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LBWMF: Morton throws a simulated game, the Rays tie the Pirates, and the first roster moves are announced

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Guillermo Heredia’s legs weren’t the only things tied up by the end of Sunday’s 2-2 ballgame against the Pirates, on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

While the Tampa Bay Rays played an exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, resulting in a 2-2 tie, Charlie Morton got in a 60+ pitch simulated ballgame on the backfields of Charlotte Sports Park.

Morton got four ups and downs — the equivalent of four innings of work — and threw more than 60 pitches while facing his teammates in the simulated game. The right-hander felt that while he got in more work than he anticipated, that work was productive.

My second up, I couldn’t throw a strike and that gave me an opportunity to make some corrections, which I did.

— Charlie Morton

Kyle Snyder was behind Morton, voicing any concerns that popped up given that “some bad habits you can get to (and fix) early,” Morton said.

Morton was able to increase his pitch count and use all four pitches without worry that the Pirates, whom the Rays will face on March 26th — and who they squared off against on Sunday — would catch on.

Morton will throw a five-inning/75-pitch simulated game his next time out followed by one last Grapefruit League outing before his likely first Opening Day start in his 13-year career.

It’d be special. It’s an honor. It’s something that most guys will tell you that they’d like to do it at least once.

— Charlie Morton

Meanwhile, Josh Fleming, the Montgomery Biscuits’ MVP last season, made the start against the Pirates. Fleming allowed a run on a walk and a bloop single across three innings of work. He struck out two and threw 37 pitches (23 strikes, 62% strike rate).

He’s going to be a fun guy to follow this year. He can really pitch, he can really change speeds, and he uses both sides of the plate. He’s confident throwing off-speed pitches at any time in the count.

— Kevin Cash

Relievers Nick Anderson and Oliver Drake each threw scoreless frames. Anderson told Neil Solondz he feels good about where he is this spring.

Just working on stuff every day, trying to get comfortable on the mound again. Getting out there frequently and feeling better.

— Nick Anderson

You can hear Anderson’s interview in its entirety on the SoundCloud player below, courtesy of Rays Radio.

Prior to the start of Sunday’s contest, Tampa Bay made its first cuts of the spring, reducing the spring roster from 67 to 60. All of the moves were expected.

The Rays optioned Lucius Fox, Vidal Brujan, Ronaldo Hernandez, Kevin Padlo, and Brent Honeywell. Right-handers Paul Campbell and Tristan Gray were reassigned to minor league camp.

I think all those guys made really good impressions. All were positive conversations and time for them to get down there.

— Kevin Cash

Honeywell has been throwing bullpens as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery and a fracture in his throwing arm. Campbell was delayed due to injury at the start of camp, while Padlo was absent from camp for a couple of weeks due to severe headaches that are being controlled with medication.

Manager Kevin Cash was especially impressed by Brujan and Fox.

Brujan’s really athletic, can play second and short, and shows a knack at the plate. I think Lucius the same way. We challenged him a little bit, sticking him in the outfield. He seemed to be comfortable with that.

— Kevin Cash

With minor-league Spring Training contests still about a week away, more roster cuts can be expected over the next few days.

The New What Next

Blake Snell will take the mound on Monday, in Dunedin, a little over a week after receiving a cortisone shot in his left elbow. He’ll be opposed by the Blue Jays’ ace, lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Rays 3/9/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Tsutsugo 3B
  2. Martínez 1B
  3. Kiermaier CF
  4. Adames SS
  5. Wendle 2B
  6. Robertson DH
  7. Perez C
  8. LaMarre LF
  9. O’Grady RF
  10. Snell LHP

Noteworthiness

— Yoshi Tsutsugo will make his first start away from the Charlotte Sports Park on Monday.

Tsutsugo is slated to play third base against the Blue Jays — making his fourth start at the hot corner. Tsutsugo has put together a solid spring thus far, slashing .250 BA/.348 OBP/.450 SLG/.798 OPS with a home run and three RBI while splitting time between third base and left field.

— After throwing an impressive scoreless inning on Friday, two-way player Brendan McKay will make his first spring start on Thursday against the Phillies. McKay has yet to step into a batter’s box during an exhibition game this spring.

— The Rays and Austin Meadows have begun preliminary discussions about a potential extension. Per Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), both sides are open to the possibility, although talks have not yet reached the exchange-of-numbers stage. Locking up the soon-to-be 25-year-old, who slashed .291 BA/.364 OBP/.558 SLG/.922 OPS with 33 home runs, 89 RBI, and a 142 wRC+ last season, would certainly be a boon for the ball club.

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LBWMF: Chirinos and McKay impressive on Friday; notes on Morton and Honeywell

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Brendan McKay was strong in his first spring outing, on Friday.

Yonny Chirinos bounced back on the mound in his third start of the spring on Friday, while Brendan McKay was as impressive in his first Grapefruit League appearance.

Chirinos allowed just two hits while striking out a pair across three innings on 45 pitches (32 strikes, 71% strike rate). Chirinos topped out at 96 mph on the in house gun.

That was the first time that really this Spring I’ve been able to throw that hard. I didn’t expect it, but doing what I did in the off-season and the training that I did I feel like that’s been a result of it.

— Yonny Chirinos

McKay, who started late due to shoulder stiffness, was also impressive. After falling behind Jorge Polanco 3-and-0, the southpaw threw 10 of the next 13 pitches for strikes. He caught Josh Donaldson looking on a fastball, coaxed fly ball outs from Polanco and Marwin Gonzalez, and boasted a heater that peaked at 94 mph (and clocked in at 93-94 mph consistently) on 16 pitches (10 strikes, 63% strike rate). The only base runner McKay allowed came on an error, when he dropped Ji-Man Choi’s throw at first.

Felt good. Getting back out there, getting live competition, I was kind of going crazy just not being in there. But it is what it is, hopefully we’re passed it now and can move on and start preparing for a season now.

— Brendan McKay

McKay said he wants to be more conscious of adding a changeup, which he displayed on Friday, to his pitch mix.

Me being critical of myself, they weren’t as great as the one’s I’ve thrown before but that could’ve been the adrenaline. You’re trying to throw your best pitch and it doesn’t really turn out the way you want it and you’re taking away from the pitch itself rather than just letting it settle in and take over from there.

— Brendan McKay

McKay is a candidate to end up in the Opening Week rotation, especially if Blake Snell’s availability slightly in question … that is if he can get built up to a five-inning workload.

We’ve got plenty of time.

— Brendan McKay

Because of the shoulder stiffness that pushed him back a bit, Rays skipper Kevin Cash said the team will probably abandon the plan to move McKay from a six-day pitching schedule to the more standard five-day schedule to try to keep him healthy.

He’s going to be involved, in some way or form, he’ll be involved. We have to get him built up before we make those decisions.

— Kevin Cash

Even though Jose Alvarado allowed a fifth-inning run, the left-hander looked good once again. His lone tally came during what should have been a 1-2-3 frame, yet Tampa Bay could not convert a potential 3-1 putout.

USF product, LHP Shane McClanahan, dazzled once more, allowing just a single then striking out the next three batters he faced in the eighth inning. McClanahan’s fastball clocked in at 99 mph.

The left-hander has faced 26 batters across five games and struck out 10.

He’s fun to watch. A lot of talk about him for good reason.

— Kevin Cash

Cash also said he expects that McClanahan, who has been used in one-inning stints, to start the 2020 season as a starter. He is expected to get stretched out as the spring progresses.

The New What Next

The Rays will play host to the Orioles on Saturday and visit that team from Atlanta in split-squad play. Top prospect Wander Franco is listed as a reserve in the game against Atlanta. Sean Gilmartin is scheduled to start in Port Charlotte, while Joe Ryan will start the game against Atlanta.

Rays 3/7/20 Starting Lineup vs. BAL

  1. Meadows DH
  2. Adames SS
  3. B. Lowe 2B
  4. Diaz 3B
  5. Tsutsugo LF
  6. Martinez 1B
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Zunino C
  9. Margot RF
  10. Gilmartin LHP

Rays 3/7/20 Starting Lineup vs. ATL

  1. Arozarena LF
  2. Herrmann C
  3. Renfroe RF
  4. Choi 1B
  5. Wendle SS
  6. Robertson 2B
  7. Cozens DH
  8. Brosseau 2B
  9. LeMarre CF
  10. Ryan RHP

Noteworthiness

— Charlie Morton won’t make his scheduled start on Sunday, pitching instead in a simulated game on a backfield. The right-hander said it’s to give him a chance to build up his pitch count and innings in a controlled environment than avoiding the team he likely will face in the March 26 opener.

Morton plans to get to 60 pitches Sunday before he will throw again on the back fields to get to 75. From there, he is expected to pitch in a final regular spring game.

— Brent Honeywell “looked good” in his third bullpen session of the spring, Cash said. Honeywell mixed in about five changeups to his 20 pitch outing on Tuesday and Friday.

It has been kind of a long week, so a little tired, but everything is going well. … It’s bouncing back a little differently than Tommy John, so that’s good. Everything, as of right now, is on the right track. I like where I’m at right now.

— Brent Honeywell
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LBWMF: Rays hurler Tyler Glasnow sharp in spite of apparent pitch tipping

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Tyler Glasnow threw 1-2/3 scoreless innings on Wednesday. (Photo Credit: Steve Carney/WDAE)

Tyler Glasnow looked good in his second spring start on Wednesday as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-5, at Charlotte Sports Park.

Glasnow tossed 1-2/3 scoreless frames while allowing two hits (one on the infield) while fanning three on 38 pitches (27 strikes, 71% strike rate). The right-hander leaned on his fastball — Glasnow threw 13 upper 90’s fastballs in the first inning alone — curveball, and splitter.

Glasnow also threw a 93 mph changeup in the first inning even though he called the pitch a “bad one”.

It’s enough of a drop (in velocity), I guess, if I’m throwing hard enough, and I feel like I should’ve gotten it down. I think early on (in Spring Training), I was just trying to get into the game rhythm, but I’ll probably mix it in a little bit more.

— Tyler Glasnow

Interestingly enough, Glasnow told Juan Toribio (MLB.com) that he has been mixing the location of his glove from pitch to pitch to put an end to his nasty habit of tipping pitches; something that got him into trouble in game five of the 2019 ALDS against the Astros. He mentioned that he consciously changes and alternates the glove’s placement after any given pitch. According to Glasnow, the adjustment requires some thought and strategy.

I’m pretty sure I’m not tipping at all. It’s something I’ll look at video tomorrow, but I’m fairly certain that it is taken care of.

— Tyler Glasnow

Yet, he may not like what he see’s when he looks at the video on Thursday, as it would appear he again is unconsciously tipping his pitches despite boasting pure, plus stuff.

As Dominik Vega (DRaysBay) pointed out, every fastball thrown by Glasnow had the line crossing through the glove, while the line was above the glove before every curveball is thrown.

That is to say, while his stuff was pretty nasty against Toronto, he still has a subtle yet noticeable tell that can be detected by batters.

At any rate, many positives came out of Glasnow’s start Wednesday afternoon.

Felt good, felt strong. It was nice to get an up today too so, just get ready for next week.

— Tyler Glasnow

Pitching coach Kyle Snyder also thought Diego Castillo looked sharp in his inning of work. Castillo looked like he was in mid-season form, hurling an efficient seven-pitch seven-pitch perfect frame.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay scored four first-inning runs, taking advantage of five walks.

Hunter Renfroe looped a two-run single before Kevin Kiermaier added a pair on a two-run double. When all was said and done, nine different Rays had hits, while eight different players scored runs.

The New What Next

Ryan Yarbrough will make his third start of the spring when the Rays play host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. The southpaw, who hasn’t allowed a run in Grapefruit League play, is slated to throw three or four innings, depending on his pitch count. Nick Anderson and Andrew Kittredge are also scheduled to pitch.

Rays 3/5/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows LF
  2. Diaz 3B
  3. Tsutsugo DH
  4. Martinez 1B
  5. Renfroe RF
  6. Wendle 2B
  7. Zunino C
  8. Margot CF
  9. Adames SS
  10. Yarbrough LHP

Noteworthiness

— Blake Snell (elbow soreness) threw for a second consecutive day and is on track to throw a bullpen session on Friday.

— After being hit by an errant foul ball, minor league outfielder Garrett Whitley (facial fracture) received good news on Wednesday. A specialist determined that Whitley does not need surgery. He will take about a week off to rest and could be ready around the start of the minor league season.

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LBWMF: Morton solid in his second outing, Perez and Choi go yard, coronavirus impact on the Rays

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Ji-Man Choi went deep for the first time this spring on Monday. (Photo Credit: MLB.com)

Ji-Man Choi and Michael Perez went deep while Charlie Morton impressed in his second outing of the spring, as the Tampa Bay Rays tied the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, 3-3.

Morton put together a much stronger performance than his first, tossing 2-1/3 scoreless innings while striking out one.

He looked really good; really good. Really efficient, all the pitches looked good. … Very crisp outing by him.

— Kevin Cash

In his first outing of the Grapefruit League season, Morton threw just 11 pitches (five strikes, 45% strike rate), yet on Monday he was able to throw 28 pitches (15 strikes, 54% strike rate) in his second start against Baltimore. Morton, who was happy to work into the third inning, also got to work on his breaking balls, which is something he didn’t get a chance to do in his previous outing.

You can start to feel some fatigue there. Ups and downs are the most challenging because your body has become accustomed to that, kind of, cool down, heat up, cool down, it takes different stresses. I would rather have three ups and downs and throw 30 pitches than two innings and throw 45 [pitches]. I think that’s probably more beneficial.

— Charlie Morton

Morton said he was happy with how his curveball and his slider/cutter looked during the outing, while also remarking that he was pleased with his second start of the spring.

Didn’t walk anybody, didn’t hit anybody. All in all, a pretty decent day.

— Charlie Morton

You can hear Morton’s post outing interview in its entirety below, courtesy of Rays Radio.

In the batter’s box, Perez slugged his second home run of the spring in the fourth inning, a solo shot to left-center.

Perez is competing with Kevan Smith and Chris Herrmann to join Mike Zunino as one of the team’s two catchers. Through team translator Manny Navarro, Perez said he’s pleased with how the spring is going.

The goal is just to stay healthy. That’s my main goal. I do my work, and I trust my ability to use that into the game.

— Micahel Perez

Choi also went yard, hitting a two-run blast to left in the sixth inning after a two-out single to righty by Hunter Renfroe.

Meanwhile, Joey Wendle continued his hot spring campaign, adding a double while just missing his second long ball in as many days. Wendle told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) he’s made some adjustments offensively, and that using his “hips as a hinge“ when swinging is yielding good results.

It’s something that’s kind of a work in progress but I think the result will be …. the swing plane will be more conducive to elevating balls and driving balls as opposed to hitting low line drives and ground balls. That’s certainly a part of my game. It’s certainly something I don’t want to lose but at the same time, I have a little more in the tank in terms of gap to gap and driving the ball a little more frequently that I have in the past.

— Joey Wendle

The New What Next

The Rays will travel to CoolToday Park in North Port to take on Atlanta for the second time this spring. Atlanta beat Tampa Bay, 12-0, on Saturday at Charlotte Sports Park. Left-hander Josh Fleming is scheduled to make his first start of the spring for Tampa Bay. We will post the starting lineup upon availability.

Rays 3/3/20 Starting Lineup

  1. B. Lowe 2B
  2. Martínez 1B
  3. Kiermaier CF
  4. Díaz DH
  5. N. Lowe 3B
  6. Zunino C
  7. Adames SS
  8. LaMarre RF
  9. Cozens LF
  10. Fleming LHP

Noteworthiness

— In an article for MLB.com, Juan Toribio writes the Rays aim to prevent coronavirus in camp.

With the coronavirus spreading into the United States, the Rays have begun to take some necessary steps in order to try and prevent the virus from affecting anyone in their Spring Training facility in Port Charlotte, Fla.

The club sent out a memo on Monday, reminding players, coaches and everyone involved with the team to be cautious. The memo encouraged everyone to be more mindful of washing and sanitizing their hands. They’ve also been encouraged to not high-five or shake hands, at least for the moment.

“I think we all have to take the precautionary measurements to do what we can,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We want to do everything we can to prevent anything like that from happening.”

The virus originated from China, but has since spread to South Korea, Italy, Iran, Japan, the United States and 61 other countries. On Sunday night, there were two reported cases in Florida: one in the Sarasota area, where the Rays played on Monday, and one in Hillsborough County.

Ji-Man Choi, whose mother and brother are living in South Korea, hasn’t been directly impacted by the coronavirus and his family is safe, but he’s keeping a close eye on what’s happening in his country.

“I’m very worried that this infection isn’t slowing down at all,” Choi said, through interpreter Steve Nam. “I am worried with all the Asian countries — Korea, Japan, China — so hopefully this all ends soon. That’s what I’m praying for.”

Choi added that he has offered his family a trip to the United States until the situation back home clears up. But because his town hasn’t been impacted, he hasn’t felt the need to try and move his family.

However, in order to remain cautious with the situation, Choi is asking all Korean media to do interviews outside the clubhouse, at least until there’s more information on the virus.

“I just want to be cautious, especially around the players,” Choi said. “I know it’s very important for them to have a great season and I don’t want to be affected by any of that, so I’m just being cautious with the Korean media.”

Yoshi Tsutsugo, who was born in Japan, also said his family is fine, but they remain cautious and vigilant of the news. Tsutsugo said he underwent quick testing for his temperature when he arrived from Japan last month, just to make sure that he didn’t have a fever.

Like Choi, Tsutsugo also expressed concern with the current situation, but also added that his family and friends have not been impacted.

“Of course I’m worried,” Tsutsugo said, through team interpreter Louis Chao. “But so far none of my friends and family have gotten the coronavirus, so that’s a good thing. But still, not just my friends and family, I hope everyone in Japan can get through all of this.”

— Speaking of coronavirus, according to the Associated Press officials from the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball says they are all consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations on a regular basis about COVID-19.

There are no immediate plans to cancel or postpone games or have them held in empty stadiums or arenas. Some of those contingencies have been taken in other countries, including Italy, where soccer matches were postponed until May.

Pro sports in the U.S., for now, are going on as scheduled, though leagues are closely monitoring the situation. The NBA and NHL are in their regular seasons and MLB in spring training in Arizona and Florida with Opening Day less than a month away.

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LBWMF: Jose Alvarado fans three in an otherwise unspectacular spring game

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Jose Alvarado had a bounce-back outing on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

A question begs: If something happens on Leap Day, did it actually happen? Let’s hope not, as the Tampa Bay Rays were throttled by that team from Atlanta, 12-0, on Saturday. If there is a bright side though, it has to be Jose Alvarado, who posted a bounce-back performance after not being able to finish one frame of work in his first outing of the spring.

Alvarado started the frame by hitting Peter O’Brien with a 2-2 pitch, yet the southpaw bounced back and struck out the next three hitters on 18 total pitches (11 strikes, 61% strike rate). Alvarado leaned on his cutter, sinker, and curveball during the inning.

Alvarado told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) that he and pitching coach Kyle Snyder looked at tape from last year of times where he was going well and that helped the lefty.

I felt more power in my body and I saw my command on my fastball. I felt more (normal) because I threw more strikes. …I feel different than my first time because I’m working on my legs. I’m feeling better than my first time because tonight I see more strikes.

— Jose Alvarado

Following the game, Kevin Cash said that he hopes to see Alvarado get back to his dominant, 2018 form.

That was good to see. I know him and (pitching coach Kyle Snyder) have gone back and looked at some stuff for when it was going really, really well for him. I think they’re just trying to replicate that. I don’t think he’s far off, by any means, and the adjustment isn’t a major adjustment. But if he felt good, we’ll continue to harness that one because it looked really good.

— Kevin Cash

You can hear Alvarado’s interview, in full, on the SoundCloud player below, courtesy of Rays Radio.

Atlanta scored five of their runs — three in the first inning, one in the second, and one in the third — against starter Yonny Chirinos. The right-hander, who said he focused on his splitter and sinker, did throw 26 of 38 pitches for strikes (68% strike rate).

Moving forward.

The New What Next

Right-hander Joe Ryan will make his first Grapefruit League start against the Twins On Sunday. Andrew Kittredge, Aaron Loup, Pete Fairbanks, and Oliver Drake are also scheduled to pitch for Tampa Bay.

Rays 3/1/2020 Starting Lineup

  1. Diaz 3B
  2. Tsutsugo LF
  3. Zunino C
  4. Choi 1B
  5. Arozarena RF
  6. Kiermaier CF
  7. Smith DH
  8. Wendle 2B
  9. Robertson SS
  10. Ryan RHP

Noteworthiness

— Hampered by shoulder stiffness, LHP Brendan McKay threw his first batting-practice session of the spring on Saturday. McKay threw around 25 pitches to Mike Brosseau and Miles Mastrobuoni.

It felt really good, my arm felt where it usually is at this time.

— Brendan McKay

The southpaw said he was impressed with his changeup, which he has been focusing on this spring.

I threw a lot of really good changeups, which I’m kind of happy about. I’ve been on the search for that over the last couple of years. I’ve had glimpses of it, but to throw it that consistently to righties and some lefties, it’s only building that confidence that you can throw it whenever you need to and it can be a dominant pitch.

— Brendan McKay

— Kevin Cash told reporters that Blake Snell received a cortisone shot on the outer half of his left elbow and isn’t expected to make his scheduled start next week. Cash said the team “isn’t overly concerned” at the moment.

He came in after his session, felt pretty good — but not as good as he wanted to. I think, given what took place last year, we wanted to do everything to get out in front of it.

— Kevin Cash

Per Juan Toribio (MLB.com), the Rays will be cautious with Snell, who missed nearly two months last season after undergoing left elbow surgery to remove loose bodies. Cash stressed getting the shot on the outer half of the elbow was better than getting it on the inner part — which is where the tendon area is.

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