LBWMF: Rays blank the Twins, 7-0

The northern lights appeared over the field last night. (Photo Credit: X-Rays Spex)

The best team in baseball pummeled the best team in the AL Central on Tuesday, as the Tampa Bay Rays got back into launch mode and defeated the Twins, 7-0.

At 44-19 on the season, the Rays enter play a season-high 25 games above .500, and 5.5 games ahead of the second-place Orioles in the AL East.

Zach Eflin was fantastic Tuesday night, scattering three hits and a walk over 6.2 scoreless frames. He pounded the zone and struck out nine batters on 101 pitches (66 strikes, 65% strike rate, 9 whiffs, 9% SwStr%). The Twins had no answer for Eflin, who logged nine or more strikeouts for the third time this season. The right-hander improved to 7-0 at Tropicana Field where he boasts a 1.85 ERA. Overall, his ERA and FIP sit at an impressive 2.97 and 3.31 (respectively), with a 0.96 WHIP, and a 7.33 K/BB through 11 starts (66.2 innings).

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay poured on the runs in the fourth and fifth innings — scoring five runs over the span of the two frames (seven overall) — and they did so by playing small ball and long ball.

Luke “Nuke” Raley led off the fourth inning with a triple into the right-field corner before Randy Arozarena plated the first run of the contest on an RBI base hit. After Harold Ramírez walked and Taylor Walls moved Arozarena up to third on a sacrifice fly, Christian Bethancourt lollipopped an RBI base hit into center for the Rays’ second run. Vidal Bruján capped the scoring in the frame on a perfect suicide squeeze bunt, putting Tampa Bay up by three.

Then in the fifth inning, after Wander Franco earned a free pass, Raley launched an 85 mph changeup, left over the outer third of the plate, 450 feet to centerfield — the farthest homer hit in his Rays career — for a five-run lead.

Not to be outdone, two innings later, José Siri worked a 1-1 count before he blasted an 82 mph center-center slider 457 feet to left-center for the second-longest homer at the Trop this season.

Tampa Bay still had one more run in them.

With impeccable strike zone management, Yandy Díaz earned a seven-pitch walk before Franco doubled him to third. Arozarena capped the scoring on an RBI ground out to third.

Jalen Beeks took over for Eflin in the eighth inning and worked around a one-out double and a two-out walk to maintain the seven-run advantage. While Beeks threw 2o pitches, which isn’t necessarily the height of efficiency, he struck out a pair — including Carlos Correa, much to the fanfare of those in attendance — and didn’t allow the situation to spiral out of control.

Finally, Jake Diekman put together a 1-2-3 ninth on 15 pitches (8 strikes) to put the Twins out of their misery.

Don’t look now, but the Rays’ much maligned relief corps has gone 43 consecutive outs (14.1 innings) without allowing an earned run. The Rays’ pitching staff has gotten back to dominant form over the last week, performing to a combined 2.55 ERA and 3.02 FIP — 2.01 ERA and 2.65 FIP for the starters, and a 3.32 ERA and 3.56 FIP for the relievers — having allowed just 15 runs over the last 53 innings, with 57 strikeouts to 25 walks.

The New What Next

Cooper Criswell (1-1, 6.11 ERA, 4.98 FIP) will serve as the bulk guy on Wednesday, pitching opposite Pablo Lopez (3-3, 4.54 ERA, 3.79 FIP).

Cooper Criswell will follow Shawn Armstrong, who is unlikely to work more than once through the order. Criswell has yet to make a start for Tampa Bay this season, although he has covered at least 2.1 innings in each of his five appearances with the big club, pitching to a 6.11 ERA and a 4.98 FIP, with a 1.64 WHIP, and a 3.00 K/BB. Over his last 6.1 big-league innings of work versus the Dodgers (5/26) and the Red Sox (6/3) Criswell has allowed two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

Pablo Lopez allowed six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 5.2 innings against Cleveland on Thursday. Lopez looked great early, giving up just one run over his first five frames, but he fell apart in the sixth. In that inning, Lopez allowed six hits — all singles — and a walk, surrendering five runs while getting only two outs. He’s yielded four or more runs in three of his past four starts. Lopez has a 6.95 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over that stretch, although he’s continuing to post decent strikeout numbers, notching 24 punchouts across 22 innings over the four-game stretch. Lopez relies primarily on a 95 mph fourseam fastball, an 84 mph slider, and an 89 mph change, while also mixing in an 82 mph curveball, and a 95 mph sinker. He is 1-3 with a 3.72 ERA in five career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (2-5, 2B), Francisco Mejía (1-1, BB), Harold Ramírez (2-3, 2B, HR, RBI), Taylor Walls (1-3)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Twins — a series preview

Rays 6/7/23 Starting Lineup

  1. J. Lowe LF
  2. Franco SS
  3. Arozarena DH
  4. Raley 1B
  5. Paredes 3B
  6. Walls 2B
  7. Siri CF
  8. Margot RF
  9. Mejía C

Noteworthiness

— The Rays have placed RHP Calvin Faucher on the 15-Day Injured List (retroactive to June 6) with right elbow inflammation and recalled RHP Luis Patiño from Triple-A Durham.

— I could use a little financial help. Our (my wife and I) cat has had some major medical concerns of late, and he wracked up a hefty $4,700 vet bill. If you’d be so inclined, please consider donating a few dollars via the GoFundMe campaign embedded below.

TNWN: Rays vs Twins — a series preview

That moment when your teammate crosses the plate on a little league homer. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After winning three of four in Boston, the Tampa Bay Rays return to the friendly confines of the Trop, where they’ll start a three-game set against the AL Central-leading Twins, on Tuesday. The Twins most recently split a four-game series with the Guardians.

At 43-19 on the season, the Rays enter play a season-high 24 games above .500, and 4.5 games ahead of the second-place Orioles in the AL East. The Twins enter play 31-29 on the season.

It was a 4-3 road trip that started inauspiciously for the Rays after they dropped the first two games of a three-game set at Wrigley Field, and the first game of Saturday’s day/night doubleheader. Yet, Tampa Bay won four of its last five contests and gained a game on Baltimore. All this despite the Injured List additions of Josh Fleming and Brandon Lowe and, not to mention, the rather inopportune weather. I’d call that a successful trek through MLB’s most historic ballparks.

What led to the Rays’ success in Boston’s highly vaunted sardine can of a stadium? The Red Sox scored the fourth most runs in baseball coming into the most recent series against Tampa Bay, averaging 5.23 per game. However, the Rays limited them to just 13 runs in four games (3.25 runs a game), including just five combined runs in the final three games of the set. In other words, the pitching staff — especially the stable — came up big, forcing 36 consecutive outs while not surrendering an earned run.

Tampa Bay’s ability to get ahead of batters early in counts (a 61.4% first-pitch strike rate) will help them to approach the barrel rate embued Twins effectively. In short, Minnesota looks to get on base and then hit the ball hard in order to plate runs. Tampa Bay can diffuse that by throwing strikes and playing good defense up the middle.

While slashing a modest .228 BA/.312 OBP/.320 SLG/.632 SLG/.632 OPS over the last seven days, and hitting just two home runs over that stretch, the core of Yandy Díaz, Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena, etc. produced when they needed to — particularly in Boston. Tampa Bay also received from Josh Lowe, Francisco Mejía, and Manuel Margot. They will need to continue to do that if the Rays are going to be successful over the next three days.

The Rays went 2-4 against the Twins last season, including 1-2 at the Trop.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Zach Eflin (7-1, 3.30 ERA, 3.57 FIP), a pitcher to be named before Wednesday’s contest, and Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 3.72 ERA, 2.97 FIP). Rocco Baldelli will counter with Louie Varland (3-1, 3.51 ERA, 4.89 FIP), Pablo Lopez (3-3, 4.54 ERA, 3.79 FIP), and Bailey Ober (3-2, 2.33 ERA, 3.18 FIP).

Zach Eflin allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over six innings against the Cubs on Wednesday. He struck out five. Eflin settled down after allowing two first-inning runs, blanking the Cubs over his subsequent five frames before surrendering a leadoff double to Seiya Suzuki in the seventh. That run came around to score with Collin Poche on the mound. It’s the third consecutive quality start for Eflin, who’s pitched at least six innings in his last six outings. He’s now 7-1 with a 3.30 ERA and a 3.57 FIP, with a 1.10 WHIP, and a 7.13 K/BB through 10 starts (60 innings) this season. Eflin is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in one career start against the Twins.

Louie Varland tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed four hits and one walk while striking out five batters against Houston. Varland suffered his first loss of the season against Toronto in his previous turn, but he got back in the win column on Wednesday. The right-hander tossed a season-high seven innings and held the Astros scoreless, notching his fifth quality start through seven turns. None of the four hits Varland allowed went for extra bases, and he continued to demonstrate good control — he’s surrendered one or fewer free passes in each of his past four starts. Overall, Varland maintains a 3.51 ERA and a 4.89 FIP on the season, with a 1.15 WHIP, and a 4.88 K/BB across 41.0 innings. He relies primarily on a 95 mph fourseam fastball and an 87 mph slider that has short glove-side cut, while also mixing in an 85 mph changeup that has some natural sink to it.

TBA

Pablo Lopez allowed six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 5.2 innings against Cleveland on Thursday. Lopez looked great early, giving up just one run over his first five frames, but he fell apart in the sixth. In that inning, Lopez allowed six hits — all singles — and a walk, surrendering five runs while getting only two outs. He’s yielded four or more runs in three of his past four starts. Lopez has a 6.95 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over that stretch, although he’s continuing to post decent strikeout numbers, notching 24 punchouts across 22 innings over the four-game stretch. Lopez relies primarily on a 95 mph fourseam fastball, an 84 mph slider, and an 89 mph change, while also mixing in an 82 mph curveball, and a 95 mph sinker. He is 1-3 with a 3.72 ERA in five career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (2-5, 2B), Francisco Mejía (1-1, BB), Harold Ramírez (2-3, 2B, HR, RBI), Taylor Walls (1-3)

Tyler Glasnow allowed one run on four hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six. Making his second start of the season after suffering a grade two oblique strain in Spring Training, Glasnow looked sharp as he tossed 88 pitches (54 strikes, 61% strike rate, 12 whiffs, 14% SwStr%). The right-hander had a good pitch mix and got five of his six strikeouts on offspeed pitches. It was an encouraging performance as he continues to ramp things up. Glasnow now maintains a 3.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP through 9.2 innings, with a 3.5 K/BB, and a 1.34 WHIP.

Bailey Ober surrendered four hits over six scoreless innings on Friday against Cleveland. He struck out three. Ober allowed just one Guardian to reach scoring position, and he lowered his ERA and FIP to 2.33 and 3.18 (respectively) with his first scoreless appearance since May 5. The right-hander registered a 4.09 ERA over his previous four starts but he walked just five batters during that span. Ober relies primarily on a whiffy 92 mph fourseam fastball and an 82 mph slider that has short glove-side cut and some two-plane movement, while also mixing in an 84 mph changeup that has obvious arm-side fade and natural sinking action, and a 78 mph curveball that has sharp downward bite.

The Music That Influenced This Preview

Anti-fascist hardcore/oi! from London that, per their BandCamp page, “pulls no punches as it shows up government failures to support our key workers, calls out police corruption, blows the lid off hardcore elitism, and highlights the negative effect toxic social media has on our youth.” Catchy and hard as nails.


Rays 6/4/23 pregame notes

Harold Ramírez drove in a pair on a double for the go-ahead lead in the second game of Saturday’s day/night doubleheader.

After splitting a day/night doubleheader in blustery Boston on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to take a lead in the four-game set on Sunday.

At 41-19 on the season, the Rays enter play 22 games above .500, and four games up on the second-place Orioles in the division.

Last night, Tyler Glasnow allowed one run on four hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six. Making his second start of the season after suffering a grade two oblique strain in Spring Training, Glasnow looked sharp as he tossed 88 pitches (54 strikes, 61% strike rate, 12 whiffs, 14% SwStr%). The right-hander had a good pitch mix and got five of his six strikeouts on offspeed pitches. It was an encouraging performance as he continues to ramp things up. Glasnow now maintains a 3.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP through 9.2 innings, with a 3.5 K/BB, and a 1.34 WHIP.

…And then a hero comes along

Meanwhile, with the score knotted up at two apiece, Francisco Mejía stepped into the batter’s box against Kenley Jansen, who had pitched in the first game just a few hours earlier. Mejía reached on a single, as did Yandy Díaz who followed. The next man up was Brandon Lowe, and he was on a mission to atone for a run-scoring error a few innings prior. He did not disappoint. With two on and none out, Lowe hit a deep flyball to right field that allowed both runners to advance into scoring position. Harold Ramírez followed with a two-run double, driving in a pair and giving the Rays a two-run, go-ahead lead.

https://twitter.com/raysbeisbol/status/1665174972321394688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1665174972321394688%7Ctwgr%5E1fb42937131d731457fbd7ae1a03d85dd46d3396%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.draysbay.com%2F2023%2F6%2F3%2F23748187%2Frays-4-red-sox-2-harold-ramirez-powers-rays-to-redemption

Jason Adam took the mound in the ninth and only needed three pitches to get the first two outs of the frame. However, his next pitch — a sweeping slider that took off on him — hit Rafael Devers on that little nubby bone on the ankle, before he walked Masataka Yoshida. That brought the potential winning run to the plate. But, Jarren Duran hit a flyball to centerfield that José Siri charged in on and ended the game with a diving grab, punctuated with a salute.

The walking wounded

Of note, Tampa Bay scratched Luke Raley from the lineup in the first game and he did not play in the second due to an injury that was diagnosed as a mild strain of an intercostal muscle on his right side. Raley had not experienced any issues in that area before Saturday morning and hopes to be back in the lineup this afternoon.

Wander Franco is also being monitored after he tweaked his left hamstring while running from second to third base on a Brandon Lowe single in the seventh inning of the early contest. Franco finished the game but did not play last night. Rays skipper Kevin Cash said he is day to day.

The New What Next

Taj Bradley (3-2, 3.60 ERA, 2.76 FIP) will get the start this afternoon, pitching opposite Tanner Houck (3-4, 5.30 ERA, 4.14 FIP).

Taj Bradley allowed an unearned run on three hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over 5.2 innings. A fourth-inning Tampa Bay error helped Chicago notch the game’s only run, resulting in Bradley taking his second career loss despite another strong outing. The rookie right-hander tossed a season-high 5.2 frames to fall one out shy of his first quality start, and he punched out eight batters while walking only one. Bradley’s pitch count is being kept in check — the 90 pitches (65 strikes, 72% strike rate) he threw Monday marked a season-high. Overall, he has looked every bit deserving of a big-league rotation spot, compiling a 3.60 ERA and a 2.76 FIP, with a 1.07 WHIP and 8.4 K/BB over 30 innings. Bradley allowed three earned runs on five hits and a walk across five frames in his previous start against Boston. He struck out eight.

Tanner Houck allowed four runs on six hits over four innings Sunday against the Diamondbacks, striking out four. All four runs against Houck came in the first two frames, including Corbin Carroll’s two-run first-inning shot. The Diamondbacks were seeing the ball well, as nine of the 14 balls in play were hit hard, including five that tracked greater than 100 mph. Houck has taken a loss in four straight decisions, posting an unsightly 5.97 ERA during that six-start stretch. He now owns a 5.30 ERA and a 4.14 FIP after failing to complete five innings for the second time this season. Houck relies primarily on an 84 mph slider that sweeps across the zone and has exceptional depth and a whiffy 94 mph sinker that has heavy sinking action, while also mixing in a 92 mph cutter that has some natural sink, a 94 mph fourseam fastball that has heavy sinking action, and an 88 mph splitter that dives down out of the zone. He is 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA in three outings (one career start) against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Yandy Díaz (1-4), Wander Franco (3-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI), Harold Ramírez (1-2)

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

TNWN: Rays vs Red Sox — a series preview, part deux

Rays 6/4/23 Starting Lineup

  1. Díaz DH
  2. B. Lowe 2B
  3. Arozarena LF
  4. J. Lowe RF
  5. Paredes 3B
  6. Raley 1B
  7. Margot CF
  8. Walls SS
  9. Bethancourt C

Rays acquire Robert Stephenson from Pittsburgh

The Rays acquired right-hander Robert Stephenson from the Pirates on Friday.

On Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired right-hander Robert Stephenson from the Pirates as a means to start addressing a thin bullpen. Minor league shortstop Alika Williams is heading to Pittsburgh in return. To create space on the 40-man roster for Stephenson, the Rays designated RHP Ben Heller for assignment, although another move is expected to create space on the 26-man roster when Stephenson is activated.

Stephenson began his career as a starting pitcher in Cincinnati yet, over the years, he has been converted to a reliever. After posting a 3.76 ERA and a 3.63 FIP, with a 1.04 WHIP, and a 3.38 K/BB over 57 appearances in 2019, his first full season in the bullpen, things began to go sideways for the hurler. In the truncated 2020 season, Stephenson’s ERA shot up to 9.26 across 10 appearances with the Rockies.

Stephenson bounced back with a solid 2021 campaign in Denver, putting up a 3.13 ERA and a 3.63 FIP before he struggled again in 2022 when he performed to a 6.04 ERA through August before he was designated for assignment. The Pirates picked him up, and he was able to finish on a high note, posting a 3.38 ERA in 10 outings with Pittsburgh down the stretch. He ended the ’22 campaign by lowering his ERA and FIP to 5.43 and 4.23 FIP (respectively).

That brings us to this season…

Stephenson began 2023 on the Injured List with elbow inflammation and returned in the middle of April. In 18 appearances since his return, the right-hander has a 5.14 ERA and a 5.26 FIP, a 1.43 WHIP, a 5.14 BB/9, and a 2.13 K/BB. On the positive end of things, Stephenson has struck out 27.9% of opponents this season, but, on the other hand, he’s walked 13.1% of batters. Take this with a grain of salt given the small 14.0-inning sample size.

Stephenson relies primarily on a whiffy 85 mph slider (generating a 43.2% whiff rate) that he throws 65% of the time and boasts a lot of movement, and a 97 mph fourseam fastball that has arm-side run — his heater has been hit hard this season — while also mixing in a hard 89 mph split-finger changeup. In some regards, the Rays may view him as a Matt Wisler type of pitcher with a more lively arm. Then again, given that his fastball averages over 21 inches of total movement (both horizontal and vertical movement), but he’s only thrown the pitch in the upper third of the zone a very small percentage of the time, it’s possible that they could work toward getting him to pitch at the top of the zone more often to coax more whiffs or weak pop-ups.

Kyle Snyder and the Rays will take a shot at helping him turn things around. And I f nothing comes of it? Stephenson will end up being a short-term piece since he will hit free agency at the end of the season.

TNWN: Rays vs Red Sox — a series preview, part deux

José Siri hit one of two homers in the series finale against the Cubs on Wednesday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After dropping two of three in Chicago, the Tampa Bay Rays continue their road trip in Boston, where they start a three-day, four-game, series on Friday. The Red Sox also dropped two of three in their last series, against the Reds.

At 40-18 on the season, the Rays enter play 22 games above .500, and four games up on the second-place Orioles in the AL East.

The Rays dropped three of four before rallying to win the series finale against the Cubs on Wednesday afternoon. Tampa Bay finished with only five hits in the contest, although Brandon Lowe and José Siri each hit a two-run homer in the win. Even though he served up an unearned run in the seventh inning, Colin Poche earned the win, while Jalen Beeks escaped a bases-loaded situation to earn his first save.

Meanwhile, Boston had dropped three consecutive games (and seven of their last nine) before salvaging the series finale against Cincinnati. The Red Sox enter the series 29-27 on the season and in the basement of the AL East.

While both teams put up positive wRC+ numbers (102 wRC+ vs 114 wRC+) over the last seven days, Boston has performed 12% better than Tampa Bay over that stretch. Be that as it may, it is a tale of luck, as the Rays had been bitten by the BABIP luck dragons and the Red Sox had been given a pass as it relates to batting average on balls in playe (a .297 BABIP vs .362 BABIP respectively). That was exemplified on the north side of Chicago, where Tampa Bay couldn’t make solid contact — at least until Wednesday — nor could any of their contact find open space. The offensive malaise will pass.

The Rays are 4-0 against the Red Sox thus far, and they went 3-6 in Boston last season.

Pitching Probables

Over the next four games, Kevin Cash will turn to Cooper Criswell () behind opener Trevor Kelley, Tyler Gasnow (0-0, 6.23 ERA, 3.29 FIP), Taj Bradley (3-2, 3.60 ERA, 2.76 FIP), and a pitcher to be named before Monday’s adjusted series finale. Alex Cora will counter with Garrett Whitlock (2-2, 5.14 ERA, 5.53 FIP), a pitcher to be named before the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Tanner Houck (3-4, 5.30 ERA, 4.14 FIP), and Brayan Bello (3-3, 3.89 ERA, 4.74 FIP).

Cooper Criswell allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four over four innings against the Dodgers on Friday. Criswell struggled as a bulk reliever in his previous outing against Milwaukee, but he got another chance in that role versus the Dodgers and didn’t disappoint. He’s made four appearances this season across two big-league stints and holds a 6.46 ERA and a 5.37 FIP, with a 1.63 WHIP, and 2.83 K/BB.

Garrett Whitlock allowed one run on three hits while striking out four batters over five innings against the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Whitlock made his first appearance in over a month after dealing with a right elbow injury and making two minor-league rehab starts. He tossed 92 pitches (58 strikes, 63% strike rate) over five frames. Whitlock’s pitch count was that high largely because Arizona fouled off 21 pitches against him, but he was in control after allowing a solo homer in the first inning, at one point retiring 12 straight batters. On the season, Whitlock maintains a 5.15 ERA and a 5.53 FIP, with a 1.19 WHIP, and a 5.00 K/BB across 21.0 innings. He is 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA in seven games (two career starts) against the Rays. Key Matchups: Yandy Díaz (4-8, HR, RBI), Wander Franco (3-10, 2 2B, RBI), Brandon Lowe (4-10, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Josh Lowe (1-3), Manuel Margot (1-4, BB), Isaac Paredes (1-2, HR, RBI)

Tyler Glasnow allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over 4.1 innings against the Dodgers on Saturday. The right-hander had mixed results — four of the five hits he allowed went for extra bases, and the Dodgers put up three runs on him — although Glasnow also racked up an impressive 17 swinging strikes and eight punchouts on 83 pitches (55 strikes, 66% strike rate, 20% SwStr%) in his season debut. Considering the quality of who he faced, this was a promising return for Glasnow. He is 2-1 with a 3.83 ERA in eight career starts against Boston.J

TBA

Taj Bradley allowed an unearned run on three hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over 5.2 innings. A fourth-inning Tampa Bay error helped Chicago notch the game’s only run, resulting in Bradley taking his second career loss despite another strong outing. The rookie right-hander tossed a season-high 5.2 frames to fall one out shy of his first quality start, and he punched out eight batters while walking only one. Bradley’s pitch count is being kept in check — the 90 pitches (65 strikes, 72% strike rate) he threw Monday marked a season high. Overall, he has looked every bit deserving of a big-league rotation spot, compiling a 3.60 ERA and a 2.76 FIP, with a 1.07 WHIP and 8.4 K/BB over 30 innings. Bradley allowed three earned runs on five hits and a walk across five frames in his previous start against Boston. He struck out eight.

Tanner Houck allowed four runs on six hits over four innings Sunday against the Diamondbacks, striking out four. All four runs against Houck came in the first two frames, including Corbin Carroll’s two-run first inning shot. The Diamondbacks were seeing the ball well, as nine of the 14 balls in play were hit hard, including five that tracked greater than 100 mph. Houck has taken a loss in four straight decisions, posting an unsightly 5.97 ERA during that six-start stretch. He now owns a 5.30 ERA and a 4.14 FIP after failing to complete five innings for the second time this season. Houck relies primarily on an 84 mph slider that sweeps across the zone and has exceptional depth and a whiffy 94 mph sinker that has heavy sinking action, while also mixing in a 92 mph cutter that has some natural sink, a 94 mph fourseam fastball that has heavy sinking action, and an 88 mph splitter that dives down out of the zone. He is 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA in three outings (one career start) against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Yandy Díaz (1-4), Wander Franco (3-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI), Harold Ramírez (1-2)

TBA

Brayan Bello allowed one run on five hits and two walks over four innings against the Reds on Tuesday. He struck out four. Despite the final score, both starting pitchers were stingy, although Bello exited early after running his workload up to 97 pitches (61 strikes, 63% strike rate). He has given up two earned runs or fewer in six straight starts, posting a 2.53 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 3.00 K/BB in 32 innings over that stretch. He relies primarily on a 96 mph sinker that has heavy sinking action and an obvious tail, an 88 mph changeup that has obvious arm-side fade and dives down out of the zone, and an 85 mph 12-6 slider, while also mixing in a whiffy 96 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action. He is 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA in two career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB), Yandy Díaz (3-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB), Wander Franco (1-3, RBI), Francisco Mejía (1-4, 2B)

Noteworthiness

— As if inclement weather — resulting in a postponement of the series opener on Friday — wasn’t enough, the Rays are now dealing with another pitching injury.

Josh Fleming felt soreness on the outside of his left elbow while he was playing catch Friday afternoon and is reportedly headed to the Injured List at some point in the next few days.

The team scrambled Friday to arrange an MRI exam to evaluate the extent of the hurler’s injury on Saturday which, then, will determine how much of an impact this will have on the rotation, and what moves need to be made.

The left-hander was scheduled to start the first of two games on Saturday, but that duty will now fall on Cooper Criswell, who is being called up from Triple-A to serve as the 27th man.

This is a fluid situation, and we will have more on it as the news becomes available.

— In better pitching news, Shawn Armstrong (neck) is expected to be activated from the Injured List sometime this weekend.

Armstrong has been out all season with an unspecified neck injury, but he looked ready on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham, holding a 2.00 ERA and a 3.82 FIP, with a 4.00 K/BB over nine innings of work. The 32-year-old is on the 60-day IL, so the Rays will have to clear a spot on the 40-man roster in addition to the 26-man roster.

The Music That Influenced This Preview

Geld’s Relapse Records debut, Currency // Castration, is set to drop next Friday. I have been listening to these three rippers on repeat, and am eagerly anticipating the full release. Like Discharge? Like weirdo psychedelic overtones? Check out these songs (and download everything else while you’re at it).