Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Fall 1-0, Injury News (Cobb, Brett, Smyly, Etc)

(Photo credit: Anthony Ateek/X-Rays Spex)
Endless Bummer? (Photo credit: Anthony Ateek/X-Rays Spex)

Danny Russell (DRaysBay) summed up the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox well — all in 140 characters or less:

Chris Archer was great once again, although he took the 1-0 loss on the chin. Blame the offense for this one. The de facto ace allowed just one unearned run on seven hits and a walk in 5-2/3 innings of work. Archer’s best weapon was undoubtedly his wipe out slider, and he used it to great effect. 13 of his total 17 whiffs came courtesy of slider, and he racked up eight swinging strikeouts (nine overall) with it; making the Red Sox’s hitters look silly all the while.

Unfortunately for Archer, however, his scoreless streak ended at 16 innings, thanks to a Ryan Brett throwing error on an errant throw to first on a potential inning-ending double play ground-ball by Dustin Pedroia; Ryan Hanigan scored on the play. Archer attempted a 1-4-3 double play, but Brett’s relay skipped past Logan Forsythe at first.

If the Red Sox did one thing well,* it was work good at-bats which allowed them to chase Archer from the game in the sixth inning. Yet, in return, they faced a solid bullpen that continued to throw zeroes on the board. On the whole, Archer did a great job working around hits and the one walk to stifle Boston.

Archer spoke about his outing after the game:

Brandon Gomes followed Archer and finished the sixth with a strikeout. He came back out in the following inning and worked a scoreless seventh.

Ernesto Frieri took the hill in the eighth inning and worked around a lead-off walk for a scoreless frame.

Shane Victorino led off the ninth by blooping a double into the Rays bullpen off Jose Dominguez. And while Victorino moved to third on a sac-bunt by Brock Holt, Dominguez came back to strikeout Ryan Hanigan and force a fly-ball out of Mookie Betts to end the inning and the threat.

A bright spot, David Ortiz went 0-3 with a walk.

Offensively, Tampa Bay managed just four hits, and had only one real good opportunity to score runs in the sixth. The Rays loaded the bases with two outs against Red Sox starter Wade Miley. Alexi Ogando came on and got Desmond Jennings to ground into a 6-4 fielder’s choice to put down the threat. From that point on, the Boston bullpen did not allow a base runner until Logan Forsythe singled to start the ninth. Sadly Forsythe was erased when Evan Longoria grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.

Wade Miley and four relievers combined on a four-hitter.

It bears mentioning, as Longoria made his way into the batter’s box in the sixth inning, Juan Nieves (Red Sox pitching coach) made his way to the mound to talk strategy with Miley. It was obvious the conversation had something to do with Miley would pitching around Longoria to get to the .205 BA/.321 OBP/.205 SLG/.526 OPS/2 RBI slashing Desmond Jennings. The strategy worked. After Miley walked Longoria to load the bases, he coaxed a weak inning ending grounder to short out of Jennings. I really hope Cash puts James Loney behind Longo in the batting order when he returns this weekend. Jennings in the five hole just isn’t working.

To add insult to injury, Brett, who had the first Rays hit off Wade Miley in the bottom of the third, was picked off first and partially dislocated his left shoulder sliding back into the bag.

GIF courtesy of DRaysBay.
GIF courtesy of DRaysBay.

The infielder caught his left arm in the dirt on the dive back into the bag, and needed it popped back into place. He will be evaluated Wednesday morning. The Rays already have an MLB high 10 players on the disabled list, and Brett looks like he could be the 11th.

Brett spoke with Rays Radio about the injury which he’s suffered before:

*At 0-12 wRISP, lord knows it certainly wasn’t driving in runs.

The New What Next

Game two of the series is Wednesday. Nathan Karns will toe the rubber opposite of RHP Joe Kelly. Kelly’s repertoire features a power sinker (occasionally hitting 98), curve-ball, slider and change up. Kelly likes to get quick outs and put guys away with his whiffy off-speed stuff. You can read about the pitching match-up in our series preview.

Rays 4/22/15 Starting Lineup

DeJesus DH
Souza RF
Cabrera SS
Longoria 3B
Jennings LF
Dykstra 1B
Forsythe 2B
Kiermaier CF
Rivera C
Karns P

 Noteworthiness

Brandon Guyer, Steven Souza, Logan Forsythe, Evan Longoria, Desmond Jennings, and Tim Beckham were the first six batters Tuesday night. Not exactly Murderers’ Row.

They were followed by Rene Rivera as the DH and Brett. It was an inauspicious debut for Brett, who got picked off first base by Miley in the third, and suffered a dislocated shoulder on his slide back to the bag and had to leave the game. Catcher Bobby Wilson was in the nine-hole.
We understand the financial constraints in Tampa, but can you spend a few more sheckles to put out a major league lineup?

No wonder only 14,307 came to Tropicana Field. What are you watching? Archer is good and entertaining but there wasn’t much pushback from their lineup.

Medical Matters

  • For an injury update on Drew Smyly, head to a recent thread we started Tuesday.
  • James Loney is set to return from an oblique strain this weekend. Loney will need a game or two in the minors to get back his timing. He took full practice (batting, fielding) Tuesday.
  • The Rays placed INF Ryan Brett on the 15-day DL (left shoulder subluxation) and selected INF Jake Elmore from the Durham Bulls. To make room for Elmore on the 40-man roster, the team transferred LHP Jeff Beliveau to the 60-day DL. Beliveau will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn left labrum.
  • Alex Colome made an inefficient third rehab start on Tuesday, throwing 77 pitches without completing four innings for Triple-A Durham. And while he allowed just one run on four hits, Colome walked three. A positive, he fanned six.
  • Alex Cobb is slated to play catch Wednesday for the second consecutive day with hopes of getting on the mound by the end of the week.

Rays 4/21/15 Starting Lineup, Etc

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Rays 4/21/15 Starting Lineup

Guyer LF
Souza RF
Forsythe 1B
Longoria 3B
Jennings CF
Beckham SS
Rivera DH
Brett 2B
Wilson C
Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

  • Asdrubal Cabrera isn’t in the lineup for the Rays tonight. Instead Tim Beckham will hold down the left side, hitting sixth. Rene Rivera will DH against the left handed Wade Miley.
  • James Loney took swings with the Rays at Tropicana Field. It is unlikely (not impossible) that he’ll play in a rehab game tonight for the Stone Crabs in Bradenton. Loney expects to play one minor league game then rejoin the team this weekend.
  • Jake McGee was also seen at the Trop so he too will not be starting his rehab assignment just yet for. McGee said he was clocking at 94-98 in an extended game and he was left stiff. The reliever wanted to be cautious rather than start his assignment and maybe stop. Manager Kevin Cash Cash told Marc Topkin that McGee’s stiffness was mostly in his back and the delay shouldn’t be more than a few days.
  • Per Roger Mooney, the Rays pre-game notes say Alex Cobb is set to play catch today and tomorrow. The hope is for him to throw a bullpen session at the end of the week.
  • LHP Jeff Beliveau told the media his initial exam showed impingement in his shoulder, and he’s waiting to see Dr. Eaton for a further reading of the MRI. Admitting it’s an uneasy feeling, Topkin asked if it could be something serious: “I don’t know,” Beliveau said. “I’ve had better days.”
  • Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz was suspended for one game for bumping and umpire. However, he will appeal the suspension so he can play tonight.
  • Haven’t read our series preview? You can rectify that now!

Rays Roster Moves: Drew Smyly to Return Friday?

 
4/22/15, 3:45 PM Update: Per a tweet from Marc Topkin, Drew Smyly will start Friday for the Rays.

4/22/15, 8:30 AM Update: LHP Drew Smyly is set to come off the disabled list and start in the series opener against the Blue Jays.

While the Rays initially held off on making Smyly’s return official, Smyly — who has been sidelined since early March with shoulder tendinitis — said he was “definitely” ready to rejoin the Rays: “Without a doubt.” Matt Andriese was to pitch Friday, so the Rays could do one of three things:

  1. keep him available in case Smyly gets knocked out early.
  2. Bump his start to Saturday (which might be the most likely scenario).
  3. Send him down to Triple-A Durham to make room on the roster.

According to the soothsayers at ESPN, Drew Smyly is getting the start in Friday’s series opener against Toronto. While it’s a good assumption, seeing as Smyly would get the start on normal/five days rest, what ESPN lacks is the foreknowledge of whether he’ll be reactivated from the disabled list.

While there is a possibility that Smyly could start for the Rays on Friday, per Marc Topkin, that will be predicated on his need for a fourth rehab start.

 

Smyly has been on the DL with left shoulder tendinitis since the beginning of March. Drew made his third rehab start Sunday afternoon with the Montgomery Biscuits. Smyly pitched two outs into the fourth inning and allowed one hit and three walks while fanning four on 68 pitches (40 strikes, 59% K/BB). Averaging 90.1 mph with his fastball in 2014, Smyly topped out at 92 mph on the stadium radar.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Red Sox — A Series Preview of Sorts

Ryan Brett served up a double for his first career major league hit. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)
Ryan Brett served up a double for his first career major league hit. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)

Back at it Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays will start a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox following a crushing series sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees. At 1-6 at Tropicana Field, one can’t help but think the Rays are off to a slow start at home, and they’ll look to begin turning things around, starting Tuesday. Despite that lackadaisical start, Tampa Bay has won eight of the last 11 meetings against the Red Sox at home, going 7-3 at the Trop last season.

The Boston Red Sox are trying to bounce back from a dismal 2014, and with their offseason moves many expect this team to slug their way to the American League East crown. While they are capable of scoring a lot of runs, Boston’s 8-5 record is a tad deceiving — both teams are fairly close to one another offensively speaking, while the Red Sox have scored only 12 more runs than Tampa Bay (an average of just under one more run per game).

Wade Miley vs. Chris Archer (Tuesday): Washington royally handed it to Miley in his last game, tagging the lefty for seven runs in 2-1/3 innings of work. The lefty struggled with fastball location and had a poor feel for his slider. Archer picked up his second win of the season in a dominant outing against Toronto on Thursday. He is 11-9 with a 3.61 ERA in 30 career starts at Tropicana Field, though he is 1-4 with a 6.03 ERA in seven career starts versus Boston.

Joe Kelly vs. Nathan Karns (Wednesday): Kelly has been impressive in his first two outings, notching a quality start against the Yankees before tossing 5-2/3 innings of two-run ball against Baltimore on Friday night. Karns held opponents to two runs in each of his past two starts. Despite control issues, resulting in 10 walks, Karns fanned 17 batters in 17-2/3 innings. This will be his first start against Boston.

Clay Buchholz vs. Jake Odorizzi: Buchholz allowed 11 hits in his Saturday start against the Orioles, yet worked around the traffic to allow only two earned runs allowed in six innings. It was his second quality start — by strict definition only — in three games. Odorizzi is 3-for-3 in quality starts to begin the season, with each start coming against an AL East opponent. His 0.68 WHIP ranks second in the AL, behind teammate Chris Archer. Odorizzi is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in five career starts against Boston.

Rays and Red Sox series starters.
Rays and Red Sox series starters.
Rays and Red Sox offensive numbers.
Rays and Red Sox offensive numbers.
Rays and Red Sox, by the numbers.
Rays and Red Sox, by the numbers.

Key Match-ups

Wade Miley: The 28 year-old Miley has allowed one run in 13-1/3 innings against Tampa Bay — all in 2013. Nevertheless the LHP walked five in 7-2/3 innings after issuing 75 free passes in 201-1/3 innings of work a year ago. Miley was essentially a two-pitch pitcher in 2014, throwing fastballs 61.2% of the time to set up his slider (thrown 25.8% of the time) — a potent mixture which coaxed a good number of whiffs on pitches outside of zone. Knowing that he tends to walk a lot of batters, the Rays can be successful against Miley if they can be patient and not chase pitches off the plate. Key match-ups: Logan Forsythe (3-8, HR, 3 RBI), Rene Rivera (3-6, 2B, 2 RBI).

Joe Kelly: Kelly’s repertoire features a power sinker (occasionally hitting 98), curve-ball, slider and change up. Kelly likes to get quick outs and put guys away with his whiffy off-speed stuff:

K3

K4

Key match-ups: Asdrubal Cabrera (1-3), David DeJesus (3-9, RBI, BB). 

Clay Buchholz: You know him, you love the sheer amount of Alberto VO5 he puts in his hair, and you get to watch him in all of his intrinsic slowness in the series finale. Ladies and gentlemen, Clay Buchholz. Buchholz has been a chronic thorn in the side of the Rays, having gone 4-4 with a 2.91 since 2012. By now you know what to expect out of the fastball/cutter/curve-ball/change-up throwing pitcher that sets batters up on the right side of the plate, then catches swatting at a breaking pitches on the other side. Key match-ups: Asdrubal Cabrera (4-9, 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB), David DeJesus (6-15, 2B, RBI, 3 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (1-4).

Noteworthiness

  • Archer had the best WHIP in the majors (0.66) through Sunday’s games, shutting out his last two opponents with seven-inning gems, including an 11-strikeout effort against Toronto on Thursday. Despite that, Archer enters the series opener with a 1-4 record and a 6.03 ERA in seven career starts against Boston.

It’s hard to say, man, Archer told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times). I’ve had a couple outings where I do well and a couple outings where I just don’t execute pitches. They have multiple guys in their lineup who can hurt you, just like every other team in the American League East.

  • Steven Souza Jr. can become the fourth rookie in club history with more than 10 RBI in April — he currently sits at 10. Souza sits in good company, with Rocco Baldelli (2003), Delmon Young (2007) and Bobby Smith (1998).
  • In the last seven games, Tampa Bay is batting .132 (7-for-53) with RISP. In 3-game sweep against the Yankees, they were 1-17, including 0-for-their-last 15.
  • David Ortiz is 6-15 with a homer and eight RBI lifetime against Archer, whose ERA is 6.03 in seven outings versus Boston.
  • Alex Colome was pretty inefficient in his first rehab start with the Triple-A Durham Bulls on Tuesday. Colome gave up one run on four hits and three walks in 3-1/3 IP, needing 77 pitches (47 strikes, 61% K/BB) throughout.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Injury Notes, Etc

Matt Andriese hands the ball to manager Kevin Cash as he is taken out of the game Sunday. (AP Photo/O'Meara)
Matt Andriese hands the ball to manager Kevin Cash as he is taken out of the game Sunday. (AP Photo/O’Meara)

It’s been an interesting week for the Tampa Bay Rays… An interesting week to say the least. The team started things off positively by stringing together back-to-back series victories against the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays. Rays skipper Kevin Cash earned his first series win — and road series win — not to mention his first managerial ejection from Thursday’s series finale against Toronto. Evan Longoria was drilled by Marco Estrada in that game something that may reverberate next weekend when the Blue Jays enter the Trop for the first time this season. Estrada was Evan’s former teammate (and friend) from his Dirtbag days at Long Beach State, and thankfully Longo didn’t become the eleventh Ray on the DL.

The Evil Empire entered the Big Top to start a nine game home stand on Friday and deflated some the air from the Rays’ proverbial balloon. New York came from behind to defeat Tampa Bay in the series opener, and followed with an ugly 9-0 shellacking in the second game of the set — of which the Rays followed by designating Grant Balfour for assignment, potentially sounding the death knell on his 14 year career. Although Steven Souza Jr. gave Tampa Bay some needed power by going 3-for-5 with a two-run homer to left (his third home run of the season) in the series finale Sunday, the Rays fell by a score of 5-3, giving the Yankees their first sweep at Tropicana Field in a decade (September 13-15 2005).

The Boston Red Sox will enter the Thunder Dome (pardon the pun) on Tuesday, following the off-day. Since it’s 420, and since you’ll probably spend the day watching Up in Smoke or Pineapple Express, perhaps you could spend a little of that leisure time on a few noteworthy, Rays-centric items.

Noteworthiness

— Drew Smyly made his third rehab start Sunday afternoon with the Montgomery Biscuits. Smyly pitched two outs into the fourth inning and allowed one hit and three walks while fanning four on 68 pitches (40 strikes, 59% K/BB). Averaging 90.1 mph with his fastball in 2014, Smyly topped out at 92 mph on the stadium radar. He will be evaluated once again on Monday, and the decision whether to give him one last rehab start with the Biscuits, or plug him into the rotation on Saturday May 25 is expected at some point shortly thereafter.

— James Loney remains on track to rejoin the Rays later this week. Though he’s eligible to return Wednesday, Loney told the Tampa Bay Times he’ll likely play a rehab game or two with Class-A Charlotte in Bradenton to get up to game speed:

It’s been hard, just sitting there and watching games. It goes by. It’s just one of those things.

— Jake McGee is set to start his rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham. He is slated to pitch in three rehab games before returning to the fold around May 1.

— It was the opinion of Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) that the team “could just erase” Erasmo Ramirez from the Roster, in due course eating the remainder of his $523K contract. While he was effective out of the bullpen Sunday afternoon, needing just seven pitches to put the Yankees down in order, one can’t help but wonder if the Rays’ willingness to designate Grant Balfour for assignment should be viewed as shots fired; a not so tacit signal that Matt Silverman isn’t afraid to unload those who may be viewed as dead weight on the 40-man roster.

— Ryan Brett collected his first big league hit in the ninth inning of the series finale Sunday, a double off the wall in left. Brett told Matt Baker (Tampa Bay Times) he thought he might pass out from the adrenaline rush after hitting the double off Andrew Miller.

— Never forget:

— In honor of 420, I present you this:

[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vUhSYLRw14″]