Jeremy Hellickson was sailing along — pitching five innings of two hit, no run, ball. Then in sixth inning after throwing 70 pitches…
The New What Next
Five’s the lucky number…right? Matt Moore will make his fifth consecutive attempt at win numero nueve Friday night, when he takes the mound against Luis Mendoza. The Rays have had success against Mendoza, and they’ll look to bounce back following their one run, six hit, embarrassment against Ervin Santana. You can read about the pitching matchup here.
Rays 6/14/13 Starting Lineup
Joyce RF
Zobrist 2B
Johnson 3B
Longoria DH
Loney 1B
Jennings CF
Fuld LF
Lobaton C
Escobar SS
Moore LHP
Noteworthiness
Evan Longoria will again be handling the DH duties and hitting fourth, while Kelly Johnson takes over at third and hitting third. Per Marc Topkin, “Longoria has some plantar fasciitis his in right foot. Could DH throughout the weekend, Maddon said.”
Former Ray James Shields was honored at the Trop prior to Thursday night’s game, and I’ve got to say that it was pretty cool. You can check out video from the tribute here. You can also see the tribute in its entirety here. Truth be told, it’s still really weird to see Juego G in Royals blue. Admittedly, I still get a bit choked up when I hear him call the Tampa Bay area his home.
Luke Scott had not one, but TWO HITS Thursday night.
What the fu…Elliot Johnson vs. Rays: 5-for-10, 2 HR, 4 RBI. Elliot Johnson vs. everyone else: 17-for-84 (.202), 0 HR, 3 RBI.
Tampa Bay optioned Jake Odorizzi to Triple-A Durham following his 3.1 IP/4 H/2 R/2 ER/2 BB/4 K/1 HR appearance in relief of Hellickson Thursday night. In turn, they reactivated Alex Cobb from the bereavement list. Cobb will make his previously scheduled start Saturday against Jeremy Guthrie.
We’ve put together/posted a pair of articles about the potential of Wil Myers getting called up in the near future. You can check them out here and here.
Apparently Chris Archer is getting some flack for his show of emotion Wednesday, after striking out Daniel Nava with the bases loaded to end the inning. Archer tweeted, “Oh, just to let everyone know, I was not “kissing my arm” after the AB against Nava. That would be a bit overboard.” In my opinion, Archer has no reason to apologize. He is an animated and passionate player, who was genuinely excited to get out of a jam unscathed. I’d argue that if anyone needs to apologize, it’s Koji Uehara for his mockery of Archer as he came off the mound, after striking out Longo on three pitches. Uehara lost a huge amount of respect for his public act of stupidity.
Chris Archer buries his head in his hands after giving up a two-run homer to Boston’s Daniel Nava in the third inning. (Photo courtesy of James Borchuck/Tampa Bay Times)
The Rays will brush off their shoulders after a disappointing series loss to the AL East leading Boston Red Sox. Let’s be clear about something before we move forward: Boston’s series win wasn’t predicated on some dominant force that shellacked Tampa Bay — after all, the Rays outscored the Sox 17-15. On the contrary, the Rays were their own worst enemy, going 6-for-31 wRISP in the three game series. In short, the Sox won because the BABIP luck dragons were nipping at the Rays heels. If you’re so inclined, you can read a blow-by-blow account of Wednesday night’s game at our Tumblr page. Moving forward, enter the Royals.
The Royals have cooled off since the last time the two teams faced off against one another, but don’t let that fact fool you — they’ve been hot of late. Kansas City has won nine of its last 15 games, taking three consecutive series from the Twins, Astros, and Tigers. However, they’ve only scored more than four runs in a game twice in that stretch, also averaging under three runs per game. Juxtapose that with the Rays who’ve averaged five runs per game in the same span, having also won nine of their last 15. Juego G won’t be making a homecoming appearance in this series, but Wade Davis and Elliot Johnson will.
Rays and Royals series startersRays and Royals offensive production at home, away, and over the last 14 daysRays and Royals by the numbers
Ervin Santana: Per Rotowire, “Santana cruised to his fourth win of the season on Saturday against the Astros, allowing two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over seven innings.” The Rays have had their way with Santana over the last three seasons, with the Royals 30-year old RHP posting a 1-2 record with a 6.61 ERA against Tampa Bay. Furthermore, the Rays have the opportunity to pounce on Santana who — prior to last Saturday — hasn’t won a game in five previous starts. That’s with a caveat of course — his W/L record isn’t reflective of his performance on the mound, rather it’s indicative of a lack of run support. Nevertheless, the Rays have posted a combined .286 BA/.343 OBP/.532 SLG/.875 OPS against Santana, with a handful of players doing exceedingly well in 126 total at-bats. Key match-ups: Yunel Escobar (7-17, 2B, 4 RBI, BB), Desmond Jennings (1-3, HR, RBI), Matt Joyce (4-14, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB), James Loney (5-14, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB), Evan Longoria (5-12, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB), Luke Scott (8-21, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB).
Luis Mendoza: Per Rotowire, “Mendoza tossed seven scoreless innings on four hits and one walk to go with three strikeouts Sunday, as Kansas City eked past Houston after his departure.” The Rays royally (pun intended) beat up on Mendoza back at the beginning of May, tagging him for six runs on seven hits, including three home runs. They, however, lost that game 9-8. Whatever the case, Tampa Bay has put up good numbers against Mendoza, posting a combined .341 BA/.392 OBP/.683 SLG/1.075 slash line, with seven extra base hits and 10 RBI in 41 total at-bats. Key match-ups: Kelly Johnson (3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB), Matt Joyce (3-5, 2B, HR, RBI, BB), James Loney (1-2, RBI), Evan Longoria (1-4, 3B), Sean Rodriguez (1-1, 2B), Luke Scott (3-4, HR, RBI), Ben Zobrist (1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB).
Jeremy Guthrie: Per Rotowire, “Guthrie won his seventh contest of the season Monday, holding the Tigers to two runs over 6.1 innings.” Historically, Guthrie also hasn’t had much success against Tampa Bay, going 4-5 with a 3.58 ERA since 2010. Though the current Rays have put up mediocre numbers against Guthrie, those that would be considered the more productive players have fared well. Key match-ups: Desmond Jennings (1-4), Matt Joyce (10-27, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB), Evan Longoria (11-36, 5 2B, HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB), Sean Rodriguez (2-7, HR, 2 RBI), Ben Zobrist (10-31, 3 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 BB).
Wade Davis: Per Rotowire, “Davis gave up six runs on 10 hits with no walks and eight strikeouts against the Rangers on Friday.” Welcome home, WD40. I think we’re all familiar with what Davis has to offer. The skinny behind Davis this season: when he’s pitched well, the Royals have won. And when he hasn’t, they haven’t. That, of course, is an over generalization. But for the most part, it’s been the rule not the exception. As you’d imagine, only five Rays have any experience against Davis, while only two have been productive. Key match-ups: Yunel Escobar (8-21, 2 2B, RBI, 4 BB), Kelly Johnson (2-8, 3B, 3 BB).
Noteworthiness
Kansas City (30-33) has lost seven of eight at Tropicana Field while getting limited to a .199 average and 14 runs.
Kansas City has a fair amount of swagger heading into the opener of a seven-game trip after taking two of three from Detroit.
Kansas City starters own a 1.90 ERA over the last eight games while the pen has given up one run over its last 25-2/3 innings. A caveat for the Royals, Santana’s 6.84 ERA at Tropicana Field is his third-worst mark at any AL ballpark, and he’s 2-5 in nine starts there.
Helly hasn’t lost since April 25, but that’s mostly because of a 6.86 run support average that ranks among baseball’s best. He’s 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA in three starts against the Royals, yielding four runs over five innings in a 9-3 loss May 1.
Speaking of the Royals, the Rays acquired a prospect named Wil Myers before the start of the season. Maybe you’ve heard of him? Anyway, we’ve put together/posted a pair of articles about the potential of he getting the call up in the near future. You can check them out here and here.
A friend of X-Rays Spex penned the piece below and was gracious enough to let me re-post it here. Let me predicate things by saying there hasn’t been a need for Wil Myers on the 25-man roster, nor has there been room. However as the season progresses, and the offense ebbs and flows, holes have opened up (at least on paper) showing where he could benefit the Rays at the plate. That still doesn’t detract from the fact to that you’d have to shuffle players around, or release someone from his contract in order to make room for Myers. That said, in light of Luke Scott’s 7-for-59 woes at the plate, the call for Myers has ratcheted up 10-fold. Perhaps it’s time to end the Scott experiment, and bring Myers to the bigs? Ian touches on all things Wil Myers below.
By, Ian Welsh
That time Rays fans have been looking forward to all season is fast approaching. The deadline the Rays have waited for, Wil Myers Major League debut. But it isn’t as simple as bringing him up and giving him a uniform. The Rays have been on the positive side of the offensive coin the last month and a half. And the pitching is starting to settle down a bit. A groove is being hit and the team has started to meld. And there is a bigger issue than chemistry. There is ZERO room for Myers. He was converted from a catcher to an outfielder. And the outfield is packed. He has no where to go. He’s played several games at third base, including 13 last season. So baring injury, the only possible solution is to make him a bench player. But who gets sent down?
Well there are four candidates immediately, all of them bench players.
Sean Rodriguez has options left, and has been sparingly used this season as a platoon player. But even in platoon situations he hasn’t been platooned. He’s hitting .250 over 79 plate appearances. At his best clip at 33 games in his career. He’s cut down his strike outs and raised his OBP. He comes with the ability to play multiple positions in the infield and outfield, and he’s able to play them well. He also provides speed as a pinch runner. I would count on him staying.
Sam Fuld would be a candidate but he’s too valuable for his defense and speed that Maddon would never expose him to waivers. He has no options left and team would definitely pick him up. He won’t be moved.
Luke Scott is a factor that could get sent down or released. He has been very streaky, and on the bad side of it. He started off spring training on a positive note. But after his stint on the DL that changed. He would also most likely be picked up on waivers. But the Rays could make up for that if he does with Duncan and Anderson if Myers finds a spot elsewhere. Because I doubt the Rays would use him straight out of the gate as a DH.
Ryan Roberts also has options left. He has the ability to play a few positions in the infield, especially fill in for Longoria, but he doesn’t do any of that exceptionally well. He also is less than appealing offensively. So he seems like the weakest link. And he has options left. He would be my candidate to get sent down.
The team could instruct him to catch a few games in Durham and see how that plays out. If anything they could release Molina or some other move, but this is highly unlikely seeing as Myers has sat behind the plate since 2010.
But none of this makes any room for Myers in his specific position. Unless Zobrist or Johnson is moved back to the infield. Myers can’t play second, and it wouldn’t be worth bringing him up to platoon him. So the chess game that is Myers will continue until Maddon can find his checkmate.
Noteworthiness
“MYERS MYERS MYERS MYERS MYERS -PLS GET @wilmyers ticket from Durham IMMEDIATELY – Let’s Win AL East!” Dick Vitale on Wil Myers via Twitter. Granted I think he could ditch a couple “MYERS” so he’d have more characters to play with, I get what old Dickie V is saying.
Eats your heart out, Sammy! Sean Rodriguez steals an extra base hit bid from Shane Victorino, ending the Red Sox half of the fifth inning Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times)
After the first inning of Tuesday night’s match-up between the Rays and the Red Sox, a favorable outcome for Tampa Bay — and an excellent outing by Roberto Hernandez, who will endearingly be referred to as Robo from here on out — certainly didn’t seem in the cards. But as Joe Maddon mentioned in his post-game presser, Robo got better as the game went on, and the Rays were able to score in each of the front six innings, rolling to a big 8-3 victory against the Red Sox.
Jacoby Ellsbury quickly started things off for the Sox, sending a 1-0 base hit to left field, then stealing second to get into scoring position. Shane Victorino moved him to third on a single to right, and every Rays fan at the Trop collectively sighed, here we go again. Dustin Pedroia was next, plating a run on a sac-fly that stayed in play just long enough for Ben Zobrist to reach. With a runner on the bags, only one out, and the Red Sox on the verge of pouring it on, Robo was able to strike out David Ortiz and induce a ground-out of Mike Napoli to third to end the inning — but not before he threw 24 pitches.
After a 1-2-3 second inning, the Red Sox would again attempt to pour it on in the third, tagging Robo for a pair of runs on a two-out Mike Napoli single to center. But Robo’s flash of quality in the second, was indicative of what was to come; Hernandez righted the ship, while another narrative was in play — one that was rich in irony. Robo ultimately bested Jon Lester.
While Robo quietly put together a good outing, the Rays hitters were able to rattle a locationally challenged Jon Lester. Seemingly unable to find the zone, Lester had a difficult with locating his off speed pitches — especially down and away. The scoring went a little something like this: Tampa Bay plated a run in the first on a two out bases loaded walk, another in the second when Desmond Jennings unloaded a 422 ft solo shot to center, two in the third on a pair of Ryan Roberts and Jose Molina base hits, one in the fourth on a Evan Longoria solo shot to right — just out of the reach of Shane Victorino, and three in the fifth thanks to a massive two-run 425 ft Matt Joyce blast to right, and another DesJen solo shot to left (Editors note: four seats to my right) off Jose De La Torre who came on in relief of Lester.
Robo went on to post a 7 IP/3 H/3 R/2 ER/2 BB/7 K slash line, throwing 122 pitches (77 for strikes). From the last out of the third inning until the sixth, Hernandez would retire eight in a row — impressively striking out the side (two swinging) in the fourth. Robo sailed for the better part of his outing, throwing zero after zero onto the scoreboard.
Despite tossing 117 pitches, Joe Maddon elected send Hernandez back onto the mound in the eighth inning. What followed was a thing of beauty. After getting ahead of Dustin Pedroia, Robo plunked the Chris Elliot lookalike on a 1-2 pitch, feigning a reaction as the ball connected with Pedroia. As Gareth Rees of DRaysBay put it,
“Though the drilling seemed innocent enough, I would not be surprised if Hernandez’s over the top reaction to the mistake pitch was a cover for a bit of deliberate retaliation.”
Joel Peralta entered the game with a pair of runners on the bags and no outs in the eighth, retiring the next three batters on a strikeout, a come backer, and fly-out to center. Jake McGee came on in the ninth, getting Ross to pop-out to center, Iglesias to strikeout swinging on a 97 MPH fastball, and Victorino to pop out to Yunel Escobar to close out the game.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge David Ross’s errant throw in the seventh. Ross attempted to gun down Matt Joyce who was en route to stealing second, yet threw the ball well over the head of Pedrioa. Ross’s throw was so bad, manager Jon Farrell had to make sure Ross wasn’t injured. Joyce consequently moved to third on the over throw.
Furthermore
The Rays hit four or more homers in back to back games, for the first time in franchise history, Monday and Tuesday night.
The team struggled mightily with runners on the base paths. Robo had a hard time holding runners, giving the Red Sox easy base stealing opportunities. On the other side of things, two Rays got picked off and found themselves in a run down after some poor reads.
The New What Next
The Rays have the opportunity to gain a game on the Red Sox in the rubber match of the series Wednesday. Chris Archer will butt heads (let’s hope not literally) against Alfredo “The Eyes of Satan” Aceves. Franklin Morales was initially scheduled to pitch, but the Red Sox had to use him in the marathon game. You can read about Archer here. We’ll post the starting lineup when it becomes available.
Rays 6/12/13 Starting Lineup
1. Matt Joyce RF
2. Ben Zobrist 2B
3. Kelly Johnson LF
4. Evan Longoria 3B
5. James Loney 1B
6. Desmond Jennings CF
7. Luke Scott DH
8. Jose Lobaton C
9. Yunel Escobar SS
SP Alex Cobb
Noteworthiness
Per the Tator Trot Tracker, “Sunday, Joyce’s pre-beaning trot was 21.89 secs. Monday his trot was 22.32 secs. A lesser man would’ve slowed down.”
I was tasked with doing a little internet sleuthing by my cousin, on the subject of Evan Longoria and home runs. Okay Bobby, here you go: Longo has posted a .281 BA/.342 OBP/.525 SLG/.867 OPS slash line, with six homers and six RBI when the bases are empty. His numbers spike with runners aboard, posting a .333 BA/.383 OBP/.553 SLG/.935 OPS slash line, with six homers and 32 RBI. His numbers spike once more wRISP, posting a .339 BA/.403 OBP/.518 SLG/.921 OPS slash line with two homers and 23 RBI. He, however, hasn’t been that dependable in high leverage situations, posting a .238 BA/.333 OBP/.381 SLG/.714 OPS slash line, with only a single homer and five RBI.
