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TNWN: Rays vs Diamondbacks — a series preview

After splitting a four-game series with the Royals, the Tampa Bay Rays departed for the desert southwest, where they will start a three-game series against Evan Longoria and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. The D’Backs dropped two of three to the Giants over the weekend.

At 54-27 on the season, the Rays enter the second half of the 2023 campaign 27 games over .500, and 4.0 games up on the second-place Orioles in the division. The Diamondbacks enter play atop the NL West by 2.5 games over the Giants.

Tampa Bay won the finale against the Royals on Sunday, thus earning a split against the worst team in the American League. Yandy Díaz collected a run and four of the Rays’ seven total hits, while José Siri hit his 14th homer in the contest to help spark the Rays’ offense. While the pitching staff had a difficult time with the Royals, the Rays’ offense put up a solid showing in the series and over the last week, slashing .298 BA/.361 OBP/.429 SLG/.790 OPS over the last seven days, with a .369 BABIP and a 126 wRC+.

Arizona avoided a sweep in San Francisco on Sunday when Alek Thomas collected three hits and a run, while Christian Walker (RBI) and Ketel Marte (two runs, two RBI) each added two in the win. Marte also went deep in the game, breaking open a 2-1 game in the eighth inning with his 14th long ball of the season. The Diamondbacks put up a decent slash line over the last week, maintaining a .271 BA/.340 OBP/.397 SLG/.737 OPS line over the last seven days, with a .325 BABIP and a 102 wRC+.

The Rays enter play with an overall 3.59 ERA and 4.00 FIP (3.35 ERA and 3.58 FIP for the starters, 3.87 ERA, and 4.48 FIP for the relievers). Over the last week, Tampa Bay maintains an uncharacteristic 4.83 ERA and 4.30 FIP (6.23 ERA and 4.62 FIP for the starters, 3.04 ERA and 3.90 FIP for the relievers) which is a significant improvement for the maligned bullpen, but a regression for the starting rotation.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks maintain an overall 4.43 ERA and 4.24 FIP (4.62 ERA and 4.32 FIP for the starters, 4.12 ERA, and 4.12 FIP for the relievers). Those numbers are pretty parred for the course over the last week, with Arizona’s hurlers putting up a combined 4.59 ERA and a 3.72 FIP (4.41 ERA and a 4.27 FIP for the starters, and a 4.96 ERA and a 2.53 FIP for the relievers).

Tampa Bay went 2-1 against Arizona the last time the two youngest teams in the league faced one another, 2019, and put up a +13 run differential.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Taj Bradley (5-3, 3.86 ERA, 2.67 FIP), Zach Eflin (9-3, 3.35 ERA, 3.39 FIP), and Yonny Chirinos (3-3, 3.91 ERA, 4.90 FIP) in some capacity. Torey Lovullo will counter with Zac Gallen (9-2, 2.84 ERA, 2.58 FIP), Zach Davies (1-4, 7.82 ERA, 4.19 FIP), and a pitcher to be named before the series finale.

Taj Bradley allowed one run on three hits over six innings against the Orioles on Wednesday. He struck out eight, did not walk a batter, and threw 83 pitches (61 strikes, 73% strike rate). Bradley struck out the first two batters of the game and cruised through the first two frames before surrendering a third-inning leadoff homer to Ramon Urias. The rookie right-hander was able to shake it off, however, retiring the next 10 hitters he faced while going six innings for the first time in his career. He also didn’t issue a walk Wednesday for the third time this season while fanning eight, giving him 19 strikeouts over his last two starts. Overall, Bradley maintains a 3.86 ERA and a 2.67 FIP, with a 1.20 WHIP, and a 4.73 K/BB over 49.0 innings.

Zac Gallen allowed one run on three hits and one walk over seven innings against the Brewers on Wednesday. He struck out four. The only run Gallen allowed came on a solo homer by Raimel Tapia in the fifth as he held the Brewers to three hits over seven innings on 91 pitches (59 strikes, 65% strike rate). Even though the long ball pocked Gallen’s fourth consecutive turn allowing a homer, he’s logged two earned runs or fewer in five of his last six starts. Gallen is a perfect 7-0 at home with a 1.00 ERA and 9.57 K/BB through eight starts (54.0 innings). He relies primarily on a 93 mph fourseam fastball and an 83 mph swing-and-miss 12/6 curveball, while also mixing in a firm 86 mph changeup that has some natural sink to it, a 90 mph cutter that has some natural sink and strong cutting action, and a hard 88 mph slider. Gallen has never faced the Rays.

Zach Eflin allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings against the Royals. He struck out seven and threw 98 pitches (67 strikes, 68% strike rate). The damage against the right-hander came on early homers by Nick Pratto and Salvador Perez, yet Eflin settled in, allowing Tampa Bay’s offense to get rolling. The quality start was his sixth in his last seven turns — a stretch in which he sports a 3.32 ERA. Overall, Eflin maintains a 3.35 ERA and a 3.39 FIP, with a 1.03 WHIP, and a 5.60 K/BB on the season. Eflin is 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA in three career outings (two starts) against the D’Backs.

Zach Davies allowed six runs on six hits and four walks over four innings against San Francisco on Friday. He struck out two and threw 79 pitches (40 strikes, 51% strike rate). Davies continues to struggle mightily this season, as he now has a 7.82 ERA and a 4.19 FIP, with a 1.82 WHIP across 35.2 innings on the season. He relies primarily on a 90 mph sinker that has slight arm-side run and an 81 mph changeup that has some natural sink and arm-side fade, while also mixing in a whiffy 90 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action and has slight arm-side run, an 88 mph cutter that has little cutting action, and a 77 mph curveball with sharp downward bite. Davies is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one career start (7.0 innings) against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Manuel Margot (2-5, RBI), Francisco Mejía (1-2), Harold Ramírez (1-2, 3B)

Yonny Chirinos allowed eight runs on nine hits and two walks over 5.1 innings against the Royals on Saturday. He struck out three and threw 96 pitches (63 strikes, 66% strike rate). Chirinos allowed a season-high eight runs, including a solo homer to Drew Waters in the third inning and a three-run shot to Freddy Fermin in the fourth. With a handful of the Rays’ starting options on the 60-day Injured List, Chirinos has been thrust into the rotation for four starts, where he’s posted a 6.43 ERA with a 1.25 K/BB. Overall, he maintains a 3.91 ERA and a 4.90 FIP, with a 1.14 WHIP, and a 1.44 K/BB across 48.1 innings.

TBA

The Music That Influenced This Preview

Working-class politics filtered through Stone Roses influenced rock from these hardcore punk vets. I LOVE Blending, by High Vis.

<a href="https://highvis.bandcamp.com/album/blending">Blending by High Vis</a>

LBWMF: Rays 11, Royals 3

After bouncing back from a loss in the series opener to defeat the Royals on Friday, 11-3, the Tampa Bay Rays look to make it two wins in a row this afternoon at the Trop.

At 53-26 on the season, the Rays enter play 27 games above .500 and in first place in the division, 5.5 games up on the second-place Orioles.

Zach Eflin allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings against the Royals. He struck out seven and threw 98 pitches (67 strikes, 68% strike rate). The damage against the right-hander came on early homers by Nick Pratto and Salvador Perez, yet Eflin settled in, allowing Tampa Bay’s offense to get rolling. The quality start was his sixth in his last seven turns — a stretch in which he sports a 3.32 ERA. Overall, Eflin maintains a 3.35 ERA and a 3.39 FIP, with a 1.03 WHIP, and a 5.60 K/BB on the season.

Felt like I grinded, and it was a pretty gritty outing. Obviously it was awesome to watch the guys get 17 hits, put a lot of runs up … so I thought it was a really good team win today.
— Zach Eflin

Meanwhile, the hits came early and often for the Rays, and the bullpen didn’t let the game get interesting.

José Siri opened the scoring with a second-inning, three-run blast to left field. The homer came after Isaac Paredes and Christian Bethancourt reached on a pair of singles to center.

Then, with the game knotted at three apiece, Siri gave Tampa Bay the go-ahead lead which it would never relinquish in the fourth inning, on an RBI single to center, plating Bethancourt from second.

They doubled the score in the bottom of the fifth inning after Manuel Margot bunted with one out, then moved up to third on Josh Lowe’s base hit to center, putting runners on the corners. Harold Ramírez came up with, you guessed it, an RBI single to center, ending Zack Greinke’s night. That, however, did not end the Rays’ scoring. José Cuas, appearing for the second night in a row, served up a two-RBI single to Taylor Walls, and a Bethancourt RBI double, putting Tampa Bay up by four.

Two more base hits, and an RBI double, in the eighth inning, gave the Rays a commanding eight-run lead — capping the scoring at 11 runs on 17 hits and two walks.

Robert Stephenson worked around a lead-off walk and a base hit to put up a zero in the seventh inning. He struck out one on 12 pitches (5 strikes, 42% strike rate). His hair, in fact, was perfectly coiffed during and after his outing. Jake Diekman worked around a single in the eighth inning while striking out three on 16 pitches (11 strikes, 69% strike rate). Finally, Shawn Armstrong worked around a pair of base hits for a scoreless ninth. All told, the Rays struck out 12 and walked three.

The New What Next

Yonny Chirinos (3-2, 2.72 ERA, 4.44 FIP) will toe the rubber in some capacity, pitching opposite Jordan Lyles (0-11, 6.72 ERA, 5.61 FIP).

Yonny Chirinos allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out three over 4.2 innings on Sunday in San Diego. Chirinos made his third start of the season but wasn’t able to replicate his success from his previous turn. The right-hander didn’t get help from his defense, and he needed 90 pitches (52 strikes, 58% strike rate) to get 14 outs. He’s now at a 2.72 ERA and a 4.44 FIP, with a 1.02 WHIP, and a 1.43 K/BB through 43 innings (10 appearances).

Jordan Lyles allowed three runs on six hits and one walk over six innings against the Tigers on Monday. He struck out three. Lyles notched his second quality start of the season and his first since April 17. The right-hander hasn’t been sharp in 2023, boasting a 6.72 ERA and a 5.61 FIP, although he has been able to eat up innings, completing at least five frames in 13 of his 15 turns (85.2 innings total). Lyles relies primarily on a 91 mph fourseam fastball and an 80 mph slider that sweeps across the zone, while also mixing in a 79 mph 12-6 knuckle curveball, a 91 mph swing-and-miss sinker, a firm 86 mph changeup, and an 87 mph cutter that has some natural sink and has strong cutting action. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (3-10, 2 HR, 5 RBI), Christian Bethancourt (1-2), Josh Lowe (4-8, 2B, 3B, RBI), Francisco Mejía (4-7, 2B, HR, 3 RBI), José Siri (1-3), Tayor Walls (2-5, 2B, 3 BB)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup is below.

TNWN: Rays vs Royals — a series preview

Rays 6/24/23 Starting Lineup

Díaz 1B
Franco SS
Raley LF
Arozarena DH
J. Lowe RF
Walls 3B
Siri CF
Mejía C
Bruján 2B

Noteworthiness

— After a two-day disciplinary benching of Wander Franco, he’s back in the lineup at short and hitting second.

— Yandy Díaz and Luke Raley are also back in the lineup today.

TNWN: Rays vs Royals — a series preview

After splitting a series with the Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays welcome the Kansas City Royals into the Trop, on Thursday, when they start a four-game series. The Royals most recently dropped two of three to the Tigers.

At 52-25 on the season, the Rays enter play 27 games over .500, and five games up on the second-place Orioles in the division.

The Rays got off to the fastest start in franchise history and the quality play hasn’t yet stopped. Tampa Bay still has the best record in baseball heading into this series against the worst team in the game. They hit a rough patch lately, losing five of nine games and three straight heading into Wednesday’s contest against the Orioles. Yet, the Rays got off the schneid thanks to a 7-2 win in the series finale thanks, in part, to solo shots by Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes.

In spite of their sluggish play over the last couple of weeks, the Rays’ offense has been pretty good — especially over the last week — slashing an improved .261 BA/.342 OBP/.399 SLG/.741 OPS, with a 114 wRC+. Is that beneath their overall slash line? Yes. Is their 27.3% strikeout rate also concerning? Yes. However, Tampa Bay is incrementally improving and getting back to where it had been.

The Royals are in last place in the AL Central Division and enter play with the worst record in baseball. The Royals have lost 12 of their last 14 games heading into Wednesday afternoon’s series finale, with the Tigers in Detroit, which they also dropped, 9-4.

The Rays enter play boasting an overall 3.53 ERA and 4.00 FIP (3.19 ERA and 3.54 FIP for the starters, 3.93 ERA, and 4.54 FIP for the relievers). Over the last week, Tampa Bay maintains a 3.29 ERA and 3.76 FIP (4.22 ERA and 3.68 FIP for the starters, 1.80 ERA and 3.88 FIP for the relievers) which is a significant improvement for the maligned bullpen, but a regression for the starting rotation. Pitching continues to be a problem for the Royals, who maintain an overall 5.17 ERA and 4.54 FIP (5.43 ERA and 4.82 FIP for the starters, 4.82 ERA and 4.17 FIP for the relievers). Those numbers are pretty parred for the course over the last week, with Kansas Cities hurlers putting up a combined 4.85 ERA and a 5.56 FIP (5.09 ERA and a 5.29 FIP for the starters, and 4.32 ERA and a 6.16 FIP for the relievers).

The Rays went 4-3 against the Royals last season, including 3-1 at the Trop.

Pitching Probables

Over the next four days, Kevin Cash will turn to Shane McClanahan (11-1, 2.12 ERA, 3.67 FIP), Zach Eflin (8-3, 3.26 ERA, 3.17 FIP), Yonny Chirinos (3-2, 2.72 ERA, 4.44 FIP) in some capacity, and Tyler Glasnow (2-1, 4.97 ERA, 4.78 FIP). Friend of the Rays, Matt Quatraro, will counter with Jose Cuas (3-0, 4.15 ERA, 4.33 FIP), Zack Greinke (1-7, 4.81 ERA, 4.61 FIP), Jordan Lyles (0-11, 6.72 ERA, 5.61 FIP), and Daniel Lynch (1-3, 4.45 ERA, 4.96 FIP).

Shane McClanahan allowed one run on three hits and three walks over 6.2 innings Friday, striking out five on 94 pitches (57 strikes, 61% strike rate). McClanahan rolled through six shutout frames before serving up a solo homer to Nelson Cruz in the seventh inning. With his third consecutive win, McClanahan has racked up a league-high 11 wins in just 15 starts. However, during that win streak, he’s registered a lackluster 2.5 K/BB through 19.2 innings. For the season, maintains a terrific 2.12 ERA and a 3.67 FIP, with a 2.94 K/BB through 89.1 frames.

Jose Cuas, who will serve as the opener on Thursday, allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two over 1.1 innings. Cuas entered the contest with runners on the corners and two outs and proceeded to allow an inherited runner to score before ending the frame. Cuas loaded the bases himself in the sixth inning, but he worked out of the jam with no additional damage done. He’s avoided being charged with a run in seven of his last eight outings. For the season, Cuas has a 4.15 ERA and a 4.33 FIP, with a 1.48 WHIP, and a 3.5 K/BB over 21.2 innings. He relies primarily on a 93 mph sinker and an 82 mph slider, while also mixing in a 92 mph fourseam fastball. Key Matchup: Harold Ramírez (1-1, RBI)

Zach Eflin allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings on Saturday against the Padres. Eflin pitched well enough to earn a quality start, but Blake Snell gave up even less in the pitchers’ duel. This was Eflin’s seventh quality start of the season, and he has yet to give up more than four runs in any outing, providing stability for the Rays’ rotation. He has a 3.26 ERA and a 3.17 FIP, with a 1.00 WHIP, and 5.92 K/BB over 77.1 innings through 13 starts on the season.

Zack Greinke allowed four runs on eight hits and one walk over five innings against the Angels. He struck out four. Greinke fell victim to Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, serving up back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning. Though Greinke owns a 4.81 ERA and a 4.61 FIP through 15 starts (76.2 innings), with a 1.17 WHIP, and a 1.6 HR/9. He has issued just 10 free passes through on the season — the fourth fewest of any starter with at least eight starts. Greinke relies primarily on a 90 mph fourseam fastball, while also mixing in an 80 mph slider that sweeps across the zone, a 90 mph sinker, a 73 mph curveball that has a sharp downward bite, a firm 87 mph changeup that has some natural sink to it, and an 86 mph cutter that has sweeping cut action. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (2-5, HR, 2 RBI), Christian Bethancourt (3-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Yandy Díaz (1-4), Manuel Margot (8-21, 2 HR, 2 RBI, BB), Harold Ramírez (4-9, 2B, RBI), José Siri (1-2, 2B)

Tyler Glasnow allowed six runs on six hits and two walks over 4.1 innings against the Orioles on Tuesday. He struck out seven on 85 pitches (57 strikes, 67% strike rate). Glasnow surrendered a three-run homer to Aaron Hicks in the first inning before Anthony Santander piled on with a two-run shot in the second. Glasnow eventually settled down, retiring eight of the final nine batters he faced, although the Rays couldn’t climb out of the early hole. In five starts (25.1 innings) since his return from an oblique injury, Glasnow has a 4.97 ERA and a 4.78 FIP, with a 1.38 WHIP, and a 2.54 K/BB.

Daniel Lynch allowed one hit and two walks over seven scoreless innings against the Tigers. He struck out two. Lynch was great in a bounce-back performance that came in the wake of the southpaw surrendering seven runs and four homers to Cincinnati in his previous start. Lynch lowered his ERA to 4.45 with a 4.96 FIP, a 1.19 WHIP, and 2.44 K/BB across five starts (30.1 innings) this season. He relies primarily on a 93 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action and a whiffy 84 mph changeup with cutting action, while also mixing in an 88 mph cutter that has some natural sink and has strong cutting action, and an 82 mph slider that has short glove-side cut. Key Matchup: Harold Ramírez (2-4, 2B)

TNWN: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview, part deux

The Rays return to the friendly confines of the Trop this week. (Photo Credit: X-Rays Spex)

After a 3-4 westward trek, the Tampa Bay Rays return to the friendly confines of the Trop, where they’ll start a brief two-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. Similar to the Rays, the Orioles dropped two of three over the weekend.

At 51-24 on the season, the Rays enter play 27 games over .500, and 5.0 games up on the second-place Orioles.

The Rays dropped a rare series over the weekend, as their late comeback (from a three-run deficit) fell short in the series finale, on Sunday. Randy Arozarena (two runs) collected three hits in the contest, while Josh Lowe (run, RBI) and Christian Bethancourt each had two. Despite hitting .296 with runners in scoring position over the life of the series, Tampa Bay left nine runners on base in the rubber match of the series.

Over the last week, the Rays maintain a combined .260 BA/.327 OBP/.390 SLG/.717 OPS slash line with an above-average .336 BABIP, but a 106 wRC+, and a .130 ISO. Unlike the Padres, who are notoriously bad at playing small ball, Tampa Bay was able to get runners on and over, however, that big go-ahead run-scoring hit alluded them.

Meanwhile, Baltimore managed to salvage a win in the finale of their three-game set at Wrigley Field to avoid being swept. Baltimore banged out 14 hits, led by Austin Hays (run), who collected three. Anthony Santander homered for the Orioles in the victory. Over the last seven days, the Orioles maintain a combined .298 BA/.336 OBP/.456 SLG/.792 OPS with a marginally better .158 ISO and a 120 wRC+.

Tampa Bay is 1-2 against the Orioles this season, having scored as many runs (6) as they’ve allowed.

Pitching Probables

Over the next two days, Kevin Cash will call on Tyler Glasnow (2-0, 3.43 ERA, 4.23) and Taj Bradley (4-3, 4.19 ERA, 2.67 FIP). Brandon Hyde will counter with Kyle Bradish (2-3, 3.90 ERA, 3.80 FIP) and Tyler Wells (6-2, 3.20 ERA, 4.44 FIP).

Tyler Glasnow struck out six while allowing three runs on six hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. Glasnow allowed season highs in walks and hits, but he still completed five innings for a third consecutive start and recorded his second straight win. The right-hander has surrendered 10 walks over his past three starts, but his command issues haven’t yet come back to haunt him. Given he missed the first two months of the season with an oblique injury, his overall numbers — 3.43 ERA and 4.23 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, and 2.36 K/BB — across his first four appearances are solid.

Kyle Bradish allowed one run on four hits with no walks over seven innings against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. He struck out one. Bradish retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced while hitting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with a pitch to open the second inning. He went on to allow only four hits over seven innings, with his only real mistake coming in the sixth inning, when George Springer crushed an errant changeup over the wall in left field to put Toronto on the scoreboard. The right-hander was charged with the loss despite limiting the Blue Jays to one run. Bradish also recorded just one strikeout on the night after posting a season-high 10 punchouts in his previous start. Overall, Bradish maintains a 3.90 ERA and a 3.80 FIP, with a 1.25 WHIP, and a 3.25 K/BB across 60.0 innings. He relies primarily on a 94 mph cutter that has good “rise” and an 88 mph slider that sweeps across the zone, while also mixing in a hard 84 mph 12-6 curveball that has a sharp downward bite, a 95 mph sinker, and a 90 mph worm-killer changeup. Bradish is 0-1 with a 10.24 ERA in two career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB), Yandy Díaz (4-6, 2B), Manuel Margot (1-3, 2B, 2 RBI), Francisco Mejía (2-4, 2 BB), Harold Ramírez (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI)

Taj Bradley allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings against the Athletics. He struck out 11 on 88 pitches (55 strikes, 63% strike rate). Bradley was dealing Thursday, striking out the first six batters he faced and nine of the first 12 overall. However, the rookie began to struggle with his command in the fifth inning, issuing back-to-back walks before eventually surrendering three runs as Oakland took a 3-1 lead. In spite of that, Bradley notched a career-high 11 strikeouts. On the downside, Bradley has now failed to make it through five innings in two of his last three starts, issuing 10 walks over that stretch. Overall, the right-hander maintains a 4.19 ERA and a 2.67 FIP across 43.o innings, with a 4.20 K/BB, and a 1.30 WHIP.

Tyler Wells allowed two runs on five hits and one walk over 6.2 innings against the Blue Jays on Thursday. He struck out eight. Wells was able to keep a dangerous Toronto lineup at bay for most of the afternoon, with the exception of Danny Jansen, who took the right-hander deep in the third and fifth innings to provide the Jays with their only runs. The right-hander has now struck out at least seven batters in six of his last seven turns. He’s also held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in four straight contests, lowering his ERA to a strong 3.20 on the season, with a 4.44 FIP, a 0.86 WHIP, and a 5.13 K/BB across 81.2 innings. Wells relies primarily on a whiffy 93 mph fourseam fastball that has some added backspin, while also mixing in a firm 86 mph changeup that has slight arm-side fade, an 89 mph cutter that has strong cutting action, an 84 mph slider, and a 75 mph curveball that has a sharp downward bite. He’s 0-2 with a 6.45 ERA in eight career outings (four starts) against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Wander Franco (1-2, BB), Josh Lowe (3-5, 2 2B, 2 BB), Luke Raley (1-4, HR, RBI), Harold Ramírez (3-7, 2B)

The Music That Influenced This Preview

Friday marks the album drop of Militarie Gun’s forthcoming LP, Life Under the Gun. I’ve been jamming the first three singles from the LP for months now, and I cannot wait to hear the remaining tracks. Listen to the songs, preorder the LP, and wake up early Friday to download what promises to be a top-10 album of the year.

<a href="https://militariegun.bandcamp.com/album/life-under-the-gun">Life Under The Gun by Militarie Gun</a>

TNWN: Rays vs Padres — a series preview

After splitting a four-game series against the A’s, the Tampa Bay Rays will cap their seven-game west coast road trip in San Diego, where they will start a three-game series against the Padres on Friday. The Padres took two of three from the Guardians this week.

At 50-22 on the season, the Rays enter play 28 games over .500, and 5.0 games up on the second-place Orioles in the AL East.

Pitting their big-league-best record against a team that is the worst in all of baseball should’ve been easy for the Rays. Yet, the Athletics entered on a hot streak and took the first two games of the set before the Rays bounced back to earn the split. That’s baseball, flush it.

Tampa Bay, who’s scored the second most runs per game in ’23, was held to a measly four in the first two contests but came back with six on Wednesday and four on Thursday. The cooler air dampened their home run-hitting ways until the series finale when they popped a couple, including one off the bat of Manuel Margot, who hadn’t hit a homer since April. Speaking of Margot, the outfielder started to get toasty in Oakland, going 6-12 with four doubles, a homer, four runs scored, and three RBI over the life of the series.

The Rays still lead the league in stolen bases and slugging percentage, along with the second-highest on-base percentage although they hit a weird rut against a typically terrible pitching team.

The Padres have been an underperforming team this season, yet a 5-2 stretch finds them just two games below the elusive .500 mark. It’s anyone’s guess how a team that boasts Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis Jr. struggles to tread water for 70 games, yet here we are. Nevertheless, they are averaging 4.25 runs per game, which is in the bottom third of baseball. It should be noted that San Diego has MLB’s best walk rate and is top 10 in steals, although they struggle to get base hits.

Credit where it’s due, the Padres were pretty good the last week, slashing .275 BA/.359 OBP/.541 SLG/.900 OPS with a beefy 145 wRC+ (27 points higher than Tampa Bay despite the fact they have scored the same number of runs over that stretch) and a gaudy .266 ISO. In other words, in spite of the middling season numbers, San Diego is absolutely capable of inflicting damage. Be that as it may, that production was over a very small sample size. It will be up to the Rays’ pitching staff to put the kibosh on the Padres for the next three days.

While there have been some bumps in the road, pitching hasn’t been as much of an issue for the Rays, who held the A’s to nine total runs. They enter play boasting an overall 3.53 ERA and 3.99 FIP (3.11 ERA and 3.48 FIP for the starters, 4.01 ERA and 4.56 FIP for the relievers). Over the last week, Tampa Bay maintains a 3.54 ERA and 3.64 FIP (4.68 ERA and 3.62 FIP for the starters, 2.22 ERA and 3.67 FIP for the relievers) which is an improvement for the maligned bullpen, but a regression for the starting rotation. Pitching also hasn’t been much of a problem for the Padres, who maintain an overall 3.77 ERA and 4.14 FIP (4.10 ERA and 4.21 FIP for the starters, 3.27 ERA and 4.03 FIP for the relievers).

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Shane McClanahan (10-1, 2.18 ERA, 3.22 FIP), Zach Eflin (8-2, 3.28 ERA, 3.22 FIP), and Yonny Chirinos (3-1, 2.35 ERA, 4.51 FIP) in some capacity. Bob Melvin will counter with Yu Darvish (5-4, 4.30 ERA, 3.77 FIP), former Ray Blake Snell (2-6, 3.78 ERA, 4.47 FIP), and Joe Musgrove (4-2, 4.37 ERA, 4.23 FIP).

Shane McClanahan allowed three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out five over seven innings against the Rangers on Sunday. McClanahan had some trouble in the third inning when he allowed all three runs and four of his five baserunners. Nevertheless, this was his fourth quality start in his last five outings, and it’s just the second time he’s given up three or more runs all season. He now maintains a 2.18 ERA and 3.22 FIP, with a 1.11 WHIP, 3.07 K/BB through 82.2 innings (14 starts) on the season.

Yu Darvish allowed four runs on five hits and four walks with six strikeouts over 5.1 innings against the Rockies on Friday. He had a strong start going before fading in the sixth inning. Darvish has given up 14 runs over his last 21 innings, although seven of those runs came in a short start versus the Yankees. On the season, the veteran right-hander has managed a 4.30 ERA and a 3.77 FIP, with a 1.16 WHIP, and 3.36 K/BB through 69 innings (12 outings). He relies primarily on an 84 mph slider that sweeps across the zone, while also mixing in a whiffy 95 mph fourseam fastball, a 94 mph sinker, a 91 mph cutter, a 75 mph curveball that has exceptional bite and glove-side movement, and a hard 90 mph splitter that has slight cutting action. Darvish is 4-0 with a 1.54 ERA in six career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Yandy Díaz (1-3, 2B), Luke Raley (2-5)

Zach Eflin allowed four runs on five hits and two walks over 4.2 innings against the Athletics on Monday. He struck out six. Eflin had arguably his worst showing of the season, and he failed to reach five innings for the first time in the ’23 campaign. However, he is still in the midst of a career year. His 1.00 WHIP is eighth-best in the majors, and he’s on pace to set career highs in strikeouts and wins. Overall, he maintains a 3.28 ERA and 3.22 FIP across 71.1 innings, with a 6.53 K/BB. Eflin is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in five career starts against the Rays.

Blake Snell was removed from Sunday’s contest against the Rockies due to swelling in his ankle after he was hit by a comebacker on his left ankle in the bottom of the seventh inning. In the outing, he allowed a run on three hits and no walks while striking out 12 in seven innings on 85 pitches (57 strikes, 67% strike rate). Overall, the former Ray maintains a 3.78 ERA and a 4.47 FIP, with a 2.19 K/BB, and a 1.33 WHIP across 69.0 innings. Snell relies primarily on a 95 mph fourseam fastball, while also mixing in an 87 mph swing-and-miss changeup, an 82 mph curveball that has sweeping glove-side movement and sharp downward bite, and a whiffy 89 mph slider. He has never faced his former team. Key Matchup: Harold Ramírez (1-3, RBI)

Yonny Chirinos allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two over 3.2 scoreless innings Tuesday versus the Athletics. This was his first scoreless outing since April 23. It’s unclear if the right-hander will be deployed as a traditional starter or a bulk guy going forward. He’s pitched to a 2.35 ERA and a 4.51 FIP, with a 0.94 WHIP, and a 1.42 K/BB through 38.1 innings over nine appearances (two starts) this season.

Joe Musgrove allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings against the Guardians on Tuesday. Musgrove allowed multiple runs for the first time in four starts, although he picked up his third quality start over that stretch. The right-hander has started to get through six innings more regularly after failing to do so in his first five starts of the season. He’s now at a 4.37 ERA and a 4.23 FIP, with a 1.33 WHIP, and 3.36 K/BB over 47.1 innings through nine starts. Musgrove relies primarily on a whiffy 93 mph fourseam fastball that has heavy sinking action, a 90 mph cutter with strong cutting action, and an 81 mph curveball that has slight glove-side movement, while also mixing in an 83 mph slider that sweeps across the zone, an 87 mph changeup that has some natural sink to it, and a 93 mph sinker with strong sinking action. Musgrove is 0-0 with a 4.00 ERA in two career outings (one start) against Tampa Bay. Key Matchup: Francisco Mejía (1-3, 2B)

The Music That Influenced This Preview

San Diego’s finest supergroup. One part Pinback, one part Mrs. Magician, and two parts Rocket From The Crypt…among others. Their 2022 eponymous LP ruled and still does.