The New What Next: Rays Head to Baltimore For A Four Game Series with the O’s

Ben Zobrist is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run in the first inning during Sunday's series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo courtesy of Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Ben Zobrist is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run in the first inning during Sunday’s series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo courtesy of Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Rays are back at it Monday night, when they start a four game series against the Orioles in Baltimore. While the Rays are coming off a series win against the Blue Jays, the Orioles faced a power outage of sorts on the north side of Chicago, where the Cubs held them a total of four runs over the course of a three-game sweep — their first road sweep of the year. The Rays will try to flush out the odd procedural inconsistencies that plagued the previous series, while the Orioles attempt to get back on the winning side of the ledger.

The Orioles had been on a roll since the All-Star break until the above mentioned sweep, winning 21 of their first 32 while expanding their AL East lead from four games to nine. Baltimore leads the majors in home runs, though the key has been pitching. While the starting rotation ranks near the middle of the American League, the bullpen is ranked among the best. That is, if the Rays maintain any hope of walking away with a series win, the offense is going to have to hit the starters hard while pitching staff is going to have to hold the wolves at bay.

Rays and Orioles series starters (over the last 30 days).
Rays and Orioles series starters (over the last 30 days).
Rays and Orioles offensive production (at home, away, and over the last 30 days).
Rays and Orioles offensive production (at home, away, and over the last 30 days).
Rays and Orioles (by the numbers).
Rays and Orioles (by the numbers).

Chris Tillman: Tillman (10-5, 3.55 ERA) may be 3-6 with a 4.46 ERA lifetime against the Rays, but he performed well against Tampa Bay in his previous two starts; going 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings of work. Key matchups: Matt Joyce (7-27, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (1-4), Evan Longoria (13-33, 2 2B, 5 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB).

Wei-Yin Chen: The Rays have had a fair amount of success against Wei-Yin Chen (13-4, 3.76) this season. In his first start against the Rays, Chen held Longoria and company to one run on five hits. Yet the Rays beat Chen and the Orioles twice since, both times by a 5-4 margin. In the case of his most recent start against Tampa Bay, Chen gave up five runs on seven hits, including three homers. One thing is certain, with a 12% HR/FB the fly ball pitcher does give up his fair share of homers. Key matchups: Logan Forsythe (3-8, HR, 2 RBI), Brandon Guyer (1-4), Matt Joyce (1-4, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-5, HR, 2 RBI), James Loney (3-8, 2 2B), Jose Molina (2-5, 2B, RBI, BB), Ben Zobrist (11-30, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB).

Kevin Gausman: The Rays beat up on Gausman (7-5, 3.81 ERA) back in June, tagging the RHP for five runs in five innings of work. Gausman’s performed well since, giving up three runs or fewer in eight of his last nine outings. He’s thrown for five innings or fewer in seven of his 14 starts, while opposing teams (Rays included) have walked away with wins in five of those games. Key matchups: Yunel Escobar (4-5, RBI), Brandon Guyer (2-2, 2 2B, RBI), Matt Joyce (2-7, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-6), Evan Longoria (2-8, 2B, RBI, 2 BB), Jose Molina (1-2, RBI), Ben Zobrist (5-9, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB).

Bud Norris: Norris (11-8, 3.91 ERA) was very good against Tampa Bay last season, posting a 1-1 record in 9-1/3 innings of work. His most impressive start came as an Astro, putting together a 7 IP/6 H/1 R outing against Roberto Hernadez. Norris’ change-up has vastly improved over previous seasons. It’s coaxed a modest number of whiffs (10.3%), and a hefty number of grounders (65.7%). His change-up pairs well with a plus slider. Key matchups: Desmond Jennings (2-8, 2B, BB), Matt Joyce (3-7, 2 BB), James Loney (9-18, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB), Jose Molina (1-3).

Noteworthiness

  • Evan Longoria has knocked in 12 runs in his last 10 contests, including a pair in Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Toronto. He is is 13-for-30 with five homers against Monday’s starter Chris Tillman.
  • With the series win Sunday, the Rays have gone 9-1 in their last 10 road series.
  • Tampa Bay leads the AL with 17 shutouts and need one more to snap a tie for the club record with the 2013 team.
  • While Adam Jones and JJ Hardy have been fairly consistent, Nelson Cruz has three hits — all homers — in his last 28 at-bats, Chris Davis’ average has dipped below the Mendoza line at .189, and leadoff hitter Nick Markakis is 0-for-20 the last five games.
  • Steve Pearce is 11-for-30 with three homers and seven RBI against the Rays this season.

 

Rays Roster Moves: Oakland Athletics Claim Yunel Escobar On Revocable Waivers

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The Athletics have claimed shortstop Yunel Escobar from the Rays on revocable waivers*, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets.

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That means the two teams will have until Tuesday afternoon to agree upon a trade — if they’re going to make one. Tampa Bay could also send Escobar — and his entire salary — to the Athletics in exchange for no compensation. The news provides intriguing possibilities for the Rays if they choose to do business with Oakland.

As was written elsewhere,

Oakland recently lost starting shortstop Jed Lowrie to a fractured finger, and are apparently interested in Escobar as a solution at shortstop for the stretch run. Escobar is hitting .249/.313/.316 in 111 games for the Rays this season, and the Rays would likely be willing to move him due to their recent addition of Nick Franklin, who they received from the Mariners in the David Price trade.

Escobar signed a contract extension in early April that will pay him a guaranteed $13 million over the next two seasons, which seems like a fair price for a 31-year old who is a consistently good defender at the major league level. The A’s would not have claimed him if they were unwilling to pay that salary, and could keep him for the next two seasons once Lowrie leaves as a free agent after the season.

The question begs, what happens if the Rays do send Escobar to the A’s — what now? There are a few options worth delving into.

In the short term, this could give Zobrist an opportunity to spend some time at short. While Escobar sat on the DL this season, Maddon went with a Zobrist/Logan Forsythe middle infield to great effect — Tampa Bay excelled both offensively and defensively. Forsythe’s production increased with the consistent plate appearances. It would also clear up space for the recently acquired Nick Franklin. Moreover, a move of Zobrist back to the infield allows room for Wil Myers and David DeJesus to work back into the picture this season.

Looking ahead to next season, moving Escobar to the Athletics opens the possibility of a platoon type of situation between Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, Nick Franklin, and Logan Forsythe. Per Fangraphs, Franklin logged 68-2/3 errorless innings with the Mariners between 2013 and 2014. Since he has better production numbers against right handed pitching, his bat would pair well with Logan Forsythe. Daniel Russell of DRaysBay made an excellent point to that end,

Against right handed hitters, Zobrist and Franklin could share second and short respectively, then against southpaws, Forsythe could play his natural second and Zobrist could spot at short.

Though Zobrist has done well at short, he probably wouldn’t be the best long-term solution. After all, if the Rays were to pick up his option for the 2015 season — and I’d imagine this move could be a tacit message that they will pick up Zobrist’s 2015 option — his final year under contact will be next season. Additionally, he’ll be 34 years old next year. While there hasn’t been any evidence to suggest that his range may be dwindling, short stop is a very demanding position and the Rays may opt for a younger fielder to plunk in on the left side. Could this be an opportunity for Tim Beckham or Hak-Ju Lee? Might Cole Figueroa be the heir apparent? Whatever the case, the Rays have a plethora of adequate in house options. Escobar has shown what many have called his true colors this season, and I’d have to say a move of this caliber would not be damning for the Rays this season, next season, or in 2015.

Another intriguing question, who would the Rays seek in return or would they just be satisfied to have someone pay the remaining balance of Yuni’s contract? Might they make a play for Stephen Vogt? They have been looking for catching depth, and Vogt’s bat has finally come to life. There is only one certain at the moment, we’ll know more by Tuesday at 1:00 PM

*Confused as to how revocable waivers work? Here’s a primer.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Here, Under Protest

Evan Longoria heads back to the dugout after taking a called third strike against the Toronto Blue Jays during eighth-inning. (Photo courtesy of AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Thornhill)
Evan Longoria heads back to the dugout after taking a called third strike against the Toronto Blue Jays during eighth-inning. (Photo courtesy of AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Thornhill)

There’s a certain irony when you compare Saturday’s game against Mark Buehrle and the Toronto Blue Jays, with Buehrle’s last start against Tampa Bay on July 11. In both contests, the Rays were able to tag Buehrle for a crooked number of runs. In both contests, the Rays knocked Buehrle out of the game early. And in both contests, a reliever relinquished the go-ahead runs to give the Rays an unfortunate loss.

Tampa Bay got on the board first in the third inning after collecting four hits, yet they managed only one run. Yunel Escobar led off the inning with a single but was quickly eliminated when Jose Molina grounded into a double. Despite quadruple clutching the ball (BA’s words) Munenori Kawasaki was still able to throw the sloth-like Molina out to complete the double play. With two outs and no one on, Sean Rodriguez hit a single through the left side of the infield to give the Rays a baserunner once again. Desmond Jennings followed by hitting a base hit to left-center which allowed Rodriguez to move to third. Somewhat surprising, Ben Zobrist then laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line to plate a run. As the Toronto’s Danny Valencia and Buehrle attempted to field the ball, the dynamic duo collided. The gaffe resulted in the run crossing plate, and an appearance from the Blue Jays’ head trainer. Brandon Guyer followed by reaching on an error committed by Valencia to load the bases. But, as has been kismet for Evan Longoria this season, Number Three grounded out to end the inning, stranding three on the bags

The lead was short lived. With one out in the third inning Valencia walked, then moved to second with two outs on a wild pitch by Hellickson. To be fair, Molina’s inability to move behind the plate had just as much to do with the runner moving into scoring position. Had he tried to block the ball with his largess, the Blue Jays third baseman may never have moved up. Another fielding gaffe came when Jose Reyes hit a hard line drive into left that Guyer dove for, but missed — he appeared to stumble when he made an attempt to field the play, and the ball glanced off his glove. Melky Cabrera then drove Reyes home on a double of his own, giving the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. Hellickson was able to strikeout Bautista to end the inning and limit the damage to two runs.

A rather perplexing play happened in the top of the fourth inning, after Wil Myers singled to third — Valencia struggled to make a strong, accurate throw to first, and the ball bounced in front of Lind, allowing the hustling Myers to reach safely. Yet Myers was picked off first after initially being called safe by first base umpire Bill Welke. Just as Buehrle stepped onto the rubber, John Gibbons came out of the dugout to ask for a challenge on the safe call. The call was reviewed and overturned; Myers was as out. It should be noted, the rules state that a play cannot be reviewed after the pitcher is ready to throw the next pitch. That is, Gibbons never should have been granted the opportunity to challenge the play first place. The Rays decided to play remainder of the game under protest for when the replay was initiated.

Both teams remained silent until the top of the seventh inning when Logan Forsythe hit a leadoff single to left. Myers grounded into a fielder’s choice which deleted Forsythe at first, yet the Blue Jays couldn’t complete the double play which allowed Myers to reach. Escobar walked to push Myers into scoring position and Jose Molina (of all people) drove in Myers with a single up the middle. Sean Rodriguez followed Molina’s RBI single with a double to left, scoring Escobar but not Molina. Buerhle’s day was done.

Aaron Sanchez replaced Buehrle and put down Jennings and Zobrist on a ground out and a strikeout (respectively) to end the inning, but not before the Rays took a 3-2 lead… Though the lead wouldn’t last.

Hellickson came out to start the seventh, and Adam Lind welcomed him with a hard hit fly ball to wall in right. Jumping against the wall, Zobrist robbed Lind of extra bases.

Joe Maddon made the move to bring Brad Boxberger into the game to face Edwin Encarnacion. He welcomed Boxy with a ground rule double to left on the first pitch. Dioner Navarro followed the extra base with a two run blast after an eight pitch at-bat. When Colby Rasmus doubled to center after another lengthy at-bat, Maddon opted to pull Boxberger, in favor of Grant Balfour. The much maligned reliever got two outs without any more damage for seemingly the first time this season.

The Rays mounted a comeback against Casey Janssen to force extra innings, and it all started when Myers drew a leadoff walk. Myers moved second with one out on a pinch hit single by Kevin Kiermaier, and James Loney tied the game with a pinch hit single of his own, to left — plating Myers. But the ever hustling Kiermaier couldn’t put on the brakes when Tom Foley put on the stop sign, and ran past third. KK couldn’t get back to the bag in time, and the throw into third proved costly — wiping out the lead runner in a crucial RISP opportunity with one out. While there was still a runner at second, Desmond Jennings grounded out to short to end the inning.

Joel Peralta pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for the Rays.

The Rays couldn’t take advantage of a leadoff single by Zobrist in the top of the tenth, after Matt Joyce popped out to short, and Evan Longoria flew out to center. Logan Forsythe was able to push Zobrist into scoring position on a walk, though Myers flew out to right to end the inning.

Peralta came out again to pitch in the top of the tenth, and Rasmus laid down a bunt single to lead off the inning. After striking out the next two batters (and after Rasmus stole his way into scoring position), Peralta was pulled in favor of the lefty Jeff Beliveau.

It took Beliveau exactly one pitch to serve up the game winning hit to Jose Reyes — a ground ball to left. Jays win, 5-4.

The New What Next

The Rays will go for a series win tomorrow when Chris Archer takes the mound against Drew Hutchison. Hutchison (8-11, 4.81 ERA) was at his best against the Rays in his first start of the season, back on April first. Since he’s yielded 11 earned runs in 10-1/3 innings of work, for an overall 5.96 ERA against Tampa Bay. Hutchison is coming off a seven inning outing against the White Sox which he was tagged for eight hits and seven runs. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.

Rays 8/24/14 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Zobrist 2B
Joyce LF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Myers DH
Escobar SS
Casali C
Kiermaier RF
Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

  • All streaks are meant to come to an end, and the Rays’ streak of 19 consecutive road games without allowing more than three runs (the second longest such streak of all time, 1908 Cubs) came to pass when Boxberger gave up the two run homer in the seventh.
  • Maddon said he is confident it is a “legitimate protest” and would be surprised if it was upheld. He went on, saying it’s “pretty cut and dried” that with pitcher on rubber and batter in the box, the chance to review a call “is locked.” Crew chief Bob Davidson said it was “extremely close,” but he felt that Gibbons made the protest just as Escobar was in box, so he allowed it. Per Marc Topkin, MLB says it usually is a few business days for a protest to be heard, and is decided by Joe Torre’s department.
  • Saturday is believed to be the fourth protested game in team history. The Rays won the three other games, so the protests were dropped.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Smyly Dominant, Rays Crush Blue Jays 8-0

Drew Smyly works against Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning. (Photo courtesy of AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)
Drew Smyly works against Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning. (Photo courtesy of AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

A day after David Price dazzled the baseball world with an excellent one run, one hit complete game against his former team, it was Drew Smyly’s turn to dazzle. Smyly turned in a sensational performance to call his own, a two hit (both singles), no walk complete game shutout against the Blue Jays — just two starts after setting his own major league career record by finishing seven and two-third innings.

Drew Smyly pitch outcomes chart (courtesy of Brooks Baseball).
Drew Smyly pitch outcomes chart (courtesy of Brooks Baseball).

He wasn’t overpowering — his four strikeouts speak to that. But with an emphasis on pitching to contact, Smyly was able to keep the Blue Jays off-balance by spotting his fastball both at the top and at the bottom of the zone. When he threw his fastball up in the zone, the result — more often than not — was a lazy fly ball.

And while the overall numbers paint Drew as a fly ball pitcher (42.7% FB% vs 36.9% GB%), he is proving to be a fascinating hurler with unique stuff. He was able to force the Blue Jays to pound the ball into the ground on his curve ball and cutter, resulting in easy to play grounders. His uncommon ability to induce both weak poppers of his fastball, and grounders on his cutter or curve — almost at will — makes Smyly a complex threat to opposing hitters.

While Smyly let a few of his pitches get away from him as the game wore on, he never seemed flustered — Joe Maddon called him “unflappable” in his post game presser. Rather Drew, calmly, centered himself and come back with a good pitch. His overall line: 9 IP/2 H/0 BB/4 K/105 pitches (79 strikes, 72% K%).

Incidentally, one of Smyly’s criticisms upon “The Trade” was that he couldn’t consistently pitch deep into games. Yet, despite his first 5-1/3 IP start against the Athletics, Drew has averaged just over seven innings per start and a 1.55 ERA as a Ray. I’m not going to make the bold proclamation, that Smyly is an apt replacement for David Price — that would be an unfair comparison. I will say, however, that there hasn’t been a noticeable drop-off from that spot in the rotation since “The trade.” Moreover, there also hasn’t been a noticeable drop-off in the starting rotation overall. David Price is an asset to whichever team is lucky enough to have him in it’s starting lineup — be that Tampa Bay or Detroit. However, I think it’s time to move past the, “Did Andrew Friedman make a good move?” talking point. (Editor’s note: Do ya hear we Big Dog, or any other sports talk radio host in the area?) The move is paying dividends in the present, and dare I say I’m excited for what comes down the road?

Offensively, the Rays scored one fewer run in nine innings last night, than they had in the previous four games. Evan Longoria, who snapped an eight game hitting streak Thursday, put the Rays on the board in the second inning when he turned on a pitch up and in on his hands — cranking it well over the left-field wall.

Tampa Bay was quiet from then until the fourth when Will Myers led off the inning with a walk, promptly stealing second with a terrible slide. He was able to move to third when a breaking pitch in the dirt bounced of Dionner Navarro’s knee. With a runner at third and two outs, Kevin Kiermaier grounded a ball up the middle to plate the run. While Kiermaier has cooled significantly at the plate over the last few weeks, his hustle remains the same. KK — as he’s wont to do — rounded first and stretched the base hit into a double, in front of Colby Rasmus’s rushed throw from center field.

In the top of the fifth, Matt Joyce crushed a hanging curve over the head of Jose Bautista in right for a double. Marcus Stroman, who’d been victimized twice by Longoria up to this point, pitched very carefully to Longo, walking him on four pitches. James Loney followed by chopping a ball to third in what should have been a double play, but Danny Valencia had trouble getting the ball out of his glove, giving Longo an opportunity to disrupt Scott Tolleson who bounced his throw to first. Edwin Encarnacion couldn’t couldn’t cleanly field the throw, and Joyce rounded third to score.

In the sixth, Curt Casali ripped a screamer down the right-field line, but the carom held him to a single. Kiermaier was next, finding a hole in right side of the infield, and Desmond Jennings plated a run by lining an elevated fastball into center field to put runners on the corners. Marcus Stroman’s night was done.

With Aaron Loup on in relief, Ben Zobrist also found hole on the right side of the infield, scoring Kiermaier from third and moving Jennings to second. Next up, Joyce hit a high chopper up the middle which gave Zobrist enough time to get into second ahead of Tolleson’s throw, loading the bases for Longoria. Loup fell behind with a 2-1 count and tried to get a low and inside fastball past Longo. But Number Three dropped the bat head on it and pulled another line drive (the fifth hard hit of the inning) into the left-field corner — driving in two more runs with a double. Though Tampa Bay loaded the bases once again, Loup was finally able to get out of the jam with a double play off the bat of Yunel Escobar.

Will Myers closed out the scoring with an eighth inning solo shot off reliever Todd Redmond.

The New What Next

Jeremy Hellickson will attempt to give the Rays three consecutive uber quality starts (Editor’s note: The pitching staff overall), and three straight wins, when he butts heads with Mark Buehrle and the Blue Jays. Buehrle (11-8, 3.38 ERA) has struggled since soaring to a 10-1 start with a 2.10 ERA through his first 12 starts. In 13 starts since, he has a 4-7 record with a 4.76 ERA. Still, he has been a menace to the Rays this season, posting a 2-0 record while yielding only five runs in 20-1/3 innings of work. You can read about the pitching matchup inout series preview.

Rays 8/23/14 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Zobrist RF
Guyer LF
Longoria 3B
Forsythe 2B
Myers DH
Escobar SS
Molina C
Rodriguez 1B
Hellickson RHP

Noteworthiness

  • Can’t get enough Drew Smyly? Here’s his post game interview with TK:

  • The first out of the third inning, came when a Blue Jays fan reached over the wall to snag a foul popper before the sliding James Loney could make the catch. The first-base ump called fan interference and the man out.
  • I couldn’t hear the game broadcast at Green Bench during the watch party, but apparently BA and DeWayne riffed on Will Myers shoes. Ian Malinowski (of DRaysBay) wrote about it, noting, “BA on Will Myers shoes: “Looks like he’s getting ready to go to prom . . . either that or he took it from some senior citizen the other day . . . Canadian coffee is outstanding.”‘ BA went on after Myers’ eighth inning solo shot, “I don’t want to say it’s the shoes, but it could be the shoes.”
  • Drew Smyly and Alex Cobb became the first starters in Rays history to win consecutive starts, allowing two or fewer hits in each game (per Elias).

Rays 8/22/14 Starting Lineup, Etc

MLB Rangers Blue Jays 20140718

Rays 8/22/14 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Zobrist 2B
Joyce LF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Myers DH
Escobar SS
Casali C
Kiermaier RF
Smyly LHP

Noteworthiness

  • Don’t forget to check out our series preview. If you already have, make it a two’fer!
  • Ryan Hanigan (left oblique strain) is scheduled to begin his rehab stint tonight with Class-A Charlotte.
  • Yesterday, Brandon Guyer became the first player since Luis Gonzalez (Diamondbacks, 6/25/04) to triple for team’s only hit. The last player to triple for team’s only hit in a win before Guyer was Bobby Young of the Browns (on 4/23/52).
  • We’ll see you all at Green Bench tonight!

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