Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Lose 4-2, Drop Crucial Series to the Yankees

Ben Zobrist takes a pitch while at bat during the third inning against the New York Yankees. (Photo courtesy of Scott Iskowitz/Getty Images)
Ben Zobrist takes a pitch while at bat during the third inning against the New York Yankees. (Photo courtesy of Scott Iskowitz/Getty Images)

There isn’t much to say about Sunday’s 4-2 loss at The Trop. The Tampa Bay Rays followed that familiar (and somewhat sickening) pattern we’ve become all too accustomed to: Score one or two runs early, give up the lead, get close enough to taste victory — but not close enough to actually win, then give up one or two runs late in the game when the Rays have all but a snowball’s chance in hell to win against the back-end of the opposing teams bullpen. It happened twice in this series, and countless times in the last 122 games. (Editor’s note: countless is an exaggeration. I’m sure those times could be quantified)


Source: FanGraphs

If winning series is the name of the game, the Rays failed miserably. They allowed the Yankees to take two-of-three when they could have swept the Evil Empire — their first home series loss to the Yankees since June 2013. Let me put it this way: The Rays NEEDED to win the series, period. Regardless how inconsistent the Detroit Tigers have been of late, I really don’t see Tampa Bay’s offense pairing well against Detroit’s pitching staff in the upcoming series.

…And so it goes.

Noteworthiness

So this happened:

(Screenshot, courtesy of the YES Network)
(Screenshot courtesy of the YES Network)

With the above screen shot in mind, if I learned anything from my time at Wrigley, it’s that you don’t walk into the visitors’ stadium and act like a jerk-off who is owed some debt of gratitude. Cheer on your team and chat with your neighbors — sure, why not?! However, you’d better expect to be put in your place if you step out of line and act like a blowhard. If we conducted ourselves in that blustering, swaggering manner in the Bronx, Boston, or anywhere else, we’d be laughed out of the stadium.

Moreover, on Saturday, when Jake McGee came in high and tight on Jeter, the number of guffaws and groans from the schmucks around me was practically inconceivable. I say practically, because I fully anticipated a marked level of numb-skullery from the Yankees faithful. I literally heard, “You don’t do that,” and “you’re not supposed to try and hurt the batter,” from the couple behind me. Would they applaud Dellin Betances if he did the same to Matt Joyce or Evan Longoria? I dare to speculate, yes. And that’s okay, it’s all part of the game. Additionally, the last time I checked, knocking a player off the plate is an accepted action in baseball — regardless if it’s coming at the expense of Jeter. The reaction above only bolsters the stereotype of the prototypical jerk-off Yankees (Phillies, Red Sox, Dodgers could also be inserted) fan.

In the end, I agree with Maddon. At least someone had the gumption to publicly chide them for their obnoxious showing at The Trop.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Fall to New York, 3-2

Drew Smyly pitches during the first inning against the New York Yankee. (Photo courtesy of Scott Iskowitz/Getty Images)
Drew Smyly pitches during the first inning against the New York Yankee. (Photo courtesy of Scott Iskowitz/Getty Images)

The New York Yankees put the Tampa Bay Rays’ meager three-game winning streak to rest, behind a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon. Drew Smyly and Shane Greene went toe-to-toe, and while Greene racked up 10 strikeouts, Smyly was able to hold the Yankees to only four hits. The Rays, once again, are one game under .500, though they can turn the tide this afternoon.

For Smyly, the difference makers came in the second inning. The Rays lefty walked Chase Headly, and Martin Prado followed with an 0-2 homer on a good elevated fastball above the zone that, apparently, was not elevated enough (see below).

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Despite lacking swing and miss stuff — forcing eight whiffs on 106 total pitches (69 strikes) — Smyly was able to coax his fair share of weak ground ball (six) and fly ball (10) outs. It makes you wonder if pitching to contact was in the game plan all along, or did Smyly make an adjustment somewhere along the way when he wasn’t consistently ringing up batters as he had in his previous two starts? Whatever the case, his non-decision had more to do with a lack of run support than a poor showing on the mound.

Speaking of a lack of run support/production, the Rays found themselves in multiple scoring opportunities throughout the course of the game, yet they went 1-9 wRISP and stranded seven men on the bags. The big boppers in the lineup certainly didn’t help the cause — Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, and Matt Joyce combined to go 0-5 with runners in scoring position, while Longo struck out twice. Simply put, Greene exploited the fact that the Rays hitters couldn’t lay off pitches in the dirt. Of Greene’s 10 strikeouts, eight were of the swing-and-miss variety — the 25 year-old righty was able to force 18 whiffs overall against the Rays swing happy hitters. And while Greene found himself in RISP jams in four of his six innings, he was able to make the all important big pitch to come out almost unscathed, save for the two runs Tampa Bay tagged him with in the fifth and sixth innings.

I’m not even going to go into entertain the notion that the loss should somehow rest solely on the shoulders of Jake McGee. Sure, he struggled in the 32 pitch/three hit/one run ninth inning. Yet, there were too many moving parts (a throwing error, a grounder that just snuck out of the range of the dive of Logan Forsythe) in that inning alone, to pin the proprietary ownership of the loss on McGee. Instead, I offer you this hypothetical: Had the Rays pounced on a few of those scoring opportunities, I’d be recapping a 4-3 win, not a 3-2 loss.

The New What Next

Meatloaf said it best, “Two out of three ain’t bad.” While I’m no fan of The Loaf, I am a fan of the concept he espoused — winning two out of three. Tampa Bay has an excellent opportunity to walk away its third consecutive series win against Hiroki Kuroda this afternoon, in the rubber match of the series. The Rays have had a lot of success against Kuroda the last few years. They’ve tagged Kuroda for a 2-4 record and a 6.06 ERA since 2010. To be fair, the 39 year-old righty was able to hold Tampa Bay to just two runs in July, however, the Rays won both of Kuroda’s starts this season. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.

Rays 8/17/14 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Zobrist 2B
Joyce LF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Escobar SS
Belnome DH
Molina C
Kiermaier RF
Hellickson RHP

Noteworthiness

  • Per Marc Topkin, the Rays talked to Chris Gimenez last week, but offered only a slot at Triple-A and no promise of a September call-up (unless there was an injury), so he stayed with the Rangers’ Triple-A team, though with an out clause.
  • Countdown 5-4-3-2-1 — just five more days left until our next watch party. See y’all at Green Bench, and spread the word!

newwatchpartysmall

 

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: .500

The Trop was rockin' Friday night (Photo courtesy of X-Rays Spex)
The Trop was rockin’ Friday night (Photo courtesy of X-Rays Spex)

They didn’t win the World Series or clinch a playoff berth Friday night, but there was reason to celebrate — the Tampa Bay Rays became only the fourth team of the modern era to team to get back to .500 from 18 games below (joining the 1899 Louisville team, the 2004 Rays, and the 2006 Marlins). They did so by putting together their 15th shutout of the season, tagging the New York Yankees with a 5-0 loss in the series opener.

Culminating in a 7.1 IP/6 H/1 BB/8 K/116 pitches (71 strikes) line from the newly minted ace Alex Cobb, the game felt good from the get-go. Cobb started strong by putting down the first three batters in order, striking out Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter along the way. Cobb didn’t allow a walk until the eighth inning, and even that was a borderline fastball (see below).

(Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Pitch numero cinco (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball).

Despite yielding six hits on the night, Cobb only allowed one base runner to get into scoring position until the eighth inning, when he hit the pitch number 111 plateau. By that point — one out into the eighth — it was time for Brad Boxberger to mow the Yankees down.

Boxberger came into the game in a tense situation, and quickly got ahead of Derek Jeter on a pair of well located fastballs. But he missed his location on the next pitch, and Jeter popped it into right field, in front of Kevin Kiermaier. Not wanting to test the arm of the Outlaw, the runners stayed to load the bases with one out.

With the bases juiced, Jacoby Ellsbury had the opportunity to (at least) put the Yankees on the board, but Boxy wouldn’t have any of it. Boxberger sequenced Ellsbury perfectly — putting him behind in the count on a pair of pitches (change, cutter) looking, then inducing a whiff on a 95 MPH fastball. Mark Teixeira was next. The Rays’ reliable righty dropped a 2-2 center-center cutter, and Texiera was fooled badly. Boxberger escaped the bases loaded jam, and the Rays faithful erupted.

Offensively, Tampa Bay got things started early with a Desmond Jennings leadoff single and following with stolen base. Ben Zobrist moved him to third on a liner to right, while Brandon McCarthy gave Matt Joyce a free pass to load the bases with no outs. Though both Evan Longoria and James Loney hit into force outs at second base, each brought in a runner to put the Rays up 2-0.

The Rays were quiet for the next five innings until they broke things open in the seventh. Logan Forsythe reached on an error by Chase Headly, and moved into scoring position on a sac-bunt by Yunel Escobar. Curt Casali was next, plating Forsythe from second on a slow rolling, opposite field single to right.

Kiermaier and Jennings ended McCarthy’s night on a pair of bloop singles (to left and right respectively) which loaded the bases with one out. Esmil Rogers came on in relief and quickly coaxed a grounder out of Zobrist. And though the Yankees could have turned a double play, Teixeira couldn’t field the ball cleanly, and opted for the lone out at first — scoring a runner in the process, and giving Tampa Bay a 4-0 lead.

James Loney crushed a no-doubter to right on a center-center Rogers’ fastball in the eighth, giving Tampa Bay their fifth run of the night.

Joel Peralta came out for the 53rd time in the ninth, and put the Yankees down in order on a Carlos Beltran liner to right, a Chase Headly foul tip strikeout, and a Stephen Drew caught looking strikeout.

The New What Next

If I may, it felt like October at the Trop last night. The crowd of 26,000 plus was loud and raucous, and every time the New York fans got one of their silly chants started, they were drowned out by the homers in attendance. Expect more of the same tonight, when Drew Smyly takes the mound in his home debut, opposite of Shane Greene. The Rays have never faced the Yankees 25 year-old RHP who’s coming off an impressive 8.0 IP/5 H/0 R start against the Tigers. Greene features a two-seam fastball that sits at 94-95 MPH with run and sink, a low eighties slider with nasty movement (per Baseball Prospectus, it has the fourth-best movement among all sliders this season), a change-up, and a high eighties cutter which he throws most often to left handed batters when he’s ahead in the count. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview, and I’ll post the starting lineup when it becomes available.

Rays 8/16/14 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

  • Breaking even never felt so good!
  • The Rays optioned Brandon Gomes back to Triple-A Durham following the game. They corresponded by recalling INF Vince Belnome. Belnome arrived at the Trop about 11 hours after getting home in Durham, after a long game there.
  • Brad Boxberger has retired all nine batters he’s faced this season with the bases loaded — six strikeouts, one double play.
  • The Rays/Tigers matchups have been announced: Tuesday, Archer vs Scherzer; Wednesday, Odorizzi vs. Porcello; Thursday, Cobb vs. Price.

Rays 8/15/14 Starting Lineup, Etc

Evan Longoria hit a two run home run in the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers last night. (Photo courtesy of Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
Evan Longoria hit a two run home run in the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers last night. (Photo courtesy of Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)

Rays 8/15/14 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

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

Jake Odorizzi throws in the first inning against the Texas Rangers Thursday night. (Photo courtesy of Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
Jake Odorizzi throws in the first inning against the Texas Rangers Thursday night. (Photo courtesy of Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)

I can distinctly recall the mantra of the 2011 season being “Impossible? No. Improbable? Yes.” The Tampa Bay Rays put themselves into a hole that no other team, historically, had been able to dig themselves out of — yet they did. Then last season, with their playoff hopes quickly slipping away, they put together a season ending run which found the Rays in the postseason for the fourth time in six years. This year is different, and I’d imagine that the lyrics, “All I know is that I don’t know, all I know is that I don’t know nothing,” would be an apt maxim for the remainder of the season.

Whatever the case, Tampa Bay is set to embark on a gauntlet of sorts, one which finds them butting heads with four plus .500 teams over the next 32 days — all of whom the Rays need to fare well against if they have any hope of making it to the postseason. All bets are off as to whether the fruits of their labor will payoff. However, one thing is certain: The Rays won’t go anywhere if they don’t continue playing well as they have since the beginning of June. On second thought, No Choice may have crafted a better mantra, “Try and you just might. Don’t and you certainly won’t.”

Enter the Yankees.

Losers of eight of their last 15 — including four consecutive losses — the Yankees continue to sputter their way through the 2014 season. Truth be told, I’m surprised they’ve been able to stave off irrelevancy as long as they have, especially when you consider four of their five starters are on the DL, and their juggernaut-like offense has been anything but.

Maybe it’s their constant roster shuffling? The Evil Empire has made a series of recent additions — Chase Headley, Martin Prado, Stephen Drew and Pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Rich Hill — while dumping Brian Roberts and Kelly Johnson along the way. New York has used 52 players (second most in franchise history), with eight making their big-league debuts. Of a team-record 31 pitchers, 19 have at least one win.

The Rays — winners of seven of 10 between the two AL East rivals — have fared well against the Yankees this season. It should also be noted that Tampa Bay is 20-11 (against the Yankees) at home since 2011.

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

Brandon McCarthy: The former Diamondback has been good since joining the Yankees in July, posting a 2.21 ERA in six starts. Additionally, he’s been very good against the Rays over the last few years, going 3-0 in his last three starts while yielding a paltry three runs in 23 innings of work. The 31 year-old ground-baller tends to pound the lower regions of the zone, yet he has been touched up for 18 homers this season, and his HR/FB% is significantly higher than in previous years. So… Key matchups: Yunel Escobar (2-4), Jose Molina (3-10, 2B), Sean Rodriguez (2-8). 

Shane Greene: The Rays have never faced the Yankees 25 year-old RHP who’s coming off an impressive 8.0 IP/5 H/0 R start against the Tigers. Greene features a two-seam fastball that sits at 94-95 MPH with run and sink, a low eighties slider with nasty movement (per Baseball Prospectus, it has the fourth-best movement among all sliders this season), a change-up, and a high eighties cutter which he throws most often to left handed batters when he’s ahead in the count.

 Hiroki Kuroda: …And then there’s Kuroda, who the Rays have had a lot of success over the last few years. They’ve tagged Kuroda for a 2-4 record and a 6.06 ERA since 2010. To be fair, the 39 year-old righty was able to hold Tampa Bay to just two runs in July, however, the Rays won both of Kuroda’s starts this season. Key matchups: Logan Forsythe (3-8, RBI, 2 BB), Desmond Jennings (5-15, 2B, RBI, BB), Matt Joyce (7-20, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Evan Longoria (9-21, 2B, HR, 5 RBI), Ben Zobrist (5-18, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB).

Noteworthiness

  • The Yankees have totaled seven runs while batting .164 with 34 strikeouts during their four-game slide.
  • The Rays have set an AL record by allowing three runs or less in 18 straight road games.
  • Alex Cobb (7-6, 3.41 ERA) is 5-0 with a 2.57 ERA in eight starts since losing to Pittsburgh on June 23. He’s 4-0 with a 1.49 ERA in his last five starts against the Yankees. Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury are a combined 6 for 32 against Cobb.