Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Drop Game One, 2-0

David Price starts against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. (Photo courtesy of Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
David Price starts against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. (Photo courtesy of Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

It’s been said you can’t win games if you don’t score runs. And if the Rays 2 – 0 loss (the eighth shutout of the year) to Boston Tuesday night did anything, its confirm that theory to a T. Tampa Bay wasted an outstanding 8 IP/3 H/2 R/2 ER/0 BB/9 K outing by David Price, dropping their seventh of 10 games and falling to 8.5 games behind the AL East leading Red Sox. At least you can’t blame Rays for not doing anything with RISP this time — only two runners reached second safely; James Loney in the second inning and Yunel Escobar in the eighth.

And as much as I’d like to pin the loss on Desmond Jennings sloppy fielding on Mike Napoli’s fifth inning double — a misjudgment on a hard hit fly-ball to deep center, finding the ball bouncing off Jennings’ mitt — I can’t. Sure, Boston’s sole runs can be attributed to that play. However, a two-run deficit shouldn’t feel like a chasm the width of the Grand Canyon. Blame the loss on nine strikeouts. Blame the loss on a sixth inning double play that came at a time when Tampa Bay began to ride a wave of momentum off Craig Breslow. Blame the loss on two failed stolen base attempts. Just don’t blame the loss solely on a poor play in the field.

Price did his part by keeping the game within reach on a career high 127 pitches (86 for strikes, 67%). Unfortunately all he had to show for his outing is another tally in the loss column — an undeserved loss, if I may. Price was magnificent in his eight innings of work, walking none while striking out nine (five swinging). Leading the charge with his fastball (which he threw for strikes 78% of the time), David’s command was on point. He was able to get ahead of batters early by throwing 23 of 27 first pitch strikes, inevitably setting up his put away pitch — the aforementioned deadly fastball to the border regions of the zone. Price induced weak contact when he wasn’t ringing up batters, frustrating a Red Sox team that came into the Trop averaging seven plus runs per game over a 15 game stretch.

David Price pitching outcomes. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
David Price pitching outcomes. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)

Chalk the loss up to missed opportunities. Tampa Bay had an opportunity to send the tying run to the plate with no outs and their three best right handed bats due against LHP Craig Breslow, yet they did nothing with it. After Yunel Escobar led-off the sixth by working a walk, Joe Maddon immediately pinched David DeJesus in favor of Wil Myers. If Only good at-bats translated into runs… Though Myers was able to work a full count, he ultimately hit a chopper to short on the eighth pitch of the at bat. The only saving grace — Myers beat out the potential double play, preserving a base runner. They still had a serious threat in the works with BenZo due, but Zobrist quickly grounded out to second and Pedroia was able to tag Myers out in the base-path before completing the inning ending double play.

Then with the potential tying run on first in the seventh, The Rays lefty mashing acquisition, Delmon Young, was sent in to pinch hit for Luke Scott. Things looked promising after Young worked a 3-1 count, but as luck would have it, Young grounded out on a fastball down in the zone two pitches later, ending the inning.

An optimist, like Maddon, would go out of his/her way to remind us that there’s always tomorrow… There’s always the next game. But with a slim one game lead in the Wildcard race, those tomorrow’s and next games are quickly going the way of the buffalo.

The New What Next

Alex Cobb will play the role of stopper tonight against Ryan Dempster. The Red Sox veteran pitcher relinquished three runs in his last start against the Rays, also giving up a pair of homers. You can read about the pitching match-up here.

Rays 9/11/13 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

  • In 10 starts following a loss this season, Alex Cobb is 5-1 with a 2.86 ERA.

 

 

The New What Next: The Gauntlet Begins, Rays vs. Red Sox Series Preview

A pensive Joe Maddon. (Photo courtesy of Edmund D. Fountain/Tampa Bay Times)
A pensive Joe Maddon. (Photo courtesy of Edmund D. Fountain/Tampa Bay Times)

Let’s turn the clock back a bit — back to the middle of July when Tampa Bay was in the midst of a 21-5 stretch. The Rays waltzed into Fenway Park, in Boston, ahead of a highly anticipated battle for AL East dominance. Though the four game series was played over the course of seven days, thanks to one of Boston’s infamous rainouts that forced the Rays to return to the Red Sox’s tin-can of a facility on an off-day, Tampa Bay took three out of four from Boston.

That series came at a time when the Rays were playing some of their best baseball. They seemed untouchable — their record reflected as much. Fast forward a bit, the Rays sat at the top of the AL East as recently as August 25th with a percentage points lead over the Red Sox. Snap out of it, welcome back. The good guys will start the day Tuesday seven-and-a-half behind Boston with 20 games left to play. In short, Tampa Bay isn’t where they could or should be, but they’re still in contention.

Suffice to say, the Rays have scuffled over the course of the last month plus. They no longer hold a commanding lead over the Wildcard pack; they currently sit a mere game-and-a-half ahead of the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles. And though Tampa Bay won’t be battling it out for first place this time around, the upcoming series against Boston is no less important. In short, they need to win. As the saying goes, time is of the essence, and well…there’s no time to waffle — especially when you consider that they need to win 15 games in order to match the Orioles 93 win plateau — set the year prior.

It certainly won’t be easy. The Red Sox have been on fire, winning 11 of the last 14 games while averaging a staggering 7.3 runs per game. In contrast, the Rays have lost 11 of their past 15 games, averaging a paltry 2.5 runs per game. Adding fuel to the fire, Boston has won three straight series on the road and six in a row overall after taking three of four from the Yankees despite losing 4-3 on Sunday. What’s more, Tampa Bay begins a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, with 14 of the games against teams contending for a playoff spot — three against Boston, four against Texas, four against Baltimore and three against the Yankees in New York. No other postseason contender plays as many games against other contenders as the Rays. Call it a gauntlet of sorts.

In any case, if the Rays can build on the momentum coming off their 4-1 win against the Mariners, this could be a very fun series indeed.

Rays and Red Sox series starters.
Rays and Red Sox series starters.
Rays and Red Sox offensive production at home, away, and over the last 14 days.
Rays and Red Sox offensive production at home, away, and over the last 14 days.
Rays and Red Sox, by the numbers.
Rays and Red Sox, by the numbers.

Clay Buchholz: Per Rotowire, following his substantial stint on the DL, “The Red Sox want to give Buchholz (shoulder) four starts over the duration of the regular season, WEEI.com reports.” Red Sox manager manager John Farrell indicated Buchholz will be limited to 75-80 pitches, after throwing in a 3-2/3 inning for Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday. To put it bluntly, the Rays — as a whole — have not put up good numbers against Buchholz. In their last meeting against the Red Sox lefty, Buchholz posted a strong eight inning outing, relinquishing only two hits while striking out 11. Key match-ups: David DeJesus (3-9, 2B, 3 BB), Sam Fuld (1-4, 2B, RBI, BB), Matt Joyce (6-21, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB), Jose Molina (7-20, 2B, 4 RBI, BB), Sean Rodriguez (3-10, 2B, RBI).

Ryan Dempster: Per Rotowire, “Dempster will not be bumped from the rotation to make room for Clay Buchholz (shoulder) and will make his next start Wednesday, WEEI.com reports.” Dempster has been good against the Rays this season, though three of his four runs relinquished came in his last outing against Tampa Bay. Dempster went six innings in that 6-2 loss back in July. Key match-ups: Evan Longoria (2-8, HR, RBI), Jose Molina (3-3), Luke Scott (3-7, 2B, 3B, RBI), Delmon Young (1-3), Ben Zobrist (2-5, RBI, BB).

Jake Peavy: Per Rotowire, “Peavy allowed four runs and six hits over six innings to record a no-decision against the Yankees on Thursday. He walked three and struck out four.” The Rays last faced Peavy when he was on that other Sox team, tagging him for two homers in the Rays 5-4 win. Peavy has been inconsistent in 2013, relinquishing four or more runs in a third of his starts. Nevertheless, he has been tough on Tampa Bay over the years, with the Rays posting a combined .220 BA/.265 OBP/.447 SLG/.712 slash Line against the Red Sox RHP. Key match-ups: James Loney (9-28, 4 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB), Sean Rodriguez (2-4), Ben Zobrist (4-10, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB). 

Noteworthiness

  • Tampa Bay, as a team, has scored a major league-low 41 runs since August 25th. Matt Joyce hasn’t homered in that span and is in 2-for-29 slump, and Evan Longoria is hitting .176 with three RBIs in the last 14 games. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are batting .361 with 18 home runs over their last five games.
  • David Price has been a bit shaky in his last five starts, posting a 4.78 ERA with 37 hits allowed in 32 innings. He hasn’t posted consecutive losses since August 2011. However, he has defeated the Red Sox in two starts against them since the All-Star break, allowing two runs in 16 1-3 innings, but both were in Boston.
  • Oof. Per Roger Mooney of the Tampa Trubune, “The Rays have hit into at least one double play in 17 of their last 19 games. Since Aug.7, they have hit into a major league-high 36 double plays.”
  • The Rays are 6-10 against the Red Sox this season but have held Red Sox hitters to a .211 batting average and 3.9 runs per game. The Sox are hitting .285 and averaging 5.4 runs a game against everyone else.

 

 

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: That’s More Like It

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A picture that’s worth a thousand words. (Graph courtesy of Fangraphs)

The Rays won the final game of the series in Seattle by a score of 4-1. Tampa Bay will come be home early tomorrow morning, having accumulated a bit of momentum following the lackluster 3-7 road trip. The Rays gained a game on the Red Sox following their loss against the Yankees, and hold a two game lead over the Orioles in the Wildcard race once again, thanks to Baltimore’s loss against the White Sox. Jake McGee was credited with his fourth win of the season, while Fernando Rodney picked up his 33rd save of the year.

We’re in the midst of putting together our Rays/Red Sox series preview. Savor this victory, friends!

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: I know I’ll Be Glad When This Road Trip Is Over

A picture is worth a thousand words. The Look on Archer's face sums things up well. (Photo courtesy of Otto Greule Jr)
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The Look on Chris Archer’s face speaks volumes. (Photo courtesy of Otto Greule Jr)

Tampa Bay starts the day one game ahead of the Cleveland Indians and the Baltimore Orioles in the Wildcard race, following another sloppily played game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday night. The game had the all the hallmarks of a team that’s struggling to keep it together: Poor fielding, questionable pitching, and a non-existent offense. Going into yesterday’s game, Rays skipper, Joe Maddon, was quoted as saying,

“This has been our worst baseball all year.”

If last night’s game did anything, it’s firm up Maddon’s sentiments. Game peripherals are below.

  • After putting together a string of three consecutive 7 IP outings, where he gave up a total of four earned runs, Chris Archer is ebbing once again. The Rays rookie RHP couldn’t pitch into the fifth inning for the second consecutive start, this time giving up three runs (two earned) in four innings of work. The kid just didn’t have it right out the gate, though it didn’t help that James Loney geeked the first play of the game — a play that inevitably gave the Mariners their first run. Archers final line: 4 IP/4 H/3 R/2 ER/1 BB/2 K/2 HR.
  • Alex Torres didn’t help the cause, giving up a big leadoff double to Nick Franklin to start the fifth inning. Franklin ultimately came home on a poorly played bunt to third. And though it was scored a sacrifice and not an error, Torres fanned right over the ball when attempting to field it, allowing the run to score and the batter (Almonte) to reach first safely.
  • Good on Evan Longoria and Wil Myers for each going 2-4 at the plate. Longo scored the Rays only runs on a 428 foot two-run blast (29) to left field, driving in Zobrist who reached on a walk in advance.
  • Tampa Bay had a scoring opportunity in the second, not to mention runners on the bags in a handful of other innings. They, however, could do nothing to capitalize on any opportunities. And talk about going out on a whimper, not a bang, with one out and Lobaton on first in the ninth, Yunel Escobar ground into the game ending double play. The Rays ended the night having gone 0-4 wRISP, stranding seven men on base.
  • The 6-2 loss found the Rays 2-7 on road trip, having lost 11 of their last 14 games.

The New What Next

Matt Moore will try to salvage the final game of the Rays lackluster road trip, opposite of Erasmo Ramirez. You can read about the pitching match-up here.

Rays 9/8/13 Starting Lineup

DeJesus RF
Zobrist SS
Longoria 3B
Scott DH
Loney 1B
Joyce LF
Johnson 2B
Lobaton C
Fuld CF
Moore LHP

Noteworthiness

  • Neither Desmond Jennings or Yunel Escobar are in today’s lineup. In their place are Ben Zobrist and Sam Fuld. Luke Scott will be handling the DH duties.
  • As the Rays have gone 3-11 in their last 14, the Royals have gone 10-4, the Yankees and Orioles have gone 7-6, the Indians are 6-6, and the Rangers are 5-7.

    • Looking Backward While Moving Forward: An Open Letter to the Rays

    I got my Tampa Bay Rays postseason ticket prospectus in the mail the other day. Here's the deal: if the Rays can return to form and play like a team that's vying for a postseason berth, I'll consider plunking down the money for tickets.
    I got my Tampa Bay Rays postseason ticket prospectus in the mail the other day. Here’s the deal: if the Rays can return to form and play like a team that’s vying for a postseason berth, I’ll consider plunking down the money for tickets.

    To whom it may concern,

    Let me first start by saying if being a partial season ticket holder speaks to anything, it’s that I am a true blue, die-hard Tampa Bay Rays fan. I love my small market team. I love the philosophy that Joe Maddon espouses. Moreover, I love that the roster is full of gritty players as opposed to the over inflated — ego driven — superstars that occupy the rosters of the Yankees, Dodgers, and the like. The 2008 and 2011 seasons will go down in the annals of baseball history for obvious reasons, and I’m still proud that I was able to be a part of those seasons in some capacity.

    However, it hasn’t always been pretty — lest we forget the first ten years. I also remember that sinking feeling in 2009 when Tampa Bay followed the magical 2008 season with disappointment. And then there was that bitter sweet feeling at the end of 2012 — a season in which the Rays won 90 games, but fell short of the Wildcard by three.

    At this point in time, I’m not sure where to file the 2013 season. There are similarities between this and 2008. Then again, the inconsistent play in April, June and August (and now to start September) really don’t bode well for that comparison. The Rays certainly don’t seem as dominant as they had in 2010, and absent is the tenacity and swagger that permeated most of the second half of the 2011 season. It really feels as though Tampa Bay is sleep walking toward game 162 on tired legs. The Rays lackluster performance following a 21-5 July solidify that feeling — last night’s game included.

    The Rays allowed another close game to slip away, thanks to egregious errors on the base paths and in the field. Consider the eighth inning running gaffe by Sean Rodriguez — a gaffe that ultimately cost the Rays the lead going into the bottom of the inning. His falling 1.1 UBR (from 1.6 in 2012) speaks volumes to the idea Rodriguez has made too many running errors on the base paths this season. A once dependable base runner, we can no longer trust Rodriguez in high leverage situations. Then there was the fielding error by Desmond Jennings, which allowed Kyle Seager to reach second. A steady fielder by all accounts, Jennings has made three errors in the last two weeks. These two errors alone changed the outcome of the game. It didn’t help that Tampa Bay went 1-8 wRISP, ultimately stranding 12 men on the bags.

    As of now, Tampa Bay is 40-11 against sub .500 teams. Of those 11 losses, 10 have come by two or fewer runs. Just think, the good guys would be sitting pretty with an 82-58 record had they won even five of those games. As Kevin, a friend of the blog, noted, “At this point its time to panic. Not panic to the point of just over playing, but reaching down to your soul and using every bit of talent and skill you have.”

    In the end, I will stand by my team. I’ve been there for the highs and lows; the sellouts and games where it was so desolate and quiet, you could hear a pin drop. However, it’s much more fun watching a team that pounces the foibles of other franchises, rather than being the franchise that’s regressing.

    Sincerely,
    Schmitty

    The New What Next

    Chris Archer will play the role of mopper-upper today against rookie James Paxton. You can read about the pitching match-up here.

    Rays 9/7/13 Starting Lineup

    Jennings CF
    Zobrist 2B
    Longoria 3B
    Young DH
    Myers RF
    Loney 1B
    Rodriguez LF
    Lobaton C
    Escobar SS
    Archer RHP

    Noteworthiness

    • Per Roger Mooney, “The Rays entered Friday’s game with a 13-19 record since July 31. They averaged 3.2 runs per game (29th in the majors) during that stretch and have hit 26 home runs (23rd in the majors).” Furthermore, they were 12-for-73 (.164) with runners in scoring position during the first seven games of this 10-game road trip.
    • At 77-63, the Rays can ill afford to lose many more games. Consider that Baltimore won 93 games in their Wildcard clinching season. With that in mind, Tampa Bay needs to win 16 of the remaining 22 games. Possible? Yes. Probable considering the way they’ve been playing? Urm…