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Looking Backward While Moving Forward: O’s Handcuff Rays 7-1, Matt Moore to Receive Tommy John Surgery

Take two. The Rays and Orioles will throw Jake Odorizzi and Miguel Gonzalez (respectively) on the mound Wednesday, following Tuesday's rainout. (Photo courtesy of Marc Topkin) — Take two. The Rays and Orioles will throw Jake Odorizzi and Miguel Gonzalez (respectively) on the mound Wednesday, following Tuesday’s rainout. (Photo courtesy of Marc Topkin)

Perhaps you could blame it on his inability to throw quality strikes. Or, maybe you could blame it his lack of command, leaving fastball after fastball up, and over the plate, in very hittable locations. Then again, it could have been his seeming inability to keep batters off balance by not throwing his change-up often. I’d argue it was choice D, all of the above. Whatever the case, Chris Archer did the Rays no favors Monday night, tossing the Orioles hitters meatball after meatball in his less than stellar 5 IP/12 H/7 R outing. The Rays fell to the Orioles — a team who hit five doubles off Archer — by a score of 7-1. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then surely the graph and chart below, sum up the game better than I could ever wish to.

Chris Archer's At-Bat Outcome Chart. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball) — Chris Archer’s At-Bat Outcome Chart. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)

Hey, look at the bright side: Brad Boxberger looked absolutely filthy in his one inning of work. He used all of 10 pitches (seven strikes) to shut down the Orioles in a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Boxberger was impressive, especially in his at-bat against Nelson Cruz. The righty attacked the Orioles slugger in the upper and outer reaches of the zone. Boxberger ultimately struck out Cruz (swinging) on a fastball at the top of the zone. His four pitch at-bat was the icing on an efficient 10 pitch (seven strikes) cake…urm, outing. And lest we forget Josh Lueke who, in redeeming fashion, tossed two innings of one hit/one strikeout ball on 14 pitches (11 strikes).

Ben Zobrist and James Loney were the lead actors in a movie that I like to call the Rays Offense. Zobrist has now hit safely in six of seven games. He came around to score the lone run on an Evan Longoria base hit. Loney went 2-for-4 and hit the ball hard all night.

Concerns?

Why would a .178 BA hitter bat in the DH spot? Why would Brandon Guyer get the start in left field, based solely on the premise that two of his three career home runs have come in Baltimore — even though neither came off Wei-Yin Chen?

Logan Forsythe, Wil Myers, Yunel Escobar, and Ryan Hanigan looked clueless at the plate, combining to go 0-11 with one walk.

And what was going on in the outfield Monday night? Between Guyer and Jennings, I’m convinced there was an ongoing series of banana peels being thrown onto the field. Moving forward.

The New What Next

Take two. The Rays and Orioles will throw Jake Odorizzi and Miguel Gonzalez (respectively) on the mound Wednesday, following Tuesday’s rainout. David Price, who was scheduled to start Wednesday, will now get the start Thursday against the Yankees. You can read about Wednesday’s pitching match-up in our series preview.

Rays 4/16/14 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

Matt Moore Opts For Surgery

We learned late Monday night that Matt Moore has opted to receive Tommy John Surgery on April 22nd, in St. Petersburg. He is projected to be sidelined for 11-15 months. “The discomfort he (Matt Moore) felt during an afternoon throwing session made it clear he could not pitch with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament,” writes Marc Topkin.

Moore went on to say,

“What was coming out, it’s a shame to have to be shut down right now, but it just wasn’t comfortable. Being stuck in the position I am right now, where it’s not exactly comfortable but it’s not exactly completely broke, it’s kind of one of those things that you know it’s going to get worse. If we had to have our best guess, that was what we would say — it’s going to get worse.”

Moore felt left elbow discomfort last week, though he initially assumed he would be able to pitch through it following a regimen of rest and rehab. But MRI exams a partial tear of the ligament, while Monday’s throwing session (on flat ground) made it clear he needed to have the surgery — and soon — to minimize the number of games he would miss in the 2015 season.

Moore joins the ranks of 12 other major-league pitchers to have the ligament replacement surgery since the start of Spring Training.

Where to Go with the Rotation Now

On the subject of whether the Rays would be interested in re-signing Jeff Niemann, GM Andrew Friedman said they would most likely look within the organization when filling out the rotation staff. That being said the re-signing of Niemann, or a trade for someone like Barry Zito, probably isn’t in the cards. Friedman went on to say they’re still confident of a strong season, and will get though injuries…that, “its an all hands on deck approach right now.”

Resetting the Rotation Following Tuesday’s Rainout

The Rays may reset the order following the rainout Tuesday, with the possibility of splitting the lefties Erik Bedard and Cesar Ramos — who’s getting one more start before Maddon makes up his mind regarding the need to call up a pitcher from Triple-A Durham — with Chris Archer getting the start on Saturday.

Rays 4/14/14 Starting Lineup, Etc

Ahhh, beautiful Oriole Park at Camden Yards…

Rays 4/14/14 Starting Lineup

Zobrist 2B
Jennings CF
Forsythe DH
Longoria 3B
Myers RF
Loney 1B
Guyer LF
Escobar SS
Hanigan C
Archer LHP

Noteworthiness

Less is more? In their last five games, the Rays are 3-0 when scoring two runs or fewer, and 0-2 when scoring 3 or more.
Joe Maddon is going with a local good-luck charm, as Maryland native Brandon Guyer has hit two of his three career home runs in Baltimore. Granted he’s never hit one off Wei-Yin Chen, but…
Matt Moore threw the ball today, though there’s been no word on how it went, or what is next. We’ll keep you posted.
Don’t forget, you can read about tonight’s pitching match-up, and oh so much more, in our Rays vs. Orioles series preview.

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

Joe Maddon watches the action during the game against the Cincinnati Reds Sunday. I can only imagine what's going through his head at this very moment. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) — Joe Maddon watches the action during the game against the Cincinnati Reds Sunday. I can only imagine what’s going through his head at this very moment. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Just a day after the Tampa Bay slogged away from Cincinnati with a disappointing 12-4 loss in the series finale, the Rays find themselves in Baltimore for a three-game series against the Orioles.

So far, this has been an odd road trip…to say the least. Tampa Bay has gone 7-for-30 wRISP, tagging the opposing pitchers for only 13 runs. Though Tampa Bay took two of three from the Reds, they still ended the series with a -6 run differential. Yet the Rays have a 3-3 record — six games into their nine-game road trip — and are about to face a scuffling Orioles squad who, if I may, don’t look so hot themselves. There is a very realistic possibility that the Rays could come home with a winning record on this wonky trip — which they’ll need going into the upcoming Yankees series, when they throw their B-starters on the mound.

It still won’t be easy. With Matt Moore and Alex Cobb on the DL, Tampa Bay could use a few more strong outings from Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, and David Price. Archer will try to lead the Rays to a fifth consecutive win over the Orioles in the series opener, Monday night. Odorizzi is looking to bounce back from a rough 5 IP/7 ER outing against the Royals. And Price is looking to put together another quality start, following his dazzling outing against the Reds where he gave up just one run on four hits, while walking one and striking out 10 in 8-1/3 innings of work.

The Orioles dropped two of three to the Toronto Blue Jays, but have still won three of their last five games. The Orioles have struggled to score runs for the most part, while the pitching staff has allowed four or less runs in five of their last seven games.

Rays and Orioles offensive production at home, away, and overall.

Wei-Yin Chen: Chen has been shaky this season, allowing eight combined runs in his first two starts, while failing to pitch past the sixth inning in each of those outings. The Rays have been able to hit Chen over the last three years, tagging the Orioles’ lefty for 20 runs (17 earned) in 50-1/3 innings of work. Still, Tampa Bay will have a tall order to fill with Chen on the mound — a combined .239 BA/.304 OBO/.359 SLG/.663 OPS with speaks to that. Key match-ups: Matt Joyce (1-4, 2 BB), Jose Molina (2-5, 2B, RBI, BB), Wil Myers (1-4, BB), Ben Zobrist (10-33, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB).

Wei-Yin Chen heat map. (Courtesy of ESPN)

Miguel Gonzalez: Over the course of the last three seasons, the Rays have fared well against Gonzalez, handing the Orioles RHP a 2-3 record (in eight appearances) with a 3.94 ERA. It was around this time last year when the Rays pounded Gonzalez, tagging him for five runs (four earned) on eight hits, including three home runs. Gonzalez has already given up four homers in just 9-1/3 innings this season, and the Rays will look to pounce on his current streak of woeful pitching. Key match-ups: Yunel Escobar (4-14, 2B, RBI, 2 BB), Evan Longoria (5-16, HR, RBI, 2 BB), Jose Molina (4-12, HR, 2 RBI, BB).

Miguel Gonzalez heat map. (Courtesy of ESPN)

Chris Tillman: Make no mistake about it, Orioles ace Chris Tillman is very good. However, the Rays have hit Tillman well, handing him a 2-4 record in seven starts (over the last three seasons) with a 4.05 ERA. The Rays will undoubtedly be patient at the plate; after all, Tillman works a lot of high-count at-bats — 3-1 counts, 3-2 counts, etc. Because of it, Tillman has a hard time going deeply into games. Key match-ups: David DeJesus (2-6, RBI), Matt Joyce (6-21, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB), Evan Longoria (10-24, 2 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB).

Chris Till man heat map. (Courtesy of ESPN)

Noteworthiness

Since 2008, the Rays have not lost a season series to the Orioles, going 66-43 — including a 13-6 record in 2013. The Orioles, on the other hand, have the advantage at home, with a 72-65 record overall.
The Orioles bullpen, with Tommy Hunter as the closer, has been effective thus far, with Darren O’Day among those who give the Rays trouble.
Baltimore newcomer Nelson Cruz has handled David Price exceptionally well over his career slahing .360 BA/.353 OBP/.407 SLG/.760 OPS against the left-handed ace. That’s the fifth best OPS among players with at least 20 at bats against Price. Matt Wieters has also hit Price hard. On the other hand, Adam Jones has struggled against Price hitting just .220 BA/.238 SLG in 42 plate appearances. He’s not the only Oriole that Price has owned. Chris Davis has yet to get an extra base hit against Price.
The Rays optioned Jeff Beliveau back to Durham, with the corresponding move expected Monday. Maddon and company have recalled Brad Boxberger, who will add to an overworked bullpen. Boxberger is Alex Torres-like, and has big-league experience. You can read more about Boxberger here.
Alex Cobb is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a left oblique strain. Cobb said it is “really disappointing” to hear the MRI results, and hard to believe he will be out 4-6 weeks because he doesn’t feel hurt. Which begs the question: Would the Rays seek help elsewhere? Maddon didn’t seem keen on Ramos’ start Sunday, and there are three other pitchers on the 40-man roster in Durham: Nate Karns, Enny Romero, and Mike Montgomery. Furthermore, rumors are flying over the potential interest in former Giant Barry Zito, and former Ray Jeff Niemann.
On that note, Ken Rosenthal wrote in his newest column, “Though the Rays’ rotation has been ravaged by injuries to Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore and Alex Cobb, the team is planning on using internal options rather than pursuing outside help.” This could be an acknowledgement that the Rays expect this rash of injuries to be a short-term problem, especially as it relates to Jeremy Hellickson and Alex Cobb. The though being, if the Rays expected Hellickson and Cobb to be out longer than they previously acknowledged, then they would potentially seek an arm (like the above mentioned Zito and/or Niemann) in the free-agent market.

Alex Cobb Added to 15-Day DL with A Left Oblique Strain

Alex Cobb and Ryan Hanigan talk on the mound during a break in the game against the Cincinnati Reds, Saturday. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

4/14/14, 12:25 Update: Alex Cobb is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a left oblique strain. Cobb said it is “really disappointing” to hear the MRI results, and hard to believe he will be out 4-6 weeks because he doesn’t feel hurt. Which begs the question: Would the Rays seek help elsewhere? Maddon didn’t seem keen on Ramos’ start Sunday, and there are three other pitchers on the 40-man roster in Durham: Nate Karns, Enny Romero, and Mike Montgomery. Furthermore, rumors are flying over the potential interest in former Giant Barry Zito, and former Ray Jeff Niemann.

On that note, Ken Rosenthal wrote in his newest column, “Though the Rays’ rotation has been ravaged by injuries to Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore and Alex Cobb, the team is planning on using internal options rather than pursuing outside help.” This could be an acknowledgement that the Rays expect this rash of injuries to be a short-term problem, especially as it relates to Jeremy Hellickson and Alex Cobb. The though being, if the Rays expected Hellickson and Cobb to be out longer than they previously acknowledged, then they would potentially seek an arm (like the above mentioned Zito and/or Niemann) in the free-agent market.

6:00 update: “On Cobb, hearing 4-6 weeks most likely, assuming all goes well.”

— Marc Topkin (via Twitter)

Update: The MRI on Alex Cobb showed an oblique strain — which is not good. No timetable has been set, yet he feels good. Still, oblique sprains typically take six-to-eight weeks to heal.

As I wrote earlier, the Rays placed RHP Alex Cobb on the 15-day DL with a left oblique strain. He was sent back to St. Peterburg for an MRI Sunday morning, so we should — presumably — know more about the injury soon. Cobb is the second starter to go down in the last week, joining LHP Matt Moore. RHP Jeremy Hellickson is also on the DL, while RHP Alex Colome is suspended until late May for a failed drug test. Reliever Jeff Beliveau, who was briefly with the team during the Royals series last week, rejoined the team Sunday.

Cobb, who was seen stretching several times during Saturday’s contest against the Reds, reportedly felt tightness on his left side prior to the start of the game, though he battled through, tossing a gem of a seven inning shutout Saturday.

Joe Maddon remains optimistic, saying the hope is that Cobb would miss only two starts and be able to return when eligible, or shortly thereafter. Tampa Bay will need a starter for Thursday’s game against the Yankees, “with veteran Erik Bedard, who was called up to replace Cesar Ramos in the bullpen,” writes Marc Topkin, “now the likely candidate.” With Bedard filling in for Cobb, all three pitchers who competed for the fifth spot during Spring Training will be in the rotation.

This will be a true test of the Rays pitching depth. Marc Topkin mentioned in a pre-game interview with the Rays Radio Network, there is an outside chance that Enny Romero, Nate Karns, or Mike Montgomery (all on the 40-man roster) could be called up at some point.

I’ll continue to update this piece as the news breaks.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Cobb, Rays Blank Reds, 1-0, Cobb Placed on the 15-day DL

David DeJesus #7, Desmond Jennings #8 and Kevin Kiermaier #39 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrate after the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 12, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Rays won the game 1-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) — David DeJesus, Desmond Jennings, and Kevin Kiermaier celebrate after the game against the Cincinnati Reds Saturday. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Update: RHP Alex Cobb has been placed on the 15-day DL with an oblique strain. Read below for more on the injury, and we’ll have more on this as the news breaks.

The skinny: Alex Cobb came out victorious in Saturday’s pitching duel against Alfredo Simon, while James Loney provided all the offense the Rays would need. The Rays walked away from the Reds’ home Saturday afternoon with their second series win of the season.

Cobb was brilliant, throwing seven innings of four hit ball. He didn’t walk a single batter while he struck out four — all on 87 pitches (59 strikes). Don’t be deceived, Cobb wasn’t removed from the game because there wasn’t any gas left in the tank. His day was ended early because the Rays needed to tack on an insurance run, and he was lifted for a pinch hitter to start the eighth inning. And to be fair, Maddon’s plan almost worked. Logan Forsythe doubled to lead off the eighth, but the three hitters that followed failed to bring him in.

Cobb kept the Reds’ hitters off balance with The Thing, his ridiculous split/change. Cobb threw The Thing for strikes 70% of the time, inducing seven whiffs. Watching as he got Billy Hamilton and Brayan Pena to swing at pitches that bounced well before the plate was a thing of beauty.

Loney provided the only run of the game off a 412 foot solo shot to right field, giving the Rays a one run advantage they never relinquish. Tampa Bay went 0-6 wRISP, stranding five men on the base paths (three in scoring position).

The other quality facet of Saturday’s game was the Rays defense, aided by Kevin Kiermaier (who got his first major league start), Ryan Hanigan, and Evan Longoria. And while Kiermaier didn’t pick up a hit, he provided the Rays with a run saving play at the plate.

After Joey Votto hit a wind-aided lead off double in the fifth, Brandon Phillips singled sharply up the middle. Kiermaier fielded the ball and fired it home well ahead of Votto, who attempted to score from second. Then Phillips, who advanced to second on the throw, was gunned down by Ryan Hanigan while attempting to swipe third. Longo made an outstanding diving play on a hard hit liner by Ryan Ludwick in the seventh, robbing the batter of a base hit, while ending the inning. As BA noted in the telecast, the ball off Ludwick’s bat was already in Longoria’s mitt before he even left the batter’s box.

Erik Hahmann of DRaysBay put the win in perspective,

“No matter what happens tomorrow the Rays have won this series by scoring a total of three runs. Not pretty. Certainly not sustainable. But a win is a win and they remain in first place in the division.”

I live blogged the game. Head to our Tumblr page for a blow-by-blow account of Saturday’s contest.

The New What Next

Cesar Ramos will get the start on the bump Sunday, opposite of Tony Cingrani, in the series finale. I can’t help but wonder if this is a real-time audition of sorts for Ramos. Though Bedard was promoted following Saturday’s game, it would be logical for Ramos to be the the heir apparent to the rotation while Moore is on the DL. In this scenario, the left handed Bedard would take Ramos’ place in the bullpen. Just a thought. In any case, you can read about Cingrani in our series preview.

Rays 4/13/14

Zobrist LF
Jennings CF
Longoria 3B
Myers RF
Forsythe 2B
Escobar SS
Hanigan C
Ramos LHP
Rodriguez 1B

Noteworthiness

Breaking: The Rays placed Alex Cobb on the 15-day DL with a left oblique strain, and was sent back to St. Pete for an MRI following Saturday’s game. He was seen stretching several times during the contest against the Reds, though he said he was okay. Roger Mooney of the Tribune writes, “If Bedard joins the rotation to replace Cobb, all three pitchers who competed for (the) fifth spot during Spring (Training) will be in the rotation.”
Jeff Beliveau has been recalled from Triple-A Durham, and will temporarily join the bullpen.
This will be a true test of the Rays pitching depth, now with Alex Cobb (oblique strain) joining Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson on the disabled list.
Tampa Bay is now 4-0 in one run games — tallying a whopping nine runs, while averaging 2.25 runs per game (in those games). The Rays are only the seventh AL team in the last 100 years to get two 1-0 wins in their first 12 games of the season. Meanwhile, the Rays pitching staff (starters and relievers) have a combined 2.78 ERA and 3.60 FIP. That is, the pitching staff is doing their part, now it’s up to the hitters to do theirs.
As I mentioned above, LHP Erik Bedard has been called up from Triple-A. In kind, the Rays optioned Kevin Kiermaier back to Durham.
The Oakland Athletics have DFA’d OF Sam Fuld. “I guess the one good thing is that I have been bracing myself for it,” Fuld was quoted as saying. Here’s to hope that another team picks up Super Sammy, with the quickness.