 with a left knee MCL sprain.

Rays acquire RHP Aaron Civale from the Guardians

On Monday, the Rays acquired RHP Aaron Civale from the Guardians.

It looked like the trade deadline would pass with a whimper and not a bang for the Tampa Bay Rays, yet, on Monday, they finally pulled the trigger on a deal, trading top first base prospect Kyle Manzardo to Cleveland for 28-year-old right-hander Aaron Civale.

The Rays were in need of rotation help with Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen hitting the Injured List due to season-ending injuries. They previously had an interest in Jordan Montgomery, Lance Lynn, and Marcus Stroman before those deals were spoiled for one reason or another.

Civale will step into the rotation alongside Shane McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin, and Zach Littell (presumably), and give them a strong five-man rotation moving forward. The right-hander currently leads the American League with a minuscule 2.34 ERA — which is belied by a solid 3.55 FIP — across 77 innings on the season. While Civale’s below-average 19% strikeout rate, rather lucky .242 BABIP, and huge 82.7% strand rate point to some regression, he’s nonetheless a solid big-league hurler.

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In 433 career innings, Civale touts a 3.77 ERA and 4.05 FIP, with a 3.46% K/BB, and 42.4% ground-ball rate. He doesn’t throw hard, averaging just 91.8 mph on his heater, but Civale boasts excellent command, limits hard contact, and posted enough swinging strikes with his versatile repertoire (cutter, curveball, sinker, and fourseamer) to find success. He leans on his 88 mph cutter as his primary fastball, although also has the above-mentioned four-seamer and a 92 mph sinker.

Rounding out his repertoire is a 78 mph curveball that has been graded as an excellent offering, with opponents batting just .182 BA/.215 OBP/.299 SLG/.514 OPS in the 358 times he has finished off a plate appearance with the pitch (including a .186 BA/.205 OBP/.302 SLG/.507 OPS this season). 36.3% of those plate appearances have resulted in a strikeout. Civale will throw the occasional 83 mph slider and 85 mph changeup as well, although the curveball is his most frequent breaking pitch.

Civale is not without his own red flags. He has never topped the 164.2 inning mark he hit in 2017 in the minors — his first full season as a professional ball player. Since that time, he’s been on the IL with a myriad of maladies, including a lat strain, shoulder tightness, a wrist sprain, a finger sprain, forearm inflammation, and an oblique strain. Nevertheless, there’s little doubt that he’s a quality performer when he’s healthy.

In an additional move, Tampa Bay recalled RHP Ryan Thompson from Triple-A Durham and optioned RHP Taj Bradley to Durham. Per Tricia Whitaker (Bally Sports Sun) the plan is for Civale to pitch on Saturday. Rays skipper Kevin Cash mentioned that Bradley handled the news well, and they hope he can work on some things while at Durham in the hope that he will be back up with the big-league squad at some point.

TNWN: Rays vs Yankees — another series preview

Yessir! (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After earning their first series win since July 15, the Tampa Bay Rays continue their nine-game road trip on Monday, when they start a three-game series against the Yankees in the Bronx. The Yankees dropped two of three to the Orioles over the weekend.

At 64-44 on the season, the Rays enter play 20 games over .500, 1.5 games back of the first-place Orioles, and 7.5 games up on the last-place Yankees.

Tampa Bay was bodied by Houston in the middle game of their three-game series, dropping to just 6-16 in the month of July. Yet, that loss was sandwiched by a pair of nice wins against a good team. Over the last week, several Rays — Brandon Lowe (309), Wander Franco (149), Yandy Diaz (141), Luke Raley (132), Isaac Paredes (130), and Josh Lowe (116) — have started to get toasty again as measured by wRC+. Over that stretch, Tampa Bay has slashed a modest .241 BA/.326 OBP/.420 SLG/.746 OPS, with an improved .284 BABIP, and a combined 113 wRC+.

Meanwhile, the Yankees were walked off upon in extra innings on Friday, bounced back with a nice win in the middle game of the series against the Orioles on Saturday, and then pounded on Sunday. New York got some help over the weekend with the return of Aaron Judge, and in all fairness, DJ LeMahieu, Kyle Higashioka, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, and Jake Bauers have done some nice things last week. Even so, the Yankees put up a disappointing .225 BA/.330 OBP/.338 SLG/.668 OPS over that stretch, with a 91 wRC+.

The Rays enter play with an overall 3.81 ERA and 3.94 FIP (3.75 ERA and 3.56 FIP for the starters, 3.88 ERA, and 4.38 FIP for the relievers). Over the last seven days, however, Tampa Bay took a step back, maintaining a combined 6.14 ERA and 4.05 FIP (5.92 ERA and 3.16 FIP for the starters, 6.41 ERA and 5.16 FIP for the relievers).

Meanwhile, it won’t be easy for the Rays’ offense which will face a Yankees club that maintains an overall 3.91 ERA and 4.33 FIP (4.45 ERA and 4.60 FIP for the starters, 3.14 ERA, and 3.95 FIP for the relievers). A caveat: New York’s hurlers have also been meh the last week, putting up a combined 4.57 ERA and a 3.95 FIP (6.33 ERA and a 4.83 FIP for the starters, but a solid 1.65 ERA and a 2.48 FIP for the relievers).

Tampa Bay is 3-4 this season against New York, having been outscored 44-38.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will call on Tyler Glasnow (4-3, 3.36 ERA, 3.13 FIP), Zach Eflin (11-6, 3.64 ERA, 3.00 FIP), and Shane McClanahan (11-1, 3.00 ERA, 3.78 FIP). Aaron Boone will counter with Domingo German (5-7, 4.77 ERA, 4.76 FIP), Carlos Rodon (1-3, 5.75 ERA, 6.28 FIP), and Gerrit Cole (9-2, 2.64 ERA, 3.26 FIP).

Tyler Glasnow allowed a run on two hits and two walks over seven innings against Miami. He struck out eight and threw 97 pitches (68 strikes, 70% strike rate, 18% SwStr%). Glasnow’s now held opponents to just one run in three of his last four outings while racking up 55 strikeouts over his last six turns (36.1 innings). He lowered his ERA to 3.36 (3.14 FIP), with a 1.12 WHIP, and a 4.40 K/BB across 11 starts (61.2 innings).

Domingo German coughed up six runs on seven hits — including three home runs — and a walk over six innings against the Mets. He struck out nine. German had little trouble with most of the Mets’ lineup, although Pete Alonso was his nemesis, launching homers in the third and sixth innings. He did strike out nine batters for the third consecutive outing, and German has a 1.25 WHIP and a 4.57 K/BB through 22.1 innings over four July starts, albeit with a 5.64 ERA and a 4.40 FIP. Even so, German has allowed just three earned runs across 10.2 innings against Tampa Bay this season. Key Matchups: Christian Bethancourt (2-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Yandy Diaz (7-20, 3 2B, HR, 5 RBI), Wander Franco (3-7), Manuel Margot (2-8, 2B, 2 RBI), Jose Siri (1-1, 2B, BB)

Zach Eflin was removed from his start Wednesday against the Marlins after four innings due to left knee discomfort. He gave up five earned runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three. Eflin’s early exit initially appeared to be a result of him being knocked around by Miami’s offense, yet Tampa Bay later relayed that an injury played a role in the right-hander being lifted after 53 pitches. Eflin was evaluated, played catch without issue on Friday, and is good to make his start as scheduled on Tuesday. Eflin maintains a 3.64 ERA and a 3.00 FIP, with a 1.02 WHIP, and a 6.82 K/BB through 116.1 innings on the season.

Carlos Rodon allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four batters over 5.2 innings against the Mets on Wednesday. Rodon logged his longest outing of the season, notching one more out than he did in his season debut against the Cubs on July 7. The southpaw continues to struggle with his control — he’s walked multiple batters in each of his four starts and has 12 walks across 20.1 innings — but Rodon held the Mets to just one extra-base hit and one run. He is still trying to find his groove, having managed just a 6.7 K/9 after posting a 12.2 K/9 over his previous two campaigns combined. Overall, he maintains a 5.75 ERA and a 6.28 FIP, with a 1.38 WHIP, and a 1.25 K/BB. Rodon relies primarily on a 95 mph fourseam Fastball and a swing-and-miss 85 mph slider that has short glove-side cut. Key Matchups: Christian Bethancourt (1-3), Yandy Diaz (2-6, 2 RBI), Brandon Lowe (1-3, 2B)

Shane McClanahan allowed three runs on eight hits over five innings against the Astros. He struck out six without issuing a walk. The final line is rather pedestrian by his standards. McClanahan induced a whopping 17 swinging strikes on 86 pitches (20% SwStr%). Jose Abreu’s homer in the fourth inning accounted for two of the three runs against the left-hander. Overall, McClanahan maintains a 3.00 ERA and a 3.78 FIP, with a 1.18 WHIP, and a 2.88 K/BB across 111.0 innings.

Gerrit Cole allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings against the Orioles on Friday. He struck out five. Cole notched his first outing with at least seven scoreless frames since his complete-game shutout against Minnesota on April 16. Cole has been good of late, posting a 2.20 ERA, with a 0.80 WHIP and 7.2 K/BB while completing at least six innings in five consecutive games. Superlatives aside, Cole has surrendered eight runs (seven earned) on 13 hits (including four homers) across two starts (10 innings) against Tampa Bay this season. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (10-34, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB), Yandy Diaz (13-46, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB), Isaac Paredes (4-13, 2B, 2 RBI), Harold Ramirez (6-11, 2B, 4 RBI), Jose Siri (2-6, 2 HR, 2 RBI)