Archer Solid, Molina Swipes A Bag, and the Rays Are Shutdown, 6-1

Chris Archer dealing against the Braves in Kissimmee. Photo courtesy of staff contributor Jacob del Campo.
Chris Archer dealing against the Braves in Kissimmee. Photo courtesy of staff contributor Jacob del Campo.

Granted the Rays took it on the chin thanks to an eighth inning meltdown by the recently reassigned Sam Runion, starter Chris Archer put together a decent outing Friday, slashing 4.2 IP/4 H/1R/1 BB/WP/HBP/6 K on 74 pitches (47 strikes). Granted his location was somewhat lacking, as exemplified by the walk, wild pitch, hit-by-pitch and K/BB ratio, Archer did a good job limiting the damage — ultimately holding the Braves to one run. I’m not certain if you could ask for anything else.

“I obviously could have done some things better, but getting into the fifth inning was the most important thing for today. There was a lot of base runners on, so I was able to work out of the stretch and work with runners on first and second, second and third,” Archer said.

In other news, Jose “Mr. Offense” Molina swiped his first bag of 2014, eventually scoring the Rays lone run on a Ray Olmedo base hit. On  the subject of Molina’s stolen base, and BJ Upton being caught stealing, Joe Maddon retorted, “Is that ironic? What is that? It’s Disney.” Enough said.

Hey, at least the weather was nice!

The New What Next

The Rays will play split-squad games against the Blue Jays and Pirates on Saturday. LHP Erik Bedard will make his fourth appearance of the spring when the Rays host the Blue Jays , while RHP Jake Odorizzi will start against the Pirates in Bradenton. Cesar Ramos is also scheduled to see action in that contest. Bedard, Odorizzi and Ramos are all in contention for the fifth spot in the Rays’ rotation. Listen to both games live on Gameday Audio, via Raysbaseball.com.

Rays 3/15/14 Starting Lineups

Lineup vs Blue Jays:

Escobar SS
Loney 1B
Longoria 3B
Forsythe 2B
Hanigan C
Guyer CF
Christian LF
J. Moore DH
Mahtook RF
Bedard LHP

Lineup vs Pirates:

DeJesus LF
Jennings CF
Zobrist SS
Joyce DH
Myers RF
Betemit 1B
Molina C
Figueroa 2B
Nix 3B
Odorizzi RHP

Noteworthiness

— Oviedo has arrived in camp in Port Charlotte. He’s been throwing but not to hitters, though he still thinks he’ll be ready to start season.

— For what it’s worth, Joe Maddon will manage the Rays squad at home, while bench coach Dave Martinez will manage the squad in Bradenton.

— According to Marc Topkin, Maddon said the team should have a “good idea” after today who will be the fifth starter. All three remaining candidates will pitch: LHP Erik Bedard in Port Charlotte, and RHP Jake Odorizzi and LHP Cesar Ramos in Bradenton. Maddon said it’s possible they could each have another appearance, but “it’s going to start becoming clearer for us.”

Dome, sweet dome… Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist, James Loney and a couple of others went to the Trop Friday with hitting coach Derek Shelton to see how the recently renovated batter’s eye backdrop works. “It’s more curiosity that it would be sufficient, that they thought, ‘Okay, I saw the ball well,’ ” Maddon said. Per David DeJesus, they had no issues with batter’s eye hitting at the Trop.

— Because it bears mentioning once again… During Tuesday’s spring training game against the Twins, David DeJesus was a part of, what could be called, the biggest play of the game. On the play, Roger Mooney of the Tribune wrote, “DeJesus was on third and came home when 2B Cole Figueroa bunted back to the mound. Avoiding contact with Twins C Kurt Suzuki, DeJesus ran wide of the plate and was called out.” However, when DeJesus started walking back to the dugout, somebody in the dugout urged him to go back and touch the plate — which he did. (see the play below) What looked to be a bad play at the plate was, as Cork Gaines of Rays Index put it, is “actually just another example of why Joe Maddon should win the Manager of the Year award every year. You can see the play below.”

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/iZv9FkkShWA”]

In short, if Joe Maddon asked for a replay, DeJesus would have been ruled safe since he eventually touched the plate. Otherwise, had DeJesus not returned to touch the plate, Maddon would have lost a challenge even if the replay showed the catcher missed the tag.

“I didn’t touch the plate, and he didn’t tag me, either, so I was ready to do a juke move on him, boy, but (umpire Marvin Hudson) called me out,” DeJesus said. “I was like, ‘all right.’ I snuck back to the plate just for video replay. You never know.”

Maddon responded, “That was an interesting moment,” Maddon said.

In the end, this is just one example of how Maddon is coaching his players to take advantage of loopholes in the new replay system.

It could be argued, there may be some silly-looking scenes during Rays games this year. And if the past speaks to anything, Maddon will be criticized for making a mockery of the game. In reality however, these odd plays will in all likelihood mean more runs for the Rays and fewer runs for other teams.

Gaines put it best, “in a division where every game counts, those runs could make a difference.”

 

Matt Moore Rebounds, Rays Learning to Utilize Replay to the Fullest

Matt Moore (Photo courtesy of Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
Matt Moore (Photo courtesy of Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

Tampa Bay followed a poor showing on their part Saturday, against the Pirates, with a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh Thursday afternoon.

Matt Moore returned to the mound to again face the Pirates, after failing to get out of the first inning in his last start. Granted he threw just 34 strikes (out of 69 pitches), he called his outing positive, particularly because of his previous start. Moore allowed no runs on two hits and three walks, while striking out three. 

Moore left the game with one out in the fourth and runners on the corners. Heath Bell came in and slammed the door on the Pirates, first striking out Jordy Mercer before retiring Jose Tabata on a groundout to end the threat.

“I think it’s pretty hard to have a negative (outing) after last time,” said Moore allowing himself a smile. “It was definitely a step forward today.”

Ben Zobrist, Yunel Escobar and Ryan Hanigan stood as the offensive heroes of the day, combining to go 4-for-8 with two runs and four RBI.

The New What Next

Chris Archer will get the start for the Rays Friday afternoon, when the team travels to Kissimmee, to take on the Braves. Archer is coming off two strong outings against the Red Sox and Yankees. So far in 5 1/3 innings, he has not allowed a run. The travel squad for the game Friday includes Desmond Jennings, Matt Joyce, Wil Myers and Jose Molina.

Rays 3/14/14 Starting Lineup

Jennings CF
Nix 3B
Joyce LF
Myers RF
J. Moore DH
Sands 1B
Molina C
Figueroa 2B
Olmedo SS
Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

During Tuesday’s spring training game against the Twins, David DeJesus was a part of, what could be called, the biggest play of the game.  On the play, Roger Mooney of the Tribune wrote, “DeJesus was on third and came home when 2B Cole Figueroa bunted back to the mound. Avoiding contact with Twins C Kurt Suzuki, DeJesus ran wide of the plate and was called out.” However, when DeJesus started walking back to the dugout, somebody in the dugout urged him to go back and touch the plate — which he did. (see the play below) What looked to be a bad play at the plate was, as Cork Gaines of Rays Index put it, is “actually just another example of why Joe Maddon should win the Manager of the Year award every year. You can see the play below.”

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/iZv9FkkShWA”]

In short, if Joe Maddon asked for a replay, DeJesus would have been ruled safe since he eventually touched the plate. Otherwise, had DeJesus not returned to touch the plate, Maddon would have lost a challenge even if the replay showed the catcher missed the tag.

“I didn’t touch the plate, and he didn’t tag me, either, so I was ready to do a juke move on him, boy, but (umpire Marvin Hudson) called me out,” DeJesus said. “I was like, ‘all right.’ I snuck back to the plate just for video replay. You never know.”

Maddon responded, “That was an interesting moment,” Maddon said.

In the end, this is just one example of how Maddon is coaching his players to take advantage of loopholes in the new replay system.

It could be argued, there may be some silly-looking scenes during Rays games this year. And if the past speaks to anything, Maddon will be criticized for making a mockery of the game. In reality however, these odd plays will in all likelihood mean more runs for the Rays and fewer runs for other teams.

Gaines put it best, “in a division where every game counts, those runs could make a difference.”

On roster cuts… The Rays made another round of roster cuts Thursday, optioning RHP Kirby Yates, LHP CJ Riefenhauser, Vince Belnome, Kevin Kiermaier, Hak-Ju Lee, LHP Jeff Beliveau and RHP Nate Karns, and reassigning Mike Mahtook.

Per Marc Topkin, it sounds like Oviedo will get to Port Charlotte tonight, and be in camp Saturday.

Quote of the day, “The Rays have won as many postseason games in the last six seasons as the Cubs have in the last 78 years.”
– Buster Olney

Rays Beat Jays 5-4, Helly Throws, Balfour Feels Better, and More

RHP Nathan Karns makes his first Spring Training start for the #Rays. The pitch was to Blue Jays’ Joey Bautista. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)
RHP Nathan Karns makes his first Spring Training start for the Rays. The pitch was to Blue Jays’ Joey Bautista. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)

With the exception of a poorly pitched three-run, sixth inning on the part of Josh Lueke, the Rays had a pretty good day all around — both in the game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, and a minor league game in Port Charlotte. Tampa Bay ultimately eked out a 5-4 win against Toronto, thanks to Jerry “Mr. March” Sands’ ninth inning go ahead blast.

Right-hander Nathan Karns had an impressive start for the Rays. Karns, who is competing for the final spot in the rotation, allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out one over 3-1/3 innings.

“It was nice to be out there getting a feel for everything again, getting stretched out,” Karns said. “I’m pretty pleased with everything and just looking forward to getting back out there.”

CJ Riefenhauser was credited with the win, after posting two excellent innings of no-hit, one strikeout ball.

Grant Balfour was pleased with his 15-pitch inning, in a minor-league game in Port Charlotte. “I felt really good, felt strong. I’m really, really happy with how it went,” said Balfour after feeling “dead arm” in his last outing. Balfour faced three batters, allowing one hit, striking out one, with nine strikes among his 15 pitches. Joel Peralta followed Balfour, throwing 13 pitches in one inning of work. Alex Cobb also pitched in Port Charlotte, slashing 4+ IP/3 H/2 BB/4 K on 68 pitches (46 strikes).

Cobb, who opted to pitch in Port Charlotte as opposed to facing the Blue Jays for the second time this spring, said he got in the work he needed to.

“That’s about what you take away from those kind of outings,” he said. “You got up five times, you got your pitches in. And you know what was good about today was it’s tough to really focus on those back fields. For some reason you have those type of games during the course of a season so it was good practice to really focus in and have total body awareness and mental focus out there.”

On the offensive end of things, Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the third inning with a pair of runs off right-hander Marcus Stroman. Jayson Nix (1-2, R) started the rally with a double to left field before Stroman allowed a single and a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Desmond Jennings (2-3, RBI) then followed with an RBI bloop single to right and later another run scored on a double play.

The Rays added a run fourth when Jeremy Moore (2-3, RBI, R) crushed a ball to straightaway center field. By all accounts, the ball went so far that it cleared the 36 feet high batter’s eye in center field. It was Moore’s third homer of the spring and gave the Rays an early 3-0 lead. If there was a hero of the game, it would have to be Mr. March himself — Jerry Sands. Hitting a liner over the left field fence, giving the Rays the lead they wouldn’t relinquish, Sands hit his third home run of the spring.

The New What Next

Matt Moore will get the start for the Rays Thursday, when Tampa Bay hosts the Pirates at Charlotte Sports Park (listen to an exclusive webcast). Moore is coming off a tough start Saturday after allowing four earned runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Pirates. Also slated to pitch are right-handers Heath Bell, Sam Runion, and Juan Sandoval, along with lefties Jeff Beliveau and Adam Liberatore.

Rays 3/13/14 Starting Lineup

Zobrist 2B
DeJesus CF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Escobar SS
Betemit DH
Myers RF
Hanigan C
Guyer LF
Moore LHP

Noteworthiness

  • Despite going 0-2 in the leadoff spot, Ben Zobrist said he felt good.
  • Jeremy Hellickson had his first throwing session since January 29th elbow surgery Wednesday, and said it went well. Hellickson made 25 throws at distances of 45-to-60 feet, six weeks to the day after Dr, Koco Eaton removed “loose bodies” from his elbow in an arthroscopic procedure. “It went really well,” Hellickson said. “It felt like I thought. It’s been feeling really good, but you never know until you actually get out there and start throwing. So it’s very encouraging that it’s felt as good as it has.” Marc Topkin writes, “Hellickson will continue throwing on an every other day basis and said in a “best-case scenario” he will return to the rotation in late May with a target of being back by June 1.”
  • “LHP Matt Moore will start Thursday, hoping to do better than he did in Saturday’s “pretty ugly” outing when he gave up six runs in two-thirds of an inning,” writes Marc Topkin.
  • Joe Maddon said that Nate Karns is still in the mix for the fifth starter’s spot, along with Jake Odorizzi, Erik Bedard and Cesar Ramos. If his 3⅓ inning outing Wednesday against the Blue Jays speaks to anything, this battle may go down to the wire. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder hit 92-94 mph with his fastball and struck out Colby Rasmus with a nasty curveball. Karns does come with warts, namely a stiff front side which leads to elevated pitches and a general lack of control. (see the GIF below) The Process Report’s Jason Collette writes, “Over the summer, Zack Mortimer of the BaseballProspectus prospect team (now with the St. Louis Cardinals) scouted Karns. Mortimer graded Karn’s fastball as a 60 and the curveball as a 70 on the 20-80 scale. The fastball was clocked in the 91-96 range with good movement but below average command. While his delivery is rather clean and simple, the report mentions a stiff front side that leads to elevating pitches.”
This sequence of pitches to Brett Lawrie is a good visual representation of Karns' control issues, presumably due to a stiff front leg.
This sequence of pitches to Brett Lawrie is a good visual representation of Karns’ control issues, presumably due to a stiff front side.

 

Rays Take Game Two of the Knutson Classic From the Twins, 7-1

David Price posted eight strikeouts in five innings against the Twins on Tuesday. (AP)
David Price posted eight strikeouts in five innings against the Twins on Tuesday. (AP)

The Rays improved to 6-3-2 on the Grapefruit league season, following a 7-1 handcuffing of the Minnesota Twins Tuesday, in Port Charlotte. They’re also up two games to nothing in the 2014 Knutson Classic series, against the Twins. David Price was impressive Tuesday afternoon, slashing 5 IP/3 H/1 ER/1 BB/8 K/75 pitches (49 strikes). The Rays ace allowed a solo shot to Jason Kubel on a 1-0 pitch to lead off the top of the second, but otherwise looked sharp in his five-inning stint. In a post game interview with Bill Chastain of MLB.com, Price noted,

“It got better as the game went on, absolutely. The first two innings, I kind of felt like I did 10 days ago — couldn’t slow myself down on the mound. Made some adjustments with [pitching coach Jim Hickey] and [Jose] Molina, and after that second inning, I felt pretty good.”

On the subject of his eight strikeouts, Price went on to say,

“My cutter and my slider were really good — throwing it to the back-door side to a righty and then throwing it in to a righty as well. It’s something I’ve been working on that was really good today. And my curveball, it’s definitely the best it’s been in six months.”

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/UACx-KGPHiU”] Grant Balfour was slated to pitch as well, however he was moved back from Tuesday to Wednesday after talk of his dead-arm last outing. Joe Maddon wanted to give him an extra day’s rest, and mentioned “He’s fine.” Jake McGee, Brandon Gomes, Brandon Boxberger and Kirby Yates followed Price, combining for four innings of 1 H/0 BB/4 K ball. David DeJesus returned to the fold after a few days off, going 2-for-2 on the day with an RBI. Yunel Escobar also put up a good showing in the batters box, going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run. Other offensive highlights include a seventh inning two-run homer by Jeremy Moore which followed a double by Jerry Sands — giving the Rays a five run lead. The newly reassigned Curt Casali added to the Rays lead in the eighth, mashing an RBI double to left field, driving in Brandon Guyer from first. Marc Topkin and Will Vragovic, of the Tampa Bay Times, put together a video recap of Tuesday’s action:

The New What Next

Nathan Karns will get the start Wednesday afternoon when the Rays travel to Dunedin to play the Blue Jays. Acquired in a trade with the Nationals, Karns is in competition for the fifth starter spot in the rotation. Also slated to see action are right-handers Mark Lowe, Josh Lueke, Kirby Yates, and Steve Geltz, along with left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser. Alex Cobb, Grant Balfour and Joel Peralta are scheduled to throw in Port Charlotte. The game will air live on Gameday Audio.

Rays 3/12/13 Starting Lineup

Zobrist DH
Jennings CF
Joyce LF
Forsythe 3B
J. Moore RF
Rodriguez SS
Betemit 1B
Nix 2B
Solis C
Karns SP

Noteworthiness

  • With the potential for rain in Dunedin, the Rays will taking batting practice in Port Charlotte before heading north.
  • Ben Zobrist is back in the lineup — at DH and leading off — following his stiff neck induced respite.
  • Maddon and company made a second round of cuts following Tuesday’s game, reassigning LHP Braulio Lara, right handers Santiago Garrido and Sam Runion, and C Curt Casali.
  • Marc Topkin reported, though Oviedo has yet to report due to visa issues, Maddon said he has not given up on him being on Opening Day roster.
  • The Rays put together a video touting their new ticket Flex Packs, with my all-time favorite manager Don Zimmer (never forget the ’89 Cubs, friends). They included a promo code at the end of the video to receive $10 in Burst Bucks when you purchase a Flex Pack. You can also use my promo code: 10027942

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/jsS0BGW-028 “]

Rays Fall to Red Sox, 6-2 (Updated)

Will Myers breaks his bat on a single in the first inning against the Red Sox. (Photo courtesy of Will Vragovic)
Will Myers breaks his bat on a single in the first inning against the Red Sox. (Photo courtesy of Will Vragovic)

Monday was one of those days where you have take the good with the bad. With this being Spring Training, you have the luxury to do as much. The good: Evan Longoria drilled a massive solo homer over the Monster (and out of the park) in the fourth inning, Jake Odorizzi put together a decent 2.1 IP/2 H/1 R/1 ER/1 BB/1 K outing where he threw his new pitch — a splitter-changeup — a lot, and Cesar Ramos worked 4-1/3 IP in a minor-league intra-squad game, slashing 5 H/1 BB/7 K on 64 pitches (40 for strikes).  What’s more, Heath Bell also pitched in the aforementioned minor-league game, working 1-1/3 innings with just a walk on 20 pitches.

Then, there’s the bad…

Lefty Erik Bedard, who is also in the mix for the Rays’ final rotation spot, got knocked around for three runs on five hits, ultimately serving up a mammoth blast to Mike Napoli over the Green Monster in left-center in the sixth. Then there was the offense… Tampa Bay went 1-for-9 wRISP, while Sean Rodriguez, Wilson Betemit, Yunel Escobar, and Mike Mahtook combined to strand five runners in scoring position. Ouch.

The New What Next

The Rays will throw Opening Day starter David Price and closer Grant Balfour in Tuesday’s second round of the Knutson Classic against the Twins, in Ft. Myers. The game will air as a free exclusive audio webcast at raysbaseball.com.

Rays 3/10/14 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

Surprise surprise, Jake Odorizzi hit Shane Victorino with a pitch Monday afternoon. Victorino was batting right handed against a right handed pitcher. This isn’t an indictment of Odorizzi, not in the least. Victorino has, ahem… garnered a reputation for getting drilled by borderline pitches. Per Fangraphs, Victorino was hit 10% of the time, in 2013, when batting right handed against right handed pitching. To put it another way, he was hit 13 times in 125 plate appearances. Juxtapose that with 4.1% when he batted right handed against left handed pitching. I’d never imply that Victorino is a dirty player, nor would I imply that he leans into pitches. After all, it’s more reasonable to assume that this is nothing more than a coincidence. Who am I kidding? If you believe the “Nothing More Than A Coincidence” theory, I have some ocean front property for sale in Oklahoma. If Victorino is already laying it on thick in Spring Training, that’s indication enough he won’t deviate from what should be called his status quo.