The New What Next: Rays Take the Second Game 4-2, and the Series

David Price pitching against the New York Yankees. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)
David Price pitching against the New York Yankees. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

It’s been said before, and I’ll say it again: It felt like a postseason atmosphere at the Trop the last two nights. After all, two toasty teams were pinned against one another in front of a pair of big — rambunctious — crowds. And while the Rays have aspirations of winning the AL East, the Yankees are struggling to stay relevant. Likewise, the fans the Bronx Bummers struggled to stay relevant in the confines of the Trop Saturday night, as they watched the one opportunity to tag David Price for more than two runs get flushed down the toilet.

Granted David Price wasn’t his usual dominant self for the second straight start, however I’d be hard pressed to say that he labored through his outing last night. Simply put, he’s faced a pair of teams in his last two starts — the Orioles and Yankeees — that have come up big in the batters box of late. In the end, he was able to make the big pitches to get out of a fifth inning jam with minimal damage, ultimately holding the Yankees to just the two runs in six innings, while striking out five and walking one batter. In short, it was a gritty performance that set the tone for the A-Team who followed in relief — Jake McGee, Joel Peralta, and Fernando Rodney.

The trio combined for just one hit — a one out seventh inning Curtis Granderson double off McGee. McGee, however, remedied the situation by retiring the following two batters, stranding Granderson in scoring position. Rodney also looked impressive in a 1-2-3 ninth, inducing a pair of pop-outs and a groundout to cull together his 30th save of the year.

On the offensive side of things, the Rays looked DOA against Sabathia until the sixth inning when they put a crooked number on the board. In the five innings prior, Tampa Bay put all of two runners on base; Evan Longoria who reached on a first inning double (he now has 14 extra base hits over his last 16 games), and Desmond Jennings who walked in the third. However things changed (for the better) in the bottom of the inning, and it all started with a Sam Fuld leadoff single to left. That was followed by another Desmond Jennings walk, putting a pair of speedy runners on the base paths, and setting up what was next. With the 3-1 green light, Ben Zobrist plated both Fuld and Jennings on a double to centerfield. Evan Longoria was next, singling Zobrist home to give the Rays a 3-2 lead — a lead they’d never relinquish. Longoria would tag on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, on a 419 foot solo blast to center field.

The New What Next

The Rays the Rays will go for the sweep today, as Alex Cobb takes the mound against Ivan Nova. Cobb has looked good in his two starts, allowing only two earned runs in 11 innings of work. You can read about the pitching matchup here.

Rays 8/25/13 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

  • Through June 22, Tampa Bay was in last place and 17-23 within the division. Since then, they’re 17-5 vs. the AL East and have risen to first place.
  • After a miserable July, Evan Longoria has put together a rather robust .284 BA/.361 OBP/.635 SLG/.996 OPS slash line in August, with 14 extra base hits (eight doubles, and six homers) 11 runs, and  12 RBI.
  • Roger Mooney of the Trib asserts, the Rays’ brutal stretch run proves a need for depth. Mooney went on to write,

    Friedman expects Crain to return from a right shoulder strain next month and become a valuable arm in the back of the bullpen. He expects Young to join the team Sept. 1 and be a productive bat in an offense that can always use a little more punch. He expects the left-handed swinging DeJesus to be a big piece against right-handed pitching and become another movable piece in manager Joe Maddon’s lineup.

    “We talked about it in July, our biggest focus was on augmenting our depth,” Friedman said before Friday’s win. “Essentially right now we have a 37-game season and we’re doing everything we can to put together the most talented team we can going down the stretch. The fact that we play 37 games in 38 days also factored in, something where us having as much depth as we could was important. In our minds this is arguably the deepest roster we’ve had.”

 

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Chris Archer, Rays Handcuff Yankees In 7-2 Win

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The outcome of Friday night’s meeting under the big top couldn’t have been better…well, that is unless you’re a Yankees fan. With Chris Archer at the helm, Tampa Bay handcuffed the Bronx Bummers by a score of 7-2, effectively deflating the big-headed behemoth that is the Yankees — a team that entered the Trop in the midst of a five game winning streak, also having won eight of their last 10. The icing on the cake: Tampa Bay starts the day percentage points in first place in the AL East, following a late night Red Sox loss to the Dodgers.

Rookie of the year candidate Chris Archer was outstanding, holding the Evil Empire to two runs on four hits (one a triple), allowing only six base runners to reach in seven innings of work. Archer kept the ball down and induced 10 groundouts, impressively getting the Yankees hitters to expand their zone and getting swings and misses in the borderline regions of the zone. Incidentally, Archer fed a fastball hungry Yankees 69 fastballs (39 for strikes, seven whiffs) to great effect, also leaning on a deadly slider which he threw 39 times (29 for strikes, five whiffs). The rookie RHP was the beneficiary of a few line drives hit to fielders — a credit to the spreadsheeters upstairs and in the dugout who had the fielders placed perfectly, ultimately robbing the Yankees of more than a few hits. Case in point, the seventh inning.

Archer found himself in an awkward position two outs in the inning. Though he’d pitched well, Archer was over 100 pitches and seemed to be tiring, missing the plate with his fastball and allowing back-to-back base runners on a walk and a single. With two men on and two outs, Chris Stewart hit a hard liner to deep left-field that looked like a double for sure. But the newly acquired David DeJesus ranged far back, and to his left, and snagged the ball just before crashing into the wall.

In fact, the night was full of excellent defensive plays. In the second inning, Yunel Escobar made an excellent play on an Eduardo Nunez chopper to short. He barehanded and threw, all in one motion, and got Nunez at first by half a step. A ridiculous play by all accounts, yet one that he’s been making all season. He made a similar play in the ninth to get the much less speedy Alex Rodriguez.

Then in the third, Archer allowed Brett Gardner to reach on a HBP. An eager Gardner took off for second and Curtis Granderson hit a liner to right that looked like it would drop. A charging Matt Joyce made a shoestring grab for the first out, and easily doubled Gardner off first. It should be mentioned, Jamey Wright picked off the eager Gardner in the eighth with a beautiful move to first before he came set.

Offensively speaking, Matt Joyce got things started in the second inning, reaching on a soft liner over A-Rod’s head. Kelly Johnson followed that up with a liner up the middle, setting the table for Jose Lobaton. With a hunger that can only be satiated by ice cream, Lobi jumped all over a hanging slider and bounced it off the right field foul pole, giving the Rays a 3-1 lead. Then in the bottom of the fourth, Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce went yard, hitting back-to-back homers to give Tampa Bay a 5-1 lead. As if three home runs weren’t enough, Ben Zobrist led off the fifth with a solo shot to left, giving the Rays a commanding six run lead — one they would not relinquish.

The New What Next

David Price will go for the series win against Grimmace in game two of the Rays current three-game set. Sabathia is the recipient of a +8 ERA and 24 earned runs against the Rays this season. You can read about the pitching match-up here.

Rays 8/24/13 Starting Lineup

Noteworthiness

  • Roberto Hernandez looked good in relief last night, putting together a 1-2-3 ninth inning on eight pitches. Ian Malinowski of DRaysBay summed up his outing well, “Some of you will doubtless be happy to know that the “Roberto Hernandez Experiment” (man do I hate that term) has come to an end. After providing over 130 innings of 3.50 xFIP starting pitching, Hernandez has now official joined the bullpen. He worked a one-two-three ninth inning, producing three groundouts. He didn’t gain anything on his velocity (it was in the low 90s) in this outing, but if he can adapt to the rhythms of being a reliever, he will be successful working his sinker/changeup combo to hitters on both sides of the plate. With Matt Moore apt to return soon, the bullpen just got stronger.”
  • Archer’s stripes are greater than the Yankees pinstripes: He is 3-0 with 1.23 ERA — the first rookie since Kevin Brown in ’89 with three wins in one season against the Yankees.
  • Ben Zobrist last night tied the Rays team record, held by Akinora Iwamura, of 75 straight errorless games at second base.
  • Tonight is the ninth meeting between Price and Sabathia. Price is 5-1 with a 2.35 ERA, and Rays have won 7-of-8 so far.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Yankees, Yet Another Series Preview

Ben Zobrist clears away teammates before making an out on a hit by Nick Markakis in the eighth inning on August 21, 2013. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Ben Zobrist clears away teammates before making an out on a hit by Nick Markakis in the eighth inning on August 21, 2013. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Rays will welcome the New York Yankees into the Trop once again, this time for a three game set. As with the last series, the Rays will try to hold their ground in the AL East, and the Yankees will attempt to stay relevant. The Evil Empire has gotten relatively hot, winning eight of their last 10 games, while the Rays are 6-4 in the same stretch.

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

Hiroki Kuroda: Per Rotowire, “Kuroda gave up five runs (three earned) on 11 hits and zero walks, while striking out six over 5.2 innings, in a loss to the Red Sox on Saturday.” The Rays have yet to face the Yankees 38 year-old RHP in 2013. Kuroda is 2-1 with a 6.11 ERA against Tampa Bay extending back to 2010. Kuroda has given up 14 runs (12 earned) in 17-1/3 innings of work in that span, while the Rays have tagged him for a .290 OBA. Key match-ups: Desmond Jennings (3-9, RBI), Kelly Johnson (7-19, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB), Matt Joyce (2-8, HR, RBI, BB), Jose Lobaton (2-6, 2 2B, 2 BB), Ben Zobrist (2 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB).

CC Sabathia: Per Rotowire, “Sabathia gave up six earned runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings Sunday against Boston. He walked five, struck out five, and picked up his 11th win of the year.” Capital L LOVE CC Sabathia…for all the obvious reasons. Key match-ups: Yunel Escobar (10-33, 4 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB), Sam Fuld (3-11, 3B, 3 RBI, BB), Kelly Johnson (5-15), James Loney (5-15, HR, 3 RBI), Evan Longoria (19-50, 5 2B, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 12 BB), Wil Myers (3-6, HR, 5 RBI), Sean Rodriguez (13-39, 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB).

Ivan Nova: Per Rotowire, “Nova pitched 6.1 innings of four-run ball to earn the win in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against Toronto. He gave up nine hits and two walks, striking out two.” Tampa Bay is 2-1 against Nova this season, though they’ve only tagged the Yankees RHP for four runs in 13-2/3 innings of work. Key match-ups: Desmond Jennings (6-19, 2B, 3B, BB), James Loney (4-6, BB), Wil Myers (2-7, 2B), Sean Rodriguez (5-12, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI).

Noteworthiness

  • Here here to Yahoo Sports, “Simply focused on trying to beat the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays won’t let the presence of Alex Rodriguez be a distraction during this key weekend series.” They went on to note, “Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon won’t feed the fire or tell his pitchers to intentionally throw at Rodriguez like Boston’s Ryan Dempster did Sunday. “Vigilante justice and unilateral decisions, I’m not into that stuff,” Maddon told the Rays’ official website. “That is totally separate from the unwritten rules of baseball.”
  • The Yankees have averaged 5.4 runs and hit 21 homers while batting .290 in 17 games since Rodriguez made his 2013 debut.
  • Tampa Bay has won six of eight overall and 18-of-23 at home.
  • Per Marc Topkin of the Times, “Despite the circus atmosphere accompanying the return of suspended-but-appealing 3B Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees actually are playing better (11-6 overall, 10 wins in their past 12), racking up runs and battling to get back into the playoff race. Plus, OF Curtis Granderson has returned from the disabled list, OF Alfonso Soriano has been a productive pickup, and INF/DH Mark Reynolds was added for depth. SS Derek Jeter could come off the DL on Saturday. The back of the bullpen, led by Mariano Rivera, can be dominant, leaving starting pitching as the primary concern, though the Yankees are using their three best this weekend: RHP Hiroki Kuroda, LHP CC Sabathia and RHP Ivan Nova.”
  • Tampa Bay leads the season series 7-6, while the Yankees lead 164-105 overall. New York is 64-77 at the Trop.

We’ll post more later.

 

 

Rays Acquire Delmon Young and David DeJesus

The Rays re-signed Delmon Young to a minor league deal Thursday. They also claimed David DeJesus off revocable waivers.
The Rays re-signed Delmon Young to a minor league deal Thursday. They also claimed David DeJesus off revocable waivers.

Update: It’s official, the Rays have acquired veteran outfielder David DeJesus from the Nationals for cash considerations or a player to be named later. He’s expected to join the team Friday. OF Jason Bourgeois has been DFA’d to make room for DeJesus on the roster. The Rays owe him $900 K of his $4.25 MM contract, and he has a $6.5 MM option for next season with a $1.5 MM buyout.

News broke that the Rays made a pair of acquisitions Thursday, re-signing Delmon Young to a minor league deal, while claiming David DeJesus off revocable waivers.

Young last played Aug. 8th, and he figures to need some at-bats in the Minors to get ready. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Young will head to Double-A Montgomery as opposed to Triple-A Durham for the time being, based on his own personal preference (cough, perhaps this is why). The 27-year-old was released by the Phillies last week and will now return to the organization that selected him first overall in the 2003 draft.

Young batted .261 BA/.302 OBP/.397 SLG/.697 OPS in 291 plate appearances with eight home runs and 31 RBI for the Phillies this season before being released. Originally drafted by Tampa Bay, Young played only one full season with the Rays before being traded to Minnesota in the trade that brought Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett to the Rays. Despite enjoying a strong season in Minnesota, Young has failed to translate the tools that made him the No. 1 overall pick into consistent Major League production. He’s a .283 BA/.316 OBP/.423 SLG/.739 OPS hitter in parts of eight big league seasons, however Young also grades out as one of baseball’s worst defenders in the outfield. That said, because of his success against left-handed pitchers Young could fit as part of a platoon at designated hitter.

The Rays acquired David DeJesus from the Nationals, who acquired him on Monday. DeJesus was and immediately placed on revocable waivers.

DeJesus is batting .248 BA/.328 OBP/.399 SLG/.727 OPS in 320 plate appearances this season. Nearly all of his damage has come against right-handed pitching, as evidenced by his .266 BA/.347 OBP/.440 SLG/.787 OPS/.346 wOBA batting line against opposite-handed pitching with 117 wRC+ this season, however he comes at a price — he is still owed about $1 MM to finish the season. Furthermore, his contract holds a $1.5 MM buy out for next season, should the Rays not be interested in his $6.5M contract.

Ian Malinowski of DRaysBay asserts, that, “DeJesus is a good baseball player with a good platoon split.”

I’d imagine that both may bide their time in the minors until the September roster expansion.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: On Jason Bourgeois

Jason Bourgeous celebrates with teammate Sam Fuld after hitting a home run in the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 21, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo courtesy Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Jason Bourgeous celebrates with teammate Sam Fuld after hitting a home run in the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 21, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo courtesy Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Another Hellickson start, another game where the previously dependable righty couldn’t make it past the fifth inning. The short version of his outing: Hellickson had issues with his command and couldn’t hit his spots. He, by all accounts, was slated to be pulled from the game in favor of Cesar Ramos two outs in the fourth, yet came back out in the fifth only to give up a Chris Davis solo shot to right — the second homer relinquished. Just another day in the life of Jeremy Hellickson.

As much as I’d like to harp on Hellickson or the Rays inconsistent offense that couldn’t get much started Wednesday night, I’m going to focus on something else, Jason Bourgeois — more specifically, why he’s still on the 25-man roster. He, after all, misplayed another ball in the outfield for the second time in three games. Though tonight’s fielding geek wouldn’t prove costly, and though he was fairly productive at the plate, I’d argue that he’s here (instead of Brandon Gomes who was sent down on the 20th) for a few reasons — the biggest being that he’s out of options and the Rays don’t want to lose organizational depth by running Bourgeois through waivers. One should consider the depth in Triple-A Durham. With Brandon Guyer on the DL, the Rays are left with career minor leaguer Rich Thompson, and Gary Busey lookalike Shelley Duncan.

Things were complicated by the addition of Luke Scott to the DL with lower back spasms. Had the Rays DFA’d Bourgeois in lieu of Brandon Gomes, Tampa Bay would be sitting with a nine man bullpen, and only three bench players. The question then begs: Why Bourgeois instead of Ryan Roberts?

Robert’s was previously DFA’d, yet continues to find himself in the Rays organization because he cleared waivers — an ironic situation when you consider that Tampa Bay would have to DFA Bourgeois to make room on the 25-man roster, at least prior to the September roster expansion. Nevertheless, Ryan Roberts is limited to playing in the infield (2B/3B) — positions that could largely be covered by the other utility players on the roster if necessary. Too, Bourgeois has better splits in Triple-A (.291 BA/.336 OBP/.371 SLG/.707 OPS/.321 wOBA vs. Ryan Roberts’ .223 BA/.312 OBP/.298 SLG/.611 OPS/.288 wOBA) and he is faster on the base paths — Bourgeois is 21-for-26 in stolen base attempts in Durham this season. I’d still prefer to see Leslie Anderson get a shot. But when given the option of choosing from the pack of Roberts, Bourgeois, Duncan, and Thompson, I’d gladly choose Bourgeois.

When all is said and done, I’d expect to see both Gomes and Roberts reactivated when the rosters expand on September 1st.