Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Blank the Indians…Again

Desmond Jennings, showing off his football skills, plows into catcher Lou Marson trying to beat a throw in the third inning. Jennings is out, Marson later leaves with a neck strain, and, the Rays believe, Evan Longoria is hit by a pitch in retaliation. DANIEL WALLACE | Times
Desmond Jennings, showing off his football skills, plows into catcher Lou Marson trying to beat a throw in the third inning. Jennings is out, Marson later leaves with a neck strain, and, the Rays believe, Evan Longoria is hit by a pitch in retaliation. (Daniel Wallace/Times)

The Rays shutout the Cleveland Indians for the second consecutive day by a score of 6-0 in front of a loud 32,217 attendees at Tropicana Field Saturday. Alex Cobb pitched an impressive outing, pitching into the eighth inning while allowing only four hits. The Rays recorded back-to-back shutouts for the just the second time since 2008 and the sixth time in franchise history.

Cobb posted a 7.1 IP/4 H/0 R/0 ER/3 BB/6 K slash line, keeping the Indians hitters off-balance while pitching out of the few jams he got himself into. Joel Peralta and Cesar Ramos were also impressive, combining for 1-2/3 innings of one hit baseball to close out the eighth and ninth innings.

Two big narratives dominated the game Saturday: The jarring collision between Indians catcher Lou Marson and Desmond Jennings, and the subsequent plunking of Evan Longoria in retaliation.

Marson left the game in the fourth inning with a cervical-neck strain after Jennings slammed into Marson. He was able to hold onto third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall’s throw. “It was clean,” Marson said. “He got me pretty good. He had nowhere to go. I had the plate blocked pretty good, but it’s just my neck is a little sore.”

Both benches were warned by the umpires in the seventh inning when Cody Allen hit Evan Longoria in the buttocks with a pitch. Joe Maddon and the Rays felt the play was intentional, though Maddon went out of his way to absolve the Indians manager Terry Francona of any blame.

“I was actually cleaning my glasses at the time, so I didn’t see it firsthand,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “So then I heard about it, and it’s pretty much a consensus opinion that he did it intentionally. However, I will say one thing unequivocally, I know it did not come from Tito (Francona). He would not do that.

“I know it was a clean baseball play that did not deserve that kind of retaliation,” Maddon added. “The concern that they should have over there is that’s how you get players hurt on your team. For me, it had to come from one of the players, and I would absolutely point to the bullpen.”

Questions whether there may be some blowback Sunday linger, and it will be interesting to see how both teams handle themselves on the field.

Offensively speaking, Tampa Bay left a lot to be desired. The Rays didn’t do much to take advantage of Trevor Bauer’s inability to throw strikes. Tampa Bay got only one run when Bauer walked the first four batters, and none when he put three on in the third. Hitless into the fourth, Tampa Bay went 3-14 wRISP Saturday, only converting one run on four bases loaded scenarios.

Tampa Bay will face the Indians one last time Sunday at Tropicana Field before they head out on an eleven day road trip, taking them into Arlington, Boston and Baltimore. Rays ace David Price will get the start on the bump opposite of Justin Masterson. Price is in position to help the Rays make history after both Matt Moore and Alex Cobb held the Indians to no runs and seven hits through the first two games of this series.

Cleveland has managed nine hits while being outscored 16-0 in the last three meetings with Tampa Bay dating back to last season — a stretch that began July 19, when Price allowed two hits and struck out seven in seven innings of a 6-0 home win.

Rays 4/7/13 Starting Lineup:

Jennings CF
Fuld RF
Zobrist 2B
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Escobar SS
Joyce LF
Lonaton C
Johnson DH
Price LHP

Looking Backward While Looking Forward: Rays Take the Tribe 4-0

Sam Fuld beats the throw to Indians catcher Carlos Santana on Ben Zobrist’s fifth-inning double. Desmond Jennings also scores on the play, putting the Rays ahead 4-0. (Chris Zuppa/Times)
Sam Fuld beats the throw to Indians catcher Carlos Santana on Ben Zobrist’s fifth-inning double. Desmond Jennings also scores on the play, putting the Rays ahead 4-0. (Chris Zuppa/Times)

The Tampa Bay Rays took the first game of a three game set against the Cleveland Indians by a score of 4-0 Friday night at Tropicana Field. There was a lot to like Friday, which I’ve culled together below.

  • Pitching, pitching, pitching. The Rays pitchers, led by the young lefty Matt Moore, looked outstanding Friday night. Moore, Jake McGee, Brandon Gomes, and Joel Peralta combined to strike out eleven batters while giving up only two hits and two walks. The aforementioned pitchers were able to retire the last 17 batters in a row, not giving up a hit or a walk after the fourth inning.
  • Speaking of Matt Moore, he wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination — his fastball only hit 95 mph a couple of times in his six inning, 100 pitch (59 for strikes) outing, and he lost command in the third and fourth innings. However, he was dominant overall, ultimately posting a 6 IP/2 H/0 R/0 ER/2 BB/8 K slash line. Moore threw 18 changeups, 22 curves, and 60 fastballs, throwing both secondary pitches for strikes. And when he wasn’t able to strike out a particular batter, he induced light, awkward contact for easy outs. If not for his lapses in the third and fourth innings, Moore could have gone a bit deeper into the game. If this outing was one that Moore could build upon, this promises to be an exciting season for the young LHP.
Moore's pitch F/X in the third and fourth innings. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Moore’s pitch F/X in the third and fourth innings (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Matt Moore inning-by-inning (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Matt Moore pitching statistics. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Matt Moore pitching statistics (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
  • Sometimes bad things happen and we’re better because of it. Case in point, Jeff Niemann goes on the DL and Brandon Gomes gets recalled. Gomes worked the eighth inning, retiring three batters in order on 10 pitches (seven for strikes).
  • The Rays weren’t perfect at the plate, not getting their first hit until the third, and not pushing a runner across the plate until the fourth. However, I’m impressed that they’ve been able make adjustments the second and third times through the order. Last night was no different. Ben Zobrist came up, going 2-3 with a run and three RBI. Tampa Bay was able to keep their foot on the throat on a struggling Zach McAllister, keeping him off-balance for the duration of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. The Indians righty looked like he might unravel at any moment, and the Rays took full advantage of the pitcher who was struggling with his location.
  • Sam Fuld led off the fourth inning with a single to center and was subsequently driven home on a Ben Zobrist double to deep right. After moving over to third on an Evan Longoria single, Zobrist was driven home by Yunel Escobar on a productive ground out to short. Then with two outs in the fifth, Desmond Jennings came back from an 0-2 count to reach base on a Mike Aviles error. Sam Fuld followed Jennings by slapping a single to right field, moving him to third. Ben Zobrist followed that up by hitting his second RBI double of the night — a shot to the right field corner — scoring both Jennings and Fuld.

The New What Next:

Alex Cobb gets the start on the bump Saturday night in his highly anticipated first start of the year. Cobb is pitching opposite of the highly regarded 22-year-old RHP Trevor Bauer, who’s getting the start in lieu of Scott Kazmir. Bauer was knocked around in four major league starts last year, going 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA. The righty struck out 17 over 16 1/3 innings but issued 13 walks. Cobb — who looked very good in Spring Training, posting a 2.81 ERA and striking out 28 over 25 2/3 innings — enters 2013 with high expectations after compiling a 7-1 record and 3.09 ERA over his final 11 starts last year.

Rays 4/6/13 Starting Lineup:

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

Noteworthiness:

  • While Chris Davis has been lauded as a monster at the plate, Ben Zobrist has quietly been a monster in his own right, going 7 for 15 with a homer and seven RBI in this very young 2013 season.
  • Repost: We’d love to put together some X-Rays Spex Rays game viewing parties/group meet-ups. The only problem; we haven’t a clue of any locations that you, dear reader, frequent — ones that would be hospitable to such activities. That’s where you come in! What spots do you frequent around the Bay Area? Is your spot suitable for such activities? Personally, I like Old Northeast Tavern in St. Pete, but that’s just me. Click the link to the survey. The sooner, the better. After all, the sooner you let us know, the sooner we can put something together! Please note, we’d prefer to support locally owned businesses. X-Rays Spex viewing party/group meet-up survey.

…So, We’re Trying to Put Together Some Viewing Parties, and We Need Your Input, Niemann Goes on the DL, Starting Lineup, and More

And the decision for the fifth spot is... (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times)
Breaking: Jeff Niemann has already been placed on the 15-day DL with shoulder soreness. That didn’t take long.

As the title suggests, we’d love to put together some X-Rays Spex Rays game viewing parties/group meet-ups. The only problem; we haven’t a clue of any locations that you, dear reader, frequent — ones that would be hospitable to such activities. That’s where you come in! What spots do you frequent around the Bay Area? Is your spot suitable for such activities? Personally, I like Old Northeast Tavern in St. Pete, but that’s just me. Click the link to the survey. The sooner, the better. After all, the sooner you let us know, the sooner we can put something together! Please note, we’d prefer to support locally owned businesses. X-Rays Spex viewing party/group meet-up survey.

In Rays centric news, word has come down the pike that the Rays have placed RHP reliever Jeff Niemann on the 15-day DL with shoulder soreness. Yeah…that didn’t take long. Brandon Gomes will take Niemann’s place on the 25-man roster for the duration of his stint on the DL. As per Roger Mooney of TBO, Niemann said he’s been fighting something “for awhile.” Felt it was going in “right direction.” Had a set back this week. Roberto Hernandez beat out Niemann for the fifth spot on the starting rotation this spring. Niemann has yet to see any official action out of the pen.

Rays 4/5/13 Starting Lineup:

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

Noteworthiness:

The New What Next: Good Riddance Baltimore, Hello Cleveland

Rays starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez watches as Chris Davis rounds the bases following a home run at Tropicana Field. (Photo courtesy of James Borchuck/Tampa Bay Times)
Rays starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez watches as Chris Davis rounds the bases following a home run at Tropicana Field Thursday. (Photo courtesy of James Borchuck/Tampa Bay Times)

Well that certainly wasn’t what we’d hoped for out of an opening series. The Orioles took two out of three from the Rays following a 6-3 victory over Tampa Bay at the Trop, Thursday. Chris Davis was again on fire, driving in four on a two-run homer and a two-run double.

On the upside, the Rays starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez pitched into the seventh Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out seven.

He, however, couldn’t contain the red-hot Chris Davis, who seemed to mash everything over the course of the three game set. Take a look at the three pitch f/x charts below. Over the course of the entire series, Davis took quality pitches — not mistakes — for extra base hit, after extra base hit. He ended the series having gone 5-7 with a walk, a HBP, and eleven runs batted in. Suffice to say, I’m happy that he and the Orioles are getting out of Dodge.

The blue square well off the plate represents the Jeremy Hellickson pitch that Chris Davis hit out of the park in the first inning of Wednesday's game (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
The blue square is the Jeremy Hellickson pitch that Chris Davis hit out of the park in the first inning of Wednesday’s game. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Chris Davis took the borderline Roberto Hernandez pitch deep in the second inning. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Chris Davis took the borderline Roberto Hernandez pitch deep in the second inning of Thursday’s game. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Another good Roberto Hernandez pitch, another extra base hit. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Another quality Roberto Hernandez pitch on the outside corner, another extra base hit. (Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)

Offensively speaking, the Rays didn’t show up. Tampa Bay was held hitless into the fifth inning when Evan Longoria hit the first of four singles that led to two runs.

The Rays got two on to open the ninth when Longoria hit a double high off the left-centerfield wall. He was subsequently called out for apparently passing Ben Zobrist, who held up to see if the ball was caught.

The Indians come to town Friday for a three-game set at Tropicana Field. Matt Moore will look to build on his final Spring Training start — a strong outing where he posted a 4 IP/1 H/0 R/0 ER/1 BB/5 K slash line on 54 pitches (37 for strikes) against the Detroit Tigers. Alex Cobb and David Price will also see their first and second starts (respectively) of this very young season. You can see our preview of sorts, and statistics, below.

Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians series starters statistics.
Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians series starters statistics.
Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians 2013 offensive production statistics.
Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians 2013 offensive production statistics.

By the numbers (Rays and Indians over the first three games):

Rays wRISP: 7-15 (47%)
Total runs scored: 15
Runs scored on two-outs: 8
Runs averaged per game: 5
Runs given up with two-outs: 14

Indians wRISP: 11-39 (28%)
Total runs scored: 15
Runs scored on two-outs: 9
Runs averaged per game: 5
Runs given up with two-outs: 7

Match-ups:

  • Zach McAllister: The Rays as a team have posted a paltry .150 BA/.261 OBP/.250 SLG/.511 OPS against McAllister in 20 at-bats. Key match-up(s): Desmond Jennings (1-4, 2B, 2RBI)
  • Trevor Bauer: Trevor Bauer is filling in for Scott Kazmir while he is on the DL. This will be the first time he has faced the Rays.
  • Justin Masterson: The Rays have had a lot of success against Masterson in the past, posting a combined .336 BA/.437 OBP/.477 SLG/.913 OPS slash line against in 107 at-bats, tagging him for 24 RBI on 36 hits including six doubles and three home runs. Key match-ups: Yunel Escobar (3-11, RBI), Sam Fuld (2-6, 3 RBI), Desmond Jennings (4-6, RBI), Matt Joyce (4-12, 2B, 3 BB), Jose Lobaton (2-3, 2 RBI, 3 BB), Evan Longoria (7-21, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 2BB)

Noteworthiness:

  • Scott Kazmir will not pitch against the Rays Saturday, as previously scheduled, because he was placed on the 15-day disabled list, backdated to Tuesday.
  • The Rays and Indians split their eight meetings last season, with Tampa Bay outscoring Cleveland 39-34. The Indians are 73-46 against the Rays, and 31-28 at Trop. However, Tampa Bay is 15-8 in the past three seasons.
  • David Price had seven scoreless innings, striking out seven, walking three and allowing two hits against the Tribe in 2012. Price is 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA in six career starts against the Indians.
  • Current Indian Nick Swisher has a career .271 average, with 19 homers and an .871 OPS in 98 games against the Rays.
  • McAllister pitched six innings, allowing one run and getting the win, in his only career appearance in Tampa Bay. He’s been prone to the long ball, giving up 17 homers in his last 17 starts.
  • Mark Reynolds struck out 24 times in 53 ABs against the Rays last year.
  • Justin Masterson is 0-4 with an 8.44 ERA in six career appearances (five starts) at Tropicana Field.

 

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: The “First Win of the Season” Edition

Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Joyce throws down his helmet as he prepares to cross home plate after hitting a walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays won 8-7. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Joyce throws down his helmet as he prepares to cross home plate after hitting a walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays won 8-7. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)

The Rays won their first game of this young 2013 season by a score of 8-7 over the Baltimore Orioles, thanks to Matt Joyce’s walk-off homer in the ninth inning — the first walk-off homer career. And though Jeremy Hellickson didn’t have his best stuff to start the game, having given up a three run homer to Chris Davis in the first inning, he settled in nicely, ultimately posting a 6.1 IP/8 H/5 R/5 ER/1 BB/2 K/1 HR slash line on 94 pitches (64 for strikes), giving the Rays a fighting chance.

Granted seven runs on 11 hits and two walks may not be the outcome of the stereotypical, well pitched, Rays game, there was a lot to like about Wednesday’s matchup against the Orioles. The highlights and lowlights of the game are below.

  • Defense, defense, defense. The Tampa Bay Rays defense has been outstanding in the last two games. Evan Longoria made a pair of excellent plays, including a gem that robbed JJ Hardy of a double in the second inning. Yunel Escobar also made a handful of solid plays at short Wednesday night. These plays proved to be significant in a tight ball game.
  • One only needs to take a quick look at the Rays offensive line to see that this hard fought win was a team win, not one predicated on the performance of only one or two players. That is to say, with the exception of a handful of players who didn’t contribute on the offensive end of things, the bulk of the Rays in the lineup contributed to the win. I’d argue that this is what the Rays offense could, and should, look like on a consistent basis.
Courtesy of those dastardly statisticians at ESPN
Courtesy of those dastardly statisticians at ESPN
  • Speaking of offense, both Ben Zobrist and Desmond Jennings continued to do what they do best, accounting for four of the Rays 14 hits, two of Tampa Bay’s seven RBI, and two of the seven runs. Zobrist came up big late in the game with an RBI bloop single to give the Rays (a then) important insurance run. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Shelley Duncan, who hit a huge two out three-run blast in the sixth inning off of Luis Ayala.
  • Though Chen induced three inning ending double plays, putting the brakes on three early Rays scoring threats, Tampa Bay continued to scratch out hits — proof that consistent contact with the ball can, ultimately, be a game changer. If the Rays have done anything well so far in 2013, it’s effectively play small ball. It may be boring to watch, but it’s the Rays way.
  • I’d also be remiss not to put up a link to Matt Joyce’s game winning walk-off blast in the ninth.
  • This was a very important win for a few reasons, the obvious being it was the Rays first win of the season. However, this one run win came at the hands of a team that won 25-plus one run games in 2012 — a feat that hasn’t been done since the 1984 season. The Rays were 1-6 in one run games against the O’s last season.
  • Tampa Bay was 4-7 wRISP. We here at X-Rays Spex like…no, LOVE that.
  • Fernando Rodney, who blew the save but got the win, pitched from the middle of the rubber Wednesday night. Rodney pitched from the first base side of the rubber all last season, showcasing remarkable control in his record breaking season. His control Wednesday was markedly off. Whether those control issues extended from his positioning on the mound is unknown. Whatever the case, it will be interesting to see if this was a one time situation, or if he may be regressing back to his career norms.
  • We here at X-Rays Spex give Kyle Farnsworth a lot of guff, but I’ve got to hand it to him for being able to get the Rays out of a RISP jam, inducing a double play on a well executed breaking pitch.

Tampa Bay will go for their first series win Thursday afternoon at the Trop. The Rays will have Roberto Hernandez on the mound to face the O’s. This should be a rather interesting experiment. If his sinker is on, Hernandez could be lights out. Let’s hope it’s on. “I can see things kind of snowballing with him, especially to the good side,” pitching coach Jim Hickey said. “If things are going good and all of a sudden he’s getting a lot of quick outs and he feels like he’s back, I think we could have a monster.” We’ll post the starting lineup when it becomes available. As always, Let’s Go Rays!

Rays 4/4/13 Starting Lineup:

Jennings CF
Joyce LF
Zobrist RF
Longoria 3B
Duncan DH
Escobar SS
Loney 1B
Molina C
Roberts 2B
Hernandez RHP

Noteworthiness:

  • Joe Maddon on the Orioles, “They’re absolutely zero fun right now. They’re not playing good in the sandbox.”
  • Former Rays ace James Shields is none to happy about Evan Longoria’s recent comments regarding he and BJ Upton.
  • Speaking of James Shields, MLB Trade Rumors asserts that the timing of the Rays and Royals Shields/Myers trade was key.
  • With the Rays attendance falling to a season low (See what I did there?) of just over fifteen-thousand, Shadow of the Stadium’s Noah Pransky asks the Question, Was the Trop Half Empty Or Half Full Wednesday night?
  • We were planning on writing about Jake McGee, and how everyone needs to calm down over he blowing Tuesday’s lead. DRaysBay did just that. “This is why we look at stats and don’t just trust our eyes, memory, and hunches.” I’d reckon that quote sums things up well.