Rays Relieve Grant Balfour of Closing Duties

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Rays manager Joe Maddon announced on this afternoon’s pre-game show (on WDAE), that Grant Balfour has been relieved of his closing duties. The Rays will opt for a closer by committee type of scenario — at least for the time being. Maddon didn’t specifically mention who may spend the most time in that key position, though he did hint that Jake McGee could see more time in the ninth.

For Balfour, this isn’t the first time he has been relieved of the closer role. He lost his closing duties in Oakland, yet returned to form over the last two years. The A’s traded for the Baltimore closer Jim Johnson, allowing Balfour to depart in free agency. Per DRaysBay, as of this morning, both relievers have allowed 17 earned runs over 23-2/3 IP.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays, Balfour Fall 5-0 in the Ninth

Chris Archer congratulates Matt Joyce after his catch with bases loaded to end the Seattle Mariners' half of the fifth inning. (Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Chris Archer congratulates Matt Joyce after his catch with bases loaded to end the Seattle Mariners’ half of the fifth inning. (Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

A marquee pitching match-up was promised at the Trop Sunday, when Chris Archer took on Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners, and a marquee pitching duel between the two righties is what we got. In the case of the Rays’ starter, Archer was more than happy to have the M’s put the ball in play, responding with eight groundouts and five fly-ball outs. Hernandez, on the other hand, was dominant and efficient, ringing up 15 Rays over the span of his seven inning/100 pitch outing.

And when both the Rays and Mariners were forced to depend on their respective bullpens, there was no indication that the game would end in the manner it had. Yet, one need only to look at the ninth inning play log to see that the same thing that’s plagued the Rays all too often, crept up and bit Tampa Bay once more — Grant Balfour gave up the ghost late in the game. The Rays dropped their second consecutive game to the Mariners, this time by a score of 5-0. Their AL leading eighth shutout of the season, I’m still stunned.

Ninth inning play log. (Courtesy of Fangraphs)
Ninth inning play log. (Courtesy of Fangraphs)

With the game knotted at zero, there was no certainty that the Rays would have eked out a victory in their half of the inning. Maybe someone would have hit a walk off and ended the game right then and there. Or perhaps it could have become an extra inning affair, going into the 10th still tied at zero. However, one thing is certain: had Balfour executed an 0-2 pitch with runners on the corners and two outs, the Rays would have had a better chance of a victory with Evan Longoria, James Loney, and Ben Zobrist expected in the box in the bottom of the inning. Instead, Balfour walked two batters and gave up a pair of costly 0-2 triples which ultimately cost the Rays a five run deficit — an all encompassing chasm to bridge against Seattle’s excellent, high-leverage relievers.

Instead of glorious walk off by Longo, Loney or Zo, the Rays went down in order with a whimper — on a game ending, check-swing strikeout.

Would I, being in Maddon’s shoes, relieve Balfour of his duties as closer? I don’t really know how to answer that. I will say, when comparing apples to apples, Balfour has given up nine runs spread over a ten-outing span (extending back to May 15th), while Jake McGee — who could be considered the de facto closer if Balfour was annexed — has given up only five runs all season. To that end, Balfour is now responsible for blowing four games (saves or otherwise) this season. I will say, if the raison d’État for Joe Maddon in this month, is to come out on the other side of June with 15-wins under their proverbial belt, the Rays really haven’t started off the month with a bang — that is, unless you consider a 1-7 record in June a bang. The Rays start the day with a 24-40 record — a season high 16 games under .500. …And so it goes.

The New What Next

David Price (4-5, 4.03 ERA) will get the start in the series finale against Erasmo Ramirez (1-4, 6.82 ERA). Ramierez has been roughed up in 2014, giving up 25 runs in 33 innings (or just under a run per inning) and is wont to give up the long ball — averaging 2.45 HR/9. Ramirez is a low 90’s fastball/upper 70’s change up throwing pitcher, who last faced the Rays in 2013 when he went 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA. This should be an interesting outing. Despite a combined .316 BA/.350 OBP/.500 SLG/.850 OPS line, only three Rays have posted good individual numbers against Ramirez. It all boils down to this: at an average of just over four innings per start, Tampa Bay will need to hit Ramirez hard, and early, lest they have to face the Mariners’ relievers. Key match ups: Yunel Escobar (3-5, 2B, RBI, BB), James Loney (3-6, RBI), Ben Zobrist (4-7, 2 HR, 3 RBI).

Rays 6/9/14 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Kiermaier RF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Zobrist 2B
DeJesus DH
Joyce LF
Escobar SS
Molina C
Price LHP

Noteworthiness

  • Daniel Russell of DRaysBay writes, “The Tampa Bay Rays have signed four of their first 10 selections in the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft: catcher Mac James (sixth round), right-handed pitcher Mike Franco (seventh round), third baseman Daniel Miles (eighth round) and right-handed pitcher Chris Pike (ninth round).”
  • Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Fall, 7-4

    Oh, the twist of irony. The Rays fell to the Mariners by a 7-4 score, yet the roof of the Trop was lit orange ahead of the post-game concert by Weezer.
    Oh, the twist of irony. The Rays fell to the Mariners by a score of 7-4, yet the roof of the Trop was lit orange ahead of the post-game concert by Weezer.

    A night removed from their big shutout victory, the Tampa Bay Rays fell to the Seattle Mariners by a 7-4 margin. Alex Cobb had a rough go of things; the typically dependable RHP was charged with seven runs on 11 hits in just 4-1/3 innings of work. Since it’s 6:00 AM and I’m en route to a triathlon, what follows is a bulleted account of the game. I live blogged the contest from section 145. You can read the blow-by-blow account at our Tumblr page.

    Game Peripherals

  • Simply put, Alex Cobb didn’t have his A stuff last night — especially when compared to Roenis Elias. He had a hard time commanding his sinking fastball, and because of it Cobb was left to rely on his split-change which he left up, in very hittable locations. Despite throwing the split-change for strikes 86% of the time, Cobb was only able to coax two whiffs, while the Mariners’ hitters put his putaway pitch in play 11 times with five hits.
  • Elias, on the other hand, was able to induce a lot of weak contact off his low 90’s fastball, mid 80’s change up, and upper 70’s curve, though that contact — more often than not — resulted in an out. (nine outs via the fastball, three via the change, and three via the curve) Knowing that Elias is wont to attack the zone, the Rays hitters were more than happy and willing to swing in early counts. Much to the chagrin of most, Tampa Bay didn’t work good at-bats, and they didn’t force mistakes. Granted the Rays’ hitters pounced when Elias left a hittable pitch in the zone (see: James Loney’s homer off a fastball left up in the zone), those errant pitches were few and far in between.
  • Cesar Ramos, Kirby Yates, and Juan-Carlos Oviedo were solid, throwing 3-2/3 innings of one hit ball. It’s a shame the Mariners’ damage was done. Could you imagine if Cobb minimized the damage, and was then followed by the practically unhittable tandem of Ramos, Yates, and Oviedo? Oi! Yates was phenomenal in his inning and a third, striking out a pair of batters and getting a pair of grounders. My favorite Yates moment: a fastball, at the bottom of the zone to get Miller swinging. He’s already outperformed Josh Lueke — his predecessor. Yates was quoted, “I wasn’t really nervous, I was just kind of having fun out there.”
  • The New What Next

    Chris Archer, on the heels of a dominant seven inning, one-run outing against the Marlins, is slated to take the hill against King Felix. The Rays were able to tag Hernandez for four runs on eight hits a month ago, standing as the only game he’s given up more than three runs all season. Since that start (we’ll call it ill fated, relatively speaking of course), Hernandez has averaged almost eight innings and just over one run per start. Oh yeah, four of the five total runs against Hernandez (in four starts) came this season. Make of that what you will. You can read about the pitching match up here.

    Rays 6/8/14 Starting Lineup

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

    Noteworthiness

    • We’ve deemed this the “Indie Rock Street Cred Weekend.” Not only did we get a shootout from Superchunk (I’m still gushing), Weezer’s rhythm guitarist, Brian Bell was seen wearing our “Raymones” shirt during the post-game concert. That flat our rules!
    If you squint, you can see Archer at the top of the crest.
    If you squint, you can see “Archer” at the top of the crest.
    • Your tweet of the day, courtesy of Joe Maddon:
    Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey in the Brooklyn Dodgers uniform they wore for the memorial ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Marc Topkin/Tampa Bay Times)
    Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey in the Brooklyn Dodgers uniform they wore for the memorial ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Marc Topkin/Tampa Bay Times)

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  • RHP Jeremy Hellickson made his first rehab start in Tampa for the Class-A Stone Crabs. Helly gave up two hits and a walk while striking out two batters over three shutout innings. He threw 38 pitches (25 strikes, 66% K%) and threw 10 more pitches in the bullpen. Sans any setbacks, the Rays expect him to make two more rehab starts before rejoining the team for the doubleheader at Baltimore on June 27.
  • Ryan Hanigan (hamstring) started at catcher for the Stone Crabs and hit a two-run homer in the third inning. He finished 1-4 with a strikeout. He could DH for two or three more games and is eligible to return Wednesday.
  • Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Snap Their Skid, Beat M’s 4-0

    A ninth inning, panoramic shot from section 143.
    A ninth inning, panoramic shot from section 143.

    If someone was to ask me what a Rays way win is like — say someone who may not be familiar with baseball, yet will be attending Saturday’s game for the Weezer concert — I’d use Friday’s 4-0, shutout win against the Mariners as a point of reference. After all, it had all the hallmarks of a Tampa Bay Rays win we’ve come to expect; strong pitching, solid defense, and timely hitting. And though I’m certainly not willing to proclaim “The Rays are fixed,” it was nice to see the team playing the way we know they’re capable of. The question begs, can Tampa Bay win like this consistently? Talk to me after they (if they) string together 14 more of those wins in the month of June.

    As Drew Laing of DRaysBay wrote,

    • The streaks are no more for the Tampa Bay Rays.
    • 10-game losing streak…snapped.
    • 16 games without a win for their starting pitcher…snapped.
    • 100 straight at-bats without an RBI for Jose Molina…snapped.

    Starting with the pitching, LHP Erik Bedard was able to avoid trouble throughout much of the game. He pitched well, and claimed his first win since May 10th on the back of an impressive 6 IP/4 H/0 ER/1 BB/8 K 103 pitch (66 strikes, 64% K%) outing. In fact, the only significant threat by the Mariners came in the third inning when they had runners in scoring position with no outs, following a booted play by Yunel Escobar which allow Stefan Romero (the leadoff runner) to reach. The veteran lefty showed great composure, and struck out the next three batters swinging, escaping the jam. Bedard looked almost unhittable against the fastball hungry Mariners, coaxing 11 swings and misses against his upper 80’s fastball which he threw for strikes 70% of the time.

    Jake McGee, Joel Peralta, and Grant Balfour came on in relief in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings (respectively), and absolutely dominated the Mariners. McGee, impressively, bounced back from his lackluster outing Thursday, facing the minimum number of hitters, and using his 97-98 mph fastball (editors note: there was a curve ball thrown in there for good measure) to put the M’s down in order — three strikeouts, one swinging.

    Offensively, the Rays stranded 15 runners on base and went 2-12 wRISP, yet they were able to manufacture runs largely by playing small ball. Kevin Kiermaier provided a huge burst of energy Friday, adding another two hits including a hustle double on a hit that would have been a grounder up the middle for anyone other than he, or Desmond Jennings. Consider this: of his 13 total hits, seven have come in the XBH variety — three doubles, a triple, and three homers. Kiermaier has pumped life into a largely stagnant team, with his aggressive play in the box, in the field, and on the base paths.

    Kiermaier moved to third on a fourth inning wild pitch, before Jose Molina knocked him in on a sac-fly — his first RBI of the season. In the fifth inning, Desmond Jennings laid down a beautiful safety squeeze bunt that would have made Zim proud. The bunt was executed perfectly, and Jennings reached base while Evan Longoria scored from third. Yunel Escobar plated an insurance run on an RBI base hit later in the fifth, while also scoring the fourth run on a wild pitch in the seventh.

     The New What Next

    Alex Cobb will take the mound against Roenis Elias this afternoon, as the Rays look to start another streak; this one of the winning sort. Elias features a knee buckling, wipeout curveball that, when paired with a fastball that sits 91-94 MPH, is downright filthy. He does have a downside however, his delivery isn’t repeatable at present, which leads to major concerns over his command/control profile. Ideally speaking, the Rays — who are traditionally good at working good at-bats — could have fun against Elias if they are patient at the plate, and can force mistakes. You can read about the pitching match up in our series preview, and I’ll post the starting lineup when it becomes available.

    Rays 6/7/14 Starting Lineup

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

    Noteworthiness

    Awe shucks Superchunk, we’re blushing! It’s safe to say that Superchunk has been one of my favorite bands for almost 20 years now.

    Rays 6/6/14 Starting Lineup, Etc

    The Rays will welcome the red-hot Seattle Mariners into the Trop, Friday, for a four-game wrap around series. Tampa Bay went 2-1 against the M's the last time they met. (Photo courtesy of Rays Colored Glasses)
    The Rays will welcome the red-hot Seattle Mariners into the Trop, Friday, for a four-game wrap around series. Tampa Bay went 2-1 against the M’s the last time they met in May. (Photo courtesy of Rays Colored Glasses)

    Rays 6/6/14 Starting Lineup

    DeJesus DH
    Zobrist 2B
    Longoria 3B
    Loney 1B
    Jennings CF
    Joyce LF
    Escobar SS
    Kiermaier RF
    Molina C
    Bedard LHP

    Noteworthiness

    • LHP Erik Bedard will take the hill against Chris Young, who continues to make a bid for comeback players of the year. You can read about the match up, and more, in our series preview.
    • In case you missed it, Eno Sarris of Fangraphs wrote, “The Rays may be in a new position when it comes to this year’s trade deadline. Since their playoff odds have dropped more than any other team’s since the beginning of the season and are now close to 5%, it’s at least hard to see them as buyers. Then again, they haven’t made a ton of in-season acquisitions in their more competitive past, and their team is built for 2015 as much as it was built for this year — it’s likely that their transition from buyers to sellers may come without many big moves.”
    Superchunk frontman Mac McCaughan (center) threw out the first pitch at a recent Durham Bulls game. (Photo courtesy of Spin Magazine)
    Superchunk frontman Mac McCaughan (center) threw out the first pitch at a recent Durham Bulls game. (Photo courtesy of Spin Magazine)
    • This straight up rules! Mark Hogan of Spin Magazine writes,

    Merge Records has taken its 25th-anniversary celebrations out to the ballgame. Last night was Merge Records Night for the venerable North Carolina indie label’s hometown minor-league baseball team, the Tampa Bay Rays Triple-A affiliate Durham Bulls. Merge co-founder and Superchunk frontman Mac McCaughan threw out the first pitch, Mount Moriah‘s Heather McEntire sang the national anthem, and the Bulls players’ walk-up music was a Merge-oriented playlist picked by the label. Check out the piece in its entirety at Spin.com.