X-Rays Spex

After the Tampa Bay Rays wrapped up their three-game set in Phoenix with a series win, they made their way to the Emerald City, where they will open a three-game set against the Mariners on Friday. The Mariners are coming off a series loss to the Nationals.

At 56-28 on the season, the Rays enter play 28 games above .500 and 5.5 games up on the second-place Orioles in the AL East. Meanwhile, the Mariners enter play 38-41 on the season, and in fourth place in the AL West.

Taj Bradley, who got lit up in the first game of the series versus the Diamondbacks, will look for redemption on Sunday when he takes the mound once again. On the whole, the team bounced back in the second and third games in Phoenix, limiting the D’Backs to three total runs while putting up nine. 2023 All-Star Yandy  Díaz is leading the team with a .318 batting average and has 16 doubles, 12 homers, 36 walks, and 38 RBI. Luke “Nuke” Raley is 12-for-34 over the past 10 games with two home runs and four RBI.

Tampa Bay’s offense stepped back a bit over the last seven days, slashing .262 BA/.312 OBP/.401 SLG/.713 OPS with a 102 wRC+, while going 4-3 over that stretch. Even so, they ceded no ground to the Orioles who, effectively, lost on the same days the Rays had.

The Mariners got off to a good start in their series against the Nationals, winning 8-4 before they lost the final two games of the series. Yet, even though they went 3-4 over the last week, they still outperformed the Rays, offensively speaking (albeit marginally so), putting up a 104 wRC+. Julio Rodríguez leads the team with 13 home runs, 26 walks, and 42 RBI while hitting .241 on the season. Over the past 10 games, Cal Raleigh is 11-for-37 with two home runs and four RBI.

Tampa Bay won five of seven close games against Seattle in 2022, outscoring the M’s 30-25.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Shane McClanahan (11-1, 2.23 ERA, 3.65 FIP), Tyler Glasnow (2-1, 4.45 ERA, 3.84 FIP), and Taj Bradley (5-4, 4.58 ERA, 3.69 FIP). Scott Servais will counter with Bryce Miller (5-3, 3.88 ERA, 3.38 FIP), George Kirby (6-7, 3.26 ERA, 3.26 FIP), and Luis Castillo (5-6, 2.86 ERA, 3.76 FIP)

Shane McClanahan his last start, against the Royals, with mid-back tightness. McClanahan was pulled in the fourth inning after a brief visit from manager Kevin Cash and a team trainer. McClanahan threw a bullpen session over the weekend and checked out fine, so he’s not expected to face any limitations Friday. The left-hander maintains a 2.23 ERA and a 3.65 FIP, with a 1.12 WHIP, and a 2.86 K/BB across 93.0 innings.

Bryce Miller allowed three runs on six hits and three walks over 4.1 innings Saturday against the Orioles. He struck out four. Miller struck out three of the first five batters he faced and appeared to be on track for a solid outing before he began to struggle with his command in the second innings — needing 25 pitches to get through the frame while surrendering one run on two hits along with one walk. It was more of the same in the third as the rookie walked the leadoff batter and later gave up a solo shot to Anthony Santander. He went on to be charged with three runs on the afternoon, and he lasted just 4.1 innings, throwing 96 pitches over that span. His ERA sits at 5.49 in June, and he’s now allowed a home run in three of his last four starts after not allowing one over his first five starts to open the season. Overall, Miller maintains a 3.88 ERA and a 3.38 FIP, with a 0.97 WHIP, and a 4.45 K/BB across 55.2 innings. He relies primarily on a 95 mph swing and miss fourseam fastball that has some added backspin, while also mixing in an 87 mph cutter that has heavy sink, and an 82 mph slider that sweeps across the zone.

Tyler Glasnow allowed one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out 12 across five innings Sunday against the Royals. Glasnow didn’t have a particularly efficient performance, but he induced an impressive 26 swinging strikes across only 89 total pitches (55 strikes, 62% strike rate, 29% SwStr%). He’s completed more than five frames in only three of his starts on the season, although he has still managed to rack up 45 punchouts across 30.1 frames. While he’s struggled to prevent runs in a few of his starts, Glasnow has now also allowed only one earned run in half of his appearances. Overall, he maintains a 4.45 ERA and a 3.84 FIP, with a 1.32 WHIP, and a 3.21 K/BB.

George Kirby allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk over 6.1 innings against the Orioles. He struck out four. For the second consecutive turn, Kirby added a tally to the loss column while also finishing with a quality start. Most of the damage against Kirby came in the third when Anthony Santander launched a two-run shot that plated Jorge Mateo. Despite being tied for the eighth most losses in baseball, Kirby holds a strong 3.26 ERA and a 3.26 FIP on the year and has given up just five earned runs over his last three starts (19.1 innings). He relies primarily on a whiffy 96 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action and a whiffy 96 mph sinker that has slight arm-side run, while also mixing in an 85 mph slider that sweeps across the zone and an 82 mph curveball that has sharp downward bite. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (1-3), Wander Franco (1-3), Manuel Margot (1-2), Harold Ramírez (1-2)

Taj Bradley allowed seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out two over four innings, on Tuesday versus the Diamondbacks. Bradley was tagged for four home runs, which accounted for all but one of the runs on his line. He’d given up just three homers across his previous seven outings combined, and he’s generally done a good job of keeping the ball in the park with a 1.5 HR/9 even after Tuesday’s slugfest. Bradley now owns a 4.58 ERA and a 3.69 FIP, with a 1.26 WHIP, and a 4.56 K/BB through 53 innings (11 starts).

Luis Castillo allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over seven innings on Monday. Castillo allowed a solo homer in each of the first and second innings but settled down thereafter and finished his outing by retiring the final seven batters in order. The right-hander racked up an impressive 17 swinging strikes and tied his season high by completing seven frames. Though the veteran’s record is just 5-6 on the season, he’s been very effective with a 2.86 ERA and a 3.76 FIP, with a 1.06 WHIP, and a 3.86 K/BB over 94.1 innings. Castillo relies primarily on a whiffy 96 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action and an 86 mph 12-6 slider, while also mixing in a 96 mph swing and miss sinker that has heavy sinking action, and a hard 88 mph changeup. Key Matchups: Yandy Díaz (1-3, 2B), Wander Franco (1-3), Francisco Mejía (3-6, 2 HR, RBI)

Noteworthiness

— Congratulations to Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena, who will represent the Rays in the 2023 All-Star Game, in Seattle.

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Certainly quite the honor for the organization and very representative of this specific team of being a very good team to be where we’re at right now. You’ve got to have some All-Star performances, and with more than one, it’s pretty telling of where we stand right now.

— Kevin Cash

The Music That Influenced This Preview

In honor of the Cure’s triumphant return to the area last night, here’s their classic album, Disintegration.