Looking Backward While Moving Forward: The “That Was A Disappointing Loss” Edition (Part Deux)

I think we all feel like this right about now. (Photo courtesy of Associated Press)
I think we all feel like this right about now. (Photo courtesy of Associated Press)

Sunday was one of those days where it was very easy to get down on the Rays. With the hope that Tampa Bay could rectify things after a disappointing 2-1 loss to the Red Sox Saturday, Tampa Bay didn’t get a hit off a masterful Clay Buchholz until the eighth inning. And even though they had ample opportunity to score runs against Buchholz and the Red Sox, they again settled for subpar numbers wRISP, this time going 0-6.

Before I continue, I have to give credit where it’s due. See, sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the forest from the trees, especially after seven innings of no hit baseball. It would be too easy to blame Tampa Bay’s hitters for not getting the job done. And to a degree it was their fault, after all they were the ones that couldn’t figure out Buchholz. However, Buchholz deserves credit, he was masterful. Ultimately posting an 8 IP/2 H/o R/0 ER/4 BB/11 K slash line on 109 pitches (69 for strikes), Buchholz kept the Rays off-balance for the entirety of his outing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not giving the Rays offense a pass. But when both of the Rays best hitters struggled at the plate, going a combined 0-5 with two walks against Buchholz, proof is in the pudding — Buchholz dealt.

Now that that’s out of the way, I’ve got two words for you: Rays offense. I’ve got one more word: oof.

The Rays have only two hits in the last 13 innings. Furthermore, they have scored only eight runs in the last six games, while going 27 of 178 (.152 BA). Then consider that Tampa Bay is last in the AL in homers (4) and runs batted in (31). They’re also 25th in batting average. (.221), and 28th in slugging (.306). To put things into perspective a bit, the Miami Marlins are ahead of the Rays both in hits and triples.

Seven players are hitting below the Mendoza Line: James Loney (.192), Shelley Duncan (.192), Sean Rodriguez (.167), Matt Joyce (.133), Yunel Escobar (.105) and Sam Fuld (.091). I know what you might be saying, batting average isn’t everything. However, their slugging and on base percentages aren’t anything to write home about either.

If Buchholz’s outing did anything, it magnified the Rays inability to string together consistent at-bats. Look at the bright side, at least the pitching staff is starting to normalize.

Rays 4/15/13 Starting Lineup:

Jennings CF
Zobrist RF
Longoria 3B
Joyce LF
Roberts 2B
Loney 1B
Escobar SS
Lobaton C
Johnson DH
Hellickson RHP

Noteworthiness:

  • Cough…following the recently broken streak of sellouts at Fenway, the question begs: When is the city of Boston going to build the Red Sox a new tax payer subsidized facility? I also can’t help but wonder if the ownership wants to move the BoSox out of Boston, or if MLB wants to contract the team? Seriously, this buzz-kill lack of fan support is really disgusting.
  • Zobrist and Longoria are again back-to-back, hitting second and third in the lineup.
  • The Rays’ are 3-0 in Patriots’ Day match-ups. Kansas City is the only other team that is undefeated on Patriots’ Day (1-0). Last season, James Shields and Fernando Rodney combined on a 1-0, four-hit win. In 2010, Jeff Niemann defeated John Lackey, 8-2, and in 1999, Rolando Arrojo defeated Bret Saberhagen, 4-1. The Rays have allowed only three runs in 27 innings and held the Red Sox to a .167 average on Patriots’ Day.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: The “That Was A Disappointing Loss” Edition

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 13: David Price #14 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after his catcher Jose Molina #28 was treated for a minor injury in the fifth inning at Fenway Park on April 13, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 13: David Price #14 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after his catcher Jose Molina #28 was treated for a minor injury in the fifth inning at Fenway Park on April 13, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Let’s sum up Saturday’s game as a series of bulleted observations:

  • Price looked much better. Forget for a second that he walked two batters and allowed five base runners to reach with two outs in every inning except the fourth, Price posted a 6.0 IP/4 H/1 R/1 ER/2 BB/8 K/1 HR slash line on 106 pitches (69 for strikes), leaning primarily on his two-seam fastball, a deadly changeup (89% for strikes), his curveball and his cutter.
  • Excepting the last game of the Indians series and the front two games of the Rangers series, the Rays pitching looks like it’s falling into place. Saturday was no different. Jake McGee, Joel Peralta, Kyle Farnsworth, Cesar Ramos, and Brandon Gomes teamed up for 3-1/3 innings of three hit, one run, one walk, three strikeout baseball. And before you blame Gomes for the loss, consider that Jose Lobaton made a horrendous stab at throwing out Jacoby Ellsbury at second, resulting in an error and a runner at third. Also consider that Yunel Escobar’s mishandling of the game winning Shane Victorino infield hit — with five men in the infield, mind you — cost the Rays the game.
  • Offense, or lack thereof. Tampa Bay had ample opportunity the beat up on Jon Lester and the Red Sox, yet — as the saying goes — they couldn’t pull the trigger. The Rays had runners in scoring position in the first, second, third, ninth, and tenth innings, yet they couldn’t cash in on those opportunities, ultimately going 0-11 wRISP. To add insult to injury, Tampa Bay is now three for their last 36 in wRISP opportunities.
  • In 34 official at-bats, Yunel Escobar has four hits, a pair of runs, and a pair of runs batted in. He’s struck out nine times, and grounded into two double plays. He’s primarily kept the ball on the ground when he’s made contact, resulting in out-after-out. Escobar is now 4-34 at the plate.
  • To be fair, Escobar is but one player. His performance at the plate is a good metaphor for the Rays offense overall. I can’t help but wonder when this new and improved offense is going to show any semblance of anything other than mediocrity. Take into consideration that are dead last in the AL in Homers (4), RBI (31), batting average (.227) and in total bases. At 94 total bases, the Rays are the only team still in double digits.

  • Well put, “We have to really start to become unselfish,” third baseman Evan Longoria said. “Even if it’s the 2-3-4 guys in the lineup, if we’re not producing runs, if you’re not up there swinging the bat hot, hitting the ball out of the ballpark or driving the ball in the gap and producing runs that way, then it might be time to start thinking about doing the little things that we’ve done to be successful — just moving the guy, trying to make a conscious effort to hit the ball the other way or lay down a bunt, whatever it is.

The New What Next:

The Rays, who have lost four of five, will have to find a way to generate some runs against a very tough Clay Buchholz. Tampa Bay has scored just four runs in their last three games, going 0 for their last 17 with runners in scoring position.

Alex Cobb (1-0, 0.00) will take the mound Sunday. Cobb is coming off a really good start against the Indians, throwing 7-1/3 innings of shutout baseball in a 6-0 home win. Furthermore, Cobb has won his last three outings while allowing just two runs in 19-1/3 innings dating back to last season. One of those victories came in a 4-2 win last September at Fenway, where he’s 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two career starts.

Rays 4/14/13 Starting Lineup:

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

Noteworthiness:

  • Jose Molina is back in the lineup for the second consecutive day.
  • With Fuld getting the start in right-field, Ben Zobrist will platoon at second, hitting second behind Desmond Jennings,

Rays 4/13/13 Starting Lineup, Etc

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The Tampa Bay Rays snap back into action Saturday, following the postponement of Friday evening’s game due to inclement weather. As we noted Friday, the Rays shuffled their starting rotation around because of the rainout. The pitching match-ups now look like this: Price vs. Lester on Saturday, Cobb vs. Buchholz on Sunday, and Hellickson vs Dempster on Monday.

Rays 4/13/13 Starting Lineup:

Jennings CF
Rodriguez 1B
Longoria 3B
Zobrist RF
Duncan DH
Escobar SS
Roberts 2B
Molina C
Joyce LF
Price LHP

Noteworthiness:

  • Evan Longoria is batting third in the lineup for the first time this season, in front of Ben Zobrist.
  • DH Luke Scott (right calf strain) ran in the outfield and is hoping to run the bases Saturday.
  • Friday’s rainout will be made up June 18th as the first game of what now will be a day-night doubleheader.
  • Most of the Rays went out to Fenway Park to work out in some form Friday even though they knew the game was postponed.
  • Saturday’s game is the first of their five on Fox, while Sunday’s game will be nationally televised on TBS.
  • A tweet from the official MLB twitter account: “Freaky Friday at Wrigley: Dioner Navarro leads off 9th with homer for @Cubs and we’re tied 3-3.” Freaky Friday, indeed.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Red Sox

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The Rays pose in their letterman jackets (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays make their way into Boston for a four game wrap-around series against the Red Sox, following a series salvaging 2-0, five hit, shutout of the Texas Rangers Wednesday, in Arlington. Matt Moore did not have the most sparkling of outings, posting a 5.1 IP/1 H/0 R/0 ER/6 BB/5 K slash line on 106 pitches (54 for strikes). However I’ve got to hand it to him, Moore held a dangerous Rangers team to only one hit, making big pitches to get out of jams he got himself into. Moore, Cesar Ramos, Jake McGee and Joel Peralta kept the Rays in the game long enough for Fernando Rodney to come in and shut the door on the Rangers on 15 pitches, (10 for strikes) saving his first game of the year.

Offensively speaking, Tampa Bay’s average runs scored (per game) dropped once more, this time to 2.3. Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist continue their streak of timely hitting, though the rest of the team is leaving a lot to be desired. Perhaps Felix Doubront can offer that spark to help the Rays snap out of their offensive doldrums. The Rays have beaten him up in the past, so only time will tell.

The AL East is as unpredictable as ever. The Red Sox — unexpectedly — charged out the gate to start the season, going 5-2 in the first seven games. The Rays have had a hard time steadying the course and staying consistent, giving up 27-of-44 runs with two outs. The Sox dropped the last two to the O’s, while the Rays are coming off a hard fought win. One thing is certain, this should be a compelling four game set.

Rays and Red Sox series starting pitchers
Rays and Red Sox series starters
Rays and Red Sox 2013 offensive production
Rays and Red Sox 2013 offensive production
By the numbers
By the numbers

Note: With the cancellation of Friday night’s game, the pitching matchups for the series will now be: Price vs. Lester on Saturday, Cobb vs. Buchholz on Sunday, and Hellickson vs Dempster on Monday. Say what you will about the Trop, but if there was a roof on Fenway…

  • Jon Lester: Tough lefty Jon Lester (2-0, 1.50 ERA) is off to a good start in 2013. Lester has never been a friend to the Rays, though Tampa Bay has done a good job of figuring him out over the last few seasons. Lester’s posted a 6-8 record since 2009, with a plus 4.00 ERA in ’09, ’11, and ’12. Nevertheless, Tampa Bay has posted a paltry .218 BA/.310 OBP/.315 SLG/.694 OPS slash line in 197 at-bats. The Rays have made a habit out of not producing against lefties, though a few have done well against Lester. It’ll be interesting to see if they can knock him around like they did in 2012 when he went 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA against Tampa Bay. Key match-ups: Shelley Duncan (4-13, 2 2B, RBI, 2BB), Yunel Escobar (7-23, 2 RBI, 3 BB), Desmond Jennings (3-12, 2 2B, BB), Jose Molina (5-15, 2 BB), Ben Zobrist (8-35, 2 2B, HR), 6 RBI, 6 BB).
  • Clay Buchholz: The Red Sox will throw Clay Buchholz on the mound for Sunday’s match-up. Buchholz is another tough lefty that Tampa Bay has had a hard time with. Coming off his second win of the season, Buchholz is sporting a disgusting 0.64 ERA at the moment. Similar to Lester, Tampa Bay was successful in beating up on Buchholz in 2012 (1-3, 3.99 ERA), though that’s about it. Only able to tag the Red Sox LHP for 40 hits in 179 at-bats, the Rays have a combined .223 BA/.327 OBP/.335 SLG/.662 OPS slash line against Buchholz with more strikeouts (42) than RBI (18). Key match-ups: Yunel Escobar (3-12, HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB), Sam Fuld (1-2, 2B, RBI), Matt Joyce (6-18, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB), Jose Molina (7-17, 2B, 4 RBI, BB), Sean Rodriguez (3-10, 2B, RBI).
  • Ryan Dempster: The Rangers answer to the Angels 2012 acquisition of Zach Greinke, the Red Sox picked up Ryan Dempster in the off-season. Dempster’s spent most of his career in the NL, so most of the current Rays haven’t faced him. Those that have certainly haven’t put up good numbers, posting a .156 BA/.327 OBP/.335 SLG/.662 OPS slash line in 45 at-bats, with two doubles, a triple, two RBI’s, and seven walks.

Noteworthiness:

  • Weather concerns: Friday night’s game has been postponed due to inclement weather. The makeup date hasn’t been announced yet, possibly in June.
  • The Red Sox lead 150-109 overall, and are 83-46 at Fenway. It bears mentioning, the Rays have not lost a season series since 2007.
  • After starting the season strong, Red Sox ace (har-har) John Lackey has been placed on the 15-day DL with Slack Jaw Syndrome…urm, a right biceps strain.
  • Jonny Gomes is 10-for-29 (.345) with three homers and a 1.181 OPS in eight games against the Rays.
  • Key Red Sox additions/new faces: C Mike Napoli, RHP Ryan Dempster, Jonny Gomes, Jackie Brantley Jr, and Shane Victorino.

 

 

 

 

 

Rays Drop Another, Look to Right the Ship

Matt Joyce grimaces after striking out in the first inning against Rangers starter Nick Tepesch, who pitches effectively into the eighth inning in his major-league debut.
Matt Joyce grimaces after striking out in the first inning against Rangers starter Nick Tepesch, who pitches effectively into the eighth inning in his major-league debut.

There isn’t much that can be said following Tuesday night’s disappointing loss to the Rangers. Too bad there wasn’t a controversial call to blame the it on. I guess we’ll just have to go back to the old standard of blaming things on an anemic offense that couldn’t, again, get the job done.

From a pitching perspective, the outcome was a game of inches, noted Rays skipper Joe Maddon, “Frustrating night,” Maddon said. “We lost the battle of inches today. That’s what I was thinking about in the dugout. … That happens sometimes.” The game — more or less –could be defined as a series of bloops, bleeders and slow rollers that found Roberto Hernandez on the wrong side of the outcome. Hernandez (0-2) was charged with six runs (five earned) after allowing eight hits, though only two or three were well-struck.

The real story of the night was an anemic offense that’s struggled throughout this young season, averaging under four runs per game. Nick Tepesch, the Rangers 24 year-old RHP, gave up only two hits through the first seven innings, and four hits total. Of the Rays hits only four left the infield.

As Marc Topkin put it,

“A week into the season, the Rays (3-5) haven’t shown many signs of the improved offense they were expecting, averaging less than four runs a game.”

The pitching hasn’t been hot either, giving up 27 of 44 total runs on two outs.

Coming off a good first start, Matt Moore and the Rays will try to salvage what has been a disappointing start to a long 10-game road trip. A battle of lefties, Matt Moore will butt heads with Derek Holland who the Rays have had some success against in the past. Let’s hope they can right the ship Wednesday afternoon, leaving Arlington for Boston with a getaway win. As always, Let’s Go Rays!

Rays 4/10/13 Starting Lineup:

Jennings CF
Rodriguez LF
Longoria DH
Zobrist RF
Duncan 1B
Escobar SS
Roberts 3B
Lobaton C
Johnson 2B
Moore LHP

By the Numbers:

  • 27 of the 44 runs Tampa Bay has given up have come with two outs.
  • Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria have been the Rays offensive engine, going 20-for-56 with two doubles, a home run, 10 RBI’s (36% of the teams RBI’s), seven walks, and nine strikeouts. Together they’ve put up a .357 BA and a .660 SLG.
  • The rest of the team, on the other hand, has gone 38-for-195 with nine doubles, three home runs, 18 RBI’s, 19 walks, and 35 strikeouts. All this has come with a combined .195 BA and .303 SLG. Oof.
  • Tampa Bay is now 0-10 with the bases loaded (0-12 extending to 2012) following an early Kelly Johnson strikeout Tuesday night.
  • The Rays have posted a combined .241 BA/.366 OBP/.345 SLG/.711 OPS slash line with runners in scoring position. What’s more, they’ve posted a 12.5% K/16.7% BB/40.0% GB/38.0% FB/1.26 GB to FB line wRISP.

Noteworthiness: